Operating Skills

[Soundguy]

I dont think I've done anything spectacular, but I remember a few of Dad's maneuvers:

Yep.. Almost forgot.. My stepfather. He can drive circles around me with a fel.. or anything with tracks...

My late uncle was an over the road truck driver. He said he made a delivery in new york somewhere pulling 2 short box trailers, and the loading rod was about half a mile that you had to back down!! I told him that would have been the day I had to quit!! I couldn't back a single trailer straight for a half mile.. let alone 2 of em!!

Soundguy

 

[rback33]

I can back a bumper pull or gooseneck trailer anywhere you want it, and do it with ease. I can say I did some pretty impressive things with my 42' Crude tanker 5 years or so back. The boss was always good about sending me to some of the tough ones because he knew I could get in and out without getting stuck or tearing anything up. I am not good at backing a hay type trailer though. I can, but not great at it. I had to do it last week, as my buddies water trailer for his cows is set up that way. He's got a quick connect pipe setup so u just pull up close and hook it up, but it's MUCH easier to back up to the tank and let it run straight out of the back. The worst trouble I have backing up to it was that we had the 7" of snow and the back of the pickup would slide some, so the trailers front axle would not turn like it should. Took a few minutes, but I got it. Two of them though? Forget it. I have my doubles/triples endorsement and would not BEGIN to think of backing them a halfmile. I have done LOTS of those with my tanker in HIGH reverse though... big trucks have those, but most never use them. Prolly don't even know the have it.... That's prolly best though.... I am sure Timber has used it though..lol

 

[wushaw]

I can back a bumper pull or gooseneck trailer anywhere you want it, and do it with ease. I can say I did some pretty impressive things with my 42' Crude tanker 5 years or so back. The boss was always good about sending me to some of the tough ones because he knew I could get in and out without getting stuck or tearing anything up. I am not good at backing a hay type trailer though. I can, but not great at it. I had to do it last week, as my buddies water trailer for his cows is set up that way. He's got a quick connect pipe setup so u just pull up close and hook it up, but it's MUCH easier to back up to the tank and let it run straight out of the back. The worst trouble I have backing up to it was that we had the 7" of snow and the back of the pickup would slide some, so the trailers front axle would not turn like it should. Took a few minutes, but I got it. Two of them though? Forget it. I have my doubles/triples endorsement and would not BEGIN to think of backing them a halfmile. I have done LOTS of those with my tanker in HIGH reverse though... big trucks have those, but most never use them. Prolly don't even know the have it.... That's prolly best though.... I am sure Timber has used it though..lol

You have a rather large set of Cajones to be able to back in high reverse...there is no way in *&^% I will even attempt it with my Pete, I tried it once with a FL-60 straight 10 bobtail and decided right then & there that was just too*&^% fast bobtail much less pushing a trailer

 

[Toolguy]

My dad was the best overall tractor operator that I know of. His skill really showed when he planted wheat or oats with a JD 17 hole grain drill. The holes on the drill were 7 inches apart. When he made the next pass alongside the previous one there would be 7 inches, give or take no more than an inch, between the last row and the next one. This was up, down and across our many sidehills, too. He knew just how much to correct the tractor to keep the drill spacing the same even as the drill wanted to naturally drift downhill.

I can back up a four wheel wagon pretty good. My dad taught that to me. Had to do it a lot on the farm when I was a kid 40 years ago. It just takes practice and an understanding of how things work in relationship to one another. Now, backing up two four wheel wagons hitched together? I would have to see that to believe anyone could do it other than in a straight line for just a few feet. Too many variables involved. I can't think of any reason to try to learn how to do it. The smart thing is to try to avoid situations where backing up more than a few feet is necessary. Many times it is necessary such as backing into a barn for storage or loading and unloading. Sometimes you have to drive in and back out. Just remember that if you can't back it out, don't drive there in the first place.

 

[TrippleT]

I had an uncle who was very good at backing a trailer truck. There is a guy who passes by here with a BIG John Deere with sometimes as many as three trailers behind it. How he makes all those tight bends in the road I don't know. Then there is a guy who works for the water company here that can drive a tractor so well it looks like an artist. Me, I have trouble driving forward! LOL

 

[JoshJ]

There is a guy who passes by here with a BIG John Deere with sometimes as many as three trailers behind it. How he makes all those tight bends in the road I don't know.

If the wagons have steering front axles, they normally follow tight to whatever is in front of them (granted not perfect) but thats what lets the farmers drive their tractor, baler, and then a wagon or two all down the road at once.

 

[AlanB]

When my FIL decided to stick his hand in the cleanout chute of the thresher one evening (Yep, you do stupid things when tired) I took about 2 weeks of Leave to help on the farm........ It was the harvesting time, and I know squat about farming, except that when it is time for it to happen, it needs to happen right THEN.

Anyway, they did not trust me to drive the thresher etc. so I ran the big tractor pulling tandems and triples of the 4 wheeled front axle steering farm trailers.

I was extremely competent at manuevering cranes, and helicopters with tugs and tractors and cranes, but backing those wagons liked to kill me. For me to put them in the garage I had to unhitch, then one at a time I would hitch to the front and push them into the barn. I was pretty much the laughing stock of the family over that.

It got to the point that my FIL would go back to the garage any time I had to unhook and park the trailers. He would leave 2 attached, would climb up on the step beside me standing on the step, tell me to "go" and I would start backing up. He would stand there with one hand held up over his head in this bandage and back the trailers into the hall, while steering with his unmangled hand. Then he would say "stop" and I would hit the brakes, get out unhitch the back trailer, reset forward, he would get on the step and back the second one in beside it.

There was about 6 to 12" between the trailers and the walls.

They always looked at me and could not figure out why I could not do it. After a while though, I did figure out that it was only my FIL and two of the BIL that could do it and not all of them.

And as a side note, There is my FIL, hand mangled, blood running down his arm, 4 fingers cut too the bone, sticking sideways from his hand. My MIL gives him a shower, and he is getting dressed in a suit.... I am FREAKING out trying to take him to the emergency room. He looks at me very calmly and say's he cannot go into town dressed like he is,,,, Folks will say he looks like a FARMER......

You can Always tell a German, you just can't tell them much

 

[George2615]

Backing up a trailer takes slow and steady practice, practice, practice. To some it comes naturally. I have not had any problems backing any kind of trailer. I think I got that gene from my dad. He was mechanically inclined as I and could also back up trailers with ease. My younger brother however has tried and tried for over 30 years and can't back up 15' without jackknifing a trailer. Of course he can't use rear view mirrors either. The shorter the trailer is, the faster it can jackknife.

 

[john_bud]

Backing up a trailer takes slow and steady practice, practice, practice.

The shorter the trailer is, the faster it can jackknife.

You got that right! My first trailer was for a small boat. The trailer was narrower than the truck by about 18" and short. The boat was short too. You couldn't see it at all looking over your shoulder or in either mirror (until it was way out of position). The truck was a full size long bed. Learning how to back that up made backing everything else seem so much easier!!


Back when I was a kid, I used to bale hay for a teacher. Both he and his brother could backup 2 full hay wagons into the barn and wiggle them around a corner and into position. I never figured out how, but they had been doing it for 25+ years. He would just say that you do what you have to do.

jb

 

[MossRoad]

Anyone have exceptions skill at tractor operating:

...

For some reason, I have little trouble adapting to any equipment I operate. I just plain find machines fascinating and feel comfortable on just about anything, new or old. Trucks, cars, motorcycles, manual, automatic, tractors, forklifts, etc...

Our current tractor is hydraulically articulated, so it bends in the middle. That was fun to get used to since the back half turns in the opposite direction as the front half. I have no problems backing up trailers with that either.

I think all things take practice and people over-complicate equipment operation, making too many minor corrections as they move. For fun each morning, I look in the review mirror of the car and start backing up. I see how fast I can get it aimed before letting go of the wheel and backing out no handed. I throw my hands up to the headliner and step on the gas. The kids judge if I hit the grass or stay on the drive. I rarely miss a dead straight run down the 100' + drive. Occasionally I have to correct if I forget about the trash or recycle bins.