What is the dumbest thing you have done with your equipment ?

[Dozernut]

I was working in muddy ground with the track loader. I finished up but needed to clean the undercarriage before I put the machine away. It was hot and humid, I was sweating heavily, my glasses were covered and fogging so I took them off, laid them on top of the track and completed the task. I forgot about the glasses and crawled in the track loader and ran over my new pair of glasses, destroying them completely.

 

[stephenh]

My dumbest tractor trick was peripherally my fault, as I loaned it to a buddy who is an expert pro mechanic and etc, takes great care of tools, etc. And he's loaned me everything from forks to dump trailers to trucks and his airplane.

He left the tractor parked in his drive, key and all, and came home from work to find it gone. Was down the rural street at a neighbor's who had figured my friend would have loaned it to him anyway, and if it had been his to loan, he probably would. Anyway, the neighbor had used the tractor to shuttle a bunch of rock from his curb to his back yard, and somehow he'd dumped a load backwards from the bucket and onto my hood. Dents and scratches and the like. I got the machine home and had to remove the hood and blow and brush a bunch of sand and gravel from the top of the engine [no idea how that stuff got there.] This was a year-old Kubota I bought new, so I was disgusted.

My friend made it up to me later: I wanted to upgrade and he wanted my tractor and had been hassling me to sell it to him. What finally made the deal was he offered me half interest in his twin-engine aircraft and that was worth significantly more than the tractor.

But the tractor at his place was in for more: couple weeks after we'd done the trade, his wife left the thing in 4wd and hauled ass around a corner on the way to a neighbor's place, hard surface road and she went right over. Didn't get hurt, but trashed the loader and fenders. I had specifically pointed out to her when I delivered it that she needed to be out of 4wd for hard-surface roads.

 

[JJT]

I was working in muddy ground with the track loader. I finished up but needed to clean the undercarriage before I put the machine away. It was hot and humid, I was sweating heavily, my glasses were covered and fogging so I took them off, laid them on top of the track and completed the task. I forgot about the glasses and crawled in the track loader and ran over my new pair of glasses, destroying them completely.

If I take off my glasses, or my ear muffs, I put them on the seat. Lesson learned the hard way many years ago.....

 

[Jstpssng]

I was working in muddy ground with the track loader. I finished up but needed to clean the undercarriage before I put the machine away. It was hot and humid, I was sweating heavily, my glasses were covered and fogging so I took them off, laid them on top of the track and completed the task. I forgot about the glasses and crawled in the track loader and ran over my new pair of glasses, destroying them completely.

Just once? My eye doctor doesn't understand how I keep breaking or losing them. Sure, they are bifocals; but try using them when laying halfway under a truck, tractor, or ATV.

A few years ago I spent about two weeks looking for a pair and finally gave up on them. I had a spare set and was using them. One evening I kneeled down to check a tree I had planted, getting down on my knees to do so. After taking my glasses off I set them on the ground... right next to the pair I'd been looking for.

I lost another pair 2 years ago. I looked and looked for them but couldn't find them. Last year I was up at my scrap metal pile, looking for something I could use; and found my glasses hanging on an old water pump frame.

 

[rekees4300]

"dumbest thing you have done with your equipment"

Going down a steep slope with FEL, no weight on tractor's back, in 2WD ... been there done that

 

[seville009]

Just once? My eye doctor doesn't understand how I keep breaking or losing them. Sure, they are bifocals; but try using them when laying halfway under a truck, tractor, or ATV.

A few years ago I spent about two weeks looking for a pair and finally gave up on them. I had a spare set and was using them. One evening I kneeled down to check a tree I had planted, getting down on my knees to do so. After taking my glasses off I set them on the ground... right next to the pair I'd been looking for.

I lost another pair 2 years ago. I looked and looked for them but couldn't find them. Last year I was up at my scrap metal pile, looking for something I could use; and found my glasses hanging on an old water pump frame.

I'm nearsighted, and have to take my glasses off in order to see things up close. Try to put them in a spot where I will remember, but it's harder than it seems when you can't see without your glasses. I keep a spare set in my car (because I figure my car will always be where I am), so I've had to go to the car a few times to get my spare glasses to find my regulars glasses

 

[marhar]

When answering the question please do not include an accident that caused a fatality. Please do not insult another poster.

I will go first: My father and I overloaded a small utility trailer with logs that extended out of the trailer. We were hauling significantly more weight than we should have and the center of gravity was between the trailer tires and the end of the trailer.

We did not go far before we lost control of the truck and ended up laying on its side in a ditch. Luckily we were not injured (just our pride) and the truck only dented a door and bent a wheel.

Reading the posts makes me think of all the things I have done. I changed oil in my wife's can yesterday and it reminded me of the first time I did an oil change by myself.

After completing the oil change and I noticed a drip of oil at the bottom of the pan (likely from spilling some oil when removing the filter but I did not think of that). My dad always told me, tighter is not always better. I did what any young man would do, I ignored my father's advice and tightened the drain plug and wiped the pan. All was good......until I went to change the oil again. You guessed it I stripped the oil pan threads. Completely my mistake and dad was right. I still sometimes wonder why aluminum pans exist?

How would we have any wisdom if we did not make mistakes and witness our friends make mistakes?

 

[Sam the kioti man]

I thought this was dodgy trying to flatten down some mud also my dad has had a claas ares 836 with 5 ton behind it stuck in a beach/marsh.