Try to Avoid Doing This

Arcane · Aug 31, 2005

I am kind of embarassed to tell this story on myself, but if it helps someone else to avoid doing this, I guess that's good enough reason.

I've got a JD CUT with a backhoe and loader, and a rotary cutter. I keep the tractor in the garage (next to my car), and I have to lower the ROPS while going into and out of the garage. Last weekend I took the backhoe off, leaving it in the garage, to use the cutter.

After my cutting chores, I went to install the BH again, backing the tractor over the BH subframe, shutting down, hooking up the hydraulics, and when I started the tractor again, the BH boom and dipperstick started extending. It took me a few seconds to figure out what was happening and shut down, but by that time the bucket was just about to go through the back wall of the garage and the BH seat was about 7 feet in the air. Everything was level from side to side, but if it toppled it would fall on my car, the canoe, etc.

The folded ROPS had pushed against the BH control levers when I backed up over the subframe. I should have checked it when I hooked up the hydraulics.

Got off, moved the car and the canoe, calmed down, thought it through. I didn't think there was a way to take the pressure off the hydraulic system by cycling the levers, so I had to move the tractor forward with the hydraulics still hooked up. I was able to move the tractor forward, but not so far forward as to strain the hoses although the BH went another foot or so higher before the ROPS stopped pushing against the BH controls. With the controls free I was able to retract the boom and dipperstick, lower the BH, raise the ROPS, and mount the subframe.

That's it. And I did remember to lower the ROPS to exit the garage.

Could I have unhooked the hydraulics? Could I have taken pressure off the whole system by cycling the stabilizer levers?
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ronjhall · Aug 31, 2005

Glad you were able to get out of your predicament without injury to you or your equipment.
There is a warning in the manual for my Kubota BH.
Just so others don't think it could only happen on a JD . I'm sure it can happen with any BH that has a folding ROP's.

Tim_in_IA · Aug 31, 2005

just a note. I use a pto pump with my backhoe, and my tractor wont start with the pto engaged. Not sure if this is standard on newer ptos or not. Might have prevented your dilemma there. Glad everything is okay and that the backhoe didn't destroy your garage.

trlong · Sep 1, 2005

Arcane,

Must have been quite a scare. Glad you "eased" out of it without any damage to equipment, or especially yourself.

( Could I have unhooked the hydraulics? )

IMHO, NO . There must have been a LOT of pressure on the lines (running off the Power Beyond, right?) and trying to disconnect with pressure would have sprayed you (very dangerous) and everything else in the garage.

( Could I have taken pressure off the whole system by cycling the stabilizer levers? )

I'm not sure. Lifting or setting my stabilizers never effects the position of my boom, dipper, or bucket, when running. If shut off, I don't believe depressing the stabilizer levers would allow backflow from the boom,...hydraulics. I will be interested in input from those more knowledgable. How best to safely get out of a situation like that would be very useful knowledge.

Tom

GaryM · Sep 2, 2005

Sounds like your worst nightmare! It's moving and I can't make it stop. Kind of like those dreams where you're falling.

Glad you figured out how to get out of the situation.

crashz · Sep 9, 2005

( Could I have unhooked the hydraulics? Could I have taken pressure off the whole system by cycling the stabilizer levers? )

You would have had pressure in the system until the levers were released to neutral. So unhooking the hydraulics from the power beyond would result in oil spurting from the pressure side.

You could have moved the dipper back (once the levers were free to move from the rollover), and the it would have moved as well as equalized pressure in the system without re-starting the tractor.

Tim_in_IA · Sep 9, 2005

arcane,

Not trying to brag about my Bradco 511 again but I also wanted to tell you that my BH has a pressure relieve button/valve on the dash of the backhoe controls. This is supposed to alleviate the pressure in the system before disconnecting lines. Maybe yours has one of these somewhere?