Stupid (read: unexpected) ways to hurt yourself with your tractor.

[TSO]

I've got a bunch of trees down on my property, some are the leftover tops from selling some big oaks/maples, and some are just others that I wanted down for light/paths. Anyhow, I have some good piles of trees/brush that I've pushed aside and I'm slowly cutting and clearing.

Twice in the last month now, while lifting up sections of the trees, I've had branches whip me in the face. Apparently, they were caught on an unknown/unseen spot of another tree, and "boomeranged" right at my face!

The first time, the branch was big enough to nearly knock me right off the seat of my tractor! It left a nice welt on my right cheek.

Then 2 days ago, one popped out and hit me right in the forehead, and I still have the cut/lump where it hit me.

Makes me think I need to make a cage/canopy to protect myself! Two close calls, I'd better be careful or I'll be missing an eye soon :thumbdown:

 

[bcp]

Brush lifter cables, like this:

 

[Sandlot]

A few weeks ago I took the tractor out to do some road maintenance. It had been setting under the car port collecting black widow spiders. One crawled out of the throttle pedal hole and up my pant leg. I felt something on my leg just above my sock and gave it a swat. I felt a lump and quickly shook my pants and out it came. After screaming like a little girl (I hate spiders!), I gave it another stomp just for good measure. At first I thought I had avoided getting bit, but five minutes later I knew I was in trouble. My leg felt like it was on fire from my knee to the top of my foot. I ended up in the emergency room. I was given a shot of antibiotics and some pain killers. I was miserable for three days. Lesson learned, spray down the underside of tractor with Raid before taking it out.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I was bush hoging one day about 25 or 30 years ago, running a 255 massy. There was a broken off fence post laying in the field and as the front tire went over the end it stood up on one end and the other end fell against the step and hooked the underside of my knee. I saw it happen but everything was to fast to be able to stop in time. As the post started leavering me forward the post broke leaving me feeling week. (one end of the post was caught on the ground, the other behind my knee and the step as a pivet point) I STILL GET A BAD FEELING IF I THINK ABOUT IT!!

 

[TractorLegend]

I've never done a stupid thing, just ask my wife! haha
There was that one time I was mowing up a steep hill at our rec property and I turned around to look and my left knee kicked the Kioti to neutral and I went sailing uncontrolled backward as my mind was figuring what to do next, you know, that "Oh c*rap!" lag time.
I had to go change my shorts after that.

 

[bullopa]

I second that. Just got a new Kioti and am not yet used to the ROPS. Old tractor had none - ROPS on the new tractor brought a six inch tree down on my head and face!

I am not used to the ROPS yet on my L5030. I have a bunch of trees I brush hog around, and I try to keep the trees pruned, but that is a never ending job.

Prior to the ROPS, it was a simple matter of slowing down and creeping under the limbs, lifting branches out of my way. Now I sometimes forget that the ROPS is going to catch the branches and I have been whipped in neck and back a few times too many!!

 

[Bob77064]

So - How many times has anybody else but me smashed their shin against the trailer hitch on the back of your truck or tractor....It hurts worse in the winter when it is cold...brings tears to your eyes...hopping around in a parking lot draws a crowd..Next time I do it ...I am going to charge for the show....LOL

As often as I warn others to be careful of the trailer hitch, I still hit it.

 

[topbuilder]

Dumbest thing I remember, (there's more I'm sure) I was mowing with a tractor & 5' brush hog and went by a dead tree. For some reason I thought I would just push that tree over... I raised the mower up as high as it would go, got the tail wheel yoke aganst the tree and give a little push. Something made me look up, just in time to see the top of the tree comming down... I got out of the way in time to watch it mangle my seat. I got most of the bends out so I can use it again, its still bent enough to remind me how quick my reaction time used to be. :ashamed:

 

[joshuabardwell]

As often as I warn others to be careful of the trailer hitch, I still hit it.

I probably don't trailer as often as some of you guys, but I take the dang thing off and store it under the back seat when I'm not using it. In part because of this, and in part because I don't want it stolen. And also, now that I have a WD system that I use most of the time, because it's fracking huge.

 

[Oaktree]

I probably don't trailer as often as some of you guys, but I take the dang thing off and store it under the back seat when I'm not using it. In part because of this, and in part because I don't want it stolen.

People steal trailer hitches where you live?!?

I do the same thing (take off the hitch, not steal them) since I don't tow very often either...problem is that sometimes the inside of the receiver gets rusty and then the hitch won't go back in. Filed/cleaned them out more than once when I've needed the trailer. Still beats cracking a leg on the hitch though....

Probably the most common way I've hurt myself with the tractor is by hooking the bucket on a tree or branch while backing up bush hogging around trees. Fortunately so far it's just been a kind of punky dead one, but it still hurt! Gotta remember to take off the FEL when I'm gonna be mowing around trees!