Scariest Tractor Moment

[foggy1111]

My dad was a tractor and machinery dealer back when I was a lad. I used to deliver stuff on our "ramp truck"..... a heavy duty single axel with a folding ramp on the back. So....one winter day I'm cruising down this gravel road smoking a cigarette while hauling this 6000 Ford on the back.....its very cold out....but the road is pretty good....going prolly 60 mph. I reach the top of a steep hill to go down...and the road is suddenly glare ice.

So I start shifting down to slow up the best I can....but too late.......I do a 360 (I think in the middle of the bridge....but I had my eyes closed part of the time.....so I cant be sure).

How I never hit anything or tip over or slide into the river.....I'll never know. But I downshifted and lit up another cigarette....and delivered that tractor up the road a piece.

 

[sellercreek]

I am getting an education reading all these posts.

Last summer I was bush hogging with our new JD 790. I wanted to cut a path up a long sloping trail going up the side of a dike. I could see where there was a path cut into the side of the dike so I thought I could make it up with side without a probe. I started up the path, in reverse, with the bush hog raised about twelve inches off theground. I am not good at driving a straight line when going backwards and got off the side of the path. I could feel the tractor tilting and trying to go over, or at the best slide down the very steep sides of the dike. The good Lord was watching over me as I had the good sense to drop the FEL to stabilize the tractor as I jumped on the brakes hard. It stopped sliding. I dropped the bush hog and after my heart rate slowed back to 150% of normal, slightly raised the FEl and inched down the hill to teh bottom.
I have come to the conclusion that you often run into trouble on a tractor when you take it into where it doesn't really need to be. There was no reason to try and cut that path, or to cross the low area coverd by Reed Carnary grass where I once got stuck ... When you get into area where you don't really need to be, or try to do something you shouldn't, it's gonna catch up to you sooner or later.
Be safe out there.

Amen! I, too, have concluded that there are some hillsides where the cows won't hardly go anyway that don't need cleaning up. In fact, I am seriously considering planting the steeper parts in pine and letting it grow.

 

[Lasgambler]

Another bee story, My Brother inlaw was bushhogging in Southern Mississippi and ran over a bee hive, out they came after him, he bailed off tractor, left it running and in gear. I was near by and could gear him holloring. Soon the tractor (Farmall Super A) ran into a tree and was sitting there digging a hole trying to climb the tree. Bees were swarming all around.

Not having any bee protective clothing, I put on overalls, gloves, and , (this all I had) a Large Minnow Dip Net over my head. I was able to shut the tractor off without any stings.

I think back to that time and wander how we made it. No ROPS on those tractors and so many times I would pull or try to pull stumps and have that tractor doing wheelies. I did not know then how quick they can come over.

Good stories, and I too, Think reading these stories could help make us all safer on our tractors.

 

[rickster]

Scariest moment was finding out my tractor could make it into my garage
with a 7' door with my ROPS up

 

[DWCox]

I was nine years old and riding in the highly raised FEL with a neighbor's kid while they were making hay. The tractor hit a bump, and the bucket unlatched and dropped us like a trap-door headfirst to the ground. The next thing I remember the front wheel of this tractor (it was full size ag) is running over my pelvis. It felt like I was getting squished like a bug. The other kid had his foot run over and was crying and so forth, but I was just kind of crawling on my stomach and groaning. I tried to get up to walk, but couldn't and knew something was definitely wrong. I also felt this weird euphoria, which I knew wasn't right given the circumstances.

It turns out my pelvis was fractured in three places. After an ambulance ride, I ended up in intensive care for a couple nights--that's a blur. However, right after x-rays I vividly remember them drilling a large pin/rod by hand straight through my lower leg bone to serve as the basis for a traction device. That hurt so much that words are not sufficient to describe it. I was in the hospital for several weeks.

To this day it kind of amazes me what we would do as kids and what adults would allow. It is borderline bizarre by today's standards, but it seemed perfectly acceptable at the time.

 

[brianidaho]

Some of the ones that come to mind were when I was a kid helping bail hay in the summer back in Western New York. Once the stacks get built up in the barn and you're working near the top of the barn, it gets bloody hot and miserable in the late afternoon. The farmer we worked for let us park the last loads of the day in the barn, then unload and stack them in the morning. So we always tried to stack the trailers and flatbed truck as high as possible. I'd be on the ground tossing bails to another guy on a "landing" on the wagon, he'd hook them up to the next guy. Seems we went too high a couple times and caught some live power lines going across the road on the way back to the barn. Not so bad in itself, just a problem trying to figure out something non-conductive to lift the wire with.

Sometimes we'd ride on the runningboards of the flatbed back to the barn. We're doing around 40 when someone pulls out in front of us, driver slams on the brakes. How we kept hold of the mirrors and didn't get thrown onto the road I'll never know. We both had big bruises from the mirror frames.

Just had an interesting one a couple days ago. I was out plowing snow along the side of our road, it slopes down maybe 45* for 10 ft or so right next to the road. I got too close to the edge trying to push the berms back and the snow pile gives way, leaving me stuck and tipping pretty steeply. I got straps and a comealong to keep the rear from rolling over, cut a couple trees and got her pointed downhill. Was able to drive her out without rolling. Keep in mind that this was a week after getting the new tractor.

 

[farmboy12]

This is a pretty good thread! Let's keep 'em comin'.


Kyle

 

[Pepper]

Well I was shredding 1 morning in july in seguin Tx It was hot (south Tx) my wife had come out And was calling me to breakfast when I was turning to come back to the house , she was a good 40 50 yards away when I hit a rock it flew through the chains (or under them) and hit her in the thigh knocking her down I had not seen her drop my nephew came running to me yelling aunt Debbie was hurt . cut the tractor off ran to her she was crying a lot and I mean a lot sent nephew to get truck (wrong) he got the new truck the one with no stratchs LOL and drove it through the brush packed her up off to the hospital big 17 inch bruise no right leg I had to tell the police what happened , he said good luck and laughed at what I was fixen to go through nothing broken just keep thinking if it would have been higher .it could have been a lot worst .

 

[Pepper]

when we first bought are place I was shredding and my left rear wheel dropped into and old hand dug water well that had been filled up long ago (they dropped brush and old mesquite trunks in it then put dirt on it)the wheel on a ford 850 isnt small but took it to the pto shaft the past owner had a oliver tractor and shedded the pasture twice a year never had a problem he let me get some creek rock to fill it up off his other place !

 

[CBW1999]

I have had several "close calls" while learning to use the FEL. Each time, it had to do with Center of Gravity and my ignoring the need to have ballast on the rear.

Lazy on my part when I just want to move something "quick". I do not keep anything on the 3pt hitch, so it is a pain to hook something up for just a few minutes.

Lesson learned however (after 3 or 4 close calls). Once, I was balancing on the front tires (rear end was only off by maybe 3 inches- but scary) after going down a small slope- funny how finely balanced it was without knowing it. I thought I needed to lift the bucket because I saw the load (in a sling) closer to the ground. As I lifted up, I had this weird sensation in the rear end. Of course I was still moving forward somewhat (4wd) I am lucky that all that weight on the front end didn't destroy something!

I am going to get a quick hitch for the back- so I don't have (m)any more excuses for not having some weight on the back.

Even if I am just driving across the lawn, I ALWAYS wear the seatbelt! I have no expectation that I can "jump clear" if something goes wrong. i'll just go along for the ride.....

 

[mffarmall]

Scariest moment for me... well I'm stupid so.. Plowing with 53 MF50. Just put the plow in. Would not move so I tried it in reverse. There is a top hydrolic piston that has not worked for years. Until that day. I heard a pop and crunch. Then I was thrown out of the seat. Went down between the tire and the plow. Did not hit a thing. Looked up. Tractor was in reverse with tire spining toward me. But that wonderful plow was stuck. The dif and top plate cracked open. I call her the mother in law.

 

[mffarmall]

same tractor, changing out the breaks. Tried to take the whole unit off. Using a crow bar. Broke the housing by pushing it out. So I was pushing toward the tractor body. Hands went down slipped forward. Turned left face hit frame. Looked up bolt just inches from head. If I did not hit the frame I would have gone forward into the bolt at my temple. I would be playing with crayons right now.

 

[jimmyj]

I'm a bit embarassed to admit this one. When mowing the ditch one day on a little craftsman rider, I was going headfirst down one side of the ditch and then up the other side to the top. Then I would back up over where I just went and repeat one swipe over. Had to do this to avoid going across the fairly steep slope.

Well, I got overly ambitious in the steep part of the ditch and when I headed up the bank the little mower with me on it was too top heavy and the front wheels lifted up into the air. There I was, mower in a full wheelee just stuck, pointing to the heavens, the soda in my pocket slowly draining up my chest and pouring over my shoulder with the mower deck blades whirring in mid air. I put it into revers and it sat back down onto the tires but what a dumb thing to do.

 

[deputyrpa]

I had a Jinma 284, Spirit loader and a 6' KK box blade for ballast. I was carrying a flat bucket of gravel to backfill a bigfoot deck pier hole, and I had teh bucket as low as possible. As I approached and lifted the bucket to dump, the front tire hit a small soft spot in the clay and over we went in a flash. The box blade and the loader position kept me from going upside down, as I had my hand on the joystick as it flopped, raising the loader to hood height. The BB was just much wider than the tractor.

I had my belt on and my rops up. I will ALWAYS have my belt on and rops up - because sometimes there is no warning. My wife was watching me work (her favorite sport), and after I dashed out from underneath, the first words she said were "shut that **** thing off!" That scared the living crap out of me, and my pucker threshhold is extremely low. 5 degree side hills get me nervous now! My neighbor/farmer helped me right it witha tow strap around the axle and a big JD 4x4. No injury, and not even a scratch on the tractor. Started right up too! I have some pics, but they not on this laptop.

Had another one yesterday with my DK45. I was on my way to a far woodline about 1/2 mi away from the house to skid out some 12-14" pine I dropped yesterday morning. I had to cross three 1-2' wide creeks in the farm field roads to get to one of the trees. Well, the last creek is a field crossing with no culvert. It's been forded for many years, and it appeared fine with no open water, when I scooted across it with the snowmobile earlier. This is a weenie little creek here. Approach and departure are 15% slopes.

Well, the snow is ~2' deep, maely but fairly hard. As I approached the crossing, I went slowly, and stopped, then inched forward. As soon as my front wheels got near the approach bank...squish, down the right side went, the front tire buried in wet clay up to the top! I got off and surveyed the situation, and apparently I drove into an old rut with water in it that extended to under the rear tire too! The ground was frozen on either side of the front tire, and I could not turn it because it was buried between frozen clay. The tractor was listed about 15 degrees right, and I turned the wheels in low reverse but the right wheels went down even deeper, and listed further. I had to use the bucket to keep from tipping over, as the both left tires were off the ground, even out of the snow. I tried using the bucket to curl out, but the bucket just sunk right in the stream channel. I'm serious that I could have pushed the DK45 over with one finger. I stopped before it got worse and called my neighbor, who came over to bail me out with his big JD.....again. He had to clear the 2' or so of snow for traction, so he could pull from the left. I was able to dig the snow out from under the left rear, which was up in the air, and push it down with the loader. Then, as I put full down-pressure with the loader, he dragged me out. No damage, no injury. LOT's of sweat!! It's going to take a week for my sphincter muscle cramp to go away!!

 

[deputyrpa]

Here's the wrong side of the Jinma:

 

[Zephrant]

Ouch- looks like a bent side-link at least...

 

[deputyrpa]

No damage whatsoever - not even a scratch! I let it sit for a while after we uprighted it, and drove it off to get more gravel.