In your worst dreams.....

[Farmwithjunk]

From my youngest days, I recall being addicted to tractorin'. It never took much of an excuse to get me on one. I really enjoy the time I spend in the seat to this day, even after literally THOUSANDS of hours.

But then you have days like my yesterday

8-1/2 hours (fortunately in a cab) of mowing dense weeds (not mowed for 3 years) that were taller than eye level sitting down. A mix-match of every noxious weed commonly found around these parts. Some areas had Kudsu vining all over the weeds. (You southerners know what Kudsu is all about) 23 acres worth. In places, it was so thick, I was cutting only with half the width of the batwing, just so I could keep the tractor in clear ground to be able to see ANYTHING.

I found, (A) 2 car tires, (B) a pile of old wooden fence post's, (C) a couple box traps, (D) 3 deer, (E) 2 of the fattest racoons I've ever seen, (F) and most important, I found that not EVERY minute spent in the operators seat is fun.

The property owners ain't gonna like the bill either

SO, what's the WORST time you've ever spent in the seat?

 

[LoneCowboy]

2 years ago, we got 3 feet of snow. Yes, that's right. three feet in about 24 hours.

I live on a private road, so i got out the open platform, shuttle shift (clutch) MF 1433 and started working.
still snowing, windy, 10 degrees or so.

8 hours later we were done, I could barely move my legs, they were simply frozen (big chunks of ice on the pants)

I decided right then I needed a cab tractor.

On the plus side, our street was lots better than city streets for months.

 

[flusher]

From my youngest days, I recall being addicted to tractorin'. It never took much of an excuse to get me on one. I really enjoy the time I spend in the seat to this day, even after literally THOUSANDS of hours.

But then you have days like my yesterday

8-1/2 hours (fortunately in a cab) of mowing dense weeds (not mowed for 3 years) that were taller than eye level sitting down. A mix-match of every noxious weed commonly found around these parts. Some areas had Kudsu vining all over the weeds. (You southerners know what Kudsu is all about) 23 acres worth. In places, it was so thick, I was cutting only with half the width of the batwing, just so I could keep the tractor in clear ground to be able to see ANYTHING.

I found, (A) 2 car tires, (B) a pile of old wooden fence post's, (C) a couple box traps, (D) 3 deer, (E) 2 of the fattest racoons I've ever seen, (F) and most important, I found that not EVERY minute spent in the operators seat is fun.

The property owners ain't gonna like the bill either

SO, what's the WORST time you've ever spent in the seat?

Mowing my neighbors 8 acres with my new Mahindra 5525 and 6ft Hawkline brush hog. First time for this field. Didn't walk the property because of high weeds. Hit several old olive tree stumps pretty hard, dropped the front end into an irrigation ditch and hit a half buried cinderblock pretty good.

Don't see how you commercial mowers can stand the anxiety involved in mowing unfamaliar fields knowing that you could break the tractor or mower with one wrong or unlucky move. On my 10 acres, I mow when the weeds are 2-3 feet high so at least I can see the new foxholes that seem to appear each year. Even then I've dropped a front wheel into one of these on several occasions.

 

[teg]

SO, what's the WORST time you've ever spent in the seat?

I have not had one yet...

 

[groundcover]

I would have to agree with Lonecowboy,Last winter snow then rain,turned into over a foot of icey lead. Broke the plow frame on one truck, plowed the other one till dark when the plow lights quit, then went out on the open tractor till four thirty in the morning, it did fine ,even the rear blower was able to move the stuff. Got soaked from the snow and ice falling from the trees ,that was the night I decided I needed a cab !

 

[deere755]

Several years back I was cultivating a field of beans that was full of morning glories. I spent more time off of the tractor cleaning the vines out of the cultivator. It was a miserable day to say the least.

 

[EddieWalker]

My worse days are when I get stuck. I mean really stuck, to the point it takes hours and hours to get out. The only thing worse then getting stuck is breaking down in the middle of an area that I'm clearing and I have to crawl around under the tractor or dozer in the heat of summer with piles of debri under it. One time while clearing the land for my lake, I had to use a chainsaw to cut the trees and branches away just to create a tunnel under the dozer to get to a hydralic hose that had snaped off. A five dollar item took two days just to get it off!!!!!

Eddie

 

[Willl]

My worst times were bailing hay during my hay fever attacks.

Self inflicted torture.

 

[billbill1]

Bumble bees raking prairie hay, about 4 or 5 nests of them. They were trouble in the barn too.

 

[chh]

Bumble bees raking prairie hay, about 4 or 5 nests of them. They were trouble in the barn too.

We got into the biggest hive of them I have ever seen a couple of weeks ago. We were mowing in cab tractors and they where literally bouncing off of the glass. I had to take the rake off of the open tractor and put it on a cab one for my wife. That and the fact that it was 102 or 103. I took a couple of extra days off from work one year to finish haying, I had 2 tractors go down on the next to last field. I ended up doing the last 30 acres with one 4020 JD mowing, raking and baling. The baler broke on the last bale about 9 or 9:30 that night. I was back at work the next day and hay was as done as it was going to get. I was so aggravated that I didn't fix the baler until spring. The Ford 4600 that went down I ended up fixing myself(I don't remember what it was, but it was an easy fix) The International industrial we where using to rake with ended up being sold for salvage. In the shape it was in it just wasn't worth rebuilding.

 

[vsteel]

My worst times were bailing hay during my hay fever attacks.

Self inflicted torture.

I would have to agree with this, that is my worst tractor experience. My worst seat experience though is on an Owatana 80 swather. Cutting hay with tons of pollen and dust coming up into the open operator station (hay fever was never so bad.), 100+ degrees out and sitting next to the air cooled Wisconsin motor that would blow hot air on you if the breeze was right, (which was a lot of the time.) I remember my nose running, sneezing about non stop, eyes burning and feeling that super heated air from the engine blowing on me making me hotter than the 100 degree day already was.

I have never felt so miserable in my entire life since.

 

[Charlie175]

Baling straw with chaff blowing all over me, 100 and some out and my allergies were acting up. That was on the wagon so does that count?

 

[6thgpSF]

Hey Charlie 175, notice my user name?

 

[wolc123]

It has rained every other day or so since around June 1. A couple weeks ago, it was almost dried up enough so I could brushog and on one of my passes I noticed that I had chopped up a big old snapping turtle on the previous pass. I didnt even see the shell, just the tail and a rear leg was all that remained. Funny thing was ,I never noticed the it when I hit it with the JD 4120 / 6ft rhino. A few years ago with my old Ford 2000, I chopped up a woodchuck, and that nearly stalled the tractor when it went through the 5 ft bush hog squealer. I only brushhog my own land so there are not usually too many "suprises".

 

[slewisma]

Nothing to compare with some of the stories on here yet. my worst days are when I get stuck in the mud in a wet area. With the 4 - 6 evenings of rain a week we keep getting this summer, this area just won't dry out. Of course I keep trying to get in there anyway to finish some work I started. Get stuck every time. Fortunately always with the FEL and BH attached so it's just a slow raise her up and put something under the tires then backout process. Sometimes with several repeats.

 

[sunnyside360]

Getting a D4 CAT (rental unit) stuck in a swampy area. Thought I'd never get it out because it was bottomed out. Not something you just hook a chain to and pull it out. Literally took years off my life.

 

[blagg]

No bad days yet Hav'nt had a tractor long enough. I'll check back in a year or so. I might be snow blowing this winter, no cab!!!

 

[Tig]

After a good day grading I stopped by the boat ramp to wash the tractor. It popped out of gear and I ended up having a bath. Cost me just under a grand to fix it myself. Took me a year to even talk about that day.

 

[Ridgewalker]

My worst is really just a fond memory. It has to do with being 16 years old and being the guy on the hay trailer hooked to the bailer which was hooked to a N8. The N8 was driven by a great old guy who had just one bad tendency. For some reason he would always shift gears at just the time my skinny self (6', 145lb) had an 80 lb. bail lifted up to arms length to place as the top cap on the load. More than once the lurch of the tractor had me wobbling like a weeble but I never did fall down. Boy those were the days!

Once I propped a dead snake in strike position up on the last bail . Held it's mouth open with a piece of straw...you should have seen the reaction from the guy who grabbed that bail!