Fatal tractor rollover

[schmism]

I serve on our local VFD.

This morning we were paged out for a tractor roll over with entrapment. (i was on the call)
Unfortunately the operator was pronounced dead at the scene.

A ford 800 (ish) tractor, stock with no aftermarket ROPS, was pulled over backward on its driver.

We preach a lot on the forums about safety. We may have all heard stories about this sort of thing, but as (of this morning) Ive been there, seen it first hand.

Part of me wants to believe that if they just knew the dangers of pulling from points above the axle they might not have done it. But then again people continue to do stupid stuff every day despite the fact they may know better.

In short .... it sucks.

 

[rjkobbeman]

I serve on our local VFD.

This morning we were paged out for a tractor roll over with entrapment. (i was on the call)
Unfortunately the operator was pronounced dead at the scene.

A ford 800 (ish) tractor, stock with no aftermarket ROPS, was pulled over backward on its driver.

We preach a lot on the forums about safety. We may have all heard stories about this sort of thing, but as (of this morning) Ive been there, seen it first hand.

Part of me wants to believe that if they just knew the dangers of pulling from points above the axle they might not have done it. But then again people continue to do stupid stuff every day despite the fact they may know better.

In short .... it sucks.

Even as we speak, there is a conversation going on here: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/177413-how-do-you-hook-your-3.html that has dove into the "pulling above the axle..." discussion.

Some contributing to the thread are OK with it and others are not.

I know nothing about the discussion, but it appears to me based on reading the thread -- and keeping my eyes open while I am driving around my county -- that to this day, some ignore some of the most basic safety tenants of tractor operation.

You would think with all of the vast knowledge we have today that these same types of tractor accidents would be non-existent.

I know we can't 100% prevent accidents that we don't yet know about. But it seems like we keep ignoring the facts and doing the same thing over and over again.

 

[rekees4300]

Some folks learn by reading, others have to learn the hard way, and a few never learn until it's too late. Nevertheless it's likely that TBN has saved several lives that we will never hear about so safety posts are a good thing.

 

[rjkobbeman]

Some folks learn by reading, others have to learn the hard way, and a few never learn until it's too late. Nevertheless it's likely that TBN has saved several lives that we will never hear about so safety posts are a good thing.

I agree.

 

[Wacky]

Some folks learn by reading, others have to learn the hard way, and a few never learn until it's too late. Nevertheless it's likely that TBN has saved several lives that we will never hear about so safety posts are a good thing.

Well said.:thumbsup:

 

[picker77]

Lost one of my best friends that way a few years back. He retired from the Navy, bought a little place up in Idaho and a small tractor, and was snaking logs out of the woods with a chain hooked above the axle. His wife found him when he didn't come in for lunch, he had hung a log on a stump and didn't react fast enough. Only thing "good" about it was the paramedics said it was instantaneous, no suffering. Scared the heck out of me and I wasn't even in the same state at the time. I think of it every time I climb on my tractor.

 

[Hawghauler]

Smart people do dumb things occasionally. Whether it is complacency or just plain bad luck, bad things can happen to good people. A good friend of mine got his head crushed when he disconnected the hydraulic line that was holding up the box on his dump truck. I know for a fact he was a careful, conscientious operator, he just wasn't that time and fate did not cut him any slack. Heavy equipment is dangerous. Why I survived my teen years I do not know, but my coming of age was definately a genetic experient that would have had Gregor Mendel scratching his head. Sorry you had to respond to that accident. You have a tough job that challenges even the strongest to stay sober.

 

[Redneck in training]

Part of me wants to believe that if they just knew the dangers of pulling from points above the axle they might not have done it. But then again people continue to do stupid stuff every day despite the fact they may know better.

In short .... it sucks.

You can flip backwards even when pulling under the axle. The tractor pivot is between the tire and the ground. The lower is the pulling point the harder it is to flip backwards though.

 

[wvpolekat]

You can flip backwards even when pulling under the axle. The tractor pivot is between the tire and the ground. The lower is the pulling point the harder it is to flip backwards though.

Laws of physics say you can't. Pulling below the axle, the load will put more weight on the front end, making it impossible for it to lift. That is not to say that other things can't make you flip, but the pulling won't if you attach below the axle.

 

[MMagis]

Laws of physics say you can't. Pulling below the axle, the load will put more weight on the front end, making it impossible for it to lift. That is not to say that other things can't make you flip, but the pulling won't if you attach below the axle.

That would be true if the ground were flat and tires got not traction.