Need to be extra safe when picking up large rd bales very high off the ground.

[hoffmtim]

I'm sorry I didn't add a link although I did mention the "owning/operating forum" but that doesn't take away of the importance of being VERY CAREFUL around farm equipment. Dairy cows need to eat regularly and the normal tractor utilized for the loading chore that's larger is at a dealership waiting to be repaired. My neighbor was very LUCKY with just a broken rib & collarbone.

Tx Jim, Amen. I see a reminder of what farm equipment can do every holiday, as my brother-in-law had his right thumb ripped off by a spinning PTO shaft. Doctors re-attached it and he was able to gain some limited use. Farm safety at all times. Those PTO shafts are an accident waiting to happen if not treated with ultimate respect.

 

[bsrfarms97]

I had a similar incident happen to me this year, only I was hauling hay in from the hayfield. Where I live the terrain is uneven and hilly to say the least. I also had my larger tractor in the shop being worked on so I had decided to haul hay with my mid sized tractor. I started down a hill with 8 rolls on my hay wagon, when I suddenly felt the rear of the tractor lift and I lost all traction. The tractor jackknifed and it messed the frontend of the hay wagon up pretty good. I was lucky that it didn't flip me over. I think at times a lot of farmers get into routine that we do things many times and start to over look the dangers that can occur. ALWAYS take your time and take every measure to do things as safely as you can. And even hauling hay can be just as dangerous as operating a mower on a hillside.

 

[Tx Jim]

At least you had the bales strapped down. Most farmers I see hauling rd bales on a trailer in the field are unstrapped.

 

[Grateful11]

I had a similar incident happen to me this year, only I was hauling hay in from the hayfield. Where I live the terrain is uneven and hilly to say the least. I also had my larger tractor in the shop being worked on so I had decided to haul hay with my mid sized tractor. I started down a hill with 8 rolls on my hay wagon, when I suddenly felt the rear of the tractor lift and I lost all traction. The tractor jackknifed and it messed the frontend of the hay wagon up pretty good. I was lucky that it didn't flip me over. I think at times a lot of farmers get into routine that we do things many times and start to over look the dangers that can occur. ALWAYS take your time and take every measure to do things as safely as you can. And even hauling hay can be just as dangerous as operating a mower on a hillside.

View attachment 337233

Kind of curious how did a wagon which normally has a tongue that pivots up and down cause the tractor to lift in the rear? I can visualize a trailer doing that.

 

[Tx Jim]

My neighbor was very LUCKY with just a broken rib & collarbone

 

[k0ua]

Kinda reminds me of this episode of Rescue 911, hay bale meets farmer on tractor only this bale rolled completely over him. I hope this man comes out ok.
Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nek7negsvMU
Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcaODRnISlw

I was screaming "NO" to that poor doctor when he chained that large round bale onto the FEL of that undersized tractor.. If only he had a 3pth bale spear, he could have safely transported that bale.

 

[bsrfarms97]

Even a hay wagon with the tongue that pivots up and down when comming down a hill will can create enough lift on the rear end of a tractor that the tires will lose traction. Now granted I had done this several times before with a larger tractor and I was fine. But this tractor I used here was a ford 5610 that only weighs around 7200lbs and is 2wd. As for strapping hay, I've always strapped hay, square or round. Loading hay once is enough, I certainly don't want to load it twice. Haha

 

[slowzuki]

The drawbar can't really generate lift on the drawbar more than a couple hundred pounds. Its just the 2wd tractor wasn't heavy enough for the unbraked load. The big problem is bumping along on a tractor a tire will unweight going over bumps and will skid when a load is pushing you. If one tire has traction while the other is unweighted you quickly start turning without steering.

You can stab the clutch and try to ride it out but you have to be careful as the clutch disc will quickly exceed the rated rpm and blow to pieces if you don't get the transmission into neutral. If you have a foot throttle you can sometimes accelerate and drive your way out of a small one before the full jackknive happens.

All stuff that an inexperienced operator or even someone not expecting it will not be able to do.

We have a very steep hill on the road coming out of our hay fields that grasses over most years. Its jackknived a lot of loads over the years. I always try to use a truck or 4wd tractor and won't let others take loads down. I've been pushed down the hill 3 or 4 times when the dew fell early on a shaded part of it without realizing it.

 

[econometrics]

Wow, thank God your neighbor got out of that with only a few broken bones, Tx Jim - albeit painful ones to break!

You're right that it is really good to share things like this, as it reminds us all to sober up, slow down, and put things in perspective each day. Getting a bale into a grinder with the wrong equipment sure isn't worth the risk of not being around the next day.