Mini on a side hill

[PeterG]

You'll figure it out, running an excavator is an excellent lesson in physics.

The load you have changes the conditions. An empty 12" digging bucket is not that much counter balance up above you. A 2' wide bucket is better. A 3-4' bucket is a lot better. You still want to keep the bucket low to the ground and extended out up the hill. A 3' wide bucket full of gravel is a very good counter balance. A thumb full of brush, not very good. A large 2-3 man size rock, or huge log has the weight, but not if you loose it and it rolls down onto you. A weight on the down hill side seems like not a good idea. But as always, you can have the item/load pulled in towards the machine and barely off the ground. If you tip, which is fine, you're only going to tip less than a foot or you can let go of the load. If it's so steep it seems sketchy anyway you look at it, then go down the hill to a flatter area, make the traverse, and go back up, or excavate a traverse, and build a level route, or forget your plan. Be ready for plan B.

If your entire property is on a hill, maybe go ahead and excavate a flat route through. Then you can get in there on a UTV, tractor loader, or 4wd truck.

build those as roads and level them out because they're handy. Let's face it.
The little 5-ft wide bench is not going to hurt you as long as you think about what runoff is going to do.

 

[InsleyGuy]

I prefer to have the counterweight on the uphill side, with the bucket/load tucked in low and tight to the machine. I like having a positive stop.

 

[MG84]

I had a thought regarding the various opinions on bucket uphill vs. down. The setup of the machine is going to dramatically change the way it reacts, two main factors being conventional vs zero tail swing and width of undercarriage.

My advice to keep the bucket up hill is mainly based on newer zero tail swing machines in which the undercarriage is wide and the weight is tucked in close. A conventional tail swing machine, especially an older one with narrow undercarraige and huge overhang (Yanmar B50, B37 etc) is going to handle completely differently, and you may indeed want the weigh up hill and bucket down.

 

[MrMack]

This is an AHM with the Kubota diesel. Weighs about 2100# track is 37" wide; 48" long. Not zero tail swing. In reading through all the reply's I think I go bucket uphill with 160# of suitcase weights in it on the way to the trees and then maybe some on the way to the burn pile. After loaded up have to see how it handles.

 

[MG84]

This is an AHM with the Kubota diesel. Weighs about 2100# track is 37" wide; 48" long. Not zero tail swing. In reading through all the reply's I think I go bucket uphill with 160# of suitcase weights in it on the way to the trees and then maybe some on the way to the burn pile. After loaded up have to see how it handles.

Oh my, I looked those up, that is going to be real tippy be very careful. I would go up/down the hill whenever possible. The other issue is those little Chinese excavators are not well designed or use the best quality parts. I'm afraid you'll be throwing tracks off constantly if you do much side hilling.

 

[MrMack]

Yea there will be quite a bit overhang with the bucket 90 from the tracks. While this is my first excavator I own 3 more Chinese made machines. What I see is they are built like tanks, dumb tanks. Very strong and heavy duty but the technology is behind. Neither my chipper or stump grinder would shut off with the "Emergency Stop" button. The chipper had several wiring issues. Anyway, the brush was an afterthought. I bought this for some levelling and drainage work that needs to be done. I be playing with it for a while before I try a sidehill operation. And is has a water cooled Kubota diesel.
Thanks for the input!

 

[JAMES DASHNAU]

am i the only one who will suggest making a burn pile closer to the brush. why track it so far?

 

[MrMack]

a lot of trees in between