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

[Beltzington]

I was thinking back on mistakes I made as a new tractor owner and was curious if there are common mistakes maybe new owners could benefit from hearing. Do your best to list your first three mistakes in ascending order that could have resulted in serious injury or equipment damage. Here are mine:

1 - Towed my tractor home with an overloaded rental trailer and SUV, almost ended up in the ditch or worse.

2 - Picked up a heavy load with my FEL with no ballast, tractor almost rolled on it's side.

3 - Drove under an old shed with the ROPs still up and almost brought the roof down on top of me.

Please share your learning curve.

 

[Doofy]

Tried pulling some willow stumps with the fel and a chain...lifted both rear wheels off the ground about 2 feet.

 

[Citydude]

As a novice, I did pretty good. Not really anything to report. When I got 500 hours under my belt, not so good. Brand new pole barn corner, munched with FEL, garage door side rail munched with FEL, bottom of garage door bent with canopy. This is all within 4 months. I'm getting to be an excellent pole barn repair technician. Tractor operator, not so much...

 

[Doofy]

As a novice, I did pretty good. Not really anything to report. When I got 500 hours under my belt, not so good. Brand new pole barn corner, munched with FEL, garage door side rail munched with FEL, bottom of garage door bent with canopy. This is all within 4 months. I'm getting to be an excellent pole barn repair technician. Tractor operator, not so much...

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

 

[/pine]

If the loader and or the 3PH quit working...check to make sure a control lever has not been inadvertently been bumped into a detent position...

 

[Citydude]

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

You would be correct! I tell myself that when I turn the key on and back out of the barn now. It's like this barn has a death wish....

 

[RayfromTX]

Don't overload the fel by grappling trees and lifting and driving at the same time in a manner that loads up one side of the grapple and tweaks the loader. Don't overgrease sealed bearings if you want them to stay sealed.

 

[BleedingOrange]

Don,t forget to increase front tire pressure from 7 lbs to 20 lbs before trying to lift heavy objects with front end loader.

 

[4570Man]

I think the fronts on my tractor called for 35 psi. In either case I’d run max rated pressure for FEL work.

 

[Inspector507]

Remember that the FEL REALLY sticks out in front. And then add a toothbar to the bucket.

I really wanted new railing on the deck anyway.

 

[Thomas]

Be careful icy condition with grade no tire chains.

 

[BoylermanCT]

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.

 

[Jchonline]

Careful engaging SSQA mounted implements that are sitting on your concrete garage floor. SSQA mount 1, concrete slab 0. Get them on wood a few inches off the ground so they are easier to connect.

Second..backhoes stick out the back of the tractor quote a ways. Just because you cant see it doesnt mean it isnt going to bang into something. Luckily mine was a tree that snapped off.

 

[Doofy]

Interesting Thread. I'm learning some scary things to watch out for. Engage Brain before engaging Tractor!

 

[Jstpssng]

When I was in HS my father bought a set of half tracks for the 8N; they really changed it from a 3 season to a year round machine. Under the wrong conditions though they acted like ice skates. I was driving down the hill by the barn, which has a good south grade and an even steeper grade to the east. I hit a patch of ice and started sliding sideways. Luckily the ice stopped before my heart did.
Landscaping a few years later; we were sent out to unload a 40 foot enclosed trailerload of plants. People kept disappearing until I was the only one left, so I started the little 185 Kubota to drive into the trailer, load up the bucket until the rears got light (no counterweight) and backed out to unload and start over again. I'm not sure how long I should have been running that little diesel in that enclosed area.

I finally got my own tractor; a nice little L275 'Bota. I used it to plow out the driveway one day, then went across the road to clean out my mailbox. A car was coming so I stopped to let them go past while keeping my hand on the loader control. I lifted the mailbox right off it's post.

This one is more in tune with the OP's suggestion; While working weekends at an apple orchard I was helping the owner load his forklift onto the truck so that we could bring it to the other farm. There was a gap between the loading dock and truck deck so we put in planks to bridge it.
As he drove onto them one of the planks kicked out, and the forklift started to go over. It tilted in slow motion as I watchedhim reach up and wrap both arms around the uphill side of the frame; it crept over farther and farther; then it suddenly slammed the rest of the way to the ground. He later told me that they caution about that very thing in forklift class; it happens so slowly at first that you think you can jump clear only to get slammed once it passes the center of gravity.

 

[kthompson]

Check tires air pressure especially the loader type. Sidewalls too stick to show low air.

Watch drop offs even ones not that far. Many killed by roll overs.

Slow work is better than fast accident.

 

[9973720wb19]

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

 

[Jim Shooz]

I overloaded the FEL to the extent that the bucket could only just get off the ground (about 6")but the rear tires were also 6" off the ground too. I thought I could still move it just balanced on the front wheels (in 4wd) Was going great til it came to a corner. Turn the wheel and it just crabs sideways. Had to lean waaay back to get weight on the rear wheels to get on the ground to make the turn.

 

[Citydude]

I overloaded the FEL to the extent that the bucket could only just get off the ground (about 6")but the rear tires were also 6" off the ground too. I thought I could still move it just balanced on the front wheels (in 4wd) Was going great til it came to a corner. Turn the wheel and it just crabs sideways. Had to lean waaay back to get weight on the rear wheels to get on the ground to make the turn.

Lol, now that's how to manage counter weight

 

[Doofy]

I still like this idea...

Purloined from TBN