As long as the tops of your 2 front tires are about level across them, you should be good to start lifting as high as you need to go. Put down planks to roll on if the grounds soft. If I have to do high lifts that seem at all unstable side to side, I'll tie off to each side to help stabilize. That's usually a pain when bringing loads tho. Bottom line… never lift any higher than a couple feet if your front end isn't level crosswise.
I have been able to ride up the mound about a foot or so then dumping. That's got to over 6 foot. But I think building a ramp with dirt could get me around 8 foot. This is going to be a gun range so every inch safely best. Its going to be 8-10 foot wide upside down "U"
That should be fine as long as each "set" of packed ramps are solid. Keep the bucket/load close to the pile as you lift up and over and ride the down lever… should be no sweat. It's almost always about taking your time. The bad chit seems to only happen when we hurry.
Yea I am in no hurry. Been wanting to build this for 6 years now. Was going to rent a bob cat but ran across cub. I have a lot of dirt to move so the bigger I can make it the better. This a 100 foot ridge line and 20 foot wide and need a couple feet taken off. Old pick but you can see how it sloops up from the back deck. Gun range back where the tree is to the far left. Its done been cut down.
Keep the load low and take half scoops at a time. Maybe some more weight on the back. A bobcat may be a better option for what you are doing and would be much faster. Just read about a farmer around here had his tractor roll pulling a tree. Unfortunately he did not make it.
Mud and ground that is wet with grass on it can also make your rearend pucker as well. I was running fill in years back and ended up standing on the window of a 953 cat. Luckily had the seatbelt on and it was kind of a slow forward maneuver. Live and learn.
Lukem nailed it...dry dirt is around 2 to 2.5 times the weight of mulch. Ramp is the way to go...I can pile snow 10 ft tall this way with my truck....just don't sink it on the ramp
Been there. I was running a skid steer with an oversized bucket and picked up a little too much septic rock. I had the bucket up a little too high and hit a dip in the ground just right as I was pulling up to dump into a finger and it brought the back end up to a little over a 45* angle. It happened so slow I thought it would sit back down but it just kept going until I dropped the bucket. I wasn't quite standing on the windshield (didn't have one anyway), but I was about face to face with the ground.
A couple years ago somebody tried to climb a snow pile in the mall parking lot and buried it about half way up. It was hilarious. The front end of those diesels are heavy....