Stepped off, and it almost tipped over (lifting a snowmobile) !

[CobyRupert]

Maybe you should have had the hoe on. ....It is scary when it does happen, thanks for the photo.

They can add some counter-weight, but you shouldn't talk like that. :laughing:

 

[DB Pilot]

Sodo, Thanks for the picture. Every time I get into a near roll/tip over situation my 20/20 hindsight kicks in. From now on I will always have my tractors set up perfectly for any job I have to do. yeah right.

 

[Code54]

The picture is something we seldom see and can help a lot of people understand what happens before the machine tips. Really glad it all worked out fine and other can learn from it.

 

[xtn]

I sure hope the naysayers view this. As all can see from the photo, it is a long way from tipping over when the front axle hits the stops.

I have been trying to tell folks that the front axle does help in tipping situations but all I get is, "IT swivels and by the time it hits, it is too far gone" Well this photo proves that it isn't too far and the front axle definitely does help prevent a roll over. Putting ballast in the front tires would certainly help also.

I agree with your premise. The front axle stops certainly do provide a resistance to tipping over. but would like to make a correction to the way you state it. How far away from tipping over it is when the front axle hits the stops depends on both the speed of the tip and how much of an unbalance exists. In other words, the momentum that the tips has. If you're only slightly unbalanced, and the tip is slow, then you might very well just end up like the picture. But there are certainly conditions under which the resistance offered by the front axle stops isn't going to prevent a tip-over.

xtn

 

[Sodo]

Glad you made it out safe and sound....and thank you for taking the pic.:thumbsup: On a scale of 1-10 what was the pucker factor at???:laughing:

Higher when it was moving?less when I realized it was stable.

Clearly the pucker factor was not high enough to cause him to lower the sled to the ground and remove himself, his tractor and his sled from impending danger. The Darwin Principle missed out on a statistic here. Taking time for a pic in these circumstances is just plain dumb.

I started to step off (to take a pic) and my weight leaving the tractor started it to tip. I leaned out to try to stop it but it kept going, until it came up against the stops on the front axle WHEW!. Was just about to throw the FEL down, which would have dropped the snowmobile.

I sat there for a moment realizing it was stable, and then carefully stepped off completely because now I HAD to take a pic. I pushed on it a little to confirm it was stable, and it was, so I quickly took a pic and climbed back on, and lowered the loader very very slowly, and the rear wheel came down.

Besides, I got off on the high side, Darwin statistics would get off on the low side (sometime prior to reproduction opportunity). I know what you're thinkin' Rick, and NO I was not dumb enough to show this pic to my wife.:laughing:

 

[dragoneggs]

Man, I feel responsible for asking for action shots... but for all those preaching about how stupid you were, I want to know if they ever did anything stupid on their tractors? At least you were man enough to admit it and have the pic to prove it! :laughing: I will admit getting myself in a pickle or three with my BX but I haven't posted a pic.... yet.

 

[RickB]

. but for all those preaching about how stupid you were, I want to know if they ever did anything stupid on their tractors? and have the pic to prove it! :laughing:

Sure I have; stupid, dangerous, reckless. But I don't recall stopping in mid-event and waiting for things to get worse!

 

[vtsnowedin]

Putting ballast in the front tires would certainly help also.

NO!!!

 

[HEC]

Thanks for the pics and all the constructive comments that were made in reference to this type of situation . It makes one think what could have happened , I have tipped my 5700 just slightly a couple times and gets your attention real quick .

 

[skyhook]

Thanks for the pics and all the constructive comments that were made in reference to this type of situation . It makes one think what could have happened , I have tipped my 5700 just slightly a couple times and gets your attention real quick .

Well for gods sake, get off and take a few pics next time...lol

 

[k0ua]

Man, I feel responsible for asking for action shots... but for all those preaching about how stupid you were, I want to know if they ever did anything stupid on their tractors? At least you were man enough to admit it and have the pic to prove it! :laughing: I will admit getting myself in a pickle or three with my BX but I haven't posted a pic.... yet.

Me do something stupid on a tractor? Ha ha.. um.. yeah. A couple of years ago, I lifted a rock with the Kubota L3400hst with the forks that was at the absolute limits of the loader even just getting it a few inches off of the ground I had to get it close to the mast. I had it about a foot off of the ground and started to move it into position to place it on a rock wall we were building, when the wife said that it was not going to fit, and asked me to get off and help her move another rock to make room for this one.

So by habit I shut down the tractor and dropped the rear ballast on the ground like I always do. I should have dropped the rock on the ground, but I had so much trouble just getting it up I did not do that.

As I got off of the tractor on the downhill side (maybe 10 degree slope) I noticed the tractor was rolling over towards me as I was getting off. I pushed the tractor back more upright and held it until the wife could get around the other side and push the FEL lever forward to drop the rock on the ground.

Lessons learned, ballast on the ground is not doing you any good. Lesson two, if you are getting off, drop the load too. Lesson three, try to not park on a side slope (almost impossible here in Branson). Biggest lesson of all, think through every action of what might happen. While my rock was just a foot off of the ground and the tractor may not have turned over if I had just let it continue to roll over, (the rock may have touched the ground before the tractor rolled over) but still it was very disconcerting that my weight was holding the right rear tire on the ground. Obviously if the rock was up in the air several feet, I have no doubt the tractor would have rolled over.

 

[k0ua]

And NO, I did not take any darn pictures!.

 

[mikehaugen]

And NO, I did not take any darn pictures!.

Then I guess it didn't actually happen

 

[k0ua]

Then I guess it didn't actually happen

I guess I could have taken a picture of my shorts when it was all over!

 

[Sodo]

Clearly the pucker factor was not high enough to cause him to lower the sled to the ground and remove himself, his tractor and his sled from impending danger.

Rick, that's because it was stable. I've had my tractor on 3 wheels more times than I can count, and probably almost everyone with a small tractor (with FEL) has. People are out there, getting work done. That's what causes discussion of ballast, because all these folks have been on 3 wheels too many times and they are in need of a solution. It's not so uncommon, and not precursor to certain death. Although having to ask my wife to stop my tractor from rolling would put me closer to death than any of the other examples.:shocked:

No doubt the prudent action would have been to lower it immediately, not stop and take pics.

I'm gonna stop worrying about this for the moment though and go work on my ATV trail (across a steep side-hill) I'm getting the hang of my mini-excavator, it's GREAT fun, can't wait. Being careful though, and as always, will keep dragoneggs in mind for action photos!

 

[The Fred]

Nice job, what's with the wood on the rear bumper. Is that for towing busted Arctic Cats out of the woods?:cool2:

Fred

 

[dragoneggs]

Me do something stupid on a tractor? Ha ha.. um.. yeah. A couple of years ago, I lifted a rock with the Kubota L3400hst with the forks that was at the absolute limits of the loader even just getting it a few inches off of the ground I had to get it close to the mast. I had it about a foot off of the ground and started to move it into position to place it on a rock wall we were building, when the wife said that it was not going to fit, and asked me to get off and help her move another rock to make room for this one.

So by habit I shut down the tractor and dropped the rear ballast on the ground like I always do. I should have dropped the rock on the ground, but I had so much trouble just getting it up I did not do that.

As I got off of the tractor on the downhill side (maybe 10 degree slope) I noticed the tractor was rolling over towards me as I was getting off. I pushed the tractor back more upright and held it until the wife could get around the other side and push the FEL lever forward to drop the rock on the ground.

Lessons learned, ballast on the ground is not doing you any good. Lesson two, if you are getting off, drop the load too. Lesson three, try to not park on a side slope (almost impossible here in Branson). Biggest lesson of all, think through every action of what might happen. While my rock was just a foot off of the ground and the tractor may not have turned over if I had just let it continue to roll over, (the rock may have touched the ground before the tractor rolled over) but still it was very disconcerting that my weight was holding the right rear tire on the ground. Obviously if the rock was up in the air several feet, I have no doubt the tractor would have rolled over.

Some great lessons... It only takes one little lapse of judgement especially on a slope! I will venture to guess that almost every pucker event I have had was not on flat ground.

 

[zzvyb6]

Drain the sled's gas tank and take out those heavy spark plugs and you'll be OK :laughing:

 

[mikehaugen]

Man Soto, it been a rough week for you on here. So far we have found out that you can't operate a tractor, you are a hazard to yourself and everone around you, and you can't weld. (Did i miss anything?) It's a surprise you are still alive if you listen to some people on here. :laughing: I enjoyed the photos, and am glad you posted them to remind us all to always be on our toes.