Pulling With The Bucket.??

[JDGreenGrass]

I (with help) ran new wire from my garage to the house panel. The old wire was in black plastic pipeing....heavier than say, PVC. It was well buried in the ground and I wanted it up and out-of-there.

I hooked onto the buried "conduit" with a slip chain that wrapped around the backside of my bucket and attached at the bucket hook, top center on the bucket.

The first half pulled out of the ground real good. Easy. Then it got harder so I gave the tractor more throttle. I had to steer away from an obstacle behind me and as I applied throttle the rear right tire came right up off the ground about a foot and a half. I barely noticed it until my line of sight had changed. Instinct put my foot into the clutch and stopped all movement.

I got to thinking...this is one way to flip a tractor. I was in low gear so things were happening relatively slowly, it was very subtle that the tractor quietly "reared up." Remember, I had cut the wheel so I was cock-eyed....if I was pulling straight back I would have gone up onto my front wheels. But, because I was pulling off the corner of the bucket, just the right rear came up on me.

I also realized it was probably a good way to bend the loader arms. I have an SMC loader.

Is it a no-no to pull with the bucket.??

The pucker factor went up. I felt like I could have come off the tractor in a dramatic face plant with only the tractor to follow.!!

 

[Transit]

You should have used the TOW BAR at the rear of the tractor, that is what it is for, pulling.

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Transit....You are correct. Laziness caused me to not take off the rear blade.

K7LN....Yes, the bucket was 2 or 3 feet up off the ground. "Straight line" says it all. That was my problem in that I had a raised bed directly behind me...I had to steer clear of that and it put the chain off the corner of the bucket.

I was amazed at how quietly I could have flipped the whole rig. I am blessed the tractor didn't just lay-over. It was that close.

 

[Diamondpilot]

My neighbor just about got killed doing just this with his New Holland tractor. He had a tree all across the drive in a storm. He needed to get to work so he went out to just pull it off. He had his young son with him who hooked the chain up to the tree then the bucket. He put the tractor in 4x4 and started to back up. It lifted the rear and his instinct was to press in the clutch. It slammed to the ground and his foot slipped off the clutch causing it to happnen again and again. His son said he was laughing so hard. Looked like he was riding a bull in a rodeo. He said it took 4 or 5 revolutions for him to finally get control and this to stop. He was hanging on so tight he bent the steering wheel.


Always pull from the rear and below the axle line. Any pull, front or back, above the axle line will cause the opposite axle to lighten or come up off the ground and possibly a flip over.

Chris

 

[JDGreenGrass]

I have learned.

Now, I am hopeing with this post, others will learn too.

 

[ovrszd]

The safety police will be all over me for this comment. I have at least one tire off the ground frequently and have two off the ground ocassionally. You haven't tapped the ability of the tractor's pulling capacity until you have a tire off the ground.

 

[KPark]

I'm guilty of this as well. I like to keep the logs I pull relatively clean for sawing up, so I'll slip hook the log and attach to the bucket hooks. Then I can lift the log so that only one end is dragging and move it to where I want it. My saw lasts longer this way. Sometimes the wheels will start to come up or the tractor will start to shift one or another direction.

When this happens I'll either get a better angle on it or just cut the log into two and make two trips.

 

[TripleR]

The safety police will be all over me for this comment. I have at least one tire off the ground frequently and have two off the ground ocassionally. You haven't tapped the ability of the tractor's pulling capacity until you have a tire off the ground.

You are not alone, but I won't disclose who else...

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I thought that's y they come with 4 tires so you could have at least 3 on the ground most of the time:laughing:
Rick

 

[SPYDERLK]

The safety police will be all over me for this comment. I have at least one tire off the ground frequently and have two off the ground ocassionally. You haven't tapped the ability of the tractor's pulling capacity until you have a tire off the ground.

! :thumbsup::thumbsup: ! :thumbsup: