Are tractors the most useful things ever invented?

[Fredster]

After a weekend of using my FX24D tear up brush, drag cut-down trees, cart firewood, and move debris the previous owners of our house left in the yard, I was mostly convinced that tractors are the most useful things ever invented.

I'm starting to wonder how I made it so long without one.

Then, a terrific windstorm Monday night toppled a good-sized maple tree in our front yard, and, well, I'll let the pictures do the talking about the tractor's usefulness.

 

[DrewYM226D]

Fredster, I have to agree with you but I gotta tell you, you made me cringe when I looked at your pics. This is exactly the kind of work that can cause a tractor to flip over backwards and squish the operator. I had a co-worker who was killed doing exactly what you where doing-he wasn't lucky enough to have a ROPS on his machine. PLEASE, put that ROPS in operating position when you do this kind of thing! We want to keep you around here! Happy tractoring.

 

[Eddie]

Fredster, I have to agree with you but I gotta tell you, you made me cringe when I looked at your pics. This is exactly the kind of work that can cause a tractor to flip over backwards and squish the operator. I had a co-worker who was killed doing exactly what you where doing-he wasn't lucky enough to have a ROPS on his machine. PLEASE, put that ROPS in operating position when you do this kind of thing! We want to keep you around here! Happy tractoring.

I believe I would connect the chain to a lower point on the tractor also. If you have a drawbar on the bottom that would be a good place. The lower point you can pull from the less likely it will lift the front end off the ground and tip over backwards.

 

[RobJ]

You know I'm usually not part of the safety police...but at least move that chain down the the drawbar, lowest point possible.

But yes tractors are high on the list, but roses and diamonds and dinner out have to rank pretty high to!!

 

[Fredster]

Yep, it's got a much lower place I can hook to. Matter of fact, when I was dragging much smaller trees around this weekend I had the chain hooked to the lower bar. Yesterday's was just Fred not thinking. Physics never was my strong point in school.

The ROPS was just laziness because I have to fold it down to fit in the shed. No excuse there.

 

[roxynoodle]

I'd also make sure the loader bucket was close to the ground. The higher they are, the more unbalanced the tractor is.

 

[LMTC]

Do some surfing if you have time and look at rollovers. In the meantime, never operate the tractor withe ROPS folded, and never pull from a point higher than your rear axle....pull from BELOW the axle. Rear rollovers happen in a flash with a near 100% fatality rate.

We hand out a hard copy of the following web page to all our tractor customers. 1.5 seconds from hum-de-dum-things-are-fine to the point of no return.

HERE

 

[Tom_Veatch]

You know I'm usually not part of the safety police...

Nor am I. But does anyone ever use a snubber(?) on long chains like that? I'm not sure if that's the correct term, but what I'm talking about is a line woven through the chain links every few feet, and tied off at each end independently of the chain with enough length to still be slack when the chain is under strain.

Then if the chain parts it snaps back along the line instead of whipping around and possibly causing serious damage, injury, or death.

 

[LMTC]

Never heard of such, Tom, but sounds like a great idea. Never seen a chain snap either, but a friend snapped a BIG chain pulling a combine out and it went through the side of the combine when it snapped back. Bad stuff.

 

[kenmac]

Fredster, please put that ROPS in the up position. My ROPS & is always in the up position & seat belt latched around me durning operation . I still find myself pulling anything from the front of the tractor.
not trying to harp on you
just be safe my friend