Always Set Parking Brake!

[Avenger]

On Friday, my neighbor came down the road to get me. Literally with his hands on his head, and a bit freaked out. He rented a small John Deere 2032R TLB from Home Depot to fix up his muddy, steep driveway before winter (even though I've offered to do the job many times, for nothing.). I drove up this horrendous road to where he was waiting for me. I saw the tracks. He had parked the tractor on a hill, shut off the engine and was going to do some manual shovel work, when suddenly the tractor took off without him! Rolling down the road backwards, it ran off the road and down an even steeper embankment, about 75ft down!

His nephew and I hooked up some chains, and he drove it while I pulled him out. We had to reset the chains 3 times, and with the help of the JD and my pulling efforts on the road, we got him out. No serious damage to the TLB.

Just your friendly reminder that parking brakes are there for a reason. Things happen, and happen very quickly.

Here is a video of it.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

SCARY!!! I make it a habit to look at my front left wheel as I am removing my foot from the parking brake and getting off the tractor. If it is going to roll the slightest movement in the tractor will be shown by movement in that front wheel. If the wheel moves at all I am resetting brake. On steep slopes I drop FEL to ground or 3 point or both. Glad everything worked out ok.

And yeah, that is one nasty ol' driveway. You think he would have fixed is in the middle of the drought this summer.

 

[Jchonline]

So thats why those Home Depot rentals cost so much...

 

[Jstpssng]

I always have at least 2 of these three things; brake set, loader down, implement down. When setting the brake, SET the darned thing hard enough to stop the tractor. I wouldn't care to guess how many times that I've jumped onto the family's L2800 after my brother has used it, to find that he has put the brake on but not even enough to lug the engine if I don't notice.

 

[k0ua]

These things happen. Hydro tractors are noted for rolling away. Of course on that steep of a hill it was absolutely clear negligence to not set the parking brake, and also set the front bucket to act as a brake. With a gear tractor on a slight slope, usually when you shut off the tractor and leave it in gear, the friction of trying to roll over the engine will prevent the tractor from rolling away. But a hydro tractor will bleed down pressure and is almost guaranteed to roll away without the brake set.

But I never rely on the parking brake either, I set the bucket on edge to dig in and also if the 3pt has something on it like my blade or ballast barrel, I set them too. The terrain here is very hilly, and you will only make that roll away mistake once. I suggest the guy with the JD was very lucky and no real damage was done to property or to life and limb. It could have been a lot worse.

 

[k0ua]

I always have at least 2 of these three things; brake set, loader down, implement down. When setting the brake, SET the darned thing hard enough to stop the tractor. I wouldn't care to guess how many times that I've jumped onto the family's L2800 after my brother has used it, to find that he has put the brake on but not even enough to lug the engine if I don't notice.

Yep on a hill that steep, you need all you can get, and if you are going to set the parking brake, SET the parking brake.

 

[Avenger]

I think he learned his lesson. That was his first time EVER running a tractor! With the backhoe on the back, I told him to use the FEL and set the parking brake hard from now on. Fortunately, they returned the tractor that afternoon.

 

[k0ua]

I think he learned his lesson. That was his first time EVER running a tractor! With the backhoe on the back, I told him to use the FEL and set the parking brake hard from now on. Fortunately, they returned the tractor that afternoon.

I am sure he felt very badly and was probably anxious about any damage to the machine. But hey, he at least had a good neighbor that got him out of the "fix" he was in. He should have stopped off and bought a lottery ticket on the way back as obviously he is pretty lucky.

 

[metalbender]

Lucky it didn't roll. Got into the habit of setting the brake on mine.

 

[deserteagle71]

What's a parking brake??

Neither of my tractors have one. Just a Park position on the transmission.

 

[duffer]

I did a similar stupid thing. House is up on a hill, and a pretty good slope downward. While I was building the house I was doing some light back dragging with the bucket and one of the utility guys was up at the house and motioned for me to come up to meet him.

So I drove up to the side of the house, shut down the tractor, did NOT use the parking brake, and got off to talk to him. Well, in about 15 seconds the thing started to roll backwards down the hill, slipped into neutral, and then really took off. It was headed right for a 60' pine tree. I thought...well, this will be about $4-5 grand when it hits the tree. Tractor had all of about 30 hours on it then.

Luckily it hit a bump and turned the tractor just enough to miss the tree. Total distance traveled was about 100+ yds. Came to rest next to my elevated driveway which stopped it. I use the parking brake, lower the bucket, and lower any implement now whenever I stop, shutting it down or not.

 

[Avenger]

Lucky it didn't roll. Got into the habit of setting the brake on mine.

Yeah, it was very close. The nephew asked me if he should use the seat belt or not. I suggested that he should, just keep his arms and legs in if it tips! Trust in the ROPS! Talk about nervous!

 

[Thomas]

No damage...he should went out bought Powerball ticket with that kind of luck.

 

[Root Cause]

I am on a pretty steep slope. Along with the brake and bucket, I turn my front wheels hard to keep it from rolling downhill. That too, helps it stay in position.

 

[hube2]

Not only do I set the parking brake but I also turn my wheels tight i a direction that will also limit rolling. Comes from a life of driving a stick.

 

[Root Cause]

Not only do I set the parking brake but I also turn my wheels tight i a direction that will also limit rolling. Comes from a life of driving a stick.

We were taught that in driver's ed. When on a hill, always turn the wheels so it bumps the curb when the vehicle moves. Makes sense on a tractor too so it just rolls in a safe direction if it does move. I worry more about it moving when starting it up. I am not always in the seat but I am at least on the step.

 

[hube2]

I am on a pretty steep slope. Along with the brake and bucket, I turn my front wheels hard to keep it from rolling downhill. That too, helps it stay in position.

We were taught that in driver's ed. When on a hill, always turn the wheels so it bumps the curb when the vehicle moves. Makes sense on a tractor too so it just rolls in a safe direction if it does move. I worry more about it moving when starting it up. I am not always in the seat but I am at least on the step.

We must have posted at about the same time. I was also taught this is driver ed, might say something about how old we are that they had sticks in driver ed. I also had an automatic when I was 18 that would slip out of park and roll so I had to do the same things. There was a recall on that car, they sent me a sticker to put on the dash to tell me to set the parking break and turn the wheels.... did not use the sticker but I already new about the issue from experiencing it.

My driveway is a hill and across the road at the bottom of that hill is a pond. Everyone that lives here turns the wheels when parking no matter what type of vehicle it is. Although a lot of that is from the same habit because they've all been taught to drive a stick.

 

[4570Man]

My skid steer and mini x locks the brakes every time you lift the lap bar. It really should be standard for all equipment to do that. My last dump truck didn’t have any parking brake. The air brakes on my F-750 that actually lock down when they’re supposed to was a welcome feature.

 

[oosik]

Long ago, with my first tractor, I quit using the parking brake. Too easy to forget to release.

Then again - I don't have any really steep slopes. However - if I do park on any of the slopes I have - drop the rear blade - pin the grapple into the ground.

 

[Jstpssng]

There was a recall on that car, they sent me a sticker to put on the dash to tell me to set the parking break and turn the wheels

Mid ‘70s Ford, they did things differently back then. A woman pulled into the greenhouse around that time period in a brand new car with dealer plates and didn’t quite get it in park; just as she got out it started rolling. I chased it out across the road, down a slight incline, got in and got it stopped just before it went into the cemetery pond. It was obvious what had happened but she borrowed the greenhouse phone and called somebody all upset, telling them what happened and about the “clicking” sound it made as it rolled down the hill.
It amazes me how many people today don’t use the parking brake on their autos, even on the steepest hills; trusting those two little parking pawls to hold the vehicle in place