Roll Overs

[Anonymous Poster]

My neighbor down the street is the Multnomah County Medical Examiner (Portland, Oregon). She is an M.D. and business is always good. She has been in the “body business” for roughly 20 years all over Oregon and Washington. She tells me that the ROPs will save your life if you are wearing a seat belt and if you are not wearing your seat belt the ROPs is usually what will kill you.(Yuck!)
She knows.
I Never ride my L3010 without my seatbelt on. Not even in my own driveway.

 

[Golfgar4]

I don't care what anyone says - wearing a seatbelt is simply developing the habit. Once you do that, it is no big deal - until you don't wear it and need it! Then, it's usually the Final deal!

 

[Harv]

Holy Cow, Mike! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

I just got around to reading your story, and I'm truly glad you're still around to share it with us.

I haven't rolled my 'Bota yet (and don't plan to, thank you very much), but after my first few excursions around my hilly property, I went out and bought a coach's whistle to wear around my neck and a couple of decent walkie-talkies to boot. I always have them with me now when I'm out tractorin' my 42 acres, and my wife is happy to keep one of the walkie-talkies with her.

The whistle idea came from neighbors who told me it's a fairly common practice in those parts, and everybody is tuned in to react to the sound of a distress whistle. That was good to know.

Anybody else take similar precautions?

 

[Golfgar4]

Harv,

There's a thread over in the Projects section going on today called <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=projects&Number=138668&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1>Remote Control light</A>. It's not quite what you're talking about, but it could be. He's looking for a way to rig a remote light on the tractor so that if his wife needed from the house, she could "activate" the light so he would see it.

What made me think of it was that he said that radios (a.k.a. walkie talkies) couldn't be heard over the engine noise. Is that a problem you've encountered? I like your idea about the whistle and/or the radios.

 

[Harv]

Thanks, Garry. That's a thread I missed (never thought the day would come

), but I've read it now.

I'm using a pair of Motorola TalkAbout 250's, which have been giving me very impressive service over the majority of my property. Crystal clear communication everywhere except for the very lowest valleys. Fortunately for me, I can't get the tractor down there, either.

I wear mine clipped to my belt and I've never missed a call, even when running my rotary cutter at full PTO speed. The volume and clarity are superb, and Motorola offers a couple of different kinds of ear sets if you need even more assurance. The only problem I ever have is when the volume accidentally gets turned down and I don't notice. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

 

[bobnewjersey]

Roy.......I rolled a Farmall "trike" when I was 20 and working on a golf course. The tractor had a belly mower and ag tires. I had mowed this particular area probably 100 times.....but that day was just wet enough and the area steep enough that it rolled right on top of me.(expect the unexpected) Lucky for me the ground was soft and the rear wheel just mashed me into the mud. A trip to the hospital for some x-rays and I was released much wiser! Now if it feels to steep I know it is!!

 

[RoyJackson]

I had mowed this particular area probably 100 times.....but that day was just wet enough and the area steep enough...

I never, ever mow wet grass. Not only is it slick, I'll scuff up the grass quite easily (Bar turfs on the back).

 

[GregGG]

Well mike, I feel as though many of us get a good warning/scare at least once in our lives. I still remember some choice moments from the accident, the one that makes me cringe still is thinking that my head was going to be crushed as I saw the hood coming tword my face as i was laying on the ground looking up at it. I am not sure at all how I got away as far as I did but I also remember screaming "get it off" like a lil kid when it had me pinned. I cannot imagine how I would have reacted if I had felt even the slightest blood. Your story makes me cringe when I read it. I like life alot more now! God bless!

 

[Egon]

Reading this thread brings some thoughts to mind many re: Harv's comments and precautions.

Would one be able to have a switch to activate a horn or a remote alarm in a location where someone is present when the tractor is inverted. Not always may you be able to use the whistle or radio.

I operate my B7100HST without ROPS in a remote area and can go for as long as a week without seeing anyone. I have never upset it but had several occasions when using the loader and a front wheel went in a hole that came close. Both times I literally ejected from the seat and found myself standing 10 feet away before I even realized I'd moved. Involuntary reaction perhaps developed from riding mountain bikes and being able to dismount over the handle bars and land on my feet.

Egon

 

[RoyJackson]

I operate my B7100HST without ROPS in a remote area and <font color=blue>can go for as long as a week without seeing anyone.</font color=blue>

If you're that remote, it's unlikely your radio (or other signaling device) would be in range of anyone. Especially true if it's a "line of sight" device.

Unless you're camping and no access to a phone, I'd consider setting a time to call someone daily. If you don't call, it'd be a signal that you're in trouble.

Why are you working without a ROPS? If your machine rolls and you can't get off in time...you'd be stuck for a week before someone would be looking for you?

Brrrrrrrrrr! That sends chills up my spine!

 

[Harv]

<font color=blue>I operate my B7100HST without ROPS</font color=blue>

Guess I'd have to echo Roy's question here, Egon. You're doing loader work in a remote area where, according to your own experience, tipovers are a real possibility. I should think that before you worry about a horn or alarm, you'd take some preventative measures, like getting a ROPS.

Are you working in heavy woods, with lots o' low-hanging branches? Are you on and off the tractor so much that you don't like to deal with a seatbelt? Is there some reason you would chance the risk of rolling without protection on such a regular basis?

I'm guessing you have your reasons, but now you got me curious.

 

[Egon]

Harv:

I'm doing all of it. Also throw in chain saw work. Wear The gear for that.
Why no ROPS I just can't ansere. There is a lot of off and on the tractor. Perhaps it stems from when I was young and spent all day out in the woods by myself with a .22 rifle or shotgun and many times climbing trees to reach birds nests. If rollover protection was installed it would be a cage type rather than just the single bar as I consider that combined with a seat belt may not be the best of protection. Then there is getting speared by a branch or some such item and I do not feel uncomfortable without the ROPS and seat belt.
Now on the converse side the first car I owned did not have a seat belt but I had one installed and have always worn a seat belt in a vehicle. In fact I wish they came with a proper 5 point harness.

The best answere is probably that I've always made the top 99.99% of the class possible.

Sure wish I could spell " answere " correctly.

Egon

 

[RoyJackson]

Perhaps it stems from when I was young and spent all day out in the woods by myself with a .22 rifle or shotgun and many times climbing trees to reach birds nests.

You're not likely to get hurt carrying a .22 or shotgun...might fall out of a tree though!

However, using a chain saw or tractor in a remote area....well, that is your choice. With either one, if there's an accident...doubt if you'd suffer too long anyway.
Not trying to be grim, but you're really pushing your luck, Friend Egon!

BTW, y'all remember a few years back...guy using a chainsaw. It kicked back and went about ½ through his neck. He had to get to his pick up (½ mile away, if I recall), then drive a few miles to the nearest house to call for help. Bleeding like a stuck pig all the way...
How's that for a determined man?

 

[nicklan]

Back in the early 80's I mowed parks for the Naperville Park department. We were mowing next to the river, the ground was flat up to a 10 foot drop off. We were mowing in tandem and I was following, we went next to the river to avoid a tree - I followed the guy in front of me - next thing I know my tractor is laying on the dirt - the bank gave way. Didn't tip over but sure got my attention. We pulled it upright with a 2-1/2 ton dump truck and slowly pulled drove it back up.
Nick

 

[pung]

Reading his subject brought back an old memory. back when I was young and foolish, I was hooking a trailor to my Farmall M when a whole bunch of bees started stinging me real bad.I jumped on the M and popped the clutch trying to get out of there fast. Anyone that thinks an old M could not stand up and go over backwards is wrong.I did not go over but I learned two leasons that day. #1 is Tractor safety is more important than anything And #2 when I got to the other end of the field thinking the bees were far behind in the trailor,I got nailed afew more times because guess what, the bees had built the nest in side of the tail light on the M and I had taken them for a fast ride with me.

Pung

 

[White Shark]

While not a complete roll over...gotta admit to laying the Kubota on its side. Guess that's why the ROPS is there.

Well, it doesn't take long to run through your mind "hey stoopid...ya cain't quite stop this thang". So ya try to counter steer left...then right but the trailer starts to push the tractor faster and farther to the right than you can compensate. Now you know it's going to jack-knife. Your brain now yells "eject...eject...eject" so one quick hand action to the seatbelt and your outta there...legs moving at breakneck speed while still in the air so ya hit the ground in a puff of smoke like a cartoon character. It's interesting how fast and far you can move when you have too. It's not real fun standing there watching the tractor flop on it's side in a slow motion sequence though. No harm done, not even a scratch on the fender or ROPS . Just unloaded the trailer and pulled the tractor back over with the 4x4 chevy. It did make me smarter though.

The worst thing you can do is bail out of a tractor with ROPS and a seatbelt. You should hold on to the wheel or something solid and ride it out. I doubt that you would unhook your seatbelt in the middle of a car crash. Master the panic, stay cool, and ride it out.

OSHA rules say if you have a ROPS, you have to a have a seatbelt. No ROPS, no seatbelt, bailing is a better option without the overhead safety.

Years and years ago when I worked as a teaching assistant in the heavy equipment operation and agricultural practices at U.C. Davis, we had a saying that one of the Professors had coined.

"If your head is softer than the ground and the rollbar, it's bad to put it in between the two. By the way, have you ever seen a watermelon drop on concrete with a box of rocks falling on top afterwards? Just wondering...."

That always got the attention of the students. We had a great safety record with around 150-250 students per year in the program and a dozen tractors ranging from a Cat Challenger 45 and Case MX220 down to an ancient Deere 830.

The first thing that was drilled into their heads was the iron clad rule...

ROPS and seatbelt, ride it out. No ROPS, no seatbelt, got off and away real fast.

I knew a guy who died on a Hyster forklift because he tried to jump off. He had a ROPS cage and a seatbelt that he wasn't wearing, so he tried to bail. His head was crushed under the ROPS and he left a young wife and kids behind. The cops showed up and treated it as a crime scene. It was crazy and totally preventable.

Be safe. That stuff will kill you if you get too comfortable....


..

 

[RoyJackson]

Jeez...this thread is 5 years old. It's one of the first ones I posted on TBN.

 

[riptides]

One of the interesting things about TBN is the same subjects keep coming up.

I'd rather post to the same subject matter than create a whole new string. But it no worky dat way.

-Mike Z.

 

[Renze]

My neighbour rolled over his electric wheel chair last month....
Even though he is just in his late 50's he has several old age diseases like diabetics and rheumatoid arthritis, and when he was in the hospital he caught a hospital bacteria taking both his legs.
Now he has only 2 short stumps left and is using the joystick operated wheel chair to move around his Haflinger ponies.
Last month he checked the pregnant mares to see if anything happened over night.
When he came back and tried to drive out of the field, he had to climb up to the road bank, because the horses dug a low spot in front of the gate.
It's a wheel chair with 2 caster wheels up front and 2 1 foot wheels at the back, driven by electric motors.
The wheelchair came up on its rear wheels and landed on its back.
During the launch, the wireless phone came down just out of reach of his hands. The cell phone didnt have any connectivity at that spot between the trees. Because of his weakness he couldnt move himself to the phone, so he had to wait helplessly for anyone to help him. When the cell phone finally had connection, he called my parents, who hurried to help him.
The foals came along when he lied there, sniffing. He was very lucky that the foals didnt bite or scraped their hoofs on him lying there, out of curiosity.
He did suffer some bruises, which in his (arthritis) condition, take a very long time to heal.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Jeez...this thread is 5 years old. It's one of the first ones I posted on TBN.

You were slightly ahead of your time Roy.

Uh..? Roy? Where'd ya get that snazzy hat?