I tipped my Kubota!

[Ken45101]

Glad to hear you were okay. I did a similar thing in June although my tractor did not tip over I was thrown off from the seat and landed on my right shoulder...


The lesson if there is one, keep the darn bucket down at all times with a load in it! LOL

Sorry to mention the obvious, but another lesson you should have learned is to use the seat belt! I don't use it 100% of the time, but if I'm using the loader or on non flat ground, I always wear it. But then having a farm in hill country makes me wary!

Heck my skid steer I can't even move it 6" unless I have the belt on. That can be a PITA sometimes when changing implements.

Ken

 

[bigbull338]

if your gonna have your ins adjuster look at leave it laying on its side till he looks at it.an then do what he tell you todo.i know a guy that layed his 8540 cab loader 4x4 over.an it had to stay that way till the ins man looked at it.

 

[kcfarm]

Thanks for all the help guys!

The tractor is now upright, with no visible damage at all! The battery is fine. A little oil leaked from somewhere onto the front tire as it layed on it's side. Some diesel fuel leaked out, but not a whole lot from what I can tell. The engine oil is at the same dipstick mark that it normally is. But, the trans. oil window on the rear diff. shows empty. Problem is, at times it's hard to see the trans. fluid in the window anyways. So I'm not sure whether I should add or not. Is there another way to check the trans. fluid level. This is a HST model.

I'm going to let the tractor sit for a couple of days before starting. It was on it's side for 18 hours. Not too bad.

 

[k0ua]

As for the trans/hydro fluid, my suggestion is after you get the engine running, on level ground raise the loader and the 3pt at the same time and look at the sight glass, I bet it will be down and you will see the level line. I am thinking that it is full, not empty, if you did not see a big leak on the ground. The fluid is so clear you cannot tell if you are looking at fluid or not. The sight glass thing is a pain, a nice dipstick in the fill hole would have been a great idea in my opinion. but it is what it is.

James K0UA

 

[rmk700]

Glad everything seem OK.

Man, in the future if that thing even feels close to tipping, plant that FEL down ASAP.

 

[General Lee]

Do you have the quick attach/detach bucket on your 5100? IMO the L4400 and 5100 are similar in some ways, and my 4400 feels squirrely with a heavy load in the bucket even with loaded rears set at their widest and rear ballast. I have the QA bucket, I don't know if the bucket is a little farther out then non QA buckets but it doesn't take much for my 4400 to get tipsy. More easily then others I've operated. I just low and slow with a heavy load.

 

[Longhorntractor]

I am glad you and your tractor are ok. Thank you for sharing. I am new to tractors (MX4700) and every bit I learn is a huge help. Had a tipsy moment myself moving some dirt the other day!

 

[brokenknee]

I would not try to start the tractor without pulling, either the glow plugs or injectors out, regardless of how long you let it sit. A friends neighbor tipped his skid steer on its side, sat over night until a local farmer came over with a tractor to right it.

He let it sit a day and half before trying to start it. He was trying to start it when I visited my friend, all you would hear is a umph, locked up tighter than a drum. I told him to pull the injectors out as the cylinders were most likely flooded. He did and they were. He got it started but it ran like crap. He brought it in and he had bent his push rods, not sure what it cost him to fix, but sure it wasn't cheap.

 

[scesnick]

I have an MX5100 also and they are a bit tipsy for sure. Glad you were ok. My tractor has made me pucker once or twice the exact same way your accident happened. especially before I loaded the rear tires. It was down right dangerous before I loaded them.
But, other than that i love my tractor.

I also agree with the trans fluid window. I hate that thing. Can neve tell if it is dead empty or totally full. I also agree that a dipstick would be very helpful.

 

[AGGIE00]

My 5083e was quite tipsy the way it came configured from Deere even with loaded rear tires. My butt was puckered every time I loaded a truck with a full bucket. I moved the rear tires out 4" on each side and 2" on the front and what a difference it made. The tractor has a completely different feel and stance for loader work. I think it pulls better too.

 

[Gator6x4]

I would not try to start the tractor without pulling, either the glow plugs or injectors out, regardless of how long you let it sit. A friends neighbor tipped his skid steer on its side, sat over night until a local farmer came over with a tractor to right it.

He let it sit a day and half before trying to start it. He was trying to start it when I visited my friend, all you would hear is a umph, locked up tighter than a drum. I told him to pull the injectors out as the cylinders were most likely flooded. He did and they were. He got it started but it ran like crap. He brought it in and he had bent his push rods, not sure what it cost him to fix, but sure it wasn't cheap.

I agree. I would remove either the glow plugs or the injectors and rotate the engine with a scoket on the crankshaft bolt. I think the biggest mistake you will make will be to spin the engine with the starter without removing either the glow plugs or injectors.

 

[Tractordawg]

I would have it flatbedded to a Kubota dealer, especially if you have insurance.

 

[ultrarunner]

I once saw a professional operator working on a soft edge lay his Backhoe on it's side...

It was slow motion and did a full 90 degree roll to the right.

Without missing a beat, he lowered the stabilizer on that side, righted the tractor and road the ditch to the bottom and made his way back up...

Couldn't see any damage or scape's... he said it happens sometimes when you are working conditions that are not ready to be worked...

I can only imagine what it would feel like to be belted in upright and then be laying on your side...

That same job had two dozers connected by cable... a big one at the top and a D6 dozing down a ravine several hundred feet and then being pulled back to start all over again...

 

[Danner]

I once saw a professional operator working on a soft edge lay his Backhoe on it's side...

It was slow motion and did a full 90 degree roll to the right.

Without missing a beat, he lowered the stabilizer on that side, righted the tractor and road the ditch to the bottom and made his way back up...

Couldn't see any damage or scape's... he said it happens sometimes when you are working conditions that are not ready to be worked...

I can only imagine what it would feel like to be belted in upright and then be laying on your side...

That same job had two dozers connected by cable... a big one at the top and a D6 dozing down a ravine several hundred feet and then being pulled back to start all over again...

Interesting, kind of like righting a kayak :laughing:

 

[kcfarm]

Are the glow plugs removed similar to a spark plug on a gasoline engine?

If I can't easily get at the crankshaft bolt to turn it manually, can I turn the engine over with the key with the glow plugs removed? I think I saw a fuel shut off valve that I could turn off. It seems like you would want the engine spinning fast anyways to shoot the oil out.

Thanks.

 

[BeezFun]

but lifted a load that was too heavy, too high, and over I went.

I've had similar experience loading manure spreader. One thing to confirm is that your front tire pressure is correct. I also am careful to begin dumping the bucket as I'm approaching and raising it over the side of the spreader. That way by the time it's high enough to get tipsy the load is already starting to slide out. It's scary being over something so you can't drop the bucket if it things get tipsy. I used to stop, raise the bucket, then try to drive forward- scared the manure out of me.

 

[Dead Horse]

Are the glow plugs removed similar to a spark plug on a gasoline engine?

If I can't easily get at the crankshaft bolt to turn it manually, can I turn the engine over with the key with the glow plugs removed? I think I saw a fuel shut off valve that I could turn off. It seems like you would want the engine spinning fast anyways to shoot the oil out.

Thanks.

First if the tractor is not on level ground the tranny fluid may not show up in the window. Do not overfill. Like another poster said, if you didn't see a lot of fluid on the ground, it is still in there.

Second......... DO NOT TURN THE ENGINE OVER WITH THE STARTER MOTOR.

You might pull it off and get lucky, or NOT. I am able to turn my 3710 motor over by grabbing the fan blade with one hand and pushing slowly while putting tension on the fan belts with the other hand. If you cannot get a wrench on the crank bolt....... try this. Go slow. You don't have to turn it over "Fast to get the oil to shoot out". Turning it over slowly will tell you if it is hydrolocked, without damaging the motor.

If that motor is hydrolocked and you turn it over with the starter motor, it will be junk.

 

[CANdiyMXER]

I was carrying a rock in my MX5000, about 500 lbs in the left hand side of bucket and was on flat ground. When I got to the dump spot on level ground, i turned sharply to the right and tilted the bucket at the same time. the rock slid from left to right, hit the right side of the bucket and started to tip the tractor over! I was thrown halfway out the right side when the rock fell out of the tipped bucket and the tractor went back down on the ground and I went back into cab! Total time maybe 2-3 seconds! I wear my seatbelt at all times now!

 

[bunchgrass]

I'm sure I read this while I was cooling my heels at the dealer the other day - ALWAYS wear seatbelt IF you have ROPS (or cab). NEVER wear your seatbelt w/o ROPS.

If you had a seatbelt on w/o ROPS, your head,neck and spine become the ROPS. That was my understanding of the warning.

BTW - glad you're alright. Your tractor, much as we all like 'em, still comes in a distant second in the big picture:thumbsup:

 

[kuboman]

I am sure this has been said before but none of these small utility tractors have anywhere near enough weight on the back. Loaded tires is not enough either. Loaded tires plus wheel weights helps but the best is weight hung out behind on the 3pt. I can still bring the back of my L5740 off the ground with wheel weights and 1400# on the 3pt.