"It'll never happen to me..."

[zachary.h.miller]

I was out on the back forty today, half working/half playing around on the B7510. I was moving some brush around with the FEL, and before I knew it, I found myself flying sideways off the seat with a tractor barrel rolling right behind me. THANKFULLY, I was able to get out of the way of the mass of machinery in time. By the time we were able to get it rolled back over, it had run all the engine oil out, but the other fluids seem to be good, and I did have the forethought to get the tractor shut off quickly after I bailed, so I don't believe there's any air in the fuel line. The tumble was of the slow roll variety and the ROPS took the brunt of it, so there also doesn't seem to be any structural or even cosmetic damage, so it could have been a LOT worse.
What gets me, though, is that I KNOW BETTER. Even though I only have a whopping ten hours of seat time, I've spent literally hundreds of hours reading manuals, watching videos, and absorbing everything I can from the collective wisdom of OTT. I KNEW not to be working the loader that high up on that steep of a hill. I KNEW I should've had some counterweight in the back. I KNEW not to be running around in high range, especially after being awake for 30+ hours. But somehow, I thought I KNEW better, and it almost killed me.

So for you other newbies who think the rules, advice, and words of wisdom don't apply to you: STOP. LISTEN. PAY ATTENTION to the warnings. It just might be the difference between life and death...

 

[hodge]

You survive, and you learned. Can't ask for much more than that.
You do bring up a good point- experience trumps reading, youtube videos, forums, daydreaming, etc. You learned more from that roll than you would ever learn from the internet.
Unfortunately, experience only comes from time and grade. The way to compensate for that is being meticulously safe as you learn.
It does also bring up a thought- what if you had been wearing a seatbelt? How would things have turned out?

 

[bxray]

Well there is nothing like first hand experience that reading all the manuals and warnings may not always set in.

You walked away from this one and lesson learned.

Thanks for the safety info.

Any photos to add to the scare factor?

Ray

 

[Tooljunkie]

I would have to say that many serious things happen in the first few hours of seat time. I have been on all kinds of machines in the last thirty years, but i still feel nervous anytime i get into a new machine. Getting to know it, figuring out the centre of gravity so to speak and learning its capabilities can take time.

You were very lucky.
It isnt like standing up in a canoe,where you just get wet.

 

[Bulldog]

Skeets probably could help with this seeing that he's a former MSHA man.

If I remember right from all the safety training at the quarry, the most dangerous time for a new hire is the first year, which makes sense. Then they said the danger goes back up after the 5th year. Obviously the first year is due to lack of experience. The 5th however is due to operators becoming complacent and taking short cuts, going around or just plain overlooking safety training.

Zachary, I'm glad you were able to tell all of us this story, it could have turned out much different. It's a good reminder for all of us that this can and does happen, none of us no matter how many years of seat time we have are not beyond having a accident.

I have seen first hand when a operator gets killed. Seen several that were injured for life. Every case I saw it was due to something stupid and simple that was overlooked or just plain out ignoring proper procedures. In any case you don't want to be the one who has to try and explain it to a family member that's asking "why did this happen".

Be safe my Orange Brothers.

 

[Diydave]

Clean your pants out, patch the tractor up, pray a little, learn a lot...

 

[ShaunRH]

Yeah, none of the tractors I was used to using have ROPS so there aren't any seat belts on them, you dive off and out of the way.

My L3200 is the first unit I've used with ROPS and I scoffed at the seat belt at first, then I realized, the ROPS is just a decapitation device if I don't use the seat belt. That epiphany made me start using the seat belt all the time. If I'm in the seat, I have the belt on.

Glad you survived your encounter and shared the experience with us!

 

[Burt]

I was out on the back forty today, half working/half playing around on the B7510. I was moving some brush around with the FEL, and before I knew it, I found myself flying sideways off the seat with a tractor barrel rolling right behind me. THANKFULLY, I was able to get out of the way of the mass of machinery in time. By the time we were able to get it rolled back over, it had run all the engine oil out, but the other fluids seem to be good, and I did have the forethought to get the tractor shut off quickly after I bailed, so I don't believe there's any air in the fuel line. The tumble was of the slow roll variety and the ROPS took the brunt of it, so there also doesn't seem to be any structural or even cosmetic damage, so it could have been a LOT worse.
What gets me, though, is that I KNOW BETTER. Even though I only have a whopping ten hours of seat time, I've spent literally hundreds of hours reading manuals, watching videos, and absorbing everything I can from the collective wisdom of OTT. I KNEW not to be working the loader that high up on that steep of a hill. I KNEW I should've had some counterweight in the back. I KNEW not to be running around in high range, especially after being awake for 30+ hours. But somehow, I thought I KNEW better, and it almost killed me.

So for you other newbies who think the rules, advice, and words of wisdom don't apply to you: STOP. LISTEN. PAY ATTENTION to the warnings. It just might be the difference between life and death...

Zachary,

What color were your pants afterward?

Burt

 

[koja]

I'm glad to hear you're ok . And the tractor too . At least it wasn't preceded by " watch this" .

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I tip my hat to you for admitting that you pushed it too far!
Glad to hear you and any others around you survived the incident without serious injury or worse death.
Like others have said reading and watching is not doing, now that you have done it, don't do it again...EVER!

 

[Hook]

I'm glad you are ok. I remember a thread I posted on this site several years ago about a county extension agent who was killed while rotary mowing. Be safe!

 

[jay87t]

I am always cautious with my loader, I know what kinda of trouble I can get into if its overloaded or up to high. One thing I learned quickly, once I get my material in the bucket, I lower it to the ground and travel with it down.

 

[skeets]

Bulldog you got it right on the money
Very few fatal accidents have been recorded with operators using the seat belts where roll over or back overs are concerned.
Do people get killed and injured while wearing the seat belts, well sure they do. The numbers in comparison to those not wearing them are extremely low, but I guess when your ticket is punched aint nuttin gona save you.
Seems that the first thing all of us want to do is jump out of the way, it's a natural reaction.
However there is almost a 100% chance of being injured or worse when not wearing a seat belt and bailing out if you go over.
I'm glad your here to tell you tail, and affirm that things happen when we least expect them to.
So ends todays gospel according to Saint Skeets,,,,snicker ,,r yeah I ll pay for that one day too,,,lol

 

[Dieselbob]

I am always cautious with my loader, I know what kinda of trouble I can get into if its overloaded or up to high. One thing I learned quickly, once I get my material in the bucket, I lower it to the ground and travel with it down.

I will second that piece of advice. Nothing good ever seems to happen when the bucket is up high. When moving, I carry mine so low sometimes it bottoms out on the ground. At least on a BX, every foot you lift the bucket reduces the tractor's stability exponentially. I have also got into the habit of ALWAYS having my hand on the loader control when the bucket is above carry level, ready to slam it to the ground the second I feel a stability issue.

 

[Mbarrette]

This is why I love this forum. I'm able to learn from the experiences and knowledge of others, and post my oversights as a reminder or caution to others.

Most importantly it's good to hear your OK, tractors are replaceable, people are not

This forum is the best thing since sliced bread.....or tractors, witch ever came first

 

[D2Cat]

A good lesson to review. We all tend to think, "that won't happen to me".

There are 4 steps in the learning process.

1. unconsciously- incompetent: Something is going on and we don't know what it is or how it works. Like when you were 5 years old and riding with you dad in the pickup. You saw him move his feet, you heard the engine change noises, but you were clueless as to what was happening.

2. consciously- incompetent: We now know the feet cause the brake to work to make the truck slow down. We know the clutch is required to shift gears. We can make them work. However, if we were stopped at the top of a hill at a stop sign and a car pulled up behind us we'd be sweating bullets, wondering how to get out of this mess.

3. consciously- competent: Now we know how it works. We have to think about some of the functions, but we're smooth. We still think about it

4. unconsciously- competent: Now we're so good we don't have to think about it, and we know it! We can drive down the road, smoke a cigarette, tune the radio, and talk on the phone at the same time. We just get in and go.

Most accidents, automotive and flight, happen in stages 2 and 4.

If we analyze where we are with our tractor skills we can see where our danger is, and take caution to not get too "competent".

 

[aquaforce]

I was out on the back forty today, half working/half playing around on the B7510. I was moving some brush around with the FEL, and before I knew it, I found myself flying sideways off the seat with a tractor barrel rolling right behind me. STOP. LISTEN. PAY ATTENTION to the warnings. It just might be the difference between life and death...

Welcome to the Orange community.
So glad you lived to tell it and this story was not a headline about the opposite.

My dad experienced the same, "It can't happen to me", because he grew up his whole life on the farm operating machinery of all kinds. He was brush cutting with a bush hog on an incline and the uphill tire hit a small stump that turned the tractor over. He jumped but could not get clear of the mower. The tractor was stopped by hitting a tree or my dad would have been chopped up by the mower.

I am glad for the incidents that teach with out killing for all those who would learn. When I am on my machines I really try to have a healthy respect for safety, the machines abilities and the well being of my skin. These stories are reminders for me and all who will consider their safety.

By the way, my ROPS for my Kubota came in Friday. My L245DT was never made with a ROPS but Kubota retro-engineered ROPS for for all their early products so I ordered it for my machine. This is the first tractor in my entire life with a ROPS and it was not produced with one but Kubota is committed to safety and I am glad of it and got one for my tractor. Hopefully I will be safe and never need it but the time for preparation is now not after a bad incident. I think I will go out and start putting it on now. lol

Thanks for sharing and may we all be aware and safe.
Safe Tractor Operating to All.

 

[ipz2222]

Just admit it, yo're a dumb #$@,,, dang, can't say that, I've turned one over myself. Very scary thing.

 

[freewheel3]

A few years ago, the wife of a friend of mine was using the fel to feed round bales to cattle by herself. The tractor was an open station Case with the type of hydraulic levers that locked into position due to detents in the mechanism. It appears that she was backing up while lifting a bale, probably looking behind her and the bale came over the top, slid down the arms and crushed her to death.
A neighbor found her pinned under the bale with the tractor still in reverse stuck in a mud hole, running, and the fel raised to max. They figure the lever stuck in the detent and raised by itself while she was looking backwards.
Life is short, hug your loved ones every day because it might be their (or yours) last day.

 

[tcrote5516]

I have also got into the habit of ALWAYS having my hand on the loader control when the bucket is above carry level, ready to slam it to the ground the second I feel a stability issue.

I do the same thing! I never take my hand off the stick when I'm carring a full load. I also let the bottom of the bucket skip off the ground here and there to ensure it's as low as possible. Paying attention to the feel of the machine and reacting quickly has saved me from a tip over multiple times.