Fatal Tractor Rollover

[careyo63]

He wasn't pulling a mower.

No! the Yanmar roll over.

 

[Bansil]

?

 

[scaredychicken]

That's tragic, very sad.

About 5 yrs ago a friend (with significant equipment experience) had a roll-over on his rural property - with no one around, he was pinned under the tractor for 5-6 hrs in a dry ditch. He eventually was able to move his hand, reach his cell phone. As I recall, a passer by eventually stopped. He was treated at the hospital, and made a full recovery. He shared this very powerful testimony with the Men's Ministry at church.

I often wonder if (for me, with some mobility issues) I would be better off wearing the seatbelt, or not. I think I'd rather be thrown than pinned. I have ROPS, no cab.... but I probably can't jump clear anyway.

 

[Hay Dude]

Mine will all do 33MPH.
They handle great, but my roads are narrow, unmarked and have vegetation growing well past the white lines, so there’s a sort of “swerving” as you drive to avoid losing mirrors.

I usually only do 25-33 bobtailing or pulling something small.
With a baler or a spreader, I usually keep it under 25.

I admit, I never wear seatbelts.
I have never had any accidents except one time in a field, I had a 3” diam. branch punch through a side window and almost went through the side of my head. Also had a tire failure at high speed and I had to throw away my underwear after that one.

 

[Jstpssng]

That's tragic, very sad.

About 5 yrs ago a friend (with significant equipment experience) had a roll-over on his rural property - with no one around, he was pinned under the tractor for 5-6 hrs in a dry ditch. He eventually was able to move his hand, reach his cell phone. As I recall, a passer by eventually stopped. He was treated at the hospital, and made a full recovery. He shared this very powerful testimony with the Men's Ministry at church.

I often wonder if (for me, with some mobility issues) I would be better off wearing the seatbelt, or not. I think I'd rather be thrown than pinned. I have ROPS, no cab.... but I probably can't jump clear anyway.

Wear your seat belt. It increases your chances of survival, and we want you to keep posting. Another thing which helps even more is to not roll.
One thing you learn in forklift training is that if they do go over it starts slow, giving you time to think that you can jump clear. Once they get to a certain point (45 degrees?) BOOM! They go fast.

I have never taken forklift training but a friend told me this after flipping his forklift while loading it onto his truck. 40 years later I still remember him wrapping his arm around the roll bar on the high side, to keep from getting under it. (No seat belt.)

 

[Hay Dude]

My worst fear is losing a tie rod or a front tire at road speed.
Already lost a tie rod, but was while loading spent mushroom compost in a field at 2MPH.

 

[WinterDeere]

My worst fear is losing a tie rod or a front tire at road speed.
Already lost a tie rod, but was while loading spent mushroom compost in a field at 2MPH.

I used to have a truck jacked up on 40" tires in my early 20's, and the bolts on the front U-joint on the rear driveshaft used to sometimes work loose. I forever had nightmares of that thing pogo-sticking me off the road, if I happened to drop the front end of the rear driveshaft onto the roadway at 60 mph.

 

[Hay Dude]

I used to have a truck jacked up on 40" tires in my early 20's, and the bolts on the front U-joint on the rear driveshaft used to sometimes work loose. I forever had nightmares of that thing pogo-sticking me off the road, if I happened to drop the front end of the rear driveshaft onto the roadway at 60 mph.

I actually did that on a jeep. Sheared the rear prop shaft off the yoke and it fell to the pavement.
It didn’t pogo stick, nor would it. They are hollow and not all that thick walled. It would either just grind down on the road, or fold & tear.

Vehicle is too heavy for pogo.

 

[Jstpssng]

I saw the results of that happen once. My neighbor left with his buddy in his jacket up Toyota to catch some trout... two hours later came back on a flatbed. They were going down the interstate doing about 65 when the front ujoint of the rear driveshaft failed, and they went end for end down the highway. He had just had both driveshafts rebuilt.
I could be mistaken but believe that newer vehicles have a cross member which keeps the driveshaft from hitting the ground if it fails.

 

[scaredychicken]

Wear your seat belt. It increases your chances of survival, and we want you to keep posting. Another thing which helps even more is to not roll.
One thing you learn in forklift training is that if they do go over it starts slow, giving you time to think that you can jump clear. Once they get to a certain point (45 degrees?) BOOM! They go fast.

I have never taken forklift training but a friend told me this after flipping his forklift while loading it onto his truck. 40 years later I still remember him wrapping his arm around the roll bar on the high side, to keep from getting under it. (No seat belt.)

I operate at slower speeds than I could be going. I'm comfortable with the machine, and it works for me. Others (son in law, friends) with more experience could do tasks quicker, but I don't care. I'm learning as I go, and I get a lot more work done, than without a tractor.

 

[WinterDeere]

I saw the results of that happen once. My neighbor left with his buddy in his jacket up Toyota to catch some trout... two hours later came back on a flatbed. They were going down the interstate doing about 65 when the front ujoint of the rear driveshaft failed, and they went end for end down the highway. He had just had both driveshafts rebuilt.

Yikes!

I could be mistaken but believe that newer vehicles have a cross member which keeps the driveshaft from hitting the ground if it fails.

Back when I was occasionally taking my street cars to the track, I remember having to add a driveshaft hoop to one of them, before they'd let me bring it back to the track. But I haven't noticed any provisions on any of my factory cars, not that I've been specifically looking for it.

 

[Hay Dude]

Some longer wheelbase trucks have a carrier bearing midship, but that doesn’t always solve the problem.

 

[careyo63]

long bed pickup has a 3 section Drive shaft and u-joints. I had trouble with vibration or the balance. When I called the dealer about the problem NTM and low miles they had me bring it in ASAP. Took them a couple days but never a problem since 100.000 miles easy. Only one section does it look like it could break at a joint that may cause a problem. Rear end to mid Drive line. The section forward from that to the Trans. No way. It has a bearing looking bracket to hold it in place.

 

[MossRoad]

No! the Yanmar roll over.

What Yanmar?

 

[careyo63]

UTDABF That one remember the Typo!

 

[CliffordK]

I blew a U-Joint on my old AMC Hornet. Driving down the freeway, it felt like I had a blowout. Pulled over, all tires ok. Back on the road, no dice. Removed the drive shaft and coasted into Wolf Creek, and called my grandparents.

That was long before cell phones.

 

[MossRoad]

Where's Rod Serling when you need him?

 

[careyo63]

Never heard of him and tractor safety? Yrs. Ago TV. Drama Queen ?

 

[RayIN]

I've nearly put our cabbed tractor in the ditch by looking back while going at full speed down the road. Very easy to do. I use my mirrors now. Was a scary moment because the ditch was a deep one and it wouldn't have been pretty.

Yep, tractors are not designed for on-road driving. Then if front toe-in is off, it makes for dangerous "high-speed" road driving.
I always give farm equipment on roads a wide berth, pull over and stop when I can.