Help me unflip a cutter

[YazooValley]

I have a 12 foot Rhino batwing cutter. I was clipping along a small levee with the wings up. The implement slid sideways a little and the cutter tumped over on its side. The tractor didn't roll, thankfully.

I can't winch from from the "uphill" side. Any suggestions on how to get the cutter flipped back over? Thanks

 

[joshuabardwell]

You post a thread like this without any pics?

 

[txdon]

Can you release the downhill wing and let the mid section back on the ground. I agree a pic is needed.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Is it too much to hope that it has hydraulics? If so, perhaps they could be hooked up and used to your advantage?

(Does a 12-foot batwing without hydraulics even exist?)

 

[gwdixon]

As suggested by others:
>take some photos and post
>hook up the hydraulics and lower the wing that it is resting on (if that is the case). See if the hydraulics are strong enough to return the mower to flat.

In my mind I see the mower on a 30* slope with the downhill wing parallel to the sloped ground and the main deck vertical. If the wing that is high is "lowered" will its weight be in a position advantageous to tipping the mower back to level?

Is the mower all the way upside down or is it over on one of the decks? The surrounding terrain is also a factor - especially since you state that it can't be winched or, apparently, pulled out and to level ground with the tractor.

 

[Recoveryhill]

Rigging (mechanical engineering) any form of lifting gear, tackle, equipment for moving heavy loads over short distances, etc. and the procedures of lifting and moving heavy loads.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

 

[joshuabardwell]

If the previously-suggested solutions aren't viable, do some research into how fire departments block up flipped vehicles to get them off of people. With a small amount of lifting ability and a lot of blocking, you can slowly lift really heavy things. But do it safely!

 

[aczlan]

Need pictures, but if you have "power down" for the wings, I would try that first.

Aaron Z

 

[YazooValley]

As suggested by others:
>take some photos and post
>hook up the hydraulics and lower the wing that it is resting on (if that is the case). See if the hydraulics are strong enough to return the mower to flat.

In my mind I see the mower on a 30* slope with the downhill wing parallel to the sloped ground and the main deck vertical. If the wing that is high is "lowered" will its weight be in a position advantageous to tipping the mower back to level?

Is the mower all the way upside down or is it over on one of the decks? The surrounding terrain is also a factor - especially since you state that it can't be winched or, apparently, pulled out and to level ground with the tractor.

I don't have pictures. I won't be back at the farm until Saturday. If I can't get it flipped back over Saturday, I'll take pics.

The hydraulics are not sufficient to flip it back over. Tried that.

It's not a very steep slope. It's a small levee with maybe a 3 foot gradual drop on the right side where the implement is. The ditch is on the left side so there's no available relief from that side.

The cutter's right wing is on the ground. The middle/main deck of the cutter is more or less vertical or perpendicular to the ground. The left wing is flipped back over the top and parallel to the ground. So from a straight position with the wings up, it flipped 90 degrees to the right.

The tractor can't move it by itself. I guess there's too much weight directly on the ground and 3 of the 4 wheels are in the air. And the slope is not helping. The tractor is nosed up the slope slightly.

If I could get the top/left wing flipped back up and over, that would definitely help with the weight distribution.

All I can really come up with is trying to use a farm jack or two to try to get it up and over. Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Can you elaborate as to why winching from the top-side isn't an option?

 

[YazooValley]

Can you elaborate as to why winching from the top-side isn't an option?

There's a large ditch on that side. There's really no room there. Nowhere to pull from and nothing solid to winch to.

 

[Sysop]

A long post and a high lift jack from the lower side might be in order. Put the jack on the ground below the unit, use a long post to reach from the jack to the upper side of the mower and use the jack to push it back over. As you reach full extension of the jack, block and chain the mower up real good while you get another bite with the jack. You should be able to get it all the way back up level and away from the edge pushing it up the hill with a jack. If the hill is steep, some TPosts driven into the ground will help hold the jack from pushing itself down the hill.

Guaranteed there is at least 100 ways to take care of the situation, and also 1000 ways to hurt yourself or anyone near. So whatever you do, do it slow and be careful.

 

[joshuabardwell]

There's a large ditch on that side. There's really no room there. Nowhere to pull from and nothing solid to winch to.

No chance of parking a vehicle on the other side of the ditch and using it as an anchor? I mean, that's fairly obvious so you've probably thought of it, just trying to exhaust all the possibilities. What about a snatch block on a tree on the far side of the ditch to redirect the pull of a tractor on the near side?

 

[gwdixon]

Sysop's method with the jack might work...especially if you can get the wing that is up in the air to straighten out. Then the jack on the lower side can be raised until the weight of the top wing tips the mower back over.

If the top wing is left folded it will make the jacking much harder and less effective.

As others have stated...be careful. Once the mower starts to tilt back over give it LOTS of room.

 

[aczlan]

As others have stated...be careful. Once the mower starts to tilt back over give it LOTS of room.

Worth re-stating.

Would it be possible to dig in a deadman anchor on the other side of the ditch to winch the upper wing back over with? See: Land Rover - 4x4 Off Road Vehicle Recovery and Winching - How to Dig a Deadman Anchor for some examples.
To get better leverage, you might try using a "tower" to help put your force to better use as seen in the diagram below:


If you cant get it out on your own, how bad is the road? Would it be possible to bring in a rotator boom wrecker or a small crane to pick it up?
If a regular truck cant make it in, you might try the guys over at SteelSoldiers.com and see if there is someone near you with a wrecker (like this one: M936 6x6 5 Ton Military Wrecker - YouTube or this one: M816 6x6 5 Ton Military Wrecker Truck - YouTube ) who could give you a hand

Aaron Z

 

[Recoveryhill]

The implement slid sideways a little and the cutter tumped over on its side.

Did you recover your mower? If so, how?

 

[YazooValley]

Did you recover your mower? If so, how?

Not yet. I live 70 miles away. I won't be able to get back up there until Saturday.

I'm going to try to lift and flip the top wing over with my jacks and some posts. If that doesn't work, I think I'm going to try to unhook the cutter and use the tractor to ease it down to a flatter more manageable spot where I can winch or pull it back over. Hopefully without tearing anything up. If that won't work (I'm afraid the coupling may be in a bind and I won't be able to unhook), I may have to try to find a neighbor with a tractor for help.

 

[joshuabardwell]

I'm still having trouble picturing how the mower managed to flip over without taking the tractor with it. Dying for pics...

 

[weesa20]

Mower like this doesn't appear to use 3pth-
SD SERIES (MEDIUM DUTY) | Rhino

So it's a U laying on its side with the wings making the legs and the middle section making the curve- steep hill on one side and ditch on the other

Careful jacking and blocking seems to be the best bet

 

[joshuabardwell]

Mower like this doesn't appear to use 3pth-

Ahhh... got it.