Pucker factor 9.5

txdon · Mar 5, 2005

The picture doesn't quite show the steep incline angle of this predicament I got myself into this weekend.

I was on the backside of my pond dam making a flat safety cut away road when I guess I was looking back at the box blade and went off the road.

When my back tire started coming up I immediately dropped the FEL and stopped. I could not back up because at the time of the tilt I had a full load on the high side of the boxblade, and as you can tell by the picture both my tires on the low side were about to drop down into an eroded area. The Soil was soaked from the winter rains and the pond was overflowing as you can see from the overflow pipe. I sat there a minute hoping my lower tires would not start to sink (remember Harvey's Lucy) and I would be doing a slow rollover on the overflow pipe, breaking it, and the pond draining on me. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

txdon · Mar 5, 2005

Luckily the soil held. I walked to the barn and got my hand tools (and camera) and started digging down on the high side and filling in on the low side.

txdon · Mar 5, 2005

I filled and tamped the eroded areas on the low side.

txdon · Mar 5, 2005

And then eased my way out. I hate that tipsy feeling.

Cliff_Johns · Mar 5, 2005

Nice careful solution. Stoping to think may have saved an uncomfortable situation. Glad you stoped before it was too late.

Cliff

GerardC · Mar 6, 2005

Happy to hear everything turned out okay for you. It IS a very awful feeling being on the edge.

What happened to me, not long after I got my first taste of being stuck and having to be pulled out by my neighbor (bruised ego), was similar to your situation.
I was on the slant next to my pond and then......the slide left.
First the front left tire, then the front right tire and then the rear left tire just starting to go in my pond before I could stop. Thank god my pond edges are beach style and not a drop on that side.
I went and got the wife and kids to help. I was so nervous about going into the drink that I never took any photos, even though my wife stressed that I should. (as she and the kids are giving me the "Oh Man" kind of laugh /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif).
I ended up getting it out by placing two 3'x3'x1/2" thick pieces of waferboard under the stabilizers on the BH to get some lift and then dragging with the BH and pushing with the FEL. Looking back, I wish I had some photos. Guess I still wasn't over my bruised ego. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Gerard

PineRidge · Mar 6, 2005

Don I'm glad your incident worked out well for you.

I have never seen a vertical pond overflow like the one that you are using. I'm sure that if I tried to get away with something like that around here that as soon a the pond water was no longer flowing out the overflow the winter temperatures would then freeze the overflow pipe solid with ice. Don't know how big your pond is but the pipe also seems small in comparison to what they used for our project. Without measuring I'm thinking ours is 10 to 12 inches. I have never needed to use my emergency spillway before and I'm hoping that I never will.

Does your pond inflow ever exceed that which your overflow can handle?

Dargo · Mar 6, 2005

You know, I never thought that you could hold on to anything with your butt cheeks, but when in a situation like yours, I think I've gripped the seat with my rear! Glad to see you didn't go over. I wonder if you had the little extra weight of a cab if you would have gone on over? I had a very similar thing happen to mine and the right front tire actually was raised about 2" off of the ground. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

I, too, was fortunate that I didn't go over. I used a snatch strap and my wife in my 1 ton 4X4 dually tied of to a loader arm. I told he to just smoothly put some tension on it so I could turn up the hill. Before I could even start to creep with the tractor, she nearly pulled me over the opposite way. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Again, my rear side did some serious seat grabbin'. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

txdon · Mar 6, 2005

Mike, the overflow pipe is called a trickle overflow and is set about 1 foot lower than the spillway. In the last picture you can see the grassy slightly sloped spillway that extends from the tree line to the base of the dam and follows the dam to the old ravine where the pipe is. The spillway has been used once in 5 years and the trickle pipe overflows about every other year. The trickle pipe is needed to cut down on erosion because of the very sandy land.

Trickle pipes are used in this area a lot and do not freeze. In fact (I have been told by some old timers) in the few instances the ponds froze they would turn on the 2" discharge at the bottom of the trickle pipe to get water for the cattle.

Only one drawback: the wife thinks it ugly. I need to come up with some idea to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

The attachment is the other side of the dam.

Kyle_in_Tex · Mar 6, 2005

Precarious my friend, precarious. Glad to see you were able to "save it".

I know, and I'm guessing here, we never seem to have our seat belts on when you really need them.

txdon · Mar 6, 2005

By being an avid reader of Tractorbynet and seeing and reading all the mishaps that can happen quickly I
ALWAYS HAVE MY SEATBELT ON! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
In fact when I unbuckled my seatbelt I almost slid off. With the seatbelt on it allowed to to react quickly with my hands instead of just holding on.

The dropping of the FEL immediately was also an emergency action learned here on TBN.

PineRidge · Mar 6, 2005

Never heard of a trickle pipe around these parts guess I learned one today. Nice looking pond Don, just super looking!

<font color="blue"> Only one drawback: the wife thinks it ugly. I need to come up with some idea to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

</font>

Have the wife build a neat looking scarecrow and shove the pipe up his,, I mean let the pipe gently support him. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Well you get the picture.....

texbaylea · Mar 6, 2005

TxDon

Glad that you were able to extricate yourself safely. It is good to be able to step back and think out the solution.

You could somewhat disquise the overflow by putting one of those garden "windmills" over it.

Vernon

txdon · Mar 6, 2005

The wife thought the pipe alone looked better than a pipe up a scarecrow's.... besides when the water is trickling, like it is now, it will look like the scarecrow is..... well you get the picture. LOL. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

The wife has approve the windmill Idea! Thanks Vernon. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Do any of those little windmills actually work. I thought it would be neat to have it pump water out of the trickle pipe and then drain back into the pipe. Kind of interesting moving water eye treat.

Defective · Mar 6, 2005

Don:

I've seen quite a few of the decorative types that function. On the other hand, the decorative types tend to be pretty flimsy. Check around & see if you can find a real one that can be salvaged. They're pretty simple, just a ring & pinion setup to run a vertical shaft. Should be easy to build the tower in your picture to mount it, then you're set...

txdon · Mar 6, 2005

Defective, the real, used ones are like gold around here.

Defective · Mar 6, 2005

That makes it a little harder...

I'd look close at any decorative versions before putting them up then. I have a neighbour (actually...probably only close by comparison...) that has one up in his yard. If my memory serves me right, I think he's on his third in about 10 years. Look for bearings instead of bushings. Avoid plastic parts.

Hhhmmm...just had a thought...If your handy with tools, you could probably make it from scratch...

I'm trying to hunt down some plans, but I'm getting nagged at to go empty the beagle...
Here's a possible starting point.

PineRidge · Mar 7, 2005

I saw a pretty nice one at TSC. They had a short one and a tall one that was about 6 or 7 foot tall. All bearings from what I could see and it really spun easy. I almost bought one myself then I remembered that I have an 8 foot antique Aerometer mill that's just waiting to be put up one of these nice summer days.