Always Set Parking Brake!
- Thread starter Avenger
- Start date
sixdogs
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2007
- Messages
- 13,186
- Location
- Ohio
- Tractor
- Kubota M7040, Kubota MX5100, Deere 790 TLB, Farmall Super C
A parking brake on a tractor is like a safety on a firearm. It's nice that you have it but don't ever trust it.
With that said, I almost never set my parking brake. The only time I can recall using it is when I'm chipping brush and don't like things revving up while I'm standing nearby.
On a slope, park so it can't roll and if it does, it won't go anywhere. Like up against a tree. It takes a little thinking but you can do it.
After all that, I once had a 13 ft wide, 10,000 lb rolling harrow get away from me on a slope and roll about 1/8th of a mile through a farm field and almost into a small ravine. Silly me; I trusted the blocks I put under the tires when I should have chained it to a tree. Lesson learned forever.
With that said, I almost never set my parking brake. The only time I can recall using it is when I'm chipping brush and don't like things revving up while I'm standing nearby.
On a slope, park so it can't roll and if it does, it won't go anywhere. Like up against a tree. It takes a little thinking but you can do it.
After all that, I once had a 13 ft wide, 10,000 lb rolling harrow get away from me on a slope and roll about 1/8th of a mile through a farm field and almost into a small ravine. Silly me; I trusted the blocks I put under the tires when I should have chained it to a tree. Lesson learned forever.
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hube2
Veteran Member
Yep, 1976 Gran Torino
dodge man
Super Star Member
With my Kubota BX you could leave the tractor running in gear(HST) and get off it, if it was relatively flat it wouldn’t roll. With my JD 2025r you have to put it in neutral to get off it and leave it running. You guessed it, I didn’t set the parking brake and no loader on it. I went in my shop to get a key and when I walked out it was rolling across my yard and about to take off down a hill. I ran over and jammed the brake on with my hand. It was about a week old.
k0ua
Epic Contributor
There was a recall on several of those Ford's from the 70's. Seems that unless you took great pains to put the car in Park, it did not actuate the parking pawl. More than one runaway Ford in those days.
metalbender
Veteran Member
Another point is to use the brake to keep it from seizing up from lack of use.
bdhsfz6
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2015
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- 2,291
- Location
- Northeastern Pennsylvania
- Tractor
- Kubota MX5800 HST & L6060 HSTC Formerly L6060 HST B7100 HST, L2550, L3010 HST, L3430 HST
The brakes on a few of my earlier Kubota's took a lot of pedal pressure to work effectively. It was often difficult to tell how effective they would be when the parking brake was set. My old L3010 would sometimes creep even though the parking brake was firmly set.
Kubota seems to have addressed this issue on newer models.
Kubota seems to have addressed this issue on newer models.
DKCDKC
Platinum Member
I learned early. Just a few days after getting my new JD 3 series I was working a dirt pile in the woods on a shallow slope. I turned it off to move some limbs and, a few minutes later, stood to realize it was moving backward and gaining speed - even on a really slight incline. Fortunately it only drifted about 60 feet when the drawbar precisely hit a walnut tree. No damage at all, but a lesson learned. I have set the brake and put the FEL down every time since, even on very slight inclines.
RjCorazza
Elite Member
My tractor drifts also, and I have gotten into the habit of setting the parking brake. I also close the cab door each time I exit.
I would imagine getting pinned or run over would be a drag.
I would imagine getting pinned or run over would be a drag.
fruitcakesa
Veteran Member
I also make a habit of closing cab doors when I exit especially when running the winch or another implement that could wreck havoc if something went awry