Stability Baseline

The COG is inside a tractor’s stability baseline. Drawing a line to connect all the wheels of the tractor forms the tractor stability baseline.

Three very important points to remember about tractor COG & stability baselines:

1. The tractor will not overturn if the COG stays inside the stability baseline.
2. The COG moves around inside the baseline area as you operate the tractor.
3. A wide front-end tractor provides more space for the COG to move around without going outside the area of stability.

Tractor COG can move out of stability baseline when;

• Operated on a steep slope.
• Tractor’s COG is raised higher.
• Tractor is going too fast for the sharpness of the turn.
• Power is applied to the tractor’s rear wheels too quickly.
• The tractor is trying to pull a load that is not hitched to the drawbar.
• When a tractor is on a slope, the distance between the tractor’s COG & stability baseline is reduced.
• On steep slopes, the tractor is already close to an overturn.
• A small bump on the high side, or a groundhog hole on the low side, may be all that is needed for the tractor to overturn.