texasjohn
Super Member
OK, I fess up, I've had my first tractor accident. Here is how it went down.
50 plus days of over 100 degree weather leads to extreme drought and no hay. I'm kinda desperate for hay. I called my neighbor and he said I could pick up some from him...he's a good fellow, 'bout 40, has extreme difficulty getting around..uses walker and cane moving thru pasture and anywhere. He truly has significant health issues.
So, although it's 3 in the PM and 101 degrees, I figure no problem. Have AC in tractor and have picked up hay from before in prior years. We share a common fence. I really need that hay.
As insurance, I have wife come with me in car with AC...my cows are in pasture and might try to go thru gate between us... never know when an extra hand is helpful... wife has some mobility and health issues as well, so I plan for her to stay in car in AC unless cows are a problem.
I have 5 bale hay hauler, trailer ball on 3ph hay fork and FEL hay spike... I get entire rig ready to roll and both of us head out to get hay. Tractor hauls trailer empty, I can move 2 bales at a time on site, and haul back 5 bales on trailer plus one on FEL. My cows are at other end of pasture and ignore us driving to neighbor.
All good so far. I opened the 3 gates to get into the hay pen and picked up two bales, one front, one rear and headed out....oops, neighbor cows have come running up, start going into hay pen... I drive out of the pen and now they are also attacking the hay on my tractor...
Remember, there are two folks out there who are nearly immobile and they are failing significantly in keeping cows where they belong and away from precious hay. I was in and out of the tractor cab trying to deal with the problem. It wasn't working. And, the two folks are getting red faced from heat and exertion... I'm worried.
We decide to sacrifice a bale and put it out for them, luring them away from hay pen and gates... I dropped a bale in a feeder from the FEL spike among a swirl of cows and headed out thru the swirl and to the gate..
Wife standing just on one side of gate opening, neighbor standing just on other side... opening fine for tractor width and I focus carefully on hitting center of opening and making sure that no humans were moving into danger... I'm in Medium HST range... neither creeping nor speeding, but moving forward steadily to stay ahead of cows following.
CRUNCH
I'm in a shower of flying glass...... I had NOT shut the cab door in my dashing in and out of the tractor and chasing cows, etc. and it caught the gate post. It is safety glass... entire door is now on the ground and in pieces the size of a pea. The opening was wide enough for the tractor... but not a tractor with door OPEN.
Soooo, I'll be seeing what the cost for a new door is from Kubota on Monday. It appears at present that both hinges and all metal hardware are OK, not bent.... that just the glass shattered. Maybe I can get the door and install it using existing hardware.
Good news is I have some hay.... at great equipment expense.... and that no blood flowed in this experience. Everyone got back inside and cooled off. I decided to stop with one load and wait for a better day to get more of the hay.
Lesson learned.... when you are in a mental hurry have physically been dashing around get back in the tractor and start cutting corners personally in an effort to protect people, something is going to be overlooked which, combined with unfamiliar surroundings can lead to an accident.
I didn't shut the door because I might have to jump out again to deal with the cows. Poor judgment on my part.
I consider myself a very careful person, always moving slowly and carefully with the tractor, particularly around people... thankfully this is my first accident with the tractor and hope it is my last
50 plus days of over 100 degree weather leads to extreme drought and no hay. I'm kinda desperate for hay. I called my neighbor and he said I could pick up some from him...he's a good fellow, 'bout 40, has extreme difficulty getting around..uses walker and cane moving thru pasture and anywhere. He truly has significant health issues.
So, although it's 3 in the PM and 101 degrees, I figure no problem. Have AC in tractor and have picked up hay from before in prior years. We share a common fence. I really need that hay.
As insurance, I have wife come with me in car with AC...my cows are in pasture and might try to go thru gate between us... never know when an extra hand is helpful... wife has some mobility and health issues as well, so I plan for her to stay in car in AC unless cows are a problem.
I have 5 bale hay hauler, trailer ball on 3ph hay fork and FEL hay spike... I get entire rig ready to roll and both of us head out to get hay. Tractor hauls trailer empty, I can move 2 bales at a time on site, and haul back 5 bales on trailer plus one on FEL. My cows are at other end of pasture and ignore us driving to neighbor.
All good so far. I opened the 3 gates to get into the hay pen and picked up two bales, one front, one rear and headed out....oops, neighbor cows have come running up, start going into hay pen... I drive out of the pen and now they are also attacking the hay on my tractor...
Remember, there are two folks out there who are nearly immobile and they are failing significantly in keeping cows where they belong and away from precious hay. I was in and out of the tractor cab trying to deal with the problem. It wasn't working. And, the two folks are getting red faced from heat and exertion... I'm worried.
We decide to sacrifice a bale and put it out for them, luring them away from hay pen and gates... I dropped a bale in a feeder from the FEL spike among a swirl of cows and headed out thru the swirl and to the gate..
Wife standing just on one side of gate opening, neighbor standing just on other side... opening fine for tractor width and I focus carefully on hitting center of opening and making sure that no humans were moving into danger... I'm in Medium HST range... neither creeping nor speeding, but moving forward steadily to stay ahead of cows following.
CRUNCH
I'm in a shower of flying glass...... I had NOT shut the cab door in my dashing in and out of the tractor and chasing cows, etc. and it caught the gate post. It is safety glass... entire door is now on the ground and in pieces the size of a pea. The opening was wide enough for the tractor... but not a tractor with door OPEN.
Soooo, I'll be seeing what the cost for a new door is from Kubota on Monday. It appears at present that both hinges and all metal hardware are OK, not bent.... that just the glass shattered. Maybe I can get the door and install it using existing hardware.
Good news is I have some hay.... at great equipment expense.... and that no blood flowed in this experience. Everyone got back inside and cooled off. I decided to stop with one load and wait for a better day to get more of the hay.
Lesson learned.... when you are in a mental hurry have physically been dashing around get back in the tractor and start cutting corners personally in an effort to protect people, something is going to be overlooked which, combined with unfamiliar surroundings can lead to an accident.
I didn't shut the door because I might have to jump out again to deal with the cows. Poor judgment on my part.
I consider myself a very careful person, always moving slowly and carefully with the tractor, particularly around people... thankfully this is my first accident with the tractor and hope it is my last
