Stupid New Owner Tricks or What Not to Do with Your New Tractor

oosik · Dec 4, 2018

Quit thinking just, because its a 4WD tractor, means you can go EVERYWHERE on your property. Those area where no vehicle should be, still could apply to your new tractor.

Beltzington · Dec 4, 2018

BoylermanCT said:
My newby mistake was when I was plowing a pathway around my house in 24" snow in order to get the new boiler into the basement through the bilco doors at the rear of the house. I got stuck, and needed to back uphill. I raised the FEL as high as it could go trying to get more weight on the rear wheels and the plow itself flipped backwards landing on the FEL arms about 2' in front of the steering wheel. The plow weighs 600 lbs and I realized how quickly I could have killed myself had the plow pins or mounts broken.

Not one of my first three mistakes but I had something very similar happen while using my pallet forks to load a wood pile into an 8' high roll-off dumpster. I had an 6' long 18" diameter pine log I was going to dump on top of all the limbs already in the dumpster to compress the load. I had been lifting trash all day and was feeling real comfortable with the process, I soon found out round logs like to follow gravity and if I had not be looking at the log when it started to roll it would have come over the pallet forks backstop and down the loader arms crushing me against the seat and ROPS. Luckily I saw it start and dump the forks but is was was way to close.

Fade2blk · Dec 4, 2018

Rolled down hill when forgetting brake once, just ended up on the lawn but woke me to the danger at hand.

oosik · Dec 4, 2018

I have a very nice farm wagon that I use to haul BIG rock and LARGE chunks of my ancient Ponderosa pine around the property. I've also got a pretty steep - in/out - portion of my driveway. I've only forgotten twice to put the tractor in 4WD when going down into this valley pulling a heavy load with the tractor. This farm wagon has a ten ton frame/running gear and when loaded will push like a wild herd of elephants. View attachment 581695

mike69440 · Dec 4, 2018

For those familiar with my many threads, let it be know I thank the Lord whom has assigned me a platoon of guardian angels.

kthompson · Dec 4, 2018

9973720wb19 said:
headed down a hill - did not put it in 4wd (not that it would have mattered) with a load in the bucket. halfway down the hill the rear wheels lifted off the ground a bit and I went for a ride down the hill with gravity in control

could you not have eased the fel loader to the ground to stop? On some four wheel drives in four wheel drive think you will find it would have help for believe the gearing would also engage the rear wheels and thus the rear wheel only brakes would have help but might be dangerous if it did so for then the tractor would have tilted forward more so.Boy hope have all that correct. No doubt someone here can confirm my thoughts as right or wrong.

vvanders · Dec 4, 2018

New to me: don't use float when swapping implements on ssqa. Threw a set of pallet forks on top of a pallet(to keep it off the ground of course). Soon as I unhooked the lever loader arm "floated" onto my toes.

Let's just say steel toed boots are great and walked away from that one.

newbury · Dec 4, 2018

tractchores said:
<snip>

I've learned a lot more over the years, but the biggest thing is to stop and think "how can this go bad" before doing anything.

I learned that before I got a tractor. In college, in Northern Vermont, I had a Suzuki 250 motorcycle for my primary transportation one winter. I should have known better when it snowed during registration. I soon lost track of the number of times I laid it down and got in the mode that driving meant constantly look for a good place to land.

Soon after I got the first tractor I had a full load of wet sand in the bucket and was driving it about 50 yards when the right front wheel dropped into a grass covered hole, yanked the wheel to the right and the left rear lifted. I hiked out for balance and pawed at the FEL. WHEW!

MikeR 2018 · Dec 20, 2018

Doofy said:
Hey, you are supposed to improve with age and hours!

Safety experts will tell you that a new worker is usually vigilant and careful. After a person gets familiar with a process, he/she gets complacent and that's when most stupid mistakes are made.

We should all keep this in mind.