Stability Analysis of Agricultural Off-Road Vehicles

Vehicle rollovers cause many agricultural work-related fatalities each year. Tractors, off-road utility vehicles (ORUVs), zero turn radius (ZTR) mowers, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) can all become involved in fatal rollovers. The rollover tendency of these vehicles was evaluated using static lateral and longitudinal stability angles. Center of gravity locations were measured with the lift axle method, and lateral and longitudinal stability angles were calculated for four ATVs, five ORUVs, four ZTR mowers, and four lawn tractors. Stability angles were calculated for loaded and unloaded vehicle conditions. Loading vehicles with ballast and operators can substantially decrease lateral and longitudinal stability angles. Stability angles for these vehicles and for five full-size agricultural tractors were compared. All loaded and unloaded, lateral and longitudinal stability angles determined met the appropriate ANSI requirements.