Close call

[boondocks]

Hubs was feeding a round baleage bale this afternoon to tide over the piggies (ie, cows) until we can move them. Just as he lifted the bale up with the bale grabber, he hit a rock we'd never noticed before (on a slight slope), and the left rear tire on the tractor came up off the ground a good bit and hovered in midair. I was standing behind and yelled but could do nothing. As he dropped the bale the wheel came back down.

Survey:
Was it scarier to be the one it was happening to, or the one watching from behind?

Follow-up: Has this happened to you? We both try to be safety-conscious. (I won't allow a tractor on our farm that doesn't have ROPs, and if I catch anyone w/o a seatbelt on there's h3ll to pay. A friend's dad died in a rollover).

I guess what shook me up was how sudden it was--not even on a big hill--just a tiny incline+weird angular rock sticking up+heavy bale lifted high. FWIW, tires are loaded but he didn't have the counterweight bucket attached at the rear, as he was in-between hauling loaded baleage wagons, the bucket was at the other end of the farm, and he didn't think it was a particularly dicey operation (neither did I). Also: the bale grabber is new this summer and heavier than the spear we used to use--maybe contributed?
What worries me is taking precautions and still.....

 

[bball]

Hubs was feeding a round baleage bale this afternoon to tide over the piggies (ie, cows) until we can move them. Just as he lifted the bale up with the bale grabber, he hit a rock we'd never noticed before (on a slight slope), and the left rear tire on the tractor came up off the ground a good bit and hovered in midair. I was standing behind and yelled but could do nothing. As he dropped the bale the wheel came back down.

Survey:
Was it scarier to be the one it was happening to, or the one watching from behind?

Follow-up: Has this happened to you? We both try to be safety-conscious. (I won't allow a tractor on our farm that doesn't have ROPs, and if I catch anyone w/o a seatbelt on there's h3ll to pay. A friend's dad died in a rollover).

I guess what shook me up was how sudden it was--not even on a big hill--just a tiny incline+weird angular rock sticking up+heavy bale lifted high. FWIW, tires are loaded but he didn't have the counterweight bucket attached at the rear, as he was in-between hauling loaded baleage wagons, the bucket was at the other end of the farm, and he didn't think it was a particularly dicey operation (neither did I). Also: the bale grabber is new this summer and heavier than the spear we used to use--maybe contributed?
What worries me is taking precautions and still.....

This is exactly when the oddball crap happens. Probably could do it 100 times with a counterweight and never hit that rock, but don't attach something to the rear and you'll find it every time. Those baleage rounds can get quite heavy as you already know. Just glad nothing awful happened.

And as sickening as it was for you to observe, I betcha his pucker factor was awful high(speaking from experience). Never comfortable when tractor tires come off the ground.

 

[wbvs58]

Glad it was all good in the end but certainly a reality check for you and us to hear about it.

Ken

 

[True Grit Farms]

I'm not a seat belt believer but do have ROP on our two open station tractors. Stuff happens very quickly, and a woman hollering just adds to the confusion. I hear it all the time.

 

[sstterry]

I'm not a seat belt believer but do have ROP on our two open station tractors. Stuff happens very quickly, and a woman hollering just adds to the confusion. I hear it all the time.

A seat belt is important on open station tractor. Otherwise, you are asking to be thrown under the ROPS when it rolls. A cab tractor is a different situation. I flipped and old Ford Jubilee when I was in High School. It is by the grace of God that I survived. My dad built a ROPS for that tractor after that.

 

[Supa Dexta]

I have one loader tractor that even with the rear tires loaded it likes to dance around on 2 or 3 wheels at times (90hp landini). I'm used to it, but it's a bit of a pain having to drop the bale in a hurry sometimes. Stupid thing also with that tractor is I think the float is plumbed wrong and you need to pull the lever all the way back, instead of pushing it ahead. Which is also dangerous when loading something tricky and if you panic and go to lift the loader quickly, it drops further.

 

[TCRanch]

Hubs was feeding a round baleage bale this afternoon to tide over the piggies (ie, cows) until we can move them. Just as he lifted the bale up with the bale grabber, he hit a rock we'd never noticed before (on a slight slope), and the left rear tire on the tractor came up off the ground a good bit and hovered in midair. I was standing behind and yelled but could do nothing. As he dropped the bale the wheel came back down.

Survey:
Was it scarier to be the one it was happening to, or the one watching from behind?

Follow-up: Has this happened to you? We both try to be safety-conscious. (I won't allow a tractor on our farm that doesn't have ROPs, and if I catch anyone w/o a seatbelt on there's h3ll to pay. A friend's dad died in a rollover).

I guess what shook me up was how sudden it was--not even on a big hill--just a tiny incline+weird angular rock sticking up+heavy bale lifted high. FWIW, tires are loaded but he didn't have the counterweight bucket attached at the rear, as he was in-between hauling loaded baleage wagons, the bucket was at the other end of the farm, and he didn't think it was a particularly dicey operation (neither did I). Also: the bale grabber is new this summer and heavier than the spear we used to use--maybe contributed?
What worries me is taking precautions and still.....

Equal; it's just as scary for both parties involved. One time my husband went into the pasture to Fly Ban one of our bulls with an attitude, I was on the other side of the fence. The bull charged my husband. There was nowhere for him to go & nothing I could do but scream. Just in the nick of time, hubby sprayed the bull in the eyes with the Fly Ban, which amazingly stopped the bull dead in his tracks, giving hubby enough time to escape. My totally helpless, horrified feeling couldn't have been any more traumatic than his shock, fear & fight/flight instinct. And there have been tractor & track loader incidents where I'm the observer, he's the operator and we've both had the bejesus scared outta us.

 

[ez14.]

Yeah happens to me sometimes when I'm lifting two bales at once. I've come a lot closer to rolling tractors doing other things though

 

[Bright Raven]

One time my husband went into the pasture to Fly Ban one of our bulls with an attitude, I was on the other side of the fence. The bull charged my husband.

Good lesson here. Your husband should not work cattle when he has an "attitude". Always work cattle when you are in a good frame of mind. A bull can always detect a bad "attitude".

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Don't lift the bale as high, or better yet get a set of forks for the back, and don't use the loader.

 

[NonTypicalCPA]

Carry your load low and move slow - two good tractor rules. I've had a couple close calls as well doing loader work on uneven ground.

 

[callmefence]

If getting a corner off the ground qualifys as a close call we're living on the edge out here.

 

[M-5]

If getting a corner off the ground qualifys as a close call we're living on the edge out here.

LOL , I guess running a chainsaw standing on the forks while back tire spins in the air would be more than most could take around on here.

 

[Lazy M]

One time my husband went into the pasture to Fly Ban one of our bulls with an attitude, I was on the other side of the fence. The bull charged my husband.

Good lesson here. Your husband should not work cattle when he has an "attitude". Always work cattle when you are in a good frame of mind. A bull can always detect a bad "attitude".

Think she was referring to the bull not the husband.. :cboy:

 

[TCRanch]

One time my husband went into the pasture to Fly Ban one of our bulls with an attitude, I was on the other side of the fence. The bull charged my husband.

Good lesson here. Your husband should not work cattle when he has an "attitude". Always work cattle when you are in a good frame of mind. A bull can always detect a bad "attitude".

Think she was referring to the bull not the husband.. :cboy:

Yes! And subsequently gave him the boot. The bull, not my husband. ;-)

 

[ez14.]

If getting a corner off the ground qualifys as a close call we're living on the edge out here.

:nod:

 

[ez14.]

If getting a corner off the ground qualifys as a close call we're living on the edge out here.

LOL , I guess running a chainsaw standing on the forks while back tire spins in the air would be more than most could take around on here.

Been there done that. Keeps things interesting

 

[callmefence]

If getting a corner off the ground qualifys as a close call we're living on the edge out here.

LOL , I guess running a chainsaw standing on the forks while back tire spins in the air would be more than most could take around on here.

Been there done that. Keeps things interesting

I don't see anything wrong with that as long as you wear hearing protection.........saftey first. :nod:

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Farming...things can go from well, to he!!..in a blink..

 

[5S Cattle]

What are rops?