Runaway tractor

[BillK]

An experienced tractor mechanic (who shall remain anonymous) was testing a Kubota tractor for intermittant engine operation. It kept cutting out without warning, like it was out of fuel.

It stopped on the road. He tried to restart it by standing next to it while starting ,holding the clutch down by hand. It started unexpectedly,just as his hand slipped off the clutch pedal. Of course he had it in top gear and throttle on full. The tractor took off, knocking him over in the process. It mounted the gutter ,bounced back on the road, narrowly missed several cars, whilst the mechanic was madly running after it down the road at about 13 km/h.

Luck was with him on the day. He caught the tractor and managed to pull the stoplever,whilst running next to the tractor.
His only injury was a bruised side where the tractor pushed him over.

Our nameless mechanic was born on a farm, very experienced with farm machinery, yet still got himself into trouble.

This story is true, and even funny ,if you imaging an older, not so fit gentleman running after a runaway tractor at full speed,out of control in a suburban area.

Just good luck saved him and the tractor from further injury on the day. Please be careful, and never start a tractor unless you are in the seat first.The original fault was later traced to dirt in the fuel tank .

BillK

 

[RoyJackson]

Well, I guess the image of him running after the tractor was funny.
But it could have been so easy for him to have been ran over at the initial start.

This must have been a gear tranny...

But shouldn't the safety interlocks prevented the machine from starting in gear, regardless of the clutch being depressed? My machine won't even crank if the tranny is in gear, even if I'm on the seat and clutch depressed.
It will start (if I'm on the ground along side) if the transmission is in neutral though.

<font color=red>Update:</font color=red>
BillK, I see (by your profile) that you're in the Land of Oz. Also, you deal in grey market tractors...I suppose those machines don't have any of the safety interlocks we have in the USA...

I'm gonna help y'all out....we're going to export 250,000 lawyers to Oz. That'll take care of the situation.

 

[looch]

Roy,

My B7500 will start in gear, just not with the PTO engaged.

 

[RoyJackson]

My B7500 will start in gear, just not with the PTO engaged.

But you do have to be setting on the seat, right?

As mentioned, my Deere won't...won't even crank, if in gear. But this depends on the underseat interlock position. One can adjust the switch to allow starting (still, not in gear though), so one can run stationary implements (post hole digger comes to mind...saw or log splitters too) while off the tractor.

It's actually a bit more complicated then that...but you got the jist.

 

[looch]

I've never started it while not being in the seat. But I know I can get off with it in gear and it won't quit on me. I don't think there's any kind of underseat interlock on it - at least I don't remember any mention of one in the manual.

 

[Jeff396]

The B7500 does not have any kind of seat kill switch. The HSD model will start in gear if the clutch is depressed. It' won't start in gear with the clutch depressed if the HSD pedal is in any other position but neutral so a runaway would be impossible unless you really worked at it. I wonder if the gear tractors have this same feature though.

Jeff

 

[TBone]

My M4900 will start without using the clutch and not in the seat if 1)The tranny is in neutral and 2)The PTO is disengaged.

TBone

 

[Soundguy]

My new holland 1920 won't even start unless the gear selector in in the neutral setting...

Soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

Forgot to add to my previous post, that my NH 1920 has to be in neutral, and clutch depressed to start.. no seat kill switch. But an interesting thing .. I have a gas powered 4 ' finish mower ( before I had the tractor, I towed it behind my lawn mower.. ) And it has an attached seat cushion w/ kill switch so that it will shut off if you get out of the seat... the cushion was not long enough to make it back from the tractor to the mower so I decided what it too k to bypass it.. not much I found out.. merely unplugging the cushion from the wiring harness bypassed the switch.. nice 'safety' feature. So remember if you have one of these style mowers.. and fall out of the seat.... hope the cushion doesn't come unplugged.. or the mower will still get ya...

Soundguy

"My M4900 will start without using the clutch and not in the seat if 1)The tranny is in neutral and 2)The PTO is disengaged."

 

[ByuBill]

My Kioti LK 3054, has a clutch safety switch. I guess that if you wanted to get run over, you could bypass it.
My Long 2360, has a neutral saftey switch. Only starts in neutral. My MF 220, has an ' S ' position on gear slector. /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif not sure if it will start in any other position or not. Have always started it in 'S'.

 

[EdKing]

I can start my Long by holding my clutch pedal down with my hand, but I always park it in neutral with the parking break set. I don't know if it will start if it is in gear as I always double check it is in neutral before I start it. I usually only start it from the ground (not in the seat) when I am first starting it up to use it. I like to fire it up and then go out to smoke a cigarette to give it a little warm up time.

 

[RoyJackson]

I don't know if it will start if it is in gear as I always double check it is in neutral before I start it. I usually only start it from the ground (not in the seat) when I am first starting it up to use it....

You ought to see if it does start, Ed...
You could do your normal routine without realizing it was left in gear or someone else (kids, for example) left it in gear.
That'd be a heck of a surprise if the tractor moved when you left your hand off the clutch, wouldn't it?
Well, at least you probably wouldn't have to worry about the ciggies killin' ya!

 

[ByuBill]

Chances are,,, if it has a clutch safety switch... it 'will' start in gear. I have started my Long from the ground many times but it has to be in neutral before it will turn over. There isn't a clutch safety switch on my 2360. After my earlier post I checked my MF. It will run over you. It starts in gear. The 'S' position in the transmission is sort of like 'park' in an auto. Except it will start in any gear.
Think Safety,,, Sh@t does happen.

 

[EdKing]

I always double check, both the gear shift and the shuttle, before I put the key in the ignition. I also leave it in low range when I park it in he barn, as reverse in high range is just to fast to back into barn. I also release the clutch slowly and don't just dump it. I thought it through before I started starting it from the ground. It is becoming habit, like my habit of putting my truck in neutral (standard transmission) before I start it.

 

[BillK]

Most of the grey imports have a clutch safety switch,so they will only start if the clutch is down. None of them have a neutral safety switch, where the gear selector has to be in neutral.From our dealings with both grey or non grey Kubtotas with mechanical gear drives, none of them seem to have neutral safety switches,only clutch safety switches.

Keep in mind though, that most of our business is with tractors 15 plus years old, so newer models may have better safety features.

BillK
Diesel Traders

 

[skent]

My B7300 has to:

1. Hydro Range must be in "N"

2. PTO must be in "N"

3. Foot Clutch pushed in.

No seat switch.

Additionally, its part of the routine maint. to perform testing of each safety switch to be sure it will actually prevent accidental starting.

 

[RanchMan]

This happened several years back, but the airport in the town where I grew up leased the land between the runways to a farmer (pretty common practice).

Anyway, not sure how it happened, but one of the fellows working for him let the tractor get away somehow & went chasing after it. Unfortunately he caught up to it -- The tractor ran over him (it also had a disk attachment on it.) After killing him in a way best left undescribed in detail, it proceeded on across the ramp and finally stopped after totaling 3 private planes.

 

[Tractors4u]

A good number of the grey markets have an interlock on the clutch pedal so that the clutch has to be in to start the tractor. My neighbor's JD950 has an interlock that requires that the tractor's hi/low range selector be in neutral to start the tractor. It is a real pain. I would prefer to stick with something simple like the clutch. But then again the manufacturers have to build them so that the tractor virgins don't hurt themselves. I sold a tractor to a guy Monday that thought you had to shift through all the gears to get to the highest gear. He took off across the yard grind gears and then told me he thought something was wrong with it.

 

[RoyJackson]

manufacturers have to build them so that the tractor virgins don't hurt themselves

So true...and I am one of those "virgins".

Even on TBN and the other tractor sites, a lot of folks new to the usage of these machines are quite unknowledgable about the usage...<font color=red>safe usage</font color=red>...of a machine that could kill ya (or someone else) pretty easily.

As mentioned on another thread, most of us on TBN are non-traditional tractor buyers...we're yuppies, baby boomers, computer people, engineering types (me....quality assurance in automotive plastics and machining).
We didn't grow up around this type of equipment...nor have we heard the anecdotes of accidents and injuries.

Now, at least we TBNers do some research (we're on TBN, right?) and try to gain knowledge of the limitations and hazards of our machines.

But, there's a heck of a lot of folks buying these tractors with no knowledge whatsoever...other then what the sales people are telling 'em. How many read the operator's manual (how many TBNer's?). I did...but I had some (very little) exposure to this type of equipment growing up. Just enough to make sure I asked questions, I guess.

That, to me, is not a good situation.

OK, guys..I'm off the soap box now...

 

[Slamfire]

I was smart (?) enough to put the grader blade on the ground before my tractor tried to run off. I got it stopped before it managed to go any farther than over the oil drain pan.