An expensive crazy accident with my Kubota

[HCJtractor]

My buddy and I co own a M 6800 that we use on our hunting property. He was clearing for a new food plot/shooting lane today and just about has it finished. We have a grapple, and he thinks it turns our tractor into a bull dozer. But in his defense, the area was just about clear, almost ready to disc. On the last pass out, he drove over a dislodged cedar stump that was about 3 feet long and 5" in diameter. It was already loose and just sitting on top of the ground. Whe he passed over it, it somehow got cocked upward and found the one unshielded vunerable spot under the tractor. It drove upwards smashing both hydraulic filters, breaking two hoses, and bent the right floor board up about 5 inches. Of course it also bent the bottom of the fender where the floorboard attaches, and bent the back of the sheet metal behind his right calf, and the bends were bad! The accelerator pedal and rear remote hydraulic lever were locked down by the bent sheet metal, and the diff lock pedal was also. I could not believe the damage!! Of course he also lost 42 quarts of hydraulic fluid. The bends are really too bad to even try to straighten. So the entire floor of the tractor and the left fender is shot. Not a good day. At least he wasn't hurt. You would think the undercarraige would be better shielded! This is going to be a nightmare to repair. I really need to pull the whole right rear wheel off, but of course it is loaded, has a cast iron weight, and weighs a ton!

Grapples are really nice, but since we have had one, it had caused us to really damage our tractor. So beware.

[foreman Etexas]

Sorry that happened to your tractor,really sucks. I have one thing to ask and dont take me wrong but since you do have a grapple why didnt he just move the stump or just get off tractor and do it,instead of driving over it? Not only do things like this happen but can damage a tire easy....
Like I said dont take me wrong and I hope things dont cost alot to get fix.....

[crazyal]

The moral of the story is not to run over things.

[Dr Dave]

No Kubota insurance?

Dave

[Mud Mechanik]

I hate that happened to your tractor....but how did the grapple have anything to do with it?

[TripleR]

Sorry to hear that happened, but these things were not designed to protect against that sort of thing and anytime we use them for clearing woods, brush etc., we take the risk of damaging them. I have bent my share of stuff on ours and probably will again. Anymore on really bad clearing, we rent a tracked skid loader or something like that, but still run ours in some stuff we probably shouldn't and there really is no way of avoiding something getting kicked up. I just missed some major damage when I was able to stop as one was heading for my undercarriage and it was a relatively clear area.

[Gator6x4]

My buddy and I co own a M 6800 that we use on our hunting property. He was clearing for a new food plot/shooting lane today and just about has it finished. We have a grapple, and he thinks it turns our tractor into a bull dozer. But in his defense, the area was just about clear, almost ready to disc. On the last pass out, he drove over a dislodged cedar stump that was about 3 feet long and 5" in diameter. It was already loose and just sitting on top of the ground. Whe he passed over it, it somehow got cocked upward and found the one unshielded vunerable spot under the tractor. It drove upwards smashing both hydraulic filters, breaking two hoses, and bent the right floor board up about 5 inches. Of course it also bent the bottom of the fender where the floorboard attaches, and bent the back of the sheet metal behind his right calf, and the bends were bad! The accelerator pedal and rear remote hydraulic lever were locked down by the bent sheet metal, and the diff lock pedal was also. I could not believe the damage!! Of course he also lost 42 quarts of hydraulic fluid. The bends are really too bad to even try to straighten. So the entire floor of the tractor and the left fender is shot. Not a good day. At least he wasn't hurt. You would think the undercarraige would be better shielded! This is going to be a nightmare to repair. I really need to pull the whole right rear wheel off, but of course it is loaded, has a cast iron weight, and weighs a ton!

Grapples are really nice, but since we have had one, it had caused us to really damage our tractor. So beware.

Sorry about your problem. I don’t think owning or using a grapple had anything to do with your tractor getting damaged. Everyone should save this posting and when someone asks, “Can I borrow your tractor” hand the person who asked the question a printed copy.

[Misfire]

Sorry about your problem. I don稚 think owning or using a grapple had anything to do with your tractor getting damaged. Everyone should save this posting and when someone asks, 鼎an I borrow your tractor hand the person who asked the question a printed copy.

Good one.

Personally, I wouldn't necessarily expect to pick up and move a 5" diameter log if I was operating something the size of an M6800. I think this was more of a freak event than anything else.

[Gordon Gould]

I agree with Misfire. I put that unfortunate story in the catagory of S... Happens. Anyone working in the woods with a tractor should reailze the risk. Tractors were designed for field work and are quite a fragile piece of equipment in the woods. Most woods tractors have a rough life. Including mine. Just look at how a skidder is built. It has protection for both man and machine.

[cqaigy2]

Good one.

Personally, I wouldn't necessarily expect to pick up and move a 5" diameter log if I was operating something the size of an M6800. I think this was more of a freak event than anything else.

Yes, not that big of a log, actually if it had been longer, it probably wouldn't have kicked the end of the log up so perfectly as to skewer your poor tractor.