Back Flip

[fire72]

This morning I took my 8N about 150 yards downhill from my house to retrieve my Gator, which I had gotten stuck in snow too deep for it. My 8N doesn't have a drawbar, so I rigged the tow strap to my 6' back blade. Had a complete brain fart and forgot to consider the height of the rigging in relation to the rear axle. Can anyone see the punch line coming? At an especially steep spot just below the house, the front wheels came up on me. The tires were about 4' off the ground before I could kick the clutch in and get the front end back down. After a brief pause to change my shorts, I re-rigged and finished the tow without incident.

The moral of the story? There isn't just one. Tow from the drawbar unless it's totally impossible to do so. That's what it's there for. Pay attention to what you're doing. I've been operating tractors on steep hills for years, but still made a dumb mistake by neglecting to check a very basic safety factor. All it took to correct the towing height was dropping the blade below the height of the axle.

With no ROPS and no seat belt on an 8N, I got away with my mistake by a combination of quick reflexes and sheer dumb luck. Many others haven't; back flips are frequently fatal. Be careful out there.

 

[fdmars]

Fire72, thanks for the post, I have heard this type of story on this site before and it is not one that I never really thought of...the relationship of the hook point and the rear axle
So goes to show the value of this site and what one can learn, and more importantly that you are OK and did not get hurt.
Regards Fred

 

[Carykong]

Glad you could share your near mishap. Its hard to illuminate our mistakes on a public forum,yet from your post, somebody will read your account and gain the wisdom to avoid the same path that you took and may save his neck. Thank you for sharing.

 

[LBrown59]

This morning I took my 8N about 150 yards downhill from my house to retrieve my Gator, which I had gotten stuck in snow too deep for it. My 8N doesn't have a drawbar, so I rigged the tow strap to my 6' back blade. Had a complete brain fart and forgot to consider the height of the rigging in relation to the rear axle. Can anyone see the punch line coming? At an especially steep spot just below the house, the front wheels came up on me. The tires were about 4' off the ground before I could kick the clutch in and get the front end back down. After a brief pause to change my shorts, I re-rigged and finished the tow without incident.

The moral of the story? There isn't just one. Tow from the drawbar unless it's totally impossible to do so. That's what it's there for. Pay attention to what you're doing. I've been operating tractors on steep hills for years, but still made a dumb mistake by neglecting to check a very basic safety factor. All it took to correct the towing height was dropping the blade below the height of the axle.

With no ROPS and no seat belt on an 8N, I got away with my mistake by a combination of quick reflexes and sheer dumb luck. Many others haven't; back flips are frequently fatal. Be careful out there.

Are the rear tires filled?
I'd rather have a little slip and no flip.

 

[JB4310]

Don't know if you could have gone all the way over with the box blade, but you could of been thrown off maybe just as bad.

If you gotta do it just be expecting the worst and keep that foot on the clutch, ready to disengage. Should be second nature to a tractor operator.
Similar to when handling heavy loads with loader, especially up high, be ready for shifting load or other situations that requires rapid lowering of loader to prevent machine from going over. Always keep your hand on the stick.

JB.

 

[RoyJackson]

Are the rear tires filled?
I'd rather have a little slip and no flip.

Having the tires filled probably wouldn't have helped.
There was a study on rear roll overs done by one of the states' ag dept (or safety, like OSHA). I remember this well...if the tractor rears up, you have about ¾ of a second to react. After that, it's going all the way over. Also, once the tractor reaches about 75° (relative to the surface), inertia will keep it going the rest of the way.
Scary, isn't it?

 

[20 20]

8n's were known for this, years back had a neighbor flip one on her, she died.

 

[Toyboy]

I darn near did that with my old Case 446 loading it on a trailer at too steep of an angle with ramps that were too short. I slammed it in reverse just in time. I know I was looking at the tree tops. And yes, you do have to change your shorts even with a small machine.

 

[lakeside]

Thanks for sharing your story. Probably most of us have done some really dumb things, I know I've done more than my share. We usually get way with it with a scare and maybe having to change our shorts every once and awhile.

By sharing stories like yours we can all learn. I've shared a few dumb things here and I hope someone else won't repeat my mistakes.

 

[tugboat-2]

A great lesson and a good reminder to others!!! I have no idea where I got the "instinct" to jump on the clutch,...but I too learned that scary lesson at age 8 and I have NEVER,..EVER,..forgotten it!!!

Trying to pull a dump truck out of the mud and it was the adult who chained it up,.......he also learned a very scary lesson that day!

As Roy pointed out,...you have a "split" second to react,...other wise you find yourself in a position where pushing down on the clutch,...only pushes you backwards off the seat because of your awkward, worsening angle.

My only advice would be to STOP,....and seriously consider, (think about) what it is you are about to do,...BEFORE you do it. I know that is not always what we are going to do,...BUT,..BUT,...when it comes to tractors,...TRY to train your brain that way because with tractors,...you don't always get a second chance!!

I was extremely lucky,...as was the OP !!! Thanks for posting this danger!

CHEERS!
. . tug