Tractor Overturn Hazards Article

[tmajor]

This article on Tractor Overturn Hazards from the University of Wyoming shows the areas of danger of a tractor overturn and the split second which it takes.

I would consider it a "must read" for all new tractor owners, and a "should read" for the old timers.

 

[TripleR]

Interesting article, but some people will remain unconvinced. It makes sense to me. When I was farming and pulling logs, it was not unusual for the front end to come off the ground and have to steer with the brakes. I don't advise this, but you do what you have to do and it was pretty common practice in the days prior to MFWD tractors. It was also not unusual to see someone sitting on the hood of a tractor to keep it down; again not recommending it.

 

[Dead Horse]

Sitting on the hood.........

whew.

 

[tmajor]

Yeah, TripleR isn't lying about that!

I think, the worst was with a trailer and a light tractor (Ford N or Ferguson). As the trailer got more hay loaded, the front would become lighter. Usually, once you got out of the field, it would settle down some, depending on the load.

 

[TripleR]

Yeah, TripleR isn't lying about that!

I think, the worst was with a trailer and a light tractor (Ford N or Ferguson). As the trailer got more hay loaded, the front would become lighter. Usually, once you got out of the field, it would settle down some, depending on the load.

Yep, the N and NAA/600 both reacted pretty well to someone on the hood and if no one was handy, you just steered with the brakes. A heavy load or good pull would bring the front end up and even if the wheels were still touching they didn't do much to steer as there was so little weight on them.

On some of the bigger tractors, you could actually do wheelies with them without even having anything hooked up, but you could only get three or four feet of air.

 

[BlacknTan]

Great article, and thanks for posting it...

Agreed... It should be "required reading!"

 

[North Country]

The article says that the "stability baselines" for a wide front axle trailer go to the wheels as opposed to the front pivot. The author makes no mention of a front pivot.

 

[xtn]

The article says that the "stability baselines" for a wide front axle trailer go to the wheels as opposed to the front pivot. The author makes no mention of a front pivot.

To be fair, by the time one is in danger of rolling one's tractor the pivot point will have run out of travel and the point of stability will be at the wheel.

 

[jonyyuma]

Triple R , never sat on the hood, but it was required to be able to steer with the brakes, hince i never had the pedals locked together..on the 8N.

 

[North Country]

To be fair, by the time one is in danger of rolling one's tractor the pivot point will have run out of travel and the point of stability will be at the wheel.

I strongly disagree, but this has been hashed & rehased. Some think it's one way, some think it's another. Until we have a volunteer willing to video the front axle during a rollover we'll never settle it. :laughing:

 

[oldballs]

Thanks, tmajor. A good read. Now, if I just remember it. In days past, I've driven farm tractors without any instruction on operation or safety. Guess I, and those around me, were just lucky.

 

[xtn]

I strongly disagree, but this has been hashed & rehased. Some think it's one way, some think it's another. Until we have a volunteer willing to video the front axle during a rollover we'll never settle it. :laughing:

Okay then your base of stability is only a triangle and as soon as your CG gets beyond that you're going over for sure

 

[North Country]

Okay then your base of stability is only a triangle and as soon as your CG gets beyond that you're going over for sure

No, not exactly. It starts as a triangle.

If you hit the stop in a slow and deliberate manner (turning slowly into a slope thinking "Can I make this?"), you may get the added stability of the stop before you roll.

If you hit the stop fast (imagine you're near the roll limits, and you find a root/stump with your rear wheel on the high side) you'll hit the stop but the tractor will already be rolling so fast it won't make any difference.

 

[jonyyuma]

No, not exactly. It starts as a triangle.

If you hit the stop in a slow and deliberate manner (turning slowly into a slope thinking "Can I make this?"), you may get the added stability of the stop before you roll.

If you hit the stop fast (imagine you're near the roll limits, and you find a root/stump with your rear wheel on the high side) you'll hit the stop but the tractor will already be rolling so fast it won't make any difference.

Would one of please sketch this out?? I remember geometry, but it has been a long time since i used it..A sketch would be nice,I can see one of the points, but not he other?

 

[TripleR]

Triple R, never sat on the hood, but it was required to be able to steer with the brakes, hence I never had the pedals locked together..on the 8N.

It's actually kind of fun when you're young and don't know any better.

My wife's uncles used an old Massey Ferguson 135 with a bush hog to make motorcycle trails through her grand parents' hill farm for all of us to ride and one would ride the hood and the other would steer. Even with a full grown man on the hood, steering brakes were needed as the wheels were not always on the ground and sometimes not even close. Both were experienced horsemen and actually enjoyed riding the tractor. Both have since passed on, but not from a tractor.

We farmed with our little Fords and never locked the pedals together and am not even sure if you could as they were essentially at the end rows and when pulling or carrying a lot of weight.

On our Kubotas, I keep the brakes lock together until I need to split them and my son keeps them unlocked until he needs them locked, so it can get a bit confusing. Not long ago I hopped on the M8540 and a few minutes later needed to stop and I about wound up in the pond.

 

[jonyyuma]

Triple, spinning out sideways? Now i can see how that could cause a problem..I still keep my Bota unlocked and mash the petal at the end of the row. Not so good since I have 4x4 drive and the front end is not nearly as light..

 

[TripleR]

Triple, spinning out sideways? Now i can see how that could cause a problem..I still keep my Bota unlocked and mash the petal at the end of the row. Not so good since I have 4x4 drive and the front end is not nearly as light..

We no longer do any farming and using split brakes with a MFWD in the grass causes some damage and as you note has less affect than the older lighter 2WD tractors, so I don't use split brakes too much anymore.

I also think it has a lot to do with skill level and what you are doing. I use to be be a fairly proficient operator, but now strive to mediocrity while my son is a very skilled operator and tries harder stuff than I.

 

[JoeL4330]

Yep, good article...except that I don't understand the "mud hole" inclusion in the following:

" This reverse rotation results in the
front-end of the tractor lifting off the ground until the tractor's CG passes the rear stability baseline. At this point the tractor will continue rearward from its own weight until it crashes into the ground or other obstacle. The most common examples of this happening are when the rear tractor tires are frozen to the ground, are stuck in a mud hole, or are blocked from rotating by the operator."​

In my (not so limited) experience with mud holes, rear tires keep rotating--spinning and spitting--so the nose never rises.

Nonetheless, a must-read

 

[xtn]

No, not exactly. It starts as a triangle.

If you hit the stop in a slow and deliberate manner (turning slowly into a slope thinking "Can I make this?"), you may get the added stability of the stop before you roll.

If you hit the stop fast (imagine you're near the roll limits, and you find a root/stump with your rear wheel on the high side) you'll hit the stop but the tractor will already be rolling so fast it won't make any difference.

Soooooo...

I said that once you hit the stop your base is a rectangle. You said you strongly disagree.

You now say it becomes a rectangle, but that because it was a triangle one may have more momentum to roll even though it becomes a rectangle.

That is certainly true but I did not say anything about that. I simply said that once the stop is reached the base is a rectangle. Which bit of that were you strongly disagreeing with?

 

[North Country]

Which bit of that were you strongly disagreeing with?

The part where you said "...by the time one is in danger of rolling one's tractor the pivot point will have run out of travel..."

There are plenty of situations where you're in danger of rolling the tractor when your front axle is perfectly centered on the pivot between the stops.

I think we agree on all of the triangle/rectangle stuff, and maybe this is just a different interpretation of "in danger."