Jumping from skidding tractor

Gary Fowler · Jun 3, 2014

I was talking to a friend from Yosemite Ca. yesterday and he was telling me about his accident. He was driving his Kubota down a slope (in 2 WD) and the rear tires good on some dry oak leaves and started to slide sideways. He managed to steer into the skid and straighten it up but applying the brakes just seemed to speed it up. It continued to slide down the hill and when about 15 feet from a barbed wire fence he decided he had to get off. On the other side of the fence was a 15 foot deep swale. He made it off the tractor without getting hit by the implement on the 3 PH but ended up make a back roll down the slope. He noticed his ankle painfully when he tried to stand up. His tractor went thru the fence and ended up at the bottom of the hill resting on the FEL and rear tires with the front tire off the ground. The seat had flipped forward with so much force that it impacted the tilt steering wheel with enough force that it cracked the plastic on the instrument panel. He said for sure that if he had stayed with the tractor he would have been seriously injured or killed.
He managed to hobble down the slope and kill the engine which was still running.

In the heat of the slide, he said he didn't even think about just lowering the rear implement or the FEL to stop the tractor. All he could think about was how he was going to get off without getting ran over. Funny how the mind sets on one task and forgets the obvious answer to a problem. If he had just dropped the FEL to the ground it would have stopped the tractor. He didn't say what implement he had on but he said if he had lowered that it would have stopped it also but he was only thinking of how to get off the tractor before it went thru the fence and into the deep ditch.

We should all start practicing a what if scenario in the back of the mind when doing any tractor activity that might become life threatening (or any other possible dangerous activity) and have a response ready just in case. When working construction, every task had to be evaluated by the supervisor and crew and discussion of "what if" and how to prevent or respond to any foreseen emergency with emphasis on PREVENTING an accident.
A good thing to do when working on your tractors or with other dangerous tools.

Gary Fowler · Jun 3, 2014

Oh, he is still being evaluated by the doctors to determine what damage was done. They did find a stray bone fragment in xrays but haven't determined where it came from. He is in a temporary cast presently on that leg and more MRI and Xrays scheduled for Thursday to determine where that bone fragment was splintered off from.

pmsmechanic · Jun 3, 2014

I did the same thing once! I didn't have a fence to go through and the drop was only about 6 feet so I rode it out. Now when I approach a steep grade the front wheel assist gets engaged.

scaredychicken · Jun 3, 2014

thanks Gary, good reminder. hopefully his recuperation is speedy. it is this kind of scenerio that keeps me evaluating the more compact BX25D as my first choice. I can't "jump" ... hmm.

jejeosborne · Jun 3, 2014

I live in hilly terrain as well. Unless I am on a paved surface, mine stays in 4wd for this reason. I once forgot I had it in 2wd but was fortunate to be quick on the loader and drop it. After leaving 3 skid marks that day, my policy changed. Yes, 3 skid marks but I was again fortunate and the 3rd washed out and I didn't have to sacrifice that pair of underwear.

dave1949 · Jun 3, 2014

Good advise and reminder, Gary. Situational awareness.

Dry oak leaves on a slope are hard enough to walk on and stay upright.

Ejector seat not an available Kubota option?

Gary Fowler · Jun 3, 2014

Well my friend is 70 years of age and still managed to jump, but the bones are just too brittle for that kind of activity. My wife's sister just had surgery on her knee which had one side of the lower bone(tibia or fibia) fractured when our dog knocked here down while playing with her dog. Those two German Shepherds see nothing but each other when chasing and roping with each other and our dog weighs 115 pounds so he can do some damage when he runs into you. Her dog did the same to me a couple years ago and the knee still pains me.

scaredychicken · Jun 3, 2014

Gary - either way, I still can't "jump" clear

and we have a big attitude dog, and a big dog (130 lb growing puppy).

RedNeckRacin · Jun 3, 2014

4wd is not the end all be all, I was pulling a wagon down a snowy slope two years ago, (chains on the front tires because it was cheaper than the rear tires) anyways, the wagon started pushing me in 4wd so I dropped the loader. That slowed me down for a second until the rear end came loose and I ended up 'cracking the whip' so to speak with the wagon. I thought I was done for. Long story short, I chain all 4 tires in the winter now! :thumbsup: I was buckeled in and had no plans of jumping whatsoever. Good thing to because it came around towards the doored side of the cab.

Had a similiar instance with a 2wd tractor and a hay wagon many years ago, We were in a hurry trying to beat a incoming storm so I took the short cut down over the steeper part of the hill. Its somewhat entertaining looking back at one tire spinning forward and one tire spinning in reverse. I just kept the nose pointed straight down hill and rode that one out. Always took the long way after that one! Never thought about jumping then either.