(ET) RE: Hills

["Elie, Larry (L.D.)" <lelie ford com>]

Actually, there is another risk....

ET brakes are notoriously bad.  Sure, there are fixes.  But some ET's 
(E12) can be run on level ground with essentially no brakes; just reverse 
to stop.  I have done so myself.  Now comes the hill.  Here you go, down 
hill.  Want to slow; throttle is fine.  Then you panic and put your foot 
on the break--OOPS!  Now you have disengaged the transmission and all the 
motor breaking.  Psychologically, it is very HARD to let go of the break 
instead of trying to push it through the floor.  With good breaks, this 
isn't an issue, but I do want to warn people.  I hit a bicycle (empty...). 
 Tractor stopped.  End of story.  Moral; on hills you need breaks.  You 
probably also want to think hard before using them.

Larry Elie


-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Meier [mailto:mr23 mn rr com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 9:41 PM
To: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
Subject: Re: Hills (was Re: (ET) E20 For Sale or Auction...)


I've climbed up, down, and sideways on a 35-40 degree slope with
no problem, in a E16 with mower deck, and 6 6volt batteries.

In another E16, with no implement up front, no batteries or charger
up front, and 3 Hawker SBS60's in the rear battery box, a 30 degree
slope caused a 'wheelie'...  whee ha.   As soon as I disengaged power,
the front dropped.  Guess a few more pounds were needed up front...

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Gaarder" <gaarder ecovillage ithaca ny us>
To: <elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 6:28 PM
Subject: Hills (was Re: (ET) E20 For Sale or Auction...)


> While we're discussing hills, what is the steepest slope that can be
> climbed without risking overturning?
> 
> Steve
> 
>