RE: Pucker factor

[Ekim_Otsiam]

RE: Pucker factor

Im thinking this refers to the fear of rolling/tipping over.Has anyone actually rolled/tipped over? Care to share your experience?

 

[skent]

Was there when my uncle rolled my David Bradley Tri Trac. He had a trailer attached and made a slight turn on hill and REEEAAALLL slow it came over. He wasn't hurt and the tractor only suffered a bent steering wheel. Ever since the fron wheels are kept at their maximum width, wheel weights have been added, ane we never pull a trailer with it any more. (For those of you that have never seen a Tri-Trac, I've attached a pic.)

Steve

 

[Richard]

Steve,

I looked at the photo and (being city born/raised) just shake my head with amazement with some mechanical things mankind (womankind?? /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif) has come up with.

Richard

 

[pdxman]

My brother-in-law (and neighbor)and I went in on Kubota B6200 HST just about a year ago for our adjoining property's. The second day of owning it I was using the loader on a part of our lawn I wanted to smooth out. It was at a slight sideways angle and I had some dirt in the bucket and lifted all the way up to dump. In the quickest second I've ever experienced felt myself tipping sideways and reacted by putting my right arm out to catch myself. Tractor slammed down sideways with a very heavy sounding clunk and did not bounce. Motor was still running though so shut it off. Wife came running over when she heard it also. I had a roll bar and my seat belt on at the time so was not hurt nor did I injure the arm that I put out but could have easily. Once on my feet though, I got a little shaky when I realized that if a tree that was off to my right was a little closer no roll bar or seat belt would have helped me from being crushed. Only damage to the tractor was some paint distortion where battery acid had drained on to the fender. Had to get a local who had a much larger Kubota (50 hp?) to upright it. Still remember him saying "Guess Mamma's gotta get baby back on her feet" refering to the size difference. Lessons learned: Found out that my tractors rims were set at the narrowest positions and could widen them reducing the center of gravity. Had tire ballast put in for extra weight and stability. Don't take loader up any higher than needed or safe. Although the ground I was on was a safe angle, the combination of ballast and center of gravity changed it significantly. Listen to any 'pucker factors'. Getting too comfortable with your tractor can be dangerous also. I had also learned that a good neighbor found his grandfather dead years ago on his tractor upside down in the creek down the road from us. His grandfather tractored and developed a lot of land in the area with several roads named after him. Although I wish it wouldn't have happenned to me nor wish it upon anyone else, I feel my experience with tipping a tractor over could have saved my life by giving me the safety awareness I needed.

 

[mrolson]

With only 40 hours seat time, my experience is very limited. When I got the tractor, I figured there was no way I could roll it on my flat property. But I have almost done it twice. Once turning in a rut, with a full bucket and no rear ballast. Had that left rear a foot off the ground. Thanks goodness for black seats. I decided to lower the load to the ground, but that lever can be soo touchy, it bounced and I went a few inches higher. Caught my breath, lower the bucket to push myself upright, and left her right there till next morning /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

The other time was building a berm and I decided to work on top of it before it was wide enough. Well, I got myself into a pickle. It seems to happen in slow motion, and once I realized the angle I was on, I just said oh sh??. My first instinct was to jump, but I had my belt on. So I said hey stupid (that’s me), its going to roll over, nothing you can do, just hold on and enjoy the ride. But I guess I was really scared because I said it loud enough for the farmer behind me to come over. I was on a teeter-totter, I couldn’t move, the farmer leveled me out with one finger on the box blade /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif. Her looked at me and said, it ain’t really used until ya roll her once /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Got a shovel, moved some dirt and backed her off.


Mark

 

[TBone]

When I was a teenager I grew up on a farm and was always doing tractor work for other folks as well. A neighbor down the road wanted his back pasture bushhogged and my Dad went down there with me to get me started.

The pasture had a deep but narrow ditch running across one end. My Dad told me "Be careful around that ditch. Do not get within 3 feet of of it" RIGHT

I followed his advice for a while then decided it would look better if I got within 2 feet since it had some high weeds and brush growing along side it. That did look better but still didn't suit me. If I got within a foot it would look even better./w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif Well I was using an International Harvester 240 with a 5 foot bush hog. The width of the tractor was not quite 5 foot so the bush hog reached out 2 or 3 inches past my rear wheels, allowing me to "cut my tracks". Surely as skilled and smart as I am I can get within 2 or 3 inches of this ditch and cut it clean, I surmised.

Your guessed it, I got too close and the edge of the ditch caved off and in I went./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif With no seatbelt to restrain me and no ROPS to protect me, I did my best swan dive off the ditch side of the tractor. Luckily, it was narrow enough for the other side of the ditch to catch the tractor and prevented it from rolling on over on me.

When I finally caught my breath and shut the tractor off, I walked about a mile to tell my Dad. I just knew he was going to do to me what the tractor had failed to do (kill me). When I told him what had happened, I think it scared him so bad and he was so relieved that I was ok, he sent me home for some clean pants and I didn't even see the recovery effort.

I did learn my lesson however. I NEVER cut around a ditch without first walking it to check for washed out places or sides that might cave in and I NEVER get close enough that I feel uncomfortable.