Re: Tractor flipping over

Posted by Hal/WA on April 02, 2002 at 18:13:30 from (208.8.194.44):

In Reply to: Tractor flipping over posted by Stan on April 02, 2002 at 01:19:19:

It is flat scary to have the front wheels come off the ground on a hill. I had this happen with an old VAC Case pulling a heavily loaded hay wagon up a spot that was steeper than my Dad thought. I stopped the tractor for my Dad to buck the bales on the ground up to where my brother was stacking them on the wagon. There were virtually no brakes on that Case, and the tractor and wagon started rolling backwards. I was only about 10 years old and my reflex action was to pop the clutch, which caused the front end to rise off the ground. The jerk dumped a bunch of the hay bales off the wagon, lightening the load. I did a "wheelie" the rest of the way up the hill with the front tires 4 or 5 feet off the ground, but the tractor did not go over. I was mostly worried about dumping the hay and my brother, but when I go back to level ground and the front end came down, I realized what a dangerous thing that I had done. We learned something that day and always dragged the bales down the steep part of that hill after that. Looking back at the situation, I feel glad I survived. I also have been very cautious about my children driving the tractor on other than flat ground.

I am surprized that no one has mentioned a roll over protection system (ROPS). Most newer tractors have something that looks like a sturdy roll bar that is slanted back from the rear axle and standing pretty tall. I have always thought the slant was to protect the operator in case of a roll-over backwards, at least somewhat. For the ROPS to work right, the operator has to be seatbelted in the seat, so he does not end up between the ROPS or the tractor and the ground. In my area, loggers operate in extremely steep areas and have extensive roll cages on their rubber tire skidders and crawlers. From the looks of some of those machines being trailered down the road, they have really needed the cages, as the machines have obviously been over many times.

If a rubber tired machine will do the job for you, I believe that you would find that your costs will be better than with a crawler. If whatever machine you use does not have an adequate ROPS and you operate in places where you are concerned, build one or have one designed and built. I mean over-built! And use the seat belt.

It only takes a moment to get yourself in trouble and if you don't have the protection in place, you are @#$%^&*. I have personally seen the aftermath of 3 rollover tractor fatalities. A good ROPS would have prevented all 3 fatalities and probably at most would have reduced the damage to minor injuries.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Re: Tractor flipping over And Here's Proof That A ROPS, by Robert in W.Mi. 11:41:42 04/03/02 (3)
  • Re: Re: Re: Tractor flipping over Hal/WA 19:35:37 04/03/02 (0)
  • Re: Re: Re: Tractor flipping over sod 14:31:26 04/03/02 (0)
  • Re: Re: Re: Tractor flipping over G Taylor 12:30:31 04/03/02 (0)

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