Seat belt opinions....

[MotorSeven]

I have some logging roads on my place that run along the side of some very steep ridges. I will be grooming some of these into my driveway. Although i am a staunch seat belt wearer in my vehicles, i am not certain it is the best for tractoring alongside of a 75 to 100' drop. For those of you who do tractor in similar circimstances, what do you do? The thought of rolling down a shear embankment while strapped to 4,000lbs of open cockpit isin't very appealing. Would it be better to get dumped on the first roll? I guess that the ultimate answer is to not take the chance at all, but, the work has to be done.

RD

 

[DKinWA]

If you're building road on a steep slope and there's trees/stumps around, it's a lot more dangerous than it sounds. Without the seat belt, you can be thrown clear or into the path of the rolling machine. Restrained in the seat with the seat belt, you can easily be crushed between the machine and a tree or stump as it rolls.

If rolling the tractor is a real concern, I'd hire a contractor to do the work with a dozer or excavator. If it's less than a days work for a small dozer, it'll probably be cheaper in the long run. I've found sticks and tractors don't mix and usually result in some expensive repairs.

 

[bczoom]

I have the same conditions and wear my seatbelt.
I do have trees and hope they'll stop the rolling.
I'm hoping that if a roll is imminent, I have a second or 2 to determine whether I should bail out or remain.
The biggest things are to avoid conditions that could problems. Keep the trail clear of debris, don't travel if conditions are slick (mud, snow, ice), don't drag logs as they can roll of the trail and pull you down with it...

Brian

 

[MotorSeven]

Brian,
Geeze, not only do i have to groom the "trails" into driveway, i am also going to be dragging cedar trees off the ridge and down to my sawmill for my house logs. I guess it's going to be very interesting..........I'm definatly going to put forks on the bucket and only take 1 or 2 logs at a time. Should i start witing the book now? Take out extra insurance? LOL

RD

 

[bczoom]

Rick,

Are you planning on carrying the logs out in the bucket? If so, watch your balance. If going down hill, you're going to need a good counter-weight off the back. Also make sure the path is wide enough whereby one end of the log doesn't snag on something.

They also make logging trailers where you load the logs then are able to take them out as a rolling load. Again, be careful that the load isn't such (weight wise) that it can push the tractor.

Brian

 

[MotorSeven]

Brian,

Yep, out on the bucket w/forks. i saw a great idea in the implement forum where a guy welded a 3/8ths angle iron across the top of his bucket, then cut 5-6 chain slots in it. I plan on the same thing along with a reinforcement down to the fork hanging on that same peice of iron. The logs can then be chained to the bucket(don't like shifing loads). Anyway, the cedars are not too large(one or two house logs per tree) and i plan on ringinging the trees and letting them stand dead for a couple of months to dry out. Once dry they are rather light.
I ordered a heavy duty 6' box blade and will use that as the counter. The system actually works perfect....er...ah... in my head! We will see next year when the trees are ready!

RD

 

[RedRocker]

Put a full cage on your tractor, falling limbs and trees are a pretty real threat too.

 

[Boomerang1]

I wear my seatbelt. It is very difficult to jump off the high side of a tractor. Roll overs happen in a split second and by the time you thought about jumping you will be over. Time yourself jumping off your tractor when it is parked on level ground and see how long it takes. Then park on a slope and try the high side. You will be amazed how long it takes.

 

[NewToy]

I'd be riding "side saddle" facing up the hill, ready to bail when that thing teetered. Seriously, I'd like to hear OSHA's take on it.

 

[riptides]

Please don't assume you can clear a machine in a second or two. There are way too many factors in play during a roll over.

Here is my story.....

Roll Over

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif