You guys both have good points,and i cant argue with them,it would be a losing cause.Yes i have seen[and done myself] lots of folks carrying stuff with their thumbs.Where that mine was homemade,of course i would have no safety info.Right or wrong i haul stuff with mine constantly,from the rock retaining wall project,i posted this spring to moving a brush pile etc.My personal opinion would be you arent any more unsafe hauling a properly ballasted load behind you,than in front of you,as long as its center of gravity is in its proper place.An unproper balanced tractor with a full front end loader can dump you over just as quick in my mind.At least with the hoe i can shift the weight to the high side on hilly ground,i hate that am i gonna tip over feeling i get sometimes with a loaded fel,i can reduce that feeling hauling objects with the hoe.Only problem is you have to readjust things as terrain changes.
One reason i decided to build a thumb,was a project at my work A major constuction company tore down a large warehouse with an excavader.He picked through the rubble seperating the tin,wood metal,steel by picking it up and lugging it to different piles it was so smooth i think he could have picked up a dozen eggs without breaking them.After he broke up the foundation in large slabs and laid them out like you would a jig saw puzzle.There is a steep banking by my mill and he would select a peice lug it down the hill[very steep] and place it.Then he would drive back up select the proper peice and go again. What a nice looking retaining wall it is! I was so impressed i had to build one.In fact i watch escavader operators lug stuff all the time,even for the highway crews rocking up steep hills beside the highways[out of reach from the road].Im sure a steel track would be alot more stable,but i dont feel doing things with a tractor is all that unsafe,IF YOU PRACTICE SAFETY.[in my opinion]
If i hadnt of used my thumb ,my rock retaining wall would not have happened.There is no way i could have selected and loaded each individual rock from the stone wall,into the fel and placed it exactly where it had to be[half of them i couldnt lift].
I guess what im trying to get at ,is your absolutely correct,but all these folks thumbing their tractors lately,are not doing it to move an item in a 10ft radius,they probably will attempt hauling things,i just thought we might chat about keeping it as safe as possible.[someones gonna say" if you want to be safe dont do it"]Id better retract on my safety advice on hauling stuff with a thumb...dont do it its not safe.
Heres a pic of my retaining wall,holding back my wonderful veggie garden,im glad i came through it without an accident.Thanks for the replys guys point well taken,its something to avoid doing when you can.
ALAN
They're a lot more practical for moving with heavy objects than a thumb in my opinion.
