ssramage
Senior Member
I've been looking hard at some used tractors lately. Better not show this thread to my wife!
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1000 ways to die...
- Thread starter Jim Boyd
- Start date
Hooked On Quack
REV`REND DR LUV
If you haven't had a close call, or worse on heavy equipment, you will.
turkeykirk
Senior Member
Used to have an old Ferguson TO-30. It was a good tractor and I treated it with respect. Upgraded to a New Holland TC-30 a few years ago. Have never seen so many safety precautions: seat switch, transmission switch, brake switch, PTO switch, etc. I know it’s for safety reasons but guess the manufacturers can’t rely on the user having a little common sense anymore. Makes for a PIA when things don’t work right because of a loose wire, bad switch, etc.
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fireman32
"Useless Billy" Fire Chief.
I work part time on cotton pickers and run a old Massey Ferguson. 175 here at my home. Anything with hydraulics or pto shafts will kill you. I know a man that had his shoulder ripped off by a post hole digger, bush hogs slinging shrapnel through the tractor cab. Don’t get complacent, it could kill you.
Lindseys Grandpa
Senior Member
I have seen several people killed or badly hurt trying to pull up stumps or to much weight by hooking to back of tractor and trying to snatch it . Pull the chain under the tractor and hook to front end. I was taking a tractor from my house to my Granddads, it had a double wide harrow on the back when i turned out of drive going to fast that thing started slinging tractor everywhere just lucky nothing was coming down the road.
Mexican Squealer
Senior Member
I spend a lot of time on my tractors with two children begging me to “ride with daddy”. That will never happen. Throw 20 miles of dikes into the equation and you better be on alert. I’m funny about who runs my equipment on my farms. Few glances at your cell phone and you end up dead or in a real bad spot.
nmurph
Senior Member
A friend of mine got ripped off his tractor by vines and run over by his tractor mower several years ago.
When I was a kid I remember someone coming to get one the members out of the evening church service. Her husband had gotten his arm caught in a grain auger. Having just one arm didn't stop him from farming.
When I was a kid I remember someone coming to get one the members out of the evening church service. Her husband had gotten his arm caught in a grain auger. Having just one arm didn't stop him from farming.
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lonewolf247
Senior Member
This Is a great post JIM!
My FIL and myself were in the process of bringing an old tractor, that dated back to 1948 back to life. We had changed out a bad cylinder sleeve, and after putting it all back together with a new carburetor, we had the engine running nice!
At that point, we had a lot of smaller random things to do, to get it ready to go. One of the things was to install a starter engagement rod, so the tractor could be started, from a SEATED position! However, we had not got to this step at that time.
I made it a habit to be careful to put the tractor in neutral, each time I killed the engine. However, I wasn't the last one to drive it. We had changed the belts and hoses on the tractor, and we needed to start it. I took it for granted, that the tractor was in neutral.(Mistake)
So without thinking, standing beside the tractor, I manually hit the rocker switch on the starter. The tractor immediately took off in gear! Luckily, I reacted fast, and I was able to get out of the way! However, we had a runaway tractor on our hands! Already at risk, with my adrenaline going, I ran beside it, and quickly hit the kill switch! Whew!
At that point, we decided, we would not run it again, until we installed the starter engagement rod. So, we did just that, from that point on, we never started that tractor, or any tractor from the ground again.
Years past, same scenario, different folks, with a different, and bad outcome. My dad's neighbor, was doing a complete restore on an old similar tractor. He had acquired it from a family member, and he was excited to get the project going! He got really lucky, that he had ran into a guy, that had several new parts to fit the tractor, and he gave the parts to him, because he was getting out of that type of business.
Long story short, he took all of the parts, did all of the work, and had the tractor running great, and looking like new, with a fresh paint job! He used it weekly to cut the grass on about 4 acres.
One day, my dad called me and told me, that the neighbor had gotten into a bad accident with the tractor. He had apparently started it from the ground, and it ran over him and drug him around the yard, under the mower attached to the rear. A motorist noticed the tractor running around the yard, without an operator in the seat!. He pulled in the yard, and quickly killed the tractor.
The man was rushed to the ER, and survived. He spent a couple months in the hospital, and was sent home in a wheel chair. He was just glad to be alive and be at home with his family. Unfortunately, infection set in, and he was hospitalized again. He passed away over the next week.
Two more examples, along with yours, this is one of the most dangerous tractor incidents that can happen. Many really old tractors, do not have the safety devices that tractors have today. Never attempt to start one from the ground!
Thanks for this post Jim!
My FIL and myself were in the process of bringing an old tractor, that dated back to 1948 back to life. We had changed out a bad cylinder sleeve, and after putting it all back together with a new carburetor, we had the engine running nice!
At that point, we had a lot of smaller random things to do, to get it ready to go. One of the things was to install a starter engagement rod, so the tractor could be started, from a SEATED position! However, we had not got to this step at that time.
I made it a habit to be careful to put the tractor in neutral, each time I killed the engine. However, I wasn't the last one to drive it. We had changed the belts and hoses on the tractor, and we needed to start it. I took it for granted, that the tractor was in neutral.(Mistake)
So without thinking, standing beside the tractor, I manually hit the rocker switch on the starter. The tractor immediately took off in gear! Luckily, I reacted fast, and I was able to get out of the way! However, we had a runaway tractor on our hands! Already at risk, with my adrenaline going, I ran beside it, and quickly hit the kill switch! Whew!
At that point, we decided, we would not run it again, until we installed the starter engagement rod. So, we did just that, from that point on, we never started that tractor, or any tractor from the ground again.
Years past, same scenario, different folks, with a different, and bad outcome. My dad's neighbor, was doing a complete restore on an old similar tractor. He had acquired it from a family member, and he was excited to get the project going! He got really lucky, that he had ran into a guy, that had several new parts to fit the tractor, and he gave the parts to him, because he was getting out of that type of business.
Long story short, he took all of the parts, did all of the work, and had the tractor running great, and looking like new, with a fresh paint job! He used it weekly to cut the grass on about 4 acres.
One day, my dad called me and told me, that the neighbor had gotten into a bad accident with the tractor. He had apparently started it from the ground, and it ran over him and drug him around the yard, under the mower attached to the rear. A motorist noticed the tractor running around the yard, without an operator in the seat!. He pulled in the yard, and quickly killed the tractor.
The man was rushed to the ER, and survived. He spent a couple months in the hospital, and was sent home in a wheel chair. He was just glad to be alive and be at home with his family. Unfortunately, infection set in, and he was hospitalized again. He passed away over the next week.
Two more examples, along with yours, this is one of the most dangerous tractor incidents that can happen. Many really old tractors, do not have the safety devices that tractors have today. Never attempt to start one from the ground!
Thanks for this post Jim!
treemanjohn
Banned
Heavy equipment does not care about you. ATVs are the same. A good friends father went by himself to check on the garden and didn't come back. After a couple of hours his wife went looking for him. His 4 wheeler had rolled over and knocked him out. It laid across his femoral artery and killed him
uturn
Senior Member
I read the article myself the fella is from right down the street from me!
I operate alone almost 100 % of the time and have had my close calls ...one I remember well bout 10/12 years ago when I was bush hogging an old overgrown clear cut and wanted to cover as much ground as I could with the limited time I had so, I was cranked up as in max rpms at low range grinding it if you get my drift..when I run over about 3/4“ steel cable that the logging crew left on site and my bush hogg began to eat the cable and by the time I shut off the PTO the cable had nearly taken my hood and my head off and by the time it finally quit the beating and quite possibly why it did nothing more to my tractor or myself it had cut a 8” slice in the deck of my bush hog and was imbedded in it!
Scary doesn’t quite cover it!!! Needless to say I learned a lot that day!
Thanks for sharing Jim!
I operate alone almost 100 % of the time and have had my close calls ...one I remember well bout 10/12 years ago when I was bush hogging an old overgrown clear cut and wanted to cover as much ground as I could with the limited time I had so, I was cranked up as in max rpms at low range grinding it if you get my drift..when I run over about 3/4“ steel cable that the logging crew left on site and my bush hogg began to eat the cable and by the time I shut off the PTO the cable had nearly taken my hood and my head off and by the time it finally quit the beating and quite possibly why it did nothing more to my tractor or myself it had cut a 8” slice in the deck of my bush hog and was imbedded in it!
Scary doesn’t quite cover it!!! Needless to say I learned a lot that day!
Thanks for sharing Jim!
jiminbogart
TCU Go Frawgs !
It amazes me when I see people riding kids around on lawn mowers.
Ain't got no sense.
Deerhead
Senior Member
We are the lucky ones. We are here to share the stories and learn from the mistakes of others. My best friend was operating a small tractor. The disc caught a small tree. The tree fell hitting him in the back. Pinning him to the tractor. He was able to stop the tractor. But took several minutes to work himself free. He was badly bruised and very lucky.
nmurph
Senior Member
I saw that tonight.
My dad, who was very experienced with tractors, was pulling a log with a 35 Ferguson when it caught a stump and flipped backwards. I'm lucky to be here!!
treemanjohn
Banned
If you have roll over protection Wear your seat belt even if you're just mowing the yard
I’ve died 100 times. Thankfully, the good Lord decided it wasn’t my time. I’m very thankful he never got tired of my dumb young man antics. Thankfully, I have learned how stupid I was and do my best not to test Him.
I had a friend years ago who was mowing grass with a 15’ batwing. He was trimming trees and hit a limb and he fell backwards and went through the mower. I heard they had to burn the grass to get rid of all of the blood.
Be safe everyone!
I had a friend years ago who was mowing grass with a 15’ batwing. He was trimming trees and hit a limb and he fell backwards and went through the mower. I heard they had to burn the grass to get rid of all of the blood.
Be safe everyone!
Jim Boyd
Senior Member
As we ramp up toward season, more work is done at farms And leases.
More atv, tractor, chainsaw, stand work etc.
Work to be safe, all!
More atv, tractor, chainsaw, stand work etc.
Work to be safe, all!
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