Using a Tracked Tractor on Muddy and Sloping Ground

Most people who buy a tracked tractor give the same reason: “A wheeled tractor either sinks in our field or can’t grip on the slope.” Tracks really do make a difference to both problems. But muddy, sloping ground also tests a tracked machine if you don’t know the right technique; one wrong move and the job turns into a recovery operation, or worse.

In this guide we explain how to use a compact tracked tractor in the 35 HP class, such as the QD35, on wet soil and on slopes: reading the ground before you go into the field, using the gears and throttle in mud, recovering the machine safely if it gets stuck, the rules that reduce the risk of rollover on slopes, and looking after the track system once the job is done.

A note before we start: for values such as the slope limit and towing capacity, your machine’s operator’s manual is what counts. The rules below are widely accepted good practice in the field; if anything conflicts with the manual, follow the manual.

What tracks give you, and what they don’t

Tracks spread the machine’s weight over a much larger area than wheels do. That is why a tracked machine sinks later on soft ground and finds better traction. The QD35’s 750 kg is spread along two tracks; a system made up of a drive sprocket, five rollers, a top roller and a tensioner keeps each track pressed evenly against the ground. We explain the general differences between tracked and wheeled tractors in detail in our guide What Is a Tracked Tractor?

Let’s be honest — tracks are not magic. There are three limits you need to know:

• Tracks slip too. In sticky clay soil the gaps between the track lugs fill up, the track turns like a smooth belt and traction is lost.
• Tracks don’t protect you from rollovers. Traction improves, but the centre of gravity stays where it is. The QD35 is 980 mm wide; this narrow body makes it easy to get into vineyard and orchard rows, but it also narrows the margin against tipping over on a side slope. It is a trade-off.
• Tracks protect the soil, but only up to a point. In wet soil, tracks also smear and compact the soil when turning and slipping. Going into a field that isn’t workable yet because “it won’t sink anyway” can affect the next season’s yield.

Before you go into the field: read the ground

Most problems with mud and slopes can be prevented before the machine goes into the field. The simplest test is the squeeze test: take a handful of soil from the depth you will be working and squeeze it. If water seeps out and the soil oozes between your fingers like putty, it is not yet time for either ploughing or tilling. If it forms a ball that crumbles at a light touch, the soil is ready to work.

Even when the soil is ready, walk the land and go through this checklist before you start:

1. Spot the low points: Mark puddles, seepage and soft patches; on the first pass, take the machine around their edges.
2. Look for hidden hazards: Old filled-in wells, septic tanks, drainage pipes, piles of stones, ditches and the edges of terraces.
3. Identify the steepest section: Don’t take the machine onto the steepest part of the land the first time you use it; get to know it on gentler sections first.
4. Plan your way out: Know in advance in which direction, and onto which firm ground, you will take the machine if you get stuck or have to stop halfway through the job.
5. Fill the tank: The QD35’s fuel tank holds 16 litres. Working on a slope with the tank nearly empty can let air into the fuel pickup, and the engine stalling halfway up a slope is not something you want.
6. Have recovery gear ready: A strong tow rope or chain, a shovel and a few thick boards.
7. Don’t work alone: Especially on sloping and remote plots, make sure someone knows where you are working, and keep a charged phone with you.

Using a tractor on muddy ground: driving technique

Gears and throttle

The QD35 has 3 forward gears and 1 reverse; with the high/low range this gives 8 speeds in total. In mud, follow the rule of low range, steady engine speed and a gentle throttle. The aim is not to spin the tracks fast but to keep the machine moving. A sudden burst of throttle makes the tracks dig into the ground, and the machine digs its own hole.

On muddy sections, avoid stopping and starting as far as possible; when a stationary machine moves off again, the tracks dig in more. Make your turns wide: a sharp turn on the spot piles mud up in front of the tracks, packs soil between the track and the sprocket and increases the risk of the track coming off.

When the tracks start to slip

If the tracks are turning but the machine isn’t moving, back off the throttle at once. Every second of slipping buries the machine a little deeper. Then follow this sequence:

• If there is an attachment on the back, lift it; with less load, the machine often frees itself.
• Bring the machine to a complete stop, put it in reverse and try to back out at low engine speed along the track marks you came in on. That ground has already been compacted once.
• Don’t keep trying in a rut that is getting deeper; if you can’t get out after a few attempts, move on to recovery.

With a mechanical gearbox, bring the machine to a complete stop before changing direction. Rocking it hard back and forth puts unnecessary strain on the clutch and gearbox.

If you’re stuck: safe recovery

Recovery is the most dangerous moment of working in mud. Never compromise on these rules:

• The right attachment point: Attach the rope or chain only to the drawbar or to the towing point specified in the manual. On the towing machine, too, the attachment must be at drawbar height; a chain attached to a high point can make the towing tractor rear up and flip over backwards.
• Stay out of the line: If a rope or chain under tension snaps, it lashes out like a whip. Nobody should stand near the line while towing.
• Chocks and boards only with the engine off: If you need to dig out in front of the track with a shovel or put boards under it, stop the engine. Nobody should go near a turning track.
• Pull slowly and gradually: Rather than yanking hard, take up the slack in the rope and pull slowly in a low gear.

If two or three attempts don’t work, don’t force it. Waiting a day or two for the soil to dry out is both cheaper and safer than repairing a clutch and gearbox.

Using a tractor on sloping ground: the basic rules

Work up and down the slope where possible

On a slope, the safest line runs straight up and down it: uphill and downhill. A side slope, that is, driving across the slope, is where the risk of rollover is highest. There is a conflict here: from a farming point of view, working across a slope, parallel to the contour lines, reduces erosion. The slope itself settles this conflict. On a gentle slope you can work across it, staying well below the limit in the manual. On a steep slope, safety comes first; that section needs to be terraced or worked by some other method.

Stay in gear on the way down

• When going downhill, never shift into neutral; come down in gear, in low range, and let engine braking do its work.
• Choose your gear before you start on the slope. If you change gear halfway along a slope, the machine is out of gear for a moment and can slide.
• Don’t turn in the middle of a slope. A turn briefly puts the machine on a side slope; make your turns on level ground or at the top or bottom of the slope.
• If the machine is labouring and stalling on the way up, don’t persist; back down in a straight line, under control.

Side slopes, bumps and hollows

On a side slope, if the upper track rides over a stone or the lower track drops into a hollow, the angle increases instantly. Go slowly across the slope and clear obstacles beforehand. If the machine starts to tip to one side, the general rule is to steer downhill; steering uphill speeds up the rollover. If your machine has a rollover protection frame and a seat belt, always wear the belt.

Attachments change the centre of gravity

A rotavator or plough on the back moves the machine’s centre of gravity backwards and upwards. Climbing a slope with the attachment raised lightens the front end, so carry the attachment close to the ground when you take on a slope. On the excavator-arm version, the digging arm should be folded and kept low; carrying a load with the arm on a slope, especially a side slope, multiplies the risk of rollover. We cover the same subject for mini excavators separately in our guide to mini excavator safety on slopes.

Working wet and sloping ground with attachments

What you have on the back of the machine has a direct effect on the work you can do in mud and on slopes:

• Rotary tiller (rotavator): Tilling wet soil smears it like dough, leaves a hard pan below the working depth and wraps mud around the blades. That is why you wait for the soil to be workable; there are more details in our guide to soil preparation with a rotavator.
• Plough: In wet soil the mouldboards get smeared with mud; instead of turning over, the soil slides off in solid slabs. On a slope the plough creates a sideways force and can pull the machine down the slope; slow down even on gentle slopes.
• Trencher: The lasting solution to a mud problem is often to get the water off the field. Cutting drainage channels from the low points lets you get back onto the field sooner after the next rain. We explain the method in our guide to digging channels with a tractor.
• Towing with the drawbar: Going downhill, a loaded trailer without brakes of its own pushes the tractor from behind. Reduce the load and come down slowly in a low gear.

You can see the full list of attachments available for the QD35 on our tracked tractor attachments page.

Quick decision table: what to do and what to avoid

When the job is done: caring for a muddy track system

The real cost of a muddy day shows up the next day. Dried mud sets hard; soil packed between the drive sprocket and the track and around the rollers puts extra tension on the track. This unnecessary tension strains the sprocket, the rollers and the tensioning mechanism. In cold weather, if the mud freezes overnight, the track is under even more strain when you first move off in the morning.

• Clean at the end of the day: Clear the worst of the mud from inside the tracks, the sprocket and the rollers. Don’t hold a pressure washer close to seals and bearings.
• Check that everything turns: Make sure the five rollers and the top roller turn freely and that no stones or branches are jammed in the sprocket.
• Check the tension: Track tension can change after working in mud; measure it on a cleaned track and adjust it to the value in the manual.
• Keep the belt area dry: The QD35 is belt-driven. A muddy or wet belt can slip; if you hear a whistling, slipping noise, check the belt and pulleys.
• Check the air filter: Dried mud turns into dust. On the dry, dusty days that follow muddy ones, check the air filter more often.

We recommend keeping our tracked tractor maintenance checklist, which sets out the daily, weekly and seasonal checks in full, next to the machine. If you notice unusual noise from the track system, tracks that keep slackening or a track coming off, call our technical service line (0552 947 92 09) for advice.

Summary

• Tracks delay sinking and improve traction; they don’t protect you from rollovers.
• Before going into the field, check the soil with the squeeze test; identify hidden hazards and your way out in advance.
• In mud: low range, steady engine speed, gentle throttle; if the tracks slip, back off the throttle at once.
• When recovering, attach the chain only to the drawbar, and keep everyone out of line with the rope.
• On slopes, work up and down, stay in gear on the way down and don’t turn on the slope.
• When the job is done, clean the tracks and check the rollers and the tension.

You can find technical details for the QD35, such as its weight, gears and track layout, on the QD35 tracked tractor page. If you’d like to discuss which attachment and way of working suit the slope and soil of your own land, message us on WhatsApp; a few photos or a short video of the land are all we need.