proudestmonkey
Gold Member
I had my first real scare yesterday--came close to a rollover. I've attached a picture for your viewing "pleasure." The picture makes it look worse than it was, but it was still very scary for a few seconds.
I was trying to mow between some new aspens on a hill. I intended to climb the hill mostly straight up, but at somewhat of an angle. Suddenly, my tractor lurched to the left, and I swung sideways on the hill. I thought for sure I was going over, but luckily I took my foot off the pedal right away and stopped dead in my tracks, hanging there with my right wheels just off the ground. The engine was making a very strange sound, kind of a gurgling. I think it was because I was just barely on my seat and it didn't know if it should kill or keep running. I turned it off and put on the brake. I assessed the situation, realizing after a few seconds of panic that I had caught the ROPS bar on a horizontal post of a clothesline made out of 4x4 lumber. I quickly exited the tractor, moved to its uphill side on the rear, and tested it to see if it was in danger of falling all the way.
My wife and I got it unstuck by putting it in neutral, cranking the wheels so the rear of the tractor would turn down hill, letting off the brake and pushing it backward (mindful that it still might tip over). It was a little scary because when we got it rolling back down the slope, it picked up speed and was headed right at the house. Fortunately, there is a slope upward toward the house for drainage, so it stopped well shy of the house.
The lesson learned: I really still need to get used to remembering the ROPS is behind me and add about a foot of clearance to any situation. I scalded the undersides of several branches the first time I mowed, so the next day, I went around and pruned the lower branches of those trees, and any others that seemed like they might come within the height of the ROPS where I want to mow.
Oh, one other thing. As my wife and I were standing there, thinking about what we needed to do to get it unstuck without tipping it over, I said, "hang on, I'll be right back," and started to run toward the house. She said, "where are you going." I said, "to get the camera, I need to get a picture for the guys on the tractor forum." She gave me the "boys!" look.
I was trying to mow between some new aspens on a hill. I intended to climb the hill mostly straight up, but at somewhat of an angle. Suddenly, my tractor lurched to the left, and I swung sideways on the hill. I thought for sure I was going over, but luckily I took my foot off the pedal right away and stopped dead in my tracks, hanging there with my right wheels just off the ground. The engine was making a very strange sound, kind of a gurgling. I think it was because I was just barely on my seat and it didn't know if it should kill or keep running. I turned it off and put on the brake. I assessed the situation, realizing after a few seconds of panic that I had caught the ROPS bar on a horizontal post of a clothesline made out of 4x4 lumber. I quickly exited the tractor, moved to its uphill side on the rear, and tested it to see if it was in danger of falling all the way.
My wife and I got it unstuck by putting it in neutral, cranking the wheels so the rear of the tractor would turn down hill, letting off the brake and pushing it backward (mindful that it still might tip over). It was a little scary because when we got it rolling back down the slope, it picked up speed and was headed right at the house. Fortunately, there is a slope upward toward the house for drainage, so it stopped well shy of the house.
The lesson learned: I really still need to get used to remembering the ROPS is behind me and add about a foot of clearance to any situation. I scalded the undersides of several branches the first time I mowed, so the next day, I went around and pruned the lower branches of those trees, and any others that seemed like they might come within the height of the ROPS where I want to mow.
Oh, one other thing. As my wife and I were standing there, thinking about what we needed to do to get it unstuck without tipping it over, I said, "hang on, I'll be right back," and started to run toward the house. She said, "where are you going." I said, "to get the camera, I need to get a picture for the guys on the tractor forum." She gave me the "boys!" look.
