glennmac
Veteran Member
There is a current thread I started to discuss the merits of chains vs. ropes to lift things with the loader. I am very angry with myself. I read fine print for a living, yet I neglected to read my FEL owners manual and labels before turning to this forum.
The Kubota answer to this question is clear: ALL FORMS OF CHAIN/ROPE/CABLE LIFTING ARE PROHIBITED.
The Kubota LA402 loader manual has 37 paragraphs of safety precautions. Most of precautions are contingent--ie, the caution uses words such as "strongy recommended" (seat belt and ROPS, eg), or "exercise extra caution when", or "avoid", or "protect yourself by". The word "never" is used in an absolute sense in only two places: going or reaching under a raised bucket and the following:
"Never lift or pull any load from any point of the loader with a chain, rope, or cable. Doing so could cause a roll over or serious damage to the loader."
There is also a label on my loader that addresses this specific issue. It reads: "NEVER connect chain, cable or rope to a loader bucket while operating loader." (The upper case is on the label.) This is the only safety label on the entire tractor that is required by Kubota to be AFFIXED IN TWO PLACES. There is one such label on each side of the loader above the loader quick release pins. There are two other prohibitions on this label: "DO NOT stand or work under raised loader or bucket", and "DO NOT use loader as a work platform."
One can reasonably conclude that, in Kubota's opinion, loader lifting with chains/etc. is one of the three most dangerous activities to engage in with a loader. Given that they require this label two be affixed TWICE, it is also reasonable to conclude that Kubota considers FEL chain lifting to be one of the three most dangerous activities you can engage in with your tractor. Certainly the other two activities on the label are highly dangerous. I knocked my son off a 28 foot ladder the first day I had my tractor when I was trying to block the bottom of the ladder with my loader and accidentally raised it. My dealer told me how one of their 25-year servicemen was cut in half--literally cut in half at the waist in front of his co-workers--when he was leaning over the hood of a large machine and the bucket fell. If Kubota is putting FEL chain lifting in this category of risk, they certainly have my attention.
I have not, frankly, seen Kubota's viewpoint reflected in discussions here. FEL lifting with chains seems to be tacitly accepted as a routine part of tractoring. There are extended discussions of what kind of chain to use, what kind of hooks to use, where to put the hooks, how to affix the hooks, etc. Have we been somewhat remiss here?
I think we need to do two things for our common education and especially for the inexperienced tractor users, both current and future.
1. We should report what loader manuals and labels say on other tractors--all the different manufacturers.
2. Those who continue to hold the view that FEL chain lifting is an acceptable practice should explain their reasoning.
In the meantime, I am suspending all thoughts of FEL chain lifting. I have other and safer things to do with my tractor time.
Glenn
The Kubota answer to this question is clear: ALL FORMS OF CHAIN/ROPE/CABLE LIFTING ARE PROHIBITED.
The Kubota LA402 loader manual has 37 paragraphs of safety precautions. Most of precautions are contingent--ie, the caution uses words such as "strongy recommended" (seat belt and ROPS, eg), or "exercise extra caution when", or "avoid", or "protect yourself by". The word "never" is used in an absolute sense in only two places: going or reaching under a raised bucket and the following:
"Never lift or pull any load from any point of the loader with a chain, rope, or cable. Doing so could cause a roll over or serious damage to the loader."
There is also a label on my loader that addresses this specific issue. It reads: "NEVER connect chain, cable or rope to a loader bucket while operating loader." (The upper case is on the label.) This is the only safety label on the entire tractor that is required by Kubota to be AFFIXED IN TWO PLACES. There is one such label on each side of the loader above the loader quick release pins. There are two other prohibitions on this label: "DO NOT stand or work under raised loader or bucket", and "DO NOT use loader as a work platform."
One can reasonably conclude that, in Kubota's opinion, loader lifting with chains/etc. is one of the three most dangerous activities to engage in with a loader. Given that they require this label two be affixed TWICE, it is also reasonable to conclude that Kubota considers FEL chain lifting to be one of the three most dangerous activities you can engage in with your tractor. Certainly the other two activities on the label are highly dangerous. I knocked my son off a 28 foot ladder the first day I had my tractor when I was trying to block the bottom of the ladder with my loader and accidentally raised it. My dealer told me how one of their 25-year servicemen was cut in half--literally cut in half at the waist in front of his co-workers--when he was leaning over the hood of a large machine and the bucket fell. If Kubota is putting FEL chain lifting in this category of risk, they certainly have my attention.
I have not, frankly, seen Kubota's viewpoint reflected in discussions here. FEL lifting with chains seems to be tacitly accepted as a routine part of tractoring. There are extended discussions of what kind of chain to use, what kind of hooks to use, where to put the hooks, how to affix the hooks, etc. Have we been somewhat remiss here?
I think we need to do two things for our common education and especially for the inexperienced tractor users, both current and future.
1. We should report what loader manuals and labels say on other tractors--all the different manufacturers.
2. Those who continue to hold the view that FEL chain lifting is an acceptable practice should explain their reasoning.
In the meantime, I am suspending all thoughts of FEL chain lifting. I have other and safer things to do with my tractor time.
Glenn