New Member of the Family, My Ford 1710

[creekshorefarms]

FO44 is a great little book, just don't believe where they say the hydro filter is for our 1710's.

I almost flipped my little 1710 the other day dragging a big tree branch (easier to drag them backwards with a chain vs. pushing them). The branch got hung up on a root and the back tires came off the ground and the tractor started to roll to the right. I wet myself, pushed the clutch in and it shot back forwards to my safety. I have a front end loader and the back tires have water in them so its weighted more than alot of them are. Anyways be careful on these little rascals!

Were you dragging the branch with a chain attached to the loader or front weight mount?

 

[MikeDspain]

Were you dragging the branch with a chain attached to the loader or front weight mount?

I was dragging the branch with chain attached to the loader, easier than trying to push it. Must not be safer though. The tractor was in 4wd and tried to turn over sideways.

 

[Kent B]

Yeah Kent it kinda scared me and I don't scare too easy. Since your kinda new to tractors its even easier to flip the tractor over backwards (front end coming off the ground and cartwheeling over). My thing was freakish since I was actually pulling the brush backwards (I would have rolled over sideways), I guess the 4wd was almost a detriment.

Have you ever adjusted your valves or do you plan on doing it? I read about it in the FO44 but I'm not too sure I'd be confident in doing it.

about the valves: I had not given it any thought. Right now I am anxious to get her put back together with new tires and fresh paint.
If I find any indication that the valves need to be adjusted I will study up on it. Whatever I can do to keep it running in tip-top shape I am all for it.
I'll see how she likes what I've done so far and take it from there.
It's raining here now so I got a break from the heat. Watching movies and enjoying the A/C.

 

[creekshorefarms]

I was dragging the branch with chain attached to the loader, easier than trying to push it. Must not be safer though. The tractor was in 4wd and tried to turn over sideways.

Why not drag it with the drawbar at the back. Only safe way to drag something like that with the loader is if you keep the loader very close to the ground. This is the same reason they tell you not to pull something from the back of the tractor any higher then the drawbar...you pull from too high and the power of the tractor will tip it up to form a straight line from the centre of the axle through where the chain connects to the tractor in line with the chain(this may be easier in picture form).

I am guessing you had little to no weight on the 3pt hitch because these small tractors dont have the power up front to tip them forwards under normal circumstances.

The problem with tipping forwards is that your front axle pivots side to keep all 4 tires on the ground...at least when you tip backwards you remain stable side to side, although flipping backwards is still a no win situation.

Long and short of it is try to only pull with the drawbar. Of you have to use the loader, keep it low.

 

[MikeDspain]

I had it idled up pretty high and I have water in the rear tires and had a rock/root rake on the 3 pt (it is light though, maybe 150lbs). I agree I prob had the bucket too high since I was trying to keep the branch (it was big) from digging a big rut, mission not accomplished and I did learn my lesson. Hopefully someone else might read this and know what NOT to do.

 

[creekshorefarms]

I had it idled up pretty high and I have water in the rear tires and had a rock/root rake on the 3 pt (it is light though, maybe 150lbs). I agree I prob had the bucket too high since I was trying to keep the branch (it was big) from digging a big rut, mission not accomplished and I did learn my lesson. Hopefully someone else might read this and know what NOT to do.

we all make our mistakes...when I first started driving loader tractors I had a few mishaps along the way...