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

[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:

 

[RickB]

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!

I've been driving tractors for over 50 years and in the few instances where one I was driving decided to get up on 3 wheels I decided to get it back on four right away. Calling the equipment in the photo "stable" is wishful thinking. It is only stable in that it didn't go all the way over, or the sled didn't slide off the forks. The photo is a poster for how not to operate a FEL with a heavy, wide load. Nothing more.

 

[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.