operator killed trailering tractor

[IslandTractor]

Dargo,

I think your experience is too important to bury under another thread heading. Why don't you post it separately with an explanatory title.

 

[ttowne66]

Newtoy

Yes. As I drove the tractor up on to the trailer the rear wheels of the truck were coming off the ground. I didn't see this as I was paying attention to keeping the front tires on the ramps. This was a heavy dual axle trailer about 16ft long loading a JD 870. If I had known what was going on I could have either continued driving on or backed off but I just pushed in the clutch and held the brakes (reaction I imagine all of us would do in an emergency) which held the tractor stationary as well as the weight ballance. Scared the crap out of me and I really cant believe there are no warning stickers on trailers as I am sure I will not be the last person on earth to do this.

 

[ttowne66]

Beenthere.

How manny warning stickers do you see on the average trailer? Obviously, most people know that you need to hook up the reciever, check chains, chain the equipment down etc. But my feeling is that this loading and unloading weight transfer is not something that comes to the average persons mind and therefore would not be considered common sense. You see all kinds of warnings on the PTO but it's my feeling that a rotating shaft would be more dangerous from a comonsense standpoint than the weight transfer phenomona, hense the need for a warning label. At this point, without a warning label, I feel the possibility of a trailering loading/un-loading accident is much more likely than a PTO accident!

Tom

 

[beenthere]

We often refer to our CUT's as 'toys' but they are not. Many are playing with them without much thought to what they can really do to get us into trouble.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ...not be considered common sense )</font>
Yes "Common sense", and we learned it when we played on the teeter-totter when kids on the playground. We have to be responsible for figuring these things out. Sorry, but this is just the tip of the iceberg if it doesn't appear to be 'common sense'. Chocks under the wheels, for one thing. Blocks under the rear of the trailer (could see it going down when moving up the ramps, and should not have continued, but back down and figured it out).
Please be careful. This comment is for the multitude of readers, if they identify with the problem. There are few to no warning labels for all the potential hazards.
Unfortunately, we are growing up in a society where all our play (ballgames, etc.) are planned and orchestrated for us, and we grow up then thinking someone is labeling all the things we need protection from. It ain't happening and it won't happen that way. Common sense is needed or the resulting 'education' from not using it will prevail.

 

[beenthere]

Maybe shoulda had a 'warning label' on that plank that it should not have been used for a ramp for certain size tractors.

Being rediculous here, but trying to make a point. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Birdhunter1]

Loading a tractor onto a trailer is just as dangerous as using it.

I knew one mand who died when unloading a Caterpillar dozer off of a lowboy.

I know another guy who was loading a backhoe onto a goosenck flatbed and an F-350, trtuck trailer and backhoe all took off downhill.

I use jackstands under my trailer when loading the 135 MF on it. A few weeks ago I was loading it with a very heavy Woods industrail box balde on the back, i always load in the lowest gear and at the lowest throttle possible. Everything was fine till the baack tires were almost on the tralier and all of a sudden the front tires are 3' (yes that is 3 feet) off the trailer deck! No matter how low I had that box balde it was so heavy that it pulled the front end up, even with 300 lbs. ballast up front.
Solution, took the jackstands out, placed truck and trailer on flatest groudn I could find and loaded it minus the jackstands.

Even with all safegaurds in place one must still be ALERT and ready to react at all times!

 

[NewToy]

I've loaded lots of trailers and have never encountered that negative tongue weight situation. I can see where that could be a real issue. Thanks for taking the time to post your experience. Did you have to have your seat reupholstered? I would have pinched a big hunk of foam out of mine.

 

[Bird]

The only problem with blocking the back end of a trailer to load it without having the negative tongue weight effect is that sometimes you then cannot get your blocks out from under the weight when the trailer's loaded, except to drive forward, which may or may not damage anything. I used a 16' trailer and 5' ramps for my B2710, and sometimes it was towed with my old F250 Ford, sometimes with my brother's Suburban. In every case, we were loading and unloading on level ground, and driving on and off would definitely pick up the back end of the vehicles, but never quite enough to lift the tires off the ground. Even so, I never did it without the seat belt on.

 

[Taylortractornut]

I saw a man almost get crushed under an older AC dozer once. They hauled it on a flat trailer not a lowboy. He was new at operating equipment and didnt expect the machine to be that fast or the reaction of the tracks to the wood and steel deck. THey had the rops and fops off of it to make clearance. He hopeed on and fired it up and backed off but he let his oak bord that was 4by12 get out from under on track she rolled and we expected the wors ut when it up ended he fell on the ground and the dozer landed where the open floor board and all was. Had to be the luckest person I know.

 

[escavader]

Its not the perfect answer but it helps:I always lock my fourwheel drive in before i load-unload,and buckle my seatbelt,in case i flip it.
ALAN