Hay ride

[JT94]

I have a L3000DT and it's the first tractor I've ever owned, so please excuse a "newbe" question. I've been asked to "host" a hay ride for a local bonfire/party this weekend. I have access to a standard hay wagon, not sure the exact size or weight. My question is, does my tractor have what it takes to pull a wagon full of people (approx 15-20) with hay bales to sit on? I was planning on pulling on back roads and not in any fields. The terrain is rolling hills.

Has anyone with a L3000DT done this before? If so, what's the recommended gear to run in?

Thanks!!

 

[sugarmaker]

Hi Mike,

I did this for 2 days at a recent local harvest festival. I had no problem pulling a full wagon around a muddy field with my L3010 in M range, which is about the same HP as your L3000.

The wagon was about 8x12, open on 3 sides, with 15 or so hay bales, and my heaviest load was probably one group of 25 rowdy teenagers.

Speaking of which, I recommend a zero-tolerance policy towards Silly String, firecrackers, and "fart" spray.

 

[djradz]

Mike, I can't comment on whether your tractor has the guts, but I think you want something at least in the 20+ hp range. You should also be very concerned on whether your tractor is heavy enough. As you say, your land is hilly, you need to be very concerned that you don't get into a situation where the wagon and passengers get to "pushing" the tractor down a slope. If your hills aren't too big or long, you probably will be OK, but be aware of the potential for this to happen. You're probably looking at doing this in some type of mid range or gear. On long or steep up-slopes, you'll have to shift or range down, and you may wish to do the same going down a similar hill, just to use the tractor engine to slow you down. Have fun and be safe!

 

[JT94]

I don't recall the exact weight of my tractor, but I do have an additional 200# on the front bumper. I will keep the weight factor in mind, though. Also I believe I have 32 or 33 HP.

I've never had the need to shift before, on the fly, but I could see how it might be necessary. Are these tractors able to be shifted, on the fly?

BTW, I'll try to keep the teenagers under control.... The wagon has full side metal bars so at least no one will be falling out, involuntarily that is.

Thanks for the input!

 

[beenthere]

I don't think you will have any problem whatsoever pulling and stopping the wagon. We used to pull fully loaded wagons stacked 5 and 6 high with bales of hay with a little 8N Ford. Your tractor should do just fine. But keep in mind the concerns of others for safe stopping and shifting to the right gear range. Know where the positraction engage lever is, and know that application of both rear wheel brakes at the same time is necessary to keep control of your tractor when braking (caused when sliding or stopping one rear wheel will cause the other to spin twice as fast due to the rear end differential). This is why the two individual brake pedals can be locked together for road travel.

My only fear when thinking of doing this type of thing is the liability you have. One thing I would have (bare minimum) is a good set of bright tail lights and even flashing yellow. You don't need someone plowing into the rear end of your load of kids on a back road at night. Or a chase car following the hay wagon at a reasonable distance (with flashers on) could also deter any traffic rear-ending the wagon. Just a thought to consider. I almost rear-ended a hayride one dark night that had no lights, and it put a great deal of fear into me about what my life would have been like (not to mention those on the hay wagon and the one pulling the wagon) had I not had some premonition to slow down at just the right moment because something wasn't right up ahead.

 

[Trev]

Hi Mike,

I'm glad you posted this, as I've been asked to do the same thing with my JD4300 (32.2 HP).

I don't know about yours, but I have the SyncReverser tranny, and yes, it can be shifted on the fly. In fact, when I'm on the road without a load, I put it in high range, and drive it just like a car.. foot throttle, clutch, shift up through the gears, etc.

Good luck! We can compare notes when this is over! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bob

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Great time for your post - I'm doing the same thing for a fall festival our church is putting on, but staying on church property.

The L3000Dt will pull the trailer no sweat. I've moved my 16 footer around with stuff on it and it's not a problem. I leave the FEL on to offset the tongue weight.

On the advice of TBN postings, I bought a 3 point hitch adapter from Lowery's for $55 plus shipping. Very sturdy unit that comes complete with pins and 2" ball for hooking up tractor to trailer. I'm really pleased with it - for the money it was a good deal.

One caution is that the lower hitch arms on the tractor don't resist upward force, so if the trailer has a lot of weight on the back of it, it may let the tongue/arms suddenly go up. I attach a piece of chain from the hitch adapter down to the drawbar - this limits any surprise upward movement.

Word sure spreads on who owns a tractor when fall hayrides come around!

 

[JT94]

Speaking of lights, the gentleman that is loaning me the wagon mentioned something about a light bar for the rear. Sounded like a good idea to me! He said that I should have a light aux. socket somewhere on the rear of the tractor for this. I've never noticed, but does anyone know if Kubota has such a socket?

 

[beenthere]

I think jt94 was talking about a wagon (standard hay wagon), and not a trailer. You have good points for a trailer though. For a wagon, I would leave the FEL off, as more weight on the rear tires will be most significant.

 

[JT94]

Glad to hear a fellow L3000'er speak some input! I'll be pulling a 4-wheeled hay wagon so the tounge weight will be as much as the tounge bar weights. So no issue with the tounge weight.

Word does spread quick! The same for my neighbor when he got his new Bobcat skid loader..... All of the sudden everyone starts thinking about what they could use the loader for..... /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

 

[djradz]

We ended up putting a 12 v strobe light, something like what some of the school buses around here now use. Some kind of flasher we think is imperative.

 

[Gunfighter]

I'm sure that L3000D will have no problems pulling a load of people on a hay ride. I can remember years back using a Farmall Cub (red, 11hp) to pull loaded hay wagon in hill country..

My main concern today would be liability an who is responsible if
someone should take a tumble. I would definitely check with my
insurance carrier to see if I'm covered..

We live in a sue crazy society where jury give large awards.
Just fighting it in court could cost a bundle even if you won...

 

[RobertN]

My only comment is to watch the clutch. Most tractors have a clutch that's either in or out; it's hard to slip.

I flipped my 7 year old off the back of a trailer where ihe was sitting; we were buildin a parade float, and taking a test run up our little road. I was in first gear on my Farmal-A, which is pretty low geared, and was at low throttle. But, the clutch caught right away, and we jerked forward, even if only at 1mph. He did a not very gracefule roll of the back.

After that, I put a grab/safety rail on the back of the trailer.

 

[beenthere]

Sorry, but I must beg to differ with your conclusion that clutches (on most tractors) are either engaged or not engaged (in or out). There is (on a clutch in reasonable to good condition) a position where the clutch will slip. Sometimes letting a foot slip off the clutch will engage them quickly, but that is the exception. No different from a car or truck clutch that is in working order.
I couldn't let this one just pass and let readers think that your conclusion might be true for most clutch tractors, new or old.

 

[Buck]

You'll have no problem with HP---

Just make sure it isn't hilly and wet.

Buck

 

[kevincook]

Just one thought.

You may want to consider running in 4WD since it will help in your ability to stop from being pushed down any hills. This may not be a good idea on dry pavement and probably not needed there but if the roads are wet or slippery or dirt the 4WD would provide another margin of safety.

I speak from experience since I once slid down a wet, grassy hill like I was on ice. I had my FEL on and that took just enough weight off the rear tires that I couldn't stop. I always go down slippery hills in 4WD now.

 

[RobertN]

I will differ based on my expierience on my old Farmall, and friends expierience who have pulling tractors. The clutches can be slipped, but no where near like a car. The tractor is made to pull hard. If you slip a clutch on something made to pull big bottom plows or discs, there would be too much slippage and clutch damage.

If you pull a wagon or float with people on it, you have to be careful. I made this post, because I rolled my 7 year old off the back of our float last year. I slipped the clutch as best I could, at low rpm, in first gear. Even though that Farmall will only do a mile per hour in first gear, it lurched forward. Ian was sitting by the rear of the trailer, and took a tumble off. Fortunately, this was during a test run before the parade. After that, I made a grab/cross bar for the back of the float; I didn't want the chance of someone falling off again. The parade was successful, with the Cub Scout pack winning 1st place in the parade.

Letting the foot slip off the clutch would be obvious, albeit embarassing. It is not however, the exception.

Not all tractors are the same. Not all clutches react the same, whether worn or new. Some may slip easier than others...

The main point is that the original poster is aware of the possibility, and tries to be safer with the knowledge. It is good to try these things out before pulling with people on the trailer, and be safe in doing it. It is one thing to pull a box scraper or a plow. But, when you got people on the wagon behind, it's a bit different driving.

 

[JJT]

I'd add safety chains to the hitch if I were pulling a wagon load of kids.

BE CAREFUL!

 

[TresCrows]

Are any of their parents lawyers, do they know any lawyers, can they spell lawyer? If yes is the answer to any of these questions I would politely decline their offer.
What does the State Police have to say about your venture out onto public roads, do you have running lights, Triangle signs--are there seat belts, 5 MPH bumpers and air bags? Will helmets and knee pads be required?
J

 

[JT94]

Well the hay rides went on "without a hitch" (no pun intended). Max load was about 20 people, mainly adults, in fact there were more adults than kids. And to be honest, the "adults" were more roudy than the kids.

The L3000DT handled the load without even breaking a sweat. I mainly ran it in 8th gear (top gear for my machine) and on a few occasions shifted into 7th on a long hill. Going down hills was my only concern, but I just left it in 7th going down long hills and it kept the speed under control.

I ran it in 4WD for a little while, but soon decided that it wasn't necessary for dry, very rural, back roads. I saw maybe one car the whole evening.

Thanks for all the input. If others are thinking about hosting a hay ride, please take some of the advice offered here. There is good information on this site!