Don't pinch your foot taking off a QA attachment !!

[rbargeron]

I was taking my pallet forks off the L48 so I put the loader in "float" and went around to open the QA levers. The loader floated down - and caught my shoe! It was pressing hard enough I was stuck - couldn't pull my foot out and couldn't reach the loader lever. Luckily my wife heard me hollering and she came and pulled down on the lever, freeing me from my stupid mistake. Turns out Niel at Messick's has done a video on exactly this - well worth watching . The foot hurt for a few days - but is ok now. Dick B

 

[85Hokie]

good advice ............ my first thought when reading was to take the foot out the boot !!!! Glad your wife was near by.

 

[bmblank]

It's never occurred to me to put the loader in float. Normally I unlock the levers the last time I was off the tractor and then just pull wherever I'm putting the bucket (or whatever) and drop it off. Then I go and pick up whatever is next and move on. Usually I have to get off the tractor for some reason before using it, so that's when I lock the levers again.
Definitely something to keep in mind, though. Same goes for 3pt implements. Some move when unhooked from the tractor.

 

[FTG-05]

It's never occurred to me to put the loader in float. Normally I unlock the levers the last time I was off the tractor and then just pull wherever I'm putting the bucket (or whatever) and drop it off. Then I go and pick up whatever is next and move on. Usually I have to get off the tractor for some reason before using it, so that's when I lock the levers again.
Definitely something to keep in mind, though. Same goes for 3pt implements. Some move when unhooked from the tractor.

This is what I do. It only takes one toe hit to learn the lesson the hard way.

 

[UpNorthMI]

Thank you for sharing, we all continue to learn possible risks. I normally undo the levers then get back on the tractor to use the loader to drop off the grapple / forks / bucket.

I try to keep my cell phone always in my pocket when using equipment rather than in a cup holder or phone mount, just in case I ever needed to call for help.

When I purchased a track loader I made sure to get powered quick attach, what a luxury but also a safety feature as the attachments are typically a lot heavier.

Stay safe.

 

[Pawnee]

That's a safety issue I have never considered.
I flip the levers at a convenient height and the bucket is always hanging.

Glad i watched the video.

 

[D2Cat]

DickB, I probably wouldn't know which direction to tell wife to move the lever!!!

 

[fried1765]

DickB, I probably wouldn't know which direction to tell wife to move the lever!!!

If like mine, I would tell her left...and she would move the lever right!
....her other left!

 

[Flintknapper]

My Wife would probably have come out there when beckoned...but no guarantee She would have released me.

More likely would have seen it as an opportunity to negotiate something first (new car, remodel kitchen, etc).

But we've been married almost 40 yrs now so I am extra careful what I do.

 

[fried1765]

I was taking my pallet forks off the L48 so I put the loader in "float" and went around to open the QA levers. The loader floated down - and caught my shoe! It was pressing hard enough I was stuck - couldn't pull my foot out and couldn't reach the loader lever. Luckily my wife heard me hollering and she came and pulled down on the lever, freeing me from my stupid mistake. Turns out Niel at Messick's has done a video on exactly this - well worth watching . The foot hurt for a few days - but is ok now. Dick B

I never need to leave the seat to open or close the locks.
It is done hydraulically.
I love it!

 

[dirtydeed]

Just saw the video last night. The same thing happened to me a few years ago. I was stuck, could not move. Fortunately my mother was right there and I carefully instructed her on how to raise the loader. Tractor was running.

My foot ached, but nothing was broken thanks to wearing leather work boots at the time.

 

[NCL4701]

Did that once. Was glad I was wearing steel toed boots. Had to unlace my boot, remove my foot, release the boot, and put it back on. I’m usually careful about where my feet are but one lapse can cause major consequences.

 

[DustyRusty]

Never trust anyone to operate the loader when you are in that position. Have them call 911 and the responding fire department will know how to do it without killing you. I am serious when I say that because I have seen what happens when someone thinks that they can assist you to get loose, only to cause additional harm and injury. I had a car fall on me, and the people in the shop wanted to jack the car up to get me out. I told them to call the fire department, who responded with the proper equipment to get me out without the car slipping off a jack. They put big airbags under the car and lifted it up and then pulled me out. If the people in the shop used a jack and the car slipped, I would have been crushed, instead of just being pinned under it. The car was on jack stands with the engine out, and I was guiding the tail shaft of the transmission into place when one of the jack stands slipped because there was a weak spot in the concrete and it broke allowing the jack stand to fall to one side.

 

[rbargeron]

When my wife came outside to see why I was hollering, she didn't realize I was pinned. I had already pushed a 3' piece of 4x6 from the end trying to make the other end start along the loader lever - but it wasn't long enough or heavy enough to do the job. I told her to lift the wood piece off the lever and then pull the lever DOWN. She moved the wood piece, cupped her hands over the lever and moved it down perfectly. By that time I couldn't feel my foot very well so didn't know it was in pain until later. Lesson learned. But now I'm crowding 78, what I need more of is lesson remembered !

 

[mikester]

I've done that exactly once. The loader wasn't in float though, only put the bucket down. Boom dropped as soon as I un-latched the SSQA.

I now look to keep my feet from under anything and try to wear steel toe boots when working with equipment. Boots with metatarsal protection is the way to go if you've ever dropped something on your foot - steel toes only protect part of your foot.

 

[Kamado]

Why in float ?

curl back and give the stick a snap to settle the attachment. Keep curled back some and lower to just about touching the ground and undo locks. (I usually stand on, not feet under, the attachment.) Get back onto the seat and dump/lower and back out.

drive in, hook, and curl back and same quick snap to settle the attachment in. Keep low and lock.

i cant see where float would be necessary. Seems like a disaster in the making. Unless i have been doing this wrong for a few decades… perhaps there is a vid out there to show me why/how ?

 

[Orange L4310]

Keep curled back some and lower to just touching the ground and undo locks.

Just touching ground is hard to judge. Is loader holding implement or the ground? If it’s the ground, the loader arms can fall when you release the pins.
Curl back and have loader support implement, this way nothing moves when you flip the levers.

 

[jimh406]

I don't put my feet under the loader/bucket/implements, so it wouldn't really matter if I was in float or not. But, glad your foot is ok.

Also, it must be common enough for Messicks to do a video.

 

[Kamado]

Just touching ground is hard to judge. Is loader holding implement or the ground? If it’s the ground, the loader arms can fall when you release the pins.
Curl back and have loader support implement, this way nothing moves when you flip the levers.

I reread and see my statement is hard to conceive. I have edited my previous post.

i should have said to lower bucket/attacment to the ground, then pick up a smidge so it is not touching, but just inch or two off the ground.

this is for the reason you have stated to allow the loader to hold the bucket/attachment.

 

[lugbolt]

also don't stick fingers into a pin hole when trying to line them up. Coworker is now called Mr. 9 1/2 for that reason. Lopped half of it off in a split second.