First Real Damage

[Big Bri]

Well i did it. . .Got my first booboo on my tractor, Today i was cutting my dads lot (hasn't been cut in a year) and cutting and stacking some brush, and trees that had fallen. well i got a little too close to one of the piles and put a branch through my head light. i also put one heck of a dent on the rear roller on my flail. It is now banana shaped with a softball size dent. Guess i'll try to straiten it, or i'll have to order a new one. . . although i don't know if it really needs to roll.
Will probably not worry with the head light right now but will get started on the mower asap.
I'll post some pic. later as it was raining when i got home.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Tractors are supposed to be used and may show it. Still it can't be any fun having to look at those kind of things on a nice tractor. Sort of like buying a new car and coming back and some Yahoo has door dinged you. That ticks me off bunches!

 

[Thomas]

Does make one feel tad guilty/depress etc. first time,but there shall be more to follow no matter how careful one try's to be.

 

[Champy]

You should focus more on the dents you're making against that list of tractor projects than the actual dents in your tractor. The dents/scratches on your tractor are directly proportional to the work accomplished...... or so I tell my wife!

 

[Big Bri]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, it does suck but i knew going in that i'd get some damage here and there but is sucks the first time it happens. any way as promised here are the pic's
as you can see i did one heck of a job on the flail,
i also noticed while taking the pics that on my head damage i also must have hit the hydraulic lines because they are all bent as well.

 

[tree farmer]

Brian, look at the brighter side. If the headlight didn't catch that limb, it probably would have been into the radiator.. Been there, done that....Dan.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

That is a heck of a dent in the roller. How did you do it? It does need to roll. If your top link is set right the roller should support most of the weight of the mower. It also helps level the ground.
Bill

 

[Big Bri]

Brian, look at the brighter side. If the headlight didn't catch that limb, it probably would have been into the radiator.. Been there, done that....Dan.

Thats what i love about u guys . . . ya'll always find the sunny side of everything. Thanks

 

[Big Bri]

That is a heck of a dent in the roller. How did you do it? It does need to roll. If your top link is set right the roller should support most of the weight of the mower. It also helps level the ground.
Bill

to be honest i don't know how it happened. the area that i was working is pretty swampy, and has lots of cypress knees sticking up but i thought i avoided them. there are also a few stumps but again i don't remember hitting one that hard. you would think that something like that would bring me to a stop. My dad asked if i might have backed into something but i thought if i did it would have dented the back of the mower as well.
I'm at a loss. . .
is that something i can fix by pulling out the dent or do you think i'll need a new one?

 

[mjncad]

I hate to say it; but I think you're SOL on repairing that roller. If someone knows how to fix it, I hope they chime in. If it were just bent, I'd say it's doable; but that dent compounds the problem.

As for the headlight, the nice thing about halogen lights is that with the lens cracked, the unit will still work until cold water hits the hot bulb. However the down side is that new lamp housings aren't cheap compared to old fashioned sealed beam bulbs. The price of style.

Regarding the hydraulic lines, I'd be concerned that trying to straighten them out will crack or kink them. Hopefully hydraulics guru KennyD will see this thread and give you his opinion on that.