Weirdest close call with-OUT tragic results

[medic1050]

Last summer, I had just moved into our new farm. We were planing a pig roast and had invited all of our friends. I was mowing the ditch edge on the road when I saw my new neighbor out in her yard. I had not really met her yet so I pulled into her driveway to invite her to the party in two days. As I drove in her dog came barking. I shut down the tractor and spoke to the dog, hoping he would let me off. He seemed quite friendly and was happy for some attention. I then started walking toward the neighbor explaining about the party when I heard a whine from behind me. It started low but grew in pitch and did not stop. I looked back over my shoulder to see my tractor starting to roll down her driveway. It hit me in a flash I didn't set the parking brake when I got off trying to make friends with the dog. I sprinted back down quickly catching up to the moving machine. I grabbed the steering wheel and stepped up as we were rolling, spinning with my momentum I smashed my foot down on the brakes. The tractor came to a skidding halt. I engaged the parking brake and finished inviting the neighbor. Two days later at the party she remarked how incredibly dangerous it was to jump on to the moving machine, any misstep would have resulted in the tractor crushing me with the front wheels. She was right I was very lucky, but the pig roast was fantastic.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Double wow!!! :confused2: :confused2:

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Back in the late 70's, I was mowing the median strip of a 4-lane Federal highway (Rt. 33) in our area. Tractor was a 504 IH with a 5' Danco belly mower.

The mower picked up a rubber spring snubber, and threw it into oncoming traffic in the southbound lanes. It was like a scene from the Six Million Dollar Man, where things went into slow motion. It was in direct line with my vision.

It hit the door post between the windshield, and the open side window of the car, right at head level. It put a sizeable dent in that door post. I heard it hit, over the noise of the tractor, and mower running full throttle. Cars were probably running 55-60 mph.

The driver, a company salesman, immediatley pulled to the berm, visibly shaken... He wasn't the only one....!!

I offered to call the Ohio Highway Patrol, to make about a report, to get his car repaired, but he refused... He was just happy it did not hit a nano second later. Me too... Both our guardian angles were with us that day...

A fear of mine.

I try to watch for cars and be stopped when they past when I clip the shoulders on a two mile strip so walkers can step off the pavement. I do not kill the bushhog but just stop moving so as not to pick up new stuff.

 

[crazyal]

When it's cooler out I bump up the hand throttle on my 580k when I first start it to get the oil flowing. As the engine and hydraulic fluid warms up it I don't back off the hand throttle the engine will speed up. Being a little eager to finish up putting dirt around the foundation I set off a bit sooner than normal.

Off I went about moving some dirt up a hill to fill in around my foundation. For whatever reason while going up the hill the front, even with the dirt in the bucket, started getting light so I left off the throttle. Normally when it happens letting off the throttle stops the tires from lifting. This time I had forgot to put the hand throttle back to idle so when I let off the foot pedal the front kept coming up. Before I could do anything the BH started to go over backwards.

By the time I realized why it the motor was still going strong the BH had come to a rest with the front wheels several feet off the ground (facing uphill). What had stopped me from going over was the ruts my tires had made left a high spot between them that the pivot for the backhoe had bottomed out on. I carefully put the brake on and lowered the outriggers to push the front down.

How do you say it, "grace of god"? Well once back on flat ground I decided to rethink how to go up that hill. I'm much more cautious now. Now I make sure the hand throttle is off before moving and keep the bucket as low tot he ground as possible. Also if width permits I keep the outriggers close to the ground.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

When it's cooler out I bump up the hand throttle on my 580k when I first start it to get the oil flowing. As the engine and hydraulic fluid warms up it I don't back off the hand throttle the engine will speed up. Being a little eager to finish up putting dirt around the foundation I set off a bit sooner than normal.

Off I went about moving some dirt up a hill to fill in around my foundation. For whatever reason while going up the hill the front, even with the dirt in the bucket, started getting light so I left off the throttle. Normally when it happens letting off the throttle stops the tires from lifting. This time I had forgot to put the hand throttle back to idle so when I let off the foot pedal the front kept coming up. Before I could do anything the BH started to go over backwards.

By the time I realized why it the motor was still going strong the BH had come to a rest with the front wheels several feet off the ground (facing uphill). What had stopped me from going over was the ruts my tires had made left a high spot between them that the pivot for the backhoe had bottomed out on. I carefully put the brake on and lowered the outriggers to push the front down.

How do you say it, "grace of god"? Well once back on flat ground I decided to rethink how to go up that hill. I'm much more cautious now. Now I make sure the hand throttle is off before moving and keep the bucket as low tot he ground as possible. Also if width permits I keep the outriggers close to the ground.

Good point on power making bad things happen faster.

 

[Redneck in training]

I have two. Shortly after I got my tractor I discovered leaky sight on the trany. Went to the dealer and got new design sight and was instructed to place the tractor nose downhill and pop the sight out and press new one in.
So I drove the tractor over an edge of a slope on the edge of our driveway let off the HST pedal and the tractor wouldn't stop. I hit the brakes but it gained more speed. It made almost complete doughnut on the bottom while balancing on two wheels for while. Then settled on all four. Then I figured that I have to use FWD when going downhill especially when the FEL bucket is on.

I bought several cubic meters of freshly cut pine board many years ago. To get them home from the mill I borrowed friends boat trailer. It was heavy two axle trailer without brakes.
I loaded first load of board and drove home. I was driving pretty slow and carefully and made it home safely. Initially I planned to bring it in three loads but since it was easy to bring the first load home I got somewhat braver and decided to take the rest of the boards in one load. I was also driving somewhat faster. All went well until I came to a traffic light that changed from green to red just when I was approaching the intersection. Initially I wanted to make it through on green so I was speeding up to make it but now I had to stop. I hit the brakes, locked the wheels (no ABS) and skidded cross the intersection with smoking tires. Then it occurred to me that the load plus the trailer was most likely about triple the mass of the car.

 

[treman]

While mowing a few years ago I was attempting to do a better than average job as we were having a party. Well the front tread was ever so slightly narrower than the rear and I had forgotten this momentarily and I put the edge of the front tire right at the end fence post as I passed it. I don't know why I did this because I had just mowed along the entire length of the fence like normal. either way the rear left tire caught the post. This sent me spinning around the post and sending the front end sideways towards a tree on the back side of the post. If it could bruise I think the clutch would have been black and blue for a month after that one.

Another one, or few I guess. At work we normally try to mow all we can with the mowers and batwings before we have to get sent out with the ditch bank mower. its nicer and easier, that is unless the banks are just steep enough to lay the tractor on the opposite side of the ditch bank. Its always funny when someone calls on the radio to get pulled out. nothing hurt but a little pride.
be safe on those slopes!

 

[Depmandog]

When I was seventeen and living with a new to me foster family, I was helping them with the harvest. Farming wasn't new to me, but their operation was.

They had an old MF sitting stationary using the PTO to operate the grain elevator, i positioned the grain truck and raised the grain bed a few feet. Hopped onto the MF and started it up, engaged the PTO which started the elevator.

Back then, there wasn't any shaft covers - so I was particularly aware of that rotating shaft. I was working my way into position so I could open the grain door of the truck bed - staying way clear of that shaft - and tripped on something and fell onto the running conveyor.

I had on a pair of work coveralls - and somehow a patch of cloth near my shoulder blade caught up in the conveyor chain. Up I go, pinned on my back by my full body coveralls.

Now this grain bin was a good sized one / but was empty as this was the first load. I pictured myself going up the conveyor then getting dumped head first into an empty bin and crashing head first onto the concrete bin floor. Not a pleasant thought.

So I did the only I could do, I rolled left out of the conveyor hoping to free myself. Good plan, but the coveralls are still caught Now I am still going up, but hanging off the side of the conveyor - feet dangling, my face scraping along the old rusted metal. I am really panicking. Not only am I trapped, but now also choking because my zipper was cutting off my air. So I kicked, twisted and contorted enough to finally cause my coveralls to rip enough to release me. Whew I thought! Until I realized in that nano second that what goes up must come down.

Now I don't know for sure how high I was, but I felt that I must have fallen 15' to the ground. Fortunately, I didn't break anything in the fall, and aside from some road rash on my face, a nasty pinch mark on my back and a ripped pair of coveralls, I was fine.

And to think this all started because I WAS trying to be safe

 

[Gale Hawkins]

When I was seventeen and living with a new to me foster family, I was helping them with the harvest. Farming wasn't new to me, but their operation was.

They had an old MF sitting stationary using the PTO to operate the grain elevator, i positioned the grain truck and raised the grain bed a few feet. Hopped onto the MF and started it up, engaged the PTO which started the elevator.

Back then, there wasn't any shaft covers - so I was particularly aware of that rotating shaft. I was working my way into position so I could open the grain door of the truck bed - staying way clear of that shaft - and tripped on something and fell onto the running conveyor.

I had on a pair of work coveralls - and somehow a patch of cloth near my shoulder blade caught up in the conveyor chain. Up I go, pinned on my back by my full body coveralls.

Now this grain bin was a good sized one / but was empty as this was the first load. I pictured myself going up the conveyor then getting dumped head first into an empty bin and crashing head first onto the concrete bin floor. Not a pleasant thought.

So I did the only I could do, I rolled left out of the conveyor hoping to free myself. Good plan, but the coveralls are still caught Now I am still going up, but hanging off the side of the conveyor - feet dangling, my face scraping along the old rusted metal. I am really panicking. Not only am I trapped, but now also choking because my zipper was cutting off my air. So I kicked, twisted and contorted enough to finally cause my coveralls to rip enough to release me. Whew I thought! Until I realized in that nano second that what goes up must come down.

Now I don't know for sure how high I was, but I felt that I must have fallen 15' to the ground. Fortunately, I didn't break anything in the fall, and aside from some road rash on my face, a nasty pinch mark on my back and a ripped pair of coveralls, I was fine.

And to think this all started because I WAS trying to be safe

at this point I calling this in the top 10.

 

[RaydaKub]

at this point I calling this in the top 10.

at least!

 

[LHS Inc]

Back in the 70's we tilled a farm about 10 miles away from the home farm. I was discing ground and was making my last trip down the field where at the end of the field was the entrance out onto the road which led to the highway we traveled back home.

I wasn't 50 yards from lifting the disc and heading home and the steering rod just dropped off. Luckily the ground had been plowed and this was the second working of the ground and the tire went sideways and just pushed up dirt.

Five minutes later I would have been on the highway in road gear heading home and I shudder to think what would be left of me had that old 1030 Case rolled or flipped.

 

[brin]

Almost the same thing happened to me several years ago....I was bush hogging a pasture for a friend of mine and had finished and was heading down his dirt road toward the main country road when my left front tire just broke off...I have no Idea what fractured the wheel but it did and the wheel itself just ripped away from the bolts...If it had happened just 3 minutes later I would have been in road gear and it would not have been pretty...

 

[TheWedge]

Fortunately it isn't a story about me, however a couple years back, some new folks moved into the area onto a 20 acre spread. As part of the sale they inherited an old 8N along with various implements including a 9' offset 3pt mower. Well the gentleman involved had no prior experience with tractors and was (and continues to be) resitant to helpful suggestions on how to operate safely (we have steep hills and narrow roads). According to him, the fact he was from Oregon was all the experience neccessary. Well one day when mowing the edge of the road he went to turn around (keep in mind this guy liked to drive fast - in everything) and instead of slowing his speed and trying to make a gradual turn he decided to just use the steering brakes (he had no front weights on the tractor). As you can imagine no control - he was shot over the hill faster than he could think. The only thing that kept the tractor glued to the hillside and rolling 180+ feet was the offset mower - both uphill wheels were off the ground. I was called in to tug it back up to the road with my dozer. In talking to him he was prepared to "jump" for it and was confident he could clear it to safety. He has subsequently been pulled out of "situations" about 8 times now. I fear it is only a matter of time before he is a statistic.

 

[tpulley]

Back when I was invincable... I was sitting atop a super A tractor on the gas tank. My buddy was driving as he was about two years older and it was his dads tractor. On this day (Labor day) we were heading into the tobbaco fields after a 1/2 day off as it was the first day of school. We were riding down the road, 4th gear wide open. Wind in our face, ears flapping in the wind, no wait that was my old dawg and I... Anyway we WERE riding down teh road 4th gear, when unbeknownst to me my buddy decided to make a hard left at full speed. Didn't even drop a single rpm as we jutted hard left. Just at that moment I being caught completely off guard fell head first down toward the rear wheel. My buddy who had pretty good reflexes but not real good common sense, jammed on the right brake hard. I finished falling down barely missing having my head fall in front of the rear wheel. The tractor ran over meon my left foot grating my foot into the pavement and dragging me and my hiney like a cheese grater on the road.

I don't remember much about the chain of events after that. I do remember driving to our local hospital and them saying here are a couple of aspirins you need to go somewhere else. We drove on to the city I stuck my foot over a bucket and commenced to fill it it while holding on to my ankle foot to slow the flow. Doc had to clean all the gravel and other dirt from the two down to the bone holes in my foot. Had a road rash about 6inches in diameter on my left buttock. Didn't hurt nearly as much to clean that one after going through the first one.

Spent a week in the hosiptal. Lying there I could smell the rotting flesh from my foot. Had a funny experience at the morgue too. I was rambling around the hospital on a wheel chair poking around just exploring. I wheeled around and in to a room and immediatly I knew this was not a good place t be at. I had indavertently gone into the morgue. I high wheeled it back to my room after that, for a little while.

Despite what the doc said I am/was able to walk, run and pretty much anything without a limp. The Lord does look out for even us/the ignorant ones.

 

[MHarryE]

Back in the old days self propelled combines used variable speed belt drives instead of hydrostatic - ground speed is critical and shifting gears isn't practical. The problem with the variable speed belts is the belts needed to be tensioned for full power or they slipped, and high tension cuts belt life. Working with a belt company, we developed a torque sensing drive now used on all kinds of stuff like snowmobiles, ATV's etc. Ours torque sensed braking in addition to pulling forward. We thought this might be just the thing for our hillside combines - conventional variable speed belt drives lasted about a day in the hilly wheat fields of the Palouse of the Pacific Northwest. We took our prototype out for testing on a large customer's farm. My boss was driving and I was riding shotgun while our 2 R&D mechanics went to lunch. We came to a slope we later measured at 65% grade. I commented to my boss, "We aren't going to go down that, are we"? Normally you combine along the slope, not up and down, because a hillside combine levels side to side. He said sure, dropped the variable speed to the lowest speed, gear transmission to low, and off we went. The problem w,as that in low variable, the drive belt became vey loose and when it changed from pulling to braking, the pulleys, instead of torque sensing and squeezing the belt, let loose all together and we took off downhill like a bat out of h... That wouldn't have been so bad but 2/3 of the way down the slope the pulleys did their thing and squeezed the belt. It was like slamming on the brakes. The combine pitched on its nose. The header cylinders are sinle acting so there was nothing to keep them from extending to their stops. Much of the grain in the bin went over the top but the weight shift to the bin front pinched the cab main power wire creating a short and a fire. So here we are, sliding down the slope at a very high speed, cab on fire, and knowing for certain that any second the cutter bar is going to stick into the ground and all 20 tons of us are going to flip end over end and we are going to be crushed and cremated. Only thing is the cutterbar doesn't catch, we reach the bottom and slam back on our rear tires, get out our extinguisher and put out the fire. After standing on the ground for a few minutes trying to understand what the heck happened, we got back in the still drivable combine and went back to the road where our mechanics ad returned from lunch. We told them we broke it, you fix it, and we drove to the nearest bar and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to steady our nerves.

 

[rScotty]

What is the strangest, oddest, weirdest close call you have had on your tractor without any tragic results?

Some 30 years ago I bought my first compact 4x4 diesel loader tractor. It was - and still is - one tough & durable little machine on it's oversized turf tires. It's perfect for chores, but oddly light in weight compared with the tractors I was used to using.

One day I needed to cross a stream on our property. It's a wide stream but only about a foot or two deep and naturally I drove right in....and about halfway across the tractor just picked up and floated off downstream.
With my weight up high it was a little unstable but not too bad. We had gone maybe 25 yards in slow motion and just as I was about to try some experiments with the bucket we fetched up sideways against a submerged rock. At that point the current plus the instability began to add up and we started to tilt towards what looked like a turnover. As the tractor leaned over, I instinctively reached out an arm and pushed on the rock which spun us away into shallow water.....and we simply drove on across the creek. Don't think I ever even got my feet wet......but my pants were another story.
rScotty

 

[boggen]

went to pull a couple old posts from a deck that was torn out. figured i would just back up the allis chalmers CA tractor. wrap a chain around post. and to one of the arms on rear end. and lift the posts out. i started in low idle, and nothing was happening. i tried more gas, and barely moved. so figure maybe i will put tractor in forward and reverse, to wiggle the post some to see if it would lift out easier. so put it in first gear, let the clutch out (still high gas) and went to use my right hand to slow down the gas lever, before i knew it, i was perfectly straight up into the air. another 1/2" and tractor would of rolled right on over on the rear wheels on top of me. thankingly i got to the clutch in time. the allis chalmers CA tractor is 1954 / 55 machine. and 3pt hitches were not standardized yet. and the lift arms for the CA are high up on the tractor. result was, i hooked up way to high on rear end of tractor for dragging / pulling.

 

[dex3361]

When I was seventeen and living with a new to me foster family, I was helping them with the harvest. Farming wasn't new to me, but their operation was.

They had an old MF sitting stationary using the PTO to operate the grain elevator, i positioned the grain truck and raised the grain bed a few feet. Hopped onto the MF and started it up, engaged the PTO which started the elevator.

Back then, there wasn't any shaft covers - so I was particularly aware of that rotating shaft. I was working my way into position so I could open the grain door of the truck bed - staying way clear of that shaft - and tripped on something and fell onto the running conveyor.

I had on a pair of work coveralls - and somehow a patch of cloth near my shoulder blade caught up in the conveyor chain. Up I go, pinned on my back by my full body coveralls.

Now this grain bin was a good sized one / but was empty as this was the first load. I pictured myself going up the conveyor then getting dumped head first into an empty bin and crashing head first onto the concrete bin floor. Not a pleasant thought.

So I did the only I could do, I rolled left out of the conveyor hoping to free myself. Good plan, but the coveralls are still caught Now I am still going up, but hanging off the side of the conveyor - feet dangling, my face scraping along the old rusted metal. I am really panicking. Not only am I trapped, but now also choking because my zipper was cutting off my air. So I kicked, twisted and contorted enough to finally cause my coveralls to rip enough to release me. Whew I thought! Until I realized in that nano second that what goes up must come down.

Now I don't know for sure how high I was, but I felt that I must have fallen 15' to the ground. Fortunately, I didn't break anything in the fall, and aside from some road rash on my face, a nasty pinch mark on my back and a ripped pair of coveralls, I was fine.

And to think this all started because I WAS trying to be safe

I bet this was one of those slow motion moments. I bet you were about to strip a gear going up the conveyor. Glad it turned out OK. Top ten for sure.

 

[Depmandog]

I bet this was one of those slow motion moments. I bet you were about to strip a gear going up the conveyor. Glad it turned out OK. Top ten for sure.

You have that right!! Some 34 years later and I can recall every detail!! It's amazing how time slows to a crawl in those situations!

The very next week the newspaper did an article on the family (and myself). I had my picture taken unloading grain into that very elevator - wearing those "patched up" coveralls. I never mentioned my little adventure to anyone, but the day the photographer was there - I sure was nervous I would do something klutzy and it would end up in the paper!!

Thank goodness they didn't hear of the time a few weeks later when I left the key on in the combine. The electric fuel pump dumped about 50 gallons of diesel in the shed. Oops! That was a mess.

 

[woodlandfarms]

You guys need to watch this on how time slows down in crisis.

Can time slow down? - Snotr

Part of a larger, very interesting bbc docu.