JCS_in_KY
Silver Member
I have a tractor but no backhoe so we occasionaly rent one when we need to do trenching, etc. I rented a Kubota L35 for the weekend. To be honest it was really rough and I probably shouldn't have taken it but there's nothing else available in this area that's in any better shape. It's got about 2400 hours on it, hard hours from the looks of it. It appears to have been rolled a time or two, the knobs are broken off of the throttle and some of the other levers. The parking brake doesn't work and the seat belt has been removed. I know I shouldn't have used it with the missing belt because I believe in always wearing them but unfortunately it's common practice with rentals in this area to remove the belts, disable seat kill switches, etc. I trenched with it for a few hours, it went ok but slow due to so much play in the backhoe due to worn pins and bushings. Anyway I had backed up to a new area to start trenching, the ground I was on had a very gradual slope away from the area where I was working (towards the front of the tractor). Prior to trenching I made sure the tractor was parked and the front end supported by the bucket, especially since the parking brake didn't work. I went to the back of the tractor, rotated the seat around and dug the few feet of trench I needed in that area. When I was done trenching I raised the stabilizers and got ready to get off the tractor so I could drive it to a new location. As soon as started to get up the seat came apart and seperated from the mount! This made me fall backwards towards the front of the tractor. In the process of trying to stop the fall my left hand landed on the FEL joystick and moved it enough to lift the bucket off of the ground. The tractor begin rolling forward ever so slowly. As I mentioned earlier it was on a very gradual slope but in the direction it was heading in the ground being to drop off more rapidly not far from where I was. The tractor begin picking up speed fairly quickly as I was still trying to pull myself up. I got up and could see the tractor was heading toward an area where the ground was so uneven I was afraid it would roll. Keep in mind I was inside a ROPS/FOPS but had no way to restrain myself without the belt and seat. I decided I'd better jump off before it hit that area. I climbed out on the step you use to get up to the backhoe operating area. I knew I had to get out to the side so I wouldn't hit the hoe when I jumped. I threw myself to the side and landed in the grass. My back is really sore but I think I'm ok. My wife is a RN and checked me over. Anyway the tractor contined on for about 200'. It never rolled but came close it briefly went up on two wheels then came down, hit a couple of small trees and came to a sudden stop when it hit a larger tree. I was laying in the grass watching all of this happen. The whole event couldn't have taken more than several seconds from the time the seat let go until the tractor stopped but it seemed like it took forever. Upon inspection of the seat mount it appears that some of the parts that secure the seat were damaged and some were missing. The seat also is not a Kubota seat and appears to have been modified to work on that tractor. Looking back I wonder if jumping off was the right decision considering the danger of getting hit by the backhoe and or being hurt from the fall. If I'd have been able to be fastened in I wouldn't have even thought about jumping but with the danger of rolling over it seemed like the only option. I always use the belt on my tractor and I'll never rent anything again from a company that rents equipment out with safety equipment missing or not working. John
