Turning a tractor over

[GeoHorn]

familiarity breeds contempt

phrase of familiarity

PROVERB
extensive knowledge of or close association with someone or something leads to a loss of respect for them or it.

Phrase has been traced as far back as Publius in Rome

 

[Magicman]

A slope, raised bucket, and a couple hundred pounds of dirt that did not dump. It can happen very quickly.

 

[je1279]

A slope, raised bucket, and a couple hundred pounds of dirt that did not dump. It can happen very quickly.

Glad that you survived to tell the tale. I can only imagine how terrifying that is. Back when I rode motorcycles, there was a saying most were familiar with. Shiny side up and rubber side down.

 

[Old_Paint]

Short answer yes it is easy for a tractor to roll over. That is why they are outfitted with a roll over protection bar and seat belt. Use both. As for spacers and MMM I have both on a B2650. There can be issues with clearance with certain tires on that model, but I think you can find a combination that will work on a 2601. Spacers are a big help but no substitute for careful driving.

UNLESS, for some reason, you have the ROPS put down, then DO NOT put on the seat belt. This is not as uncommon as you think if you have low-hanging limbs etc that you work around. Says so plainly in the OM. You're more likely to be thrown clear of a tractor with no ROPS, or stand a better chance of getting away from it. It's much smarter and safer if you can figure out how to do every job with the ROPS up. But sometimes, you just can't get the tractor where you need it with it up, or you may be protecting some of those expensive light mods you may have done from low-hanging brush or garage door openings.

Whatever the situation that changes operation, ROPS UP, BUCKLE UP. ROPS DOWN, NO BELT. If you're wearing the belt and the tractor rolls with the ROPS down, there's nothing over your head to protect you and you're done for. There's no escaping it. Your instincts will have you leaning and doing whatever you can to prevent the rollover until the last milliseconds when you realize you're not stopping. You won't be thinking about unbuckling the seatbelt for escape.

 

[Old_Paint]

View attachment 52542
A slope, raised bucket, and a couple hundred pounds of dirt that did not dump. It can happen very quickly.

Looks like that wider bucket and FEL boom stopped it before the cab hit the ground. Bet that was a wild ride, and a rough landing. But you got to take a photo. That's the important part. Most pilots say any landing they walk away from is a good landing.

Gonna be nosy, though and ask, how did you stand that back up?

 

[Henro]

UNLESS, for some reason, you have the ROPS put down, then DO NOT put on the seat belt.

EDit: on REread, I see I just confused myself. You were actually speaking correctly, good advice, my bad. my apologies...(red face)

Can you confirm what you are saying here?

The way I read it is that you are giving THE WORST POSSIBLE ADVICE i HAVE READ IN DECADES!

So I ask that you confirm I am misreading your post. I am pretty sure it was a type/unintended error...I am pretty sure you meant "IF" and not "unless" but do not want to put words in your mouth...

 

[Magicman]

Gonna be nosy, though and ask, how did you stand that back up?

Funny you should ask.....

Just hooked it to da wife and up it came.

 

[Magicman]

But now for the hard part. It would not go as it was so we cranked it up long enough to lower the bucket and shoveled the dirt out of the bucket.

John Deere, two blocks, and the cable attached to the chain that went through the tire and around the axle. It rolled back over very gently.

 

[Magicman]

The instructions that came with my (add on) John Deere ROPS seen above said that with the ROPS up the lapbelt is fastened.

If the ROPS is folded down, then the lapbelt is not fastened.

 

[Magicman]

Looks like that wider bucket and FEL boom stopped it before the cab hit the ground.

The tires, bucket, and my head were the only things that hit the ground.

 

[asgard]

I have always found my B2301 very stable. I have a MMM, no loader or loaded tires nor spacers. I do have turf tires and I feel for my work type they offer the best solution.
I would say practice and get comfortable but not complacent and make you the safety limit even if it is less than the tractors.
It is better to run out of talent before brakes.

 

[Raymo853]

. IMO tractor dealerships should have a tractor on its side and allow you to strap in and feel what it's like to be laying on your side.

This sounds like a great idea for Neil Messick to have a tutorial on the best current advice and a few guys trying out a tipped over tractor

 

[pokey1416]

We have drunk driving glasses why can’t we have a tipping tractor? Travels to Kubota dealerships, during open house customers get to strap in and actually tip over on their side. Like our transmission the operator of the interactive exhibit can select L-M-H.

 

[old and tired]

It could be "...like a ride at the fair..."*

.

* = Famous quote in the newspaper around here after a tornado hit; from 2 people that were sucked out of their bedroom and rode their mattress into some nearby tree branches. They were not injured.

 

[Lil Foot]

I haven't come close to turning mine over, (knock on wood ) but I have had a couple occasions that raised the pucker quotient a little. Both were on a slope that I was headed up, not quite 90 degrees to the slope. One incident was caused by a rear wheel dropping into an unseen gopher hole complex; the ground collapsed & tilted the tractor, just enough to be scary, easily backed out of it. The other was just the opposite- drove a rear wheel over a tuft of grass about 12"-14" tall, which turned out to be hard packed
outcropping of dirt, that lifted that side about the same amount as dropping into the gopher hole. Easily recoverable, but still scary. I guess it speaks to the advantages of doing such things slowly.

 

[freewheel3]

Fear can be a good thing at times. We become accustomed to things and push the boundaries too far, which inevitably gets us in trouble. And sometimes, the unpredictable happens.

SidecarFlips's post somewhat reminded me of my experience a couple years back. I have property that has an old septic tank on it from an old mobile home. I was cutting the field with my Deere 2030 and made some long turns, only to realize later I was running over the septic tank lid on those end row turns. In my hurry to finish, I had completely forgot about the tank. I can't imagine all the scenarios had the lid collapsed. I'm gonna fill it in when I get the chance come spring.

I had a sort of related experience.
I was pushing snow with the bucket over a slight slope at a bit of an angle. I pushed the fresh snow into a previous snowpile that was frozen, and the left corner of the bucket was under the frozen pile when I went to raise the bucket. Before I knew it, the right rear tire was a foot in the air. Yup, instant pucker.

I learned my physics lessons about slopes, angles and gravity real quick right there.

 

[Tire Biter]

A 2601 with a loader can be tipped pretty quick with a full bucket held even a few feet off the ground. I know.
I get mine on a 45 deg angle with a mid mower without any trouble. No loader mounted. The mower kinda acts like an outrigger at times...although I wouldn’t recommend anybody do what I do in that regard.

 

[NCL4701]

I haven't come close to turning mine over, (knock on wood ) but I have had a couple occasions that raised the pucker quotient a little. Both were on a slope that I was headed up, not quite 90 degrees to the slope. One incident was caused by a rear wheel dropping into an unseen gopher hole complex; the ground collapsed & tilted the tractor, just enough to be scary, easily backed out of it. The other was just the opposite- drove a rear wheel over a tuft of grass about 12"-14" tall, which turned out to be hard packed
outcropping of dirt, that lifted that side about the same amount as dropping into the gopher hole. Easily recoverable, but still scary. I guess it speaks to the advantages of doing such things slowly.

That last sentence about going slowly...

Long ago lost count of how many times going slowly in a situation that was a little dicey has saved my butt. Get into it a bit, realize a wheel is lifting, things are getting tippy, front end is trying to flip over backward, and just stop. Maybe even take a second or two to think before next move, and back out of it. Speed really does cause problems at times.

 

[johnjk]

My property is relatively flat except for the ditches out front. I can’t hit them straight up so I go across them. Pucker on my B3200 was pretty tight. Loaded ag tires, wheel spacers , ROPs up and belted in. County mows it once a year if lucky. I now do it with the B1700 and the MMM. Loaded turf tires and lower center of gravity makes it much less of a pucker. I learned if it don’t feel right in the seat of your pants, don’t do it. That’s what a string trimmer is for.

 

[Oliver]

Looks like another accident waiting to happen.

View attachment 52552
John Deere, two blocks, and the cable attached to the chain that went through the tire and around the axle. It rolled back over very gently.