Don't Let Tractor Rollover Ruin Your Day 10 Ways to Keep You Safe
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- Most of us who run small tractors have to deal with hills. The farmers are keeping the rich flat ground, those of us who "homestead" in the country get the hilly ground. Slopes and tractors don't go well together.
If you just bought your first tractor, or if you grew up farming, you can never be too careful when operating on slopes. Today I give you ten ways to avoid a rollover, or at least keep turning your tractor over from ruining your day.
The first four things revolve around how to prevent a rollover before you even go to the field, and the top one of all is to have a tractor that is properly ballasted. Ballast can come in the form of a non-corrosive fluid in the tires, or weights added somewhere on the tractor. I like tire fluid as the first option, and if that's not enough, hang some weights on the tires, or on the front of the tractor. You want about a 50/50 front to back weight distribution and as much weight low to the ground as you can get.
The second way to prevent rollover is to widen your tires and wheels. On many tractors, you have an offset solid rim dish and you can widen the footprint by swapping sides with the tires. Others have a rim that's bolted to the center section and you have multiple options for tread width. Consult your owner's manual for your options.
Number three on the list is proper maintenance. Make sure the brakes work, the 4wd engages (if equipped), and especially make sure that the tires have adequate tread.
The fourth thing you can do will help insure you survive a rollover. Anytime you're running the tractor, make sure your seat belt is fastened and your roll bar is in the upright position. If you'll do those two things, your chances of surviving when the tractor turns over are better than 99%. Those odds go way down without those two safety devices.
The remaining precautions concern how you operate your tractor. Number five, is go slow on slopes. One of the biggest contributors to tractor rollover is speed, so take it easy when you're on hills.
Number six is to know your terrain. Drop a tractor tire in a hill, or run over a big rock on a slope and you can tip over. Try to fill in big holes and remove all obstructions in your fields.
Seven is to always keep your load low. When operating a front end loader, the position of the weight in the bucket can drastically alter your center of gravity. The lower the load, the greater the stability on hills.
The eighth thing you can do to prevent rollovers is to back up and down hills versus trying to drive across them. If you're brush hogging, it takes longer to finish when backing up and down, but it can be a lot safer.
Number nine is to take care of yourself. Fatigue, distraction and impairment are huge contributors to farm accidents. Many of us have jobs in town and when we get out to the property to work, we may be tired, and/or thinking about the day. Combine that with a couple of beers and you have a recipe for disaster.
Finally, weather conditions can greatly contribute to rollovers. Try not to get the tractor out when it's wet or really windy. If you're feeding round bales in the winter you may have no choice, but if you're brush hogging, that's not a job that has to be done, and is not worth the risk of an accident to get done. Be especially careful about driving across newly-mowed wet grass. That can let the tractor get into an uncontrollable slide quicker than anything.
I don't want to scare anyone away from using their tractors, but if you have a healthy respect for the dangers of slopes, and take these precautions, you'll avoid tipping the tractor over. Stay safe my friends!
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Most important lessen Mike you have ever given I know from experience. I am lucky to be here writing this as a victim of a runaway flip over of a tractor. You mention distraction and that is the most key thing. Your on a tractor with attention on the work your doing whether it's a loader or other emplement your using. Your paying attention to that and lose you attention on where your at or what conditions your tractor might be on till its too late. That was my Case, attention was on loading a log with the loader and did notice I was sitting on some brush that cover a bunch of soft wet red clay mud. All of a sudden the tires balled up with red clay and lost all traction. Doesn't take a steep hill for a tractor to get away from you when you lose all traction. So it's way to easy to get distracted paying attention to the work your doing and not enough on the situation you may be putting your machine in. I am disabled because that happend to me.
Appreciate you sharing your wisdom
I echo that, thank you for sharing!
Thanks Mike! Great points. When I was first time tractor owner, I asked the salesperson for advice on my new Kubota BX. I was told "you'll figure it out". Subsequently, I almost rolled my tractor carrying a large load of brush down a slope. I had no idea about ballast and luckily, I had my hand on the loader controls and dropped the load just in time. Dealers should ALWAYS go over basics and safety with new owners.
It should be mandatory for a new inexperienced tractor owner to have a filled rear ballast box go with the tractor sale. I could have been in serious trouble as a new tractor owner a few years ago if my Dealer didn't do that.
Here's a question I've had for a while. I see tractors with all sorts of stuff hung off the ROPS bar, including tool baskets. Call me conservative, but I don't want a bunch of loose and/or pointy things around my head. If the tractor rolls, I really don't want to get killed by having an overly long U bolt from some ROPS accessory punching through my skull or a 5lb mini-sledge falling out of the tool basket.
Valid concerns
Great comment
certainly something to consider
Thank you
Boy, Mike, you picked a great topic with this one. Here in the "hills of Tennessee" we have lots of this type of terrain and while I have been very fortunate to not roll one, I have come waaaaay to close on a few occasions and I will admit to being "older, wiser and more scared" than in the past. Thanks again.
Thanks Mike and much of what you said about tractor safety also applies to zero-turn mowers, especially when mowing on a hillside....Mow up and down on a hill side, yes. But I learned on a pool bank, that I could only mow downward safely... Mowing upward tends to throw the operator rearward and pulling back on the operating handles may actually cause the front of the mower to lift and the operator lose control.... it happened to me once and thankfully I was able to quickly neutralize the control handles and prevent a rear summersault. Thanks again for a good video.
Thanks Mike. I'm guilty of using my subcompact with the roll bar folded down. No more, you kinda scared me straight. Great video
Retired deputy sheriff here, and one call I handled was a farmer who was mowing a field that had trees around the perimeter. He hooked a large branch with his ROPS and the forward motion of the tractor dragged the branch forward and pinned him to the steering wheel of the tractor. It had to have happened fast, as the farmer had no time to do anything, and he died of compression asphyxia. He was found hours later by his wife. This is a fantastic video and Mike is right, these tips will save your life. Thanks Mike.
That's tragic. I hear stories like that all of the time from rural fire departments and other first responders. That's a big part of why I do this, none of us wants to end that way. Thanks for sharing.
Terrific video, Mike. I can’t endorse all of these points strongly enough. One other thing that I’ve found helpful is to cruise the land beforehand either on foot or with something like an ATV. This examination helps me determine if it’s safe to venture out with the tractor and if foreign objects are in the field that weren’t there the last time I was out. It’s an essential first step if you’re going to do work on a neighbor’s property.
Thanks. Always good to have these reminders. Been driving tractors all my life and have had my share of close calls; most when I was going to fast and in too big a hurry. Just not worth it…
Thank you Mike for all you do!
Excellent video. Many operators will tell you “ I don’t wear a seatbelt, I’ll just jump free in the event of a roll over”. I asked several operators that rolled tractors what they did when it started to roll, each one told me they froze and just held on. When you need a seatbelt it’s too late to put it on!
Excellent advice! Thank you, Mike!
Thanks for the refresher Mike
Great advice Mike.
Great advice thanks Mike
Another great video, Mike! Thank you for posting.
Thank you for the reminders, Mike. Never stop preaching safety.
Thanks, I'm in mountains on sidehills you info is great reminder to me.
All ten are great advice. Thank you for all you do to help all of us with anything related to tractors.
Good information Mike!
Safety cannot be stressed enough!!!
Much appreciated, Mike -- getting my first tractor delivered next month, and we certainly have some hilly property!
Good tractor safety tips Mike. Have a good weekend!
Great refresher video for even experienced operators ...Thanks Mike !
Great job Mike. Very informative video. Thanks so much for reminding us of safety first and the dangers that are out there.
Thank you for the video
Smart wisdom...stay safe and survive.
Great tips! Thanks for sharing
Replacing tires today will always be cheaper than after an incident!
Thank you for your advice and for bringing up realistic concerns 😃
Great video Mike!
Mike, those tips were spot on. It's ALWAYS a good idea to reinforce safety. Sometimes we get too comfortable with the task and lose focus on the safety aspects. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mike! I am very grateful you share your knowledge here. I inherited a tractor, with no knowledge passed along. Your videos have kept me safe and helped me take better care of it.
Great video Mike. When I mowed ROW for the state we really pushed slope mowing to the limit. I got by with doing stupid things in the day when I was young that I definitely wouldn’t do now.
Excellent advice, thanks for the video.
Mike you also helped me to prevent from doing something stupid safety related. Thank you!
Thank you Mike for all of your great videos, great reminder. I live on a hillside and came close to rolling an old (1946) McCormick Deering Farmall Cub when I hit one of the steering brakes and it locked and the tractor took off, didn't roll but it was pretty scary. Now I have a newer machine with loaded tires, wheel weights and usually carry something heavy (box blade now) on the 3 point.
good video, learned a few things i didnt know and all made perfect sense, thank you....
An extension on keep your bucket low. If you’re headed down hill with a loaded bucket, and the rear end floats and things start going crazy, set the FEL down. If you set it down, and you’re still sliding dump the bucket and dig in your front edge. And, it works if you overload your forks without the ballast on the back too.
Very good pointers there Mike. I just 10 months ago moved from flat Florida to hilly Missouri and my property here is either I'm going up or down now, and that makes for a different environment. My front 2 tires are brand new before moving because they were dry rotted. A few places I've driven on gets me thinking seriously about doing it differently than Florida terrain which didn't have any.
Thank you, Mike, life saving measures cannot get to educated on. Great video!
Thanks Mike!!!
Fantastic video. Thank you! A must see for new and experienced owners. This was a great reminder.
Thank you Mile. Your safety videos have helped me change a couple bad habits that have made my tractor time much safer, and much more enjoyable.
I hit the support cable of a telephone pole with my roll bar cutting grass with my belly mower and it took the front wheels off the ground. Glad I was going slow and was able to recover. I was in a hurry and that scare taught me to go slow with everything. Great VLOGS Mike!
Excellent advice!
Great video thanks. Much needed info for people that don't put 2 and 2 togther!
Thanks Mike for the safety warnings. Even the most experienced tractor driver needs to be reminded every year at the start of the season. Be patient Mike I know you'll make that magic number.
Have a good day Mike
Like your tips. I have been on tractors sense I could reach the pedals. A good review can still save lives. Been close to flipping over. Trying to hard of a pull.
Great information thanks
Very good points Mike , I’ve been taken your advice for long time now.my land is so what like what you have rolling hills . 15yr. On tractor now with no accidents. Thinks for all your video.
Excellent ADVICE!!!
There is a old saying HASTE MAKES WASTE!!! I'm fortunate that in thirty + years of farming to be accident free!!!
Thanks for all you wisdom, expertise and experience. You’ve definitely helped me over the years. God Bless you brother.
Mike this is a good video. Good info, even for this 70 yr old man that has worked with tractors since I was 12 years old.
Thank you Mike, hopefully the information you providing. It may save injury or loss of a loved one. We are getting ready for warmer weather and more outdoor activity
Thank you very much Sir.
Always great advice Mike, Thanks!😁👨🚒
Thankyou Mike for doing this video. Adding proper ballast to my tractor has been on my to do list for a while. I have been putting it off unsure whether I should spend the money or not. Unfortunately I farm hilly ground much like your area of the country.
I’ll be calling the local tire shop and getting them to add liquid ballast to my tires. We are given one life to live and spending money on ballast for my tractor will be the smartest thing I think I can do. Thanks again for the video.
Hi Mike,
In the beginning, I did almost rollover because I didn't have it loaded enough on the back. I am also living on a slightly slope. Good remark about driving up and down instead of along the slope. I had the feeling that was better but it is good to hear it as well. Also I had the feeling it is better to drive backward down.
Finally, I have some spacers installed. that really makes a big difference.
Peter
Great video Mike! Can’t over emphasize 4 wheel drive to assist braking down a hill!
Excellent information. Thank you.
Great video!
Thanks for the reminders. Keeping everything secured just as someone mentioned earlier is paramount to keeping severe injuries at a minimum. Don't forget to check rops condition daily. An easily accessible list will help with that. Put it in a heavy duty zip lock bag and tape it down or zip tie it. Thanks again for sharing sir.
Great tips. Be careful out there
Very informative as usual. My tractor does not have a ROPS so I am extra careful in all conditions. Fortunately my property is mostly level but it always pays to be vigilant.
Having grown up driving an Allis Chalmers forklift I learned the do's and don'ts painfully quick, and everything you mentioned is real and true! Look where your goin and keep it slow. It's not always the machine's limitations that get exposed, the operator has the ultimate responsibility. Cheers. T Mike.
Thank you for this video Mike - I’m used to using an NX series Kioti, and now I have a dinky Kioti. I’ve never been more terrified in my life on these Tn hills! I didn’t know you could make the rear tires wider, I’m going to have them do that when they put ballast in. I nearly rolled mine on a small hill in our pasture while picking up 2 fence posts with my grapple… I’m finding this small tractors is a lot more dangerous than the big one.
Thank you very much for this video. When I took my pilot training, a wise instructor told me to learn from the mistakes of others, because in flying you won't live to learn from your own mistakes. This video helped me keep the potential dangers top of mind. I've watched your video on ballast, and am surprised that some dealers don't tell new tractor owners that they have to fill their tires. I watched your video on tire ballast just a few weeks before delivery of my first tractor, just over a year ago, and I immediately called my dealer and asked them to fill my tires. Especially for first time tractor owners, we assume the same standards for safety that we sometimes take for granted in our cars and trucks are applied to all vehicles, tractors included. While I know now that tractors are used in ways that are not envisioned for the cars and trucks driven on engineered roads, I really appreciate your videos that teach that these powerful machines can transform our environments for the better, but also can cause harm in the hands of the unwary. Thank you very much.
excellent...i do pay attention to my pucker factor when I am using my tractor and if I don't feel comfortable I change how I am doing things.
Thanks Mike for a great safety video. I’ve encountered at least six situations you mentioned and learned from them. Go slow, go low with a load, use your 4WD, up and down hills, watch out for your rop, and stay off your tractor if your impaired.
Mike… I just wanted to say … Thank you.
I’ve just found (and Subscribed to) your channel and watching your videos as a newbie to tractor operation, I’m learning lots and it’s helping me immensely. 👍
Awesome, thank you!
Hi Mike! Another great video! As you know, I have an old 8n. But I don't remember if I ever told you, but it has a ROPS. A real, manufactured and certified one! I'll send you a picture when I get a chance. Hope you and your family are doing well.
Thanks Mike, from a guy that has hilly land.
Good advice
Great video. Thanks for keeping tractor safety on our minds. BTW not sure if you heard Good Works Tractors recently bought RhinoHide.
Yes, I knew that. We're working with them now. Nice folks!
One thing about roll overs with roll bars, yes they'll probably save your life, but I can attest that human reaction is to reach out an arm and try to stop yourself when you're about to hit the ground. I would add to any "use your roll bar and seatbelt" advice by adding, "keep your hands on the wheel no matter what". It might save you a broken arm.
I added beet juice ballast to my tractor rear tires based on your recommendation, it's made a huge difference in stability.
Mike, thanks for this comprehensive safety video! Speaking of tires - have you come across any good information on the average lifetime of tires, in terms of hours / years?
Good advice. I'd like to invite to you Jackson County, WV and see the hills on our property. My dad does tractor ninja tricks every year when brush hogging.
Great video as always. I don't know about everyone else, but my job is a fast pace and stressful during the day. When I get home in the afternoon, my tractor and gardening is a stress relief therapy method. I want to slow it down alot mentally. I use that time to go slow and enjoy the afternoon on my tractor. If I don't finish a task, no problem continue it the next day or day after until its finished. Enjoy the time on the tractor safely and focus. There are too many distractions in everyone's daily lives and world events. Another huge safety mistake is having a child or adult riding on the tractor with you and sitting on the fender or hood. I know several people where I live who have lost love ones due to this. It's a terrible thing if something happens and your child or grandchild falls off.
A second safety thing I would like to mention is PTO safety. Always, Always make sure there is never anyone around you when operating the pto and it is engaged. Always cut the pto off if you get off the tractor. Never leave it on when getting off the tractor to do something and leave it unattended. A love one young and old could simply get hurt. I want go into details but this happened in my wife's family with one of her sisters..
God Bless and everyone have a wonderful Easter with family and friends.
Hey Mike! Go Chiefs!!
Another danger that doesn't just apply to tractors and equipment is complacency. You might have done the same task hundreds of times but it only takes that one time to make it a disaster.
One general safety point I would make is over-familiararity makes you complaceint and de-sensitizes you to risky behaviour. This can be the reason why even experienced folk have accidents.
Lugnuts tight,almost had a front tire come off a subcompact after a day's hard use. Now their all torqued and paint stick marked so I can tell just looking nothing moved.
You can't emphasize safety enough since work season is upon us. I think the most important part was the fatigued/distracted/impaired part of the video. Almost every farm/equipment accident I've seen in my 65 years was caused by one of those three things. Most of the folks watching these seem to be people like me who are a little older so speed is our enemy. I'm a whole different operator now than when I was in my teens and twenties with my current eyes, ears, reflexes and strength so I've slowed down a lot.
My uncle had a roll over of a ramp in a factory. He was driving a big Cat the toppled completely over at the ramps height. The Cat landed up side down and for sure the follow workers were expecting the worst. As a tough old Swede he was heard cursing as he dragged himself from out of the space where you put your legs in the Cat. He was swearing that he bit the end of his pipe clean off from the accident and roll over.
Thanks Mike ! As a first time tractor owner I really enjoy your videos. Do you have any videos on adjusting a slip clutch? I have one on my stump grinder pto shaft and it will stall the tractor not slip. It is a new machine so it isn't rusted together. How do you know how much tension to put on the springs
Mitchell, it's a little old, and it's on a rotary cutter, but here is a video on adjusting a slip clutch: czcams.com/video/eVRr9eechLI/video.html. Hope that helps!
@@TractorMike Thank you ! 🇨🇦
Mike, Great video. If you were to rollover, what do you do? I haven’t and don’t want to but came close a few times. Then how do you up right the tractor?
First, turn off the engine immediately. Engines don't last long running upside down. I've fortunately never had to upright a tractor, so I can't tell you from personal experience what that process would look like, but I envision it being an ordeal. If it was still on a slope it would be possible to roll it over, then have it continue on down the hill and do more damage. You'd need another tractor with a loader or a skid loader to lift it, and I'd want to gently tip it over while having a chain or big strap on it to keep it from continuing after it went over the tipping point. I'd want to be doing it with someone who was as cautious as I am and very aware of the danger involved.
I'm retired and new to tractoring, about 240 hours under my belt, so "green horn" to the max. Thanks for this video. I wonder about the air pressure of tires. I probably should check that a lot more, but not even sure if I have something that can inflate a tractor tire to the proper PSI. Thoughts?
Oh, and I meant to say, Go Chiefs! 🙂
A decent portable air compressor has enough guts to blow up a tractor tire. If you don't have one of those, you'll need to get one. Keep the back tires at 15-20 and the front tires at whatever the manufacturer recommends. Good luck!
Great reminders. It is interesting how uncommon common sense is.
So that must be what kubota meant when they said we engineered the weight out of our tractors. So then you gotta buy 3 point weight box. Mahindra has built in weight. Compare the weight when you make your purchase, you’ll be happy you had that weight when your going down a steep hill with a full round bailer or hay trailer behind you.
Mike what degree of slope would you consider to being dangerous enough to start utilizing extra weight, etc? Obviously there are numerous variables. 10% or more?
You're right, there are too many variables to predict that accurately. Depends on the model and condition of the tractor, what you're using it for, weather conditions, etc. Having fluid in the tires will help your front end loader realize it's full potential and improve traction in mud, so there are additional advantages of ballast.
One nice thing about wheel weights and liquid tire ballast, as opposed to most other forms of ballast, is that it's not a load on the axle.
I've had to pucker up a few times.
Been on them for 50 years. I still do not know everything and never will. Unfortunately, even though we all know better, at one time or another, we push the limits. One day, it will get us. Seatbelts and ROPS can decrease our risk when we push it. But, won't save every stupid or wreckless thing we do.
Don't wanna teach yo tractor bad habits like rollin' and playin' dead
Mine almost turned over on flat ground. Now I don’t trust it. Almost got rid of it.
Mike. I have a 1954 Ford NAA. It’s not equipped with a seat belt or ROPS. I was mowing my daughter-in-law’s property for the first time and driving between two trees and I hit a hidden stump with the front right tire. It caused the tractor to lean to the left and the left rear tire crawled up the left tree. Then the right rear tire hit the hidden stump causing me to be tossed to the right and my right foot, literally, was pulled barely under the right rear tire. Fortunately, I was strong enough to pull it from under the tire while still moving forward. I still had my boot on and it had a black tire tread mark across the top. When being tossed to the left, my right inside thigh hit the shifter knob. Three years later, I still have a contusion on my thigh. Afterwards, I could only think about two things. First, I almost was shredded under the mower. Second, Thank you Lord for giving me another day.
I have much to be thankful for. BTW: I was born the same year the tractor was built, 1954.
A contemporary! Glad you’re ok. My 1968 Ford 3000 is similar in design. No ROPS, transmission PTO. Things can happen too fast for sure. I finally got my right rear tire ballasted again, which makes me happier.
Another great boring safety video. As many people I'm sure get tired of all the safety sense stuff, that's the major cause of accidents, they get tired of trying to be safety conscience and become complacent in what they're doing, and before you know it the tractor is trying to ride the operator instead of the other way around. Also, something that many take for granted, putting your child or grand child on your lap to give them a ride....bad...bad idea. several years ago there was an incident on a farm a few miles away where the father had his son riding on the tractor with him, wasn't on his lap he had the kid riding on the fender of the tractor. They got to the end of a row, and went to turn the tractor around, the kid lost his balance on the fender and fell off, the father was paying attention to where his discs were for the next row, and didn't realize his son had fallen off, so as he turned he ran over his son not only with the tractor, but with the discs as well, you can only imagine how that ended. I know where the child's grave is because its the most heavily decorated grave in town, so many of us stop and put something there at his grave all the time. Every time I stop at my mom's grave and grandmother's grave I always stop at his too. He was 7 years old at the time, would have graduated this year.
I have a sub-compact tractor, and quickly realized my box blade wasn't enough ballast. I have my roto-tiller on a pallet so when I need it, I have to use my pallet forks to take it off the shelf. I lifted it off the shelf, and was backing out of the barn and got into a bit of an off-camber situation where the tractor started to tip sideways, I didn't realize it at first as I had the load low enough that it stopped the tractor from tipping too far, what made me realize what happened was I suddenly stopped moving. I thought I had simply lost traction, well kind of, one rear tire was in the was in the air LOL. I let the pallet with the tiller down to the ground, and went and got my suitcase weights and hung them from the cross members of the box blade, worked great to get the job done, so now before I do anything with the pallet forks, I always add the suitcase weights for added ballast, its nice because once I'm done with that type of work, I simply remove the added weights so I'm not tearing up my yard any worse than normal.
I see posts all the time where the operator complained that their tractor doesn’t go fast enough🫣