MAGNATRAC RT1150 Operator / Technical Manual page 63

TRACKED VEHICLE OPERATION
A Tracked Vehicle, by its very nature, is a vehicle re-
quiring a great degree of care and judgment during opera-
tion. It should be kept in mind that while your Tracked
Vehicle is designed to operate in rough terrain, this same
fact allows for the possibility of a hazardous condition de-
veloping at any time. Safe operation of your Tracked Ve-
hicle must be based on the understanding of the vehicle's
limitations, thorough knowledge of the controls and their
functions, and the operator's good judgment and experi-
ence.
SAFETY WARNING: WHERE THE OPERATOR
IS NOT CERTAIN OF THE VEHICLE'S ABILITY
TO TRAVERSE AN OBSTACLE OR TERRAIN
SITUATION, OR, IS NOT CERTAIN OF HIS OWN
ABILITY TO SAFELY OPERATE THE VEHICLE,
AN ALTERNATE ROUTE MUST BE TAKEN.
OPERATION ON SLOPES
Tracked Vehicle operation on slopes presents an obvi-
ous opportunity for the vehicle to tip over. This type of op-
eration demands constant attention to changes in terrain
and the ability to anticipate and avoid possible hazards.
This ability can only be developed through careful
study of the points noted in this section and a slow,
planned effort on the operator's part to become proficient.
The most effective guard against hazards while oper-
ating on slopes, especially during downhill operation is to
keep vehicle speed very slow.
SAFETY WARNING: WHEN OPERATING ON
SLOPES VEHICLE SPEED SHOULD BE KEPT
VERY SLOW AND THE OPERATOR SHOULD
BE EXTREMELY ALERT FOR CHANGES IN
TERRAIN.
Vehicle stability on a hill, for example, is determined
not only by the general slope of the hill but also by terrain
conditions (rocks, ditches,, logs, drop-offs, etc.) and by the
nature of the hill surface (gravel, sand, grass, snow, rock,
etc.), the payload which the vehicle is carrying, the man-
ner in which the payload is distributed within the vehicle,
attachments and accessories which have been added to
the vehicle, and so forth.
Similarly, driving technique and its effect on vehicle
stability enters into any determination of what constitutes
a safe slope. Excessive speed, sudden braking, choice of
path - all can be critical.
UPHILL OPERATION
The following illustrations depict some situations in
which a Tracked Vehicle can be expected to tip over. Vari-
ations in speed, loading, terrain and vehicle condition
must all be analyzed to determine whether or not a spe-
cific obstacle can be traversed. If in doubt, do not at-
tempt.
SAFETY WARNING: ON STEEPER SLOPES
SMALLER OBSTACLES WILL CAUSE A TRACKED
VEHICLE TO TIP OVER.
It is common to see a situation where a natural ero-
sion has caused the very top of a bank or hill to rise
sharply. Always check for this condition before attempting
to climb any such type of terrain. A Tracked Vehicle could
climb up to a point at which it falls over backward.
It is also very important to check for this terrain condi-
tion before going down over the edge of a bank or dropoff.
The same situation can occur where an embedded
object is pulled from the ground. The vehicle track may
'grab' a rock or log. As the object emerges from the
ground, rolling under the track, the vehicle could climb to
the point at which it falls over backward.
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