Questions You Should Know about hillside tractors
Aug. 11, 2025
How To Operate Your Tractor Properly On Slopes & Hills
How To Operate Your Tractor Properly On Slopes & Hills
Ignoring these tips could send you down a slippery slope...
Operating a tractor on hillsides, and climbing and descending hills are some of the most challenging and risky situations a tractor owner can face. But tractors and their attachments are about caring for the land — the earth — and the earth is not flat. Sometimes a particular task that must be completed involves maneuvering on sloping ground. But never let the desire to complete the task come before protecting the tractor operator and any co-workers or bystanders.
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When you find yourself in a tractor operating situation that includes hills, follow these tips to not only get your job done but to get you and yours back home without incident.
Proper operation of the tractor and attachments should be your number one priority.
Read the owner’s manuals of both the tractor and the attachment for tips specific to your tractor and its performance on slopes and hills. Always wear your seatbelt and ensure your roll over protection system (ROPS) is in the up position while operating any machinery in any circumstance.
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- Overturns are a major source of tractor accidents. Tractors are subject to both side overturns and rear overturns where the front of the tractor lifts and the tractor falls over backwards. Tractor overturns can occur on flat, level surfaces, not just on sloping ground. Proper operating techniques and being on guard to prevent overturns are required whenever a tractor is being used.
- When operating on sloping terrain, be even more cautious to prevent tractor overturns.
- Tractors tend to be more stable if properly configured and ballasted. Refer to the operator’s manual and talk to your tractor dealer for details.
- On sloping ground, it may be better to run the tractor up and down the slope as much as possible rather than across the slope. This may help minimize the chances of a side overturn. Maximum caution to prevent rear overturns is always necessary.
- As much as possible, by hand and on foot in many cases, prepare the sloping ground work area before using the tractor by removing obstacles such as rocks, debris, and fallen and low-hanging limbs (you don’t want to strike a low-hanging limb with your tractor cab or ROPS). Loose debris can make slopes slippery even in dry weather. If trees, boulders, or other fixed obstacles make the sloping ground very challenging terrain for tractor operation, do not hesitate to choose to not use the tractor to accomplish the task.
- Run the tractor in a lower gear range to give you more control over the machine while operating on a slope. In addition, set the tractor into four-wheel drive; this provides more traction and a stronger ability to brake. This is because in two-wheel drive, only the rear-wheels brake. Therefore, operating your tractor in a low range and in four-wheel drive while on a slope will help you maintain control of the tractor in a slow and cautious speed appropriate to doing work on sloping ground.
- Note how tractor braking differs from how cars and trucks brake (cars and trucks always have braking on all wheels). Remember that tractors are built very differently than cars and trucks and perform differently. Therefore, adjust your driving techniques accordingly.
- Always keep the tractor in gear while operating on slopes and hilly terrain. When shifting from forward to reverse (or from range to range), place your foot on the brake to prevent rolling downhill as the transmission shifts. Avoid starting and stopping on slopes. Whenever possible do not make any sudden direction changes, headland turns, or stops on steep slopes. Make your headland turns, stops, and other changes on more level ground at the beginning or ending of the slope if at all possible.
- When using a front-end loader on a slope, it’s imperative to keep the loader as low as possible at all times. Raising the loader too high on a slope can significantly increase the chance of a rollover. Remember that low and slow are good watch words for loader operation on any terrain.
Follow these tips and apply a little extra caution, and you can keep your tractor and your day from going downhill.
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Hillside brush cutting power and stability 425// | Page 6
IMHO the PT tractor is a jack of all trades and master of none. It would be nice if they had a high/low range (instead of swapping wheel motors) but they don't and yet still develop the torque to run a bucket into a bank and fill it with material. I have PTs and regular tractors and almost never use the regular ones except for a logging (winch) and snow plowing due to the cab. I have wrote before that on the PT the engine sits low and between the wheels unlike standard tractors. After using mine for years, I can almost not worry about a roll over on side hills (this might be a bad thing). Unlike me, you might be better off with the PT cutters as I mostly use skid steer implements which are much heavier and exasperate the side hill issue.
Just yesterday I thought of this post while using a rotating log grapple on a side hill and was annoyed at how far out of plumb is was hanging (due to the side hill) and how it couldn't get below the brush because the jaws were now not parallel to the ground. After I picked up a pile, the grapple swung and caused the uphill wheel on the PT to lift off the ground an inch or so. (these log grapples swing around like a cowbell. Although this happened it still felt OK, even know it was the worse scenario I could imagine with the loader at full height and a hanging load that would swing out beyond the wheel track. I think once you use a PT with front attachments you will park your Kubota.
I agree on the diesel, and wonder what they will do once they use up their supply of 45 and 60 HP Deutz engines?
That's is a serious question because once you get into that HP range, what gas engines could they realistically substitute? Not having 45 and 60hp diesels would seem a very serious setback, IMO, for the larger machines.
The gas engine version with a brush cutter plus delivery is already in the same price range as a TYM T474 with the Kujke 48hp diesel, and that kind of PT pricing is a serious obstacle to me buying a PT. Good grief, they are asking a premium price and yet PT has a parts only warranty that doesn't cover labor at any local dealer for factory defects? And is it true that they remove the part numbers from their components so you can't just go buy replacement parts from the OEM makers, too?
I don't the radiator as a problem because of the posts in other threads saying that the lighter gas engine in the means there is less counterbalance to loads in the FEL compared to the heavier diesel option they used to have.
I think that should to decide what works for you. Nobody here is getting a commission, or brownie points from Power-Trac.
Dealers can be good, mediocre, or awful. There are a couple brands that I would not consider because the dealers are so poorly run (or worse).
This forum has some very experienced folks on it, and if you can turn a wrench yourself, it is a great resource. If you can't, I would buy a dealer supported version and a trailer, or hire someone to do the work.
We all have our own constraints, strengths, and challenges.
All the best,
Peter The reason there’s no diesel option for the small tractors is cost. Or, I should really say price. It would make the unit several thousand dollars more expensive, which would be uncompetitive in many ways. When I bought my first 425 twenty years ago, it was $. Now, I see it is $16,000. Heck, I think the was $16,000 when it first came out years ago.
The wheel motors are around $700 each. However, keep in mind, you would need to modify the wheel mount weldment slightly. The larger displacement wheel motors are about ½ inch longer. While you could use a spacer to make up the difference, I elected to cut out a ½ inch thick plate and weld it to the mount. This involved cutting a large hole and a bolt circle in the plate.
My modified 425 uses a 35-horsepower motor and larger wheel motors than used on the . But still, it’s no “powerhouse”. I purchased a made-in-Japan Takeuchi T8 for a little over $25,000, with hours on it. It has a 75HP Kubota engine and 2-speed motors. In terms of capability and sophistication, it’s light years ahead of the 425. And since a hydraulic brush cutter obviously runs on the ground, this option would be quite stable I think, particularly going up and down hills (as opposed to across). It would also be WAY more capable and usable for lots of other tasks. These days, many skid steer attachments can be found cheaper than the equivalent Power-Trac attachment. Something to consider.
Just yesterday I thought of this post while using a rotating log grapple on a side hill and was annoyed at how far out of plumb is was hanging (due to the side hill) and how it couldn't get below the brush because the jaws were now not parallel to the ground. After I picked up a pile, the grapple swung and caused the uphill wheel on the PT to lift off the ground an inch or so. (these log grapples swing around like a cowbell. Although this happened it still felt OK, even know it was the worse scenario I could imagine with the loader at full height and a hanging load that would swing out beyond the wheel track. I think once you use a PT with front attachments you will park your Kubota.
I agree on the diesel, and wonder what they will do once they use up their supply of 45 and 60 HP Deutz engines?
I agree on the diesel, and wonder what they will do once they use up their supply of 45 and 60 HP Deutz engines?
That's is a serious question because once you get into that HP range, what gas engines could they realistically substitute? Not having 45 and 60hp diesels would seem a very serious setback, IMO, for the larger machines.
The gas engine version with a brush cutter plus delivery is already in the same price range as a TYM T474 with the Kujke 48hp diesel, and that kind of PT pricing is a serious obstacle to me buying a PT. Good grief, they are asking a premium price and yet PT has a parts only warranty that doesn't cover labor at any local dealer for factory defects? And is it true that they remove the part numbers from their components so you can't just go buy replacement parts from the OEM makers, too?
I don't think they want to deal with the new diesel emissions, and the extra room a radiator needs.Is that some new announcement because I don't see one on their product page?
But yes, I they came out with a 25hp kubota powered trac!!
I don't the radiator as a problem because of the posts in other threads saying that the lighter gas engine in the means there is less counterbalance to loads in the FEL compared to the heavier diesel option they used to have.
That's is a serious question because once you get into that HP range, what gas engines could they realistically substitute? Not having 45 and 60hp diesels would seem a very serious setback, IMO, for the larger machines.
The gas engine version with a brush cutter plus delivery is already in the same price range as a TYM T474 with the Kujke 48hp diesel, and that kind of PT pricing is a serious obstacle to me buying a PT. Good grief, they are asking a premium price and yet PT has a parts only warranty that doesn't cover labor at any local dealer for factory defects? And is it true that they remove the part numbers from their components so you can't just go buy replacement parts from the OEM makers, too?
I think that should to decide what works for you. Nobody here is getting a commission, or brownie points from Power-Trac.
Dealers can be good, mediocre, or awful. There are a couple brands that I would not consider because the dealers are so poorly run (or worse).
This forum has some very experienced folks on it, and if you can turn a wrench yourself, it is a great resource. If you can't, I would buy a dealer supported version and a trailer, or hire someone to do the work.
We all have our own constraints, strengths, and challenges.
All the best,
Peter The reason there’s no diesel option for the small tractors is cost. Or, I should really say price. It would make the unit several thousand dollars more expensive, which would be uncompetitive in many ways. When I bought my first 425 twenty years ago, it was $. Now, I see it is $16,000. Heck, I think the was $16,000 when it first came out years ago.
The wheel motors are around $700 each. However, keep in mind, you would need to modify the wheel mount weldment slightly. The larger displacement wheel motors are about ½ inch longer. While you could use a spacer to make up the difference, I elected to cut out a ½ inch thick plate and weld it to the mount. This involved cutting a large hole and a bolt circle in the plate.
My modified 425 uses a 35-horsepower motor and larger wheel motors than used on the . But still, it’s no “powerhouse”. I purchased a made-in-Japan Takeuchi T8 for a little over $25,000, with hours on it. It has a 75HP Kubota engine and 2-speed motors. In terms of capability and sophistication, it’s light years ahead of the 425. And since a hydraulic brush cutter obviously runs on the ground, this option would be quite stable I think, particularly going up and down hills (as opposed to across). It would also be WAY more capable and usable for lots of other tasks. These days, many skid steer attachments can be found cheaper than the equivalent Power-Trac attachment. Something to consider.