Have you ever turned over a tractor?

['Bota Fan]

Thanks for the reminders. Got a tilt meter shortly after buying the tractor a year ago. It's been a good reference for different hilly places, but, boy howdy, wet grass doesn't act like dry! Haven't used the seat belt once, stupid me, but tomorrow, that will change. Got a Kubota B3030 cab model with high COG.

Anybody know if tractor manufacturers offer degree maximums for specific models?

 

[texasjohn]

no such thing as a specific degree maximum.....

Too many factors... implements ahead and behind tractor, how much they weigh and how high they are off the ground... weight in tires, on tractor, etc.

Nothing replaces good judgement augmented by going slow and keeping loads front and rear close to ground and dropping them at first sign of trouble. What is tricky is that it is hard to know by seat of the pants when a wheel rises off the ground... when you feel it it may be too late.. things happen VERY fast when the center of gravity starts moving around.

 

[yellowandbeige]

I was working along the shoulder of a road a few winters ago. I let my right front wheel get off too far and the tractor began to go, the last thing i did was turn toward and straight down the steep bank so as to not roll sideways. This is a gully with a creek at the bottom, 30 feet maybe a little more,steep enough you can't walk down without holding onto trees. I wasn't wearing my seat belt. I was thrown off as the tractor headed sharply straight down the bank, hit a few trees with the front end loader. I fell into the creek twisted to look up and remember the tractor falling over me, seemed to take a long time. The rops landed in the creek off my right shoulder, the steering wheel off my left shoulder and the only thing that kept the tractor off of me was the front end loader frame hung on a tree, bent it over like a spring. I wiggled out and limped home to call a wrecker. Had to bleed the cyliders and fix a couple things. Tractor is still going, me much wiser and thankful to be alive.

 

[n8wrl]

W O W !

Scary! Glad you made it!

-Brian

 

[marcinzk]

Here's my story, didn't roll it but came far too close for comfort:

I was mowing (brush hogging) along at a good clip on my Yanmar 2002 and I had the FEL slightly raised as it dug into the ground a few moments before. All of a sudden the tractor violently lurched to the right, left rear wheel came up. The lurch threw me hard to the right and the only thing that stopped the tractor from rolling was dumb luck as I somehow quickly grabbed the left fender handle and threw all my weight (250 lbs.) on the left side while quickly pressing the clutch down. The tractor teetered while I completely lowered the FEL and hit reverse - disaster avoided.

When I got off the tractor to collect my thoughts, check my shorts, and figure out what the heck just happened I found that the front left wheel had gone up and onto the old mower deck from the GE mower that the previous owner left out in the field to rot.

Let me tell you that was the single scariest moment in my life, and it happened so fast: one minute I'm plugging along on nice level ground next minute I'm nearly thrown off the tractor with the tractor following me down to the ground.

Moral of the story: GET A ROPS!!! I know I will be getting one installed before the next time I use my tractor.

 

[CSH]

I have not rolled my tractor, but it was rolled just a couple of days ago. I loaned my tractor (Farmpro 2425) to a friend who lives about a mile down the road a couple of weeks ago so he could move some dirt. He is an experienced tractor operator on level ground and has some experience on hills. His property is in a valley and completely flat. I called him on Saturday (8/25) and told him I would need the tractor to mow my yard, and would come by in a couple of hours to get it, and then return it so he could finish landscaping his new house. He decided to return it himself to save me 10 minutes of time. I live on a hill with inclines ranging from 15 to 30+ degrees. Instead of driving the tractor an extra 1/2 mile around on the road, he decided to take the shortcut up the hill. He made it about 180 feet up the 300 foot incline. The tractor either came out of gear or he knocked it out, not sure which, but it started rolling back. He was unable to stop it. It rolled sideways 1 1/2 times. He was thrown from the seat (not strapped in) after the first revolution, downhill and in the path of the tractor. If the machine had rolled one more time it would have landed on top of him. He was unconscious when I reached him, and the tractor was still running. I quickly checked him and then shut the engine down (with the decompression lever, as it was running off of the oil by this time). He regained consciousness after a couple of minutes and was later taken to the hospital for examination. He was banged up very badly, but nothing was broken and no serious head injuries.

The tractor is still on it's side on a 25 degree incline and about 250 feet downhill. I have some guys coming this evening to winch it upright and tow it back uphill. It doesn't appear to have much damage other than a cracked exhaust manifold, broken sway adjusters on the lift arms, and a couple of cracks in the fiberglass fenders and canopy. The loader appears to be in good shape and the mower on the back still looks new, other than a wheel that came off due to the lynch pin being ripped out. Maybe with an oil change and a couple of new parts it will be fine.

Here are a few lessons that were reinforced from this experience.

* If you loan your tractor, give very specific instructions as to how they can use it. I had no reservations allowing my friend to use it on level ground moving dirt. I would never in a million years have allowed him to take his maiden voyage up that incline on an unfamiliar tractor. I should have stipulated that he was not to drive the tractor off of his property.

* Go slow on inclines. He was driving the tractor with the transmission in high range, which was too fast for the conditions. Having traversed this incline up and down hundreds if not thousands of times, I have never tried it (and never even considered it) with the transmission in high range.

* Keep the loader bucket low to the ground. The bottom of the loader bucket was just about even with the top of the hood when he started uphill.

* Drop the loader bucket if the tractor starts to roll backward. I do this without thinking about it while bushhogging and can stop the tractor anywhere on the hillside without even using the brakes. Of course, this comes with experience. If you have to consciously think "drop the loader bucket", it's probably too late.

* Never overestimate your abilities on unfamiliar equipment and terrain. Always proceed with caution.

* Value the time you have with friends and loved ones. Life is far too short to take any day for granted.

I haven't posted here in a while, but thought this was worth sharing.

 

[tallyho8]

Thanks for sharing that story and I am glad his injuries were no worse. Reading the details of these tragic accidents gives us a better perspective on what we need to do, or not do, in the future.

 

[wolfneck]

Well, after lurking around a couple weeks (and learning a lot), my first post to this group is not the one I imagined it would be......

I thought the first post would go something along the lines of "I just purchased an abandoned 36 acre property in the mountains of Va., bordering the 8 acres and weekend cabin I have had for several years. I need to bushhog a moderately steep 7-8 acre clearing that is chest to head high in vegetation and briers, where I have tripped over downed fences,and hornets nests, etc. It has been unattended for 8-10 years from the looks of the trees that have grown there. I also need to clean up(bury) a couple of dumps on the property, put in a tractor path between the properties, and eventually put in a road on the lower, most level portion. I'd love to make all the 2-4 inch trees in the few acres close to the cabin go away, stumps and all, and rip out a few hundred feet of fence between the properties. Will a 40 horse tractor get me close? Oh, and by the way, my first tractor seat experience took place at the local Kubota dealer this past weekend. Go ahead, roll your eyes, I won't be offended"

After reading this thread, and several others like it, my first post is developing along the lines of " What is the chance of a total tractor newbie emerging on the other side of his learning curve ALIVE??" Seriously.....I'm not gonna be finish mowing a golf course.We're talking about eventually digging stumps on a grade, and mowing where it takes a machete to walk through.... I am starting to wonder if I wouldn't be better advised to toss some $$ at experienced folks with the proper equipment, and sit on the porch and watch them make it happen in a matter of days.

I'm always up for a challenge, have wanted a tractor for 30 years, and now have the excuse to act on it. But I don't want a posthumous Darwin Award to show for my enthusiasm. Or 25-30 grand worth of torn up equipment. I don't have the option of learning from someone else more experienced, since I don't know anyone qualified.

Whaddaya think??

Wolfneck

 

[n8wrl]

...Whaddaya think??
Wolfneck

I say go for it. We were all newbies at some point. Just asking this question probably means you have a decent amount of common sense which is 90% of the battle. That, and just listen to your gut - "uh oh, this feels bad" means STOP. Get a modern tractor with a ROPS, wear your seatbelt, take your time, keep asking questions, and have fun!

-Brian

 

[Bird]

Whaddaya think??

I think the fact that you're here on Tractorbynet tells us you want to learn and be safe. And we welcome you. Read the manual that comes with your tractor, wear the seat belt, keep the ROPS up if you should get a folding ROPS, keep the front end loader bucket no higher than you actually need it to be to do your work, and go slow and easy for awhile, and you'll be just fine.