maximum degree of climbing, assent, descent

[pop pop]

i think we may have talked about this topic before, but curious as to what you all have done with our small JDcrawlys when climbing and descending,,,,
i am more interested in maximum continued climb angle,,, needless to say, downhill is always easily accomplished. traversing is not really the topic here unless per chance you have done it with the nose still pointed up the incline.
using the winch doesn't count either...so lets hear it guys,

[Paul Buhler]

Sort of a " my dog's bigger than your dog" type question. All depends on soil conditions, track configuration/shape, operator skill, etc. I've climbed good soils in my 420c steep enough that the hydraulic tank dumps oil on my foot when properly filled. My 420 is "blade heavy" so going up blade first with a low blade gives me the best traction. My 450c with a winch was tail heavy so backing up steeps worked best. When the going gets iffy, a looserock or bit of ledge under one track can cause a spin out, and an increased pucker factor. When we worked on really steep and iffy terrain, we tried to hook our winch into something solid and back up while winching so that there was a tether in case of the afore mentioned spin out. On steep terrain, we tried to work top down building a stable road as we went so that we didn't have to wrestle with each re-ascent. I live and work in wet,rocky and ledgey soils, so after a certain pitch, it's just prudent to be very careful. Sorry I can't give you an angle or percent of slope; suffice it to say, that if one was walking next to the machine, you were choosing your footing carefully.
Great topic, looking forward to hearing from others. Paul.

[pop pop]

well i suppose it boils down to how much traction and power,,, so dont forget to tell us how big your grousers are,,, who has seen the biggest grousers(on the JD crawlys)? and that leads to the science of ,,,what effects do tall grousers have on the track system.
I like your similation Paul, so lets call this,"who's seen the meanest mountain cat"

[dtoots1]

i see these guys working on the highway hillsides just the other side of the ditches....i see crawler tracks where they go up vertical and sidehill and just wonder what pucker factor they are experiencing.....I know they scrape the hillside with excavator and then go up the sides with dozers???
not something i want to do....no idea what degree sloping that is.
dtoots1

[Paul Buhler]

I believe that as a starting point steeper roadside grades target a 1:2 rise to run, or about 26.5 degrees. 1:1 pitch is 45 degrees.

[Paul Buhler]

I like your similation Paul, so lets call this,"who's seen the meanest mountain cat"

Are you talking operator or machine?

[pop pop]

i want to keep this on the particular subject of our little JD dozers, the 40,420,430,440,1010,
as long as the fuel is getting to the motor,,, hmmm, i suppose it would be a problem too if the oil pickup tube ran dry.
does anyone recall reading anything in our manuals about the maximum angle? it would be a measurable angle , so maybe i will get off my tail and go do that
maybe some cut-away pictures will give a clue.

[Pat]

I remember seeing a video of a BO Lindeman going up a very steep incline. They were demonstrating for the Army , I think, for use in the Pacific to be airdropped, for building Runways. They didn't get the contract, but neat video and looks like they were on a 45 degree angle.

[CuttingEdge]

I read an article somewhere, printed it off, and now cannot find the link online again; but it was of 4 men in new Zealand who got a contract to build a roadway in 1956 with a Cat D8, but had to start south and work their way North. They could not truck, boat, or fly such a big dozer in, so they drove it across the jungle, and their continental divide. I do believe according to their harrowing story, it was the steepest grade ever accomplished by a bulldozer. It is only 13 pages long in duration, but these men were men in terms of pucker factor.

I know it is not small John Deere bulldozers, but if anyone can find the link, it is an incredible read.

[Lavoy]

I remember reading that one, or one similar. The had to hook the winch up to go down some of the hills they were so steep.
Lavoy

[Ray III]

The steepest material I have been able to climb with my 420 was a pile of chopped hay. The grousers engage well, but at the same time the stuff tends to stick together and not slip easily. It was greater than 100% grade.

I have been there where you are climbing a bank with an excavator and hit a hard or frozen spot and the tracks break loose. For this reason if you are going to be a fair ways off the ground I would use a safer slope and not attempt to test the limits of the machine.

[pop pop]

i suppose too that seat belts will be a factor, any of you guys have seat belts on the old JD's?

[notmeu]

You bet pop pop. There’s some steep hills in Western Pennsylvania! A seat belt is a must have, especially with that those slick 420 seats......

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

The early 350s had foot rests near the top of the dash frame to jam yourself into the seat on steep slopes. I used them a couple times on my 68 straight 350 when I lived on that mountain in NY. No ROPS and so no seat belt. It is unsafe to use a seat belt on a ROPS-less machine. If it starts to roll, you need to be able to bail out. And, so, no seat belt on my 420 either.

I had a woods road spot that was 45 degrees, so that was my max.

My new-to-me 78 350C doesn't have the dash foot rests. Not that I need them in this flat river valley I live in now in NC. It just seems strange to not see them. I thought they were a pretty cool feature.

Stan

[psprague]

i suppose too that seat belts will be a factor, any of you guys have seat belts on the old JD's?

Personally, I feel like Eddie the Eagle and enjoy the airtime when it launches me on tipping over a slope.

The bone-jarring stop to it all ends the excitement quickly though.