IslandTractor
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2005
- Messages
- 17,101
- Location
- Prudence Island, RI
- Tractor
- 2007 Kioti DK40se HST, Woods BH
OK, I am pretty safety conscious and know perfectly well that it is important to lower any three point attachment to the ground before shutting down and walking away from a tractor. I adhere to this principle mostly because I am afraid that the kids in my neighborhood who occasionally jump on the tractor to play with big boy toys might hit the control lever or FEL controller. However, I wasn't so smart this weekend when I had a box blade mounted and I lowered it only to about three inches from the ground as I kept driving off forgetting to raise it again and got tired of tearing up the yard. So, I walked away to grease the FEL (which was on the ground). After greasing the FEL I remembered the grease nipples at the back of my tractor (Kioti DK40se) so decided to give it a pump or two. The box blade was obstructing my access so I had to lean around to get the grease gun on the nipple. Guess what, Kioti has a very conveniently mounted extra 3PT controller at the back of the tractor, very handy when mounting implements. Guess what happens next...I nudge the controller accidentally with the grease gun and plant a box blade shank directly on to my foot (I had not noticed where I had put my foot when leaning around the rear wheel to aim at the grease nipple). Ouch. Worse really than ouch. Ouch squared at least. I was wearing steel toed work boots but the shank pinned my foot about and inch or two behind the steel plate. 700lbs of box blade resting on the tip of the shank on my foot. Engine off. No way to raise the box blade. Pinned to the ground. The shank did not penetrate the boot (thick leather) but I was having no trouble imagining what a crucifixion must feel like. I usually work alone but this time my wife was within earshot and ran into the barn to get a "long metal pipe" at my rather urgent request. She returned with a pipe clamp and I was able to insert it under the box blade side and then get her to lever the dam thing off my foot. Nasty bruise but otherwise I escaped serious injury. Could have been a lot worse. Had I been alone, I probably would have been able to reach the toolbox on the rear of the tractor and use a pair of pliers to excavate the dirt under my foot out to escape but that would have taken quite a while and the thought did not even occur to me at the time. Extreme pain does not usually bring forth our best Apollo 13 self rescue strategies.
So, I broke a cardinal safety rule and paid for it. Tractor bits are heavy and dangerous even with the engine off. We often debate these types of safety rules (ROPS, draw bar etc) but it has been a while since anyone talked about a 3PT accident so I figured I'd post my experience. ALWAYS !!!! lower three point implements to the ground when shutting down the tractor. Simple rule. I had not intended to go anywhere near the box blade when I dismounted. It was only after completing my intended task of greasing the FEL that it occurred to me to hit a few more grease nipples. Never rethought the issue of where the boxblade was etc. Avoidable accident. Lucky outcome. Swollen painful foot.
So, I broke a cardinal safety rule and paid for it. Tractor bits are heavy and dangerous even with the engine off. We often debate these types of safety rules (ROPS, draw bar etc) but it has been a while since anyone talked about a 3PT accident so I figured I'd post my experience. ALWAYS !!!! lower three point implements to the ground when shutting down the tractor. Simple rule. I had not intended to go anywhere near the box blade when I dismounted. It was only after completing my intended task of greasing the FEL that it occurred to me to hit a few more grease nipples. Never rethought the issue of where the boxblade was etc. Avoidable accident. Lucky outcome. Swollen painful foot.
