damage done by pulling????

[whitearrow]

good evening fellas.i was wondering how would you know if you damaged your tractor by trying to pull something w/the draw bar.i had to try to pull out a dodge dually 4 door w/a 44 foot loaded goose neck trailer.of course i barely budged it.i mainly gave it a little jerk and dug in w/my john deere 5203 in rear diff lock mode.i can't find where it hurt anything but i was just wondering if you guys had any info for me for certain areas to look at.doing this sort of thing where would be the weak points?
thanks,
whitearrow->>>---------------->

 

[ToadHill]

The tires, with the kind of weight you were pulling, tire spin would happen before anything became a problem.

 

[RonMar]

As long as you wern't backing and ramming with it, Toadhill is right, the wheels should dig in and start to rotate and it will just dig a few holes. That is why tractors have such low gears, to give those AG tire lugs a chance to grip. It is when you hit things at speed, or rev the engine and drop the clutch on all that stored flywheel inertia and induce shock loads that stuff really starts to break...

 

[whitearrow]

i was mainly talking about the snatching motion.i was in low range 2nd gear so it wasn't that hard of a snatch.kinda like when something runs out of line.more or less a pretty sudden jerk.all this stuff started running through my mind like i might have loosened some of the bolts holding the tractor together or something.
thanks,
whitearrow->>>--------------->

 

[Birdhunter1]

Your best bet on something like that is two chains hooked to a tire between them to act as a bumper ans shock absorber:
Truck.........O.........Tractor>>>>>>>>

This method will stretch the tire and at most if it does stop the tractor it will spin the tires or pull down hard like a heavy draft load but it will not exert a shock load on either end of the chain.

 

[whitearrow]

what was connecting the 2 of us was a real heavy duty tow strap.does this help?
thanks,
whitearrow->>>---------------->

 

[Tractors4u]

The 5203 is a good sized tractor and hooking to the draw bar was the right thing to do. Unless you were snatching at high speed, you are OK.

 

[638]

Having driven a tow truck in one of my past lives, I can comment from experence. DON"T ever try to jerk pull with anything period. If you don't break the chain/cable, you may pull the front/rear axle out from under the stuck vehicle and/or damage the towing vehicle, and maybe end up with sore ribs from the sudden stop.

ron

 

[Z-Michigan]

Agree with previous comments. Tractors are designed for pulling, after all, especially a utility size machine like yours. I am surprised you didn't budge it though. I have a 5105 MFWD, R1 tires with rears loaded, and the tractive effort is bordering on incredible. I also have a Dodge 3/4 ton diesel so I'm pretty familiar with the whole setup. We've used the Dodge to pull out cars stuck in snowbanks and it was pleasantly easy. The tractor weighs at least as much and should have better traction, so ???

 

[john_bud]

Whitearrow,

Should be no harm done. The same thing happens when you are plowing and hit a large root or rock. The tractor stops and the wheels spin. No big deal.

jb

 

[shane]

Jerking with a tow strap will absorb some shock, however I wouldn't want to be using a strap for that application. I'd rather have a chain and not do too much jerking.

 

[AndyMA]

Your best bet on something like that is two chains hooked to a tire between them to act as a bumper ans shock absorber:
Truck.........O.........Tractor>>>>>>>>

This method will stretch the tire and at most if it does stop the tractor it will spin the tires or pull down hard like a heavy draft load but it will not exert a shock load on either end of the chain.

I have to disagree with this method. sounds like a good way to get killed. If the tire stretches (which it will) and either chain snaps or comes loose it will be launched like a bull whip and could cut you in half. Just look at logging tractors and the protection they have. I snapped a 3/8 chain pulling a log with my excavator when the log snagged on a tree and the chain penetrated a think steel plate on the excavator (and scared the **** out of me).

Andy

 

[jimmer2880]

I have to disagree with this method. sounds like a good way to get killed. If the tire stretches (which it will) and either chain snaps or comes loose it will be launched like a bull whip and could cut you in half. Just look at logging tractors and the protection they have. I snapped a 3/8 chain pulling a log with my excavator when the log snagged on a tree and the chain penetrated a think steel plate on the excavator (and scared the **** out of me).

Andy

That would have been enough to put mud in my drawers

I never thought a chain would recoil like that. I've seen plenty of ropes recoil and greatly respect them. Wow... that's just scarey.

 

[whitearrow]

i wasn't snatching at a very high rate of speed.i was in low range 2 and 3 gear and the tow strap wasn't but about 10 feet long.so,i couldn't have got very much of a running start could i?
thanks for all of the support,
whitearrow->>>----------------->

 

[N80]

A broken chain will recoil light a bolt of lightning. I've seen it happen. Wrinkled the hood of a K5 blazer like it was made of cardboard and took the windshield out.

jimmer, using a tow strap likely allowed some 'give' thereby reducing the shock load on your tractor. If you drove away without any unsusual noises, etc, I suspect you are fine.

In regard to chains vs straps I almost always prefer a chain EXCEPT in the scenario you are describing. For pulling a stuck vehicle with another vehicle I consider a snatch strap to be by far the most useful and effective tool. But, 1)it has to be a dedicated snatch strap, not just a plain tow strap and 2) it has to be properly sized and rated for the job and 3) you have to use it properly.

To use it properly, you connect the two vehicles at points without sharp edges that will cut the strap. You then let the strap go slack between the vehicles (NOT coiled or bunched up, just lying slack on the ground). Then the towing vehicle moves forward slowly but steadily, pulling the strap taught. You will feel it strectch, the towing vehicle will come nearly to a stop but you keep the forward motion going and then you will feel the strap recoil a little and the stuck vehicle will literally pop out. This has to be done in a slow and controlled fashion, it really isn't 'snatching' its just using the energy of the stretch strap. Done right, it works better than anything I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of different techniques.

Only problem is, a 25' snatch strap rated for this type of thing is pretty pricey.

 

[N80]

Oops. Double posted.

 

[flusher]

A broken chain will recoil light a bolt of lightning. I've seen it happen. Wrinkled the hood of a K5 blazer like it was made of cardboard and took the windshield out.






Only problem is, a 25' snatch strap rated for this type of thing is pretty pricey.

That's why I like to keep the chain as short as possible so if it breaks I don't get it in the back of the head.

 

[jeffinsgf]

... I am surprised you didn't budge it though... ???

Z:

I think you missed the "loaded 44 foot gooseneck trailer" part.

 

[daTeacha]

As a related story, I once witnessed a neophyte tow truck driver try to move a flatbed semi out of a ditch. The back end of the semi trailer was in and the tractor part couldn't move it, so they decided to try to lift the trailer. The guy was driving a medium size tow truck, not one normally used for big rigs, but figured he could handle moving the trailer. When he first tried to lift the trailer out of the ditch, he pulled his front wheels up in the air. Being your basic genius, he ran the cable from his front winch to another semi and tightened it up. Then he went back to trying to lift the trailer out of the ditch. The boom held, the cable held, the winch stained, and then things went slack. He found himself looking through the windshield at the ground, stuck his head out the side window and said "What the H--- happened?"

He had bent his company truck neatly in half just behind the cab, much to the amusement of those of us watching while eating our lunch in the restaurant. Don't know if he still had a job at the end of the day or not.