Many years ago I added two swivel jacks to my 18 foot haul trailer, ( 18 foot, 2 inch ball receiver hitch tow ). One on each rear outside corner of the trailer. They have a lock pin on each which you pull to release, and you can swivel the crank jack 90 degrees, either vertical down, or swivel 90 degrees horizontal and the pin locks back in place. I put a block as needed depending on ground elevation under the jack foot, and crank down as needed until I get trailer weight on the jack, and do the same on the other side. I got these from TSC, however any place that sells jacks and trailer equipment should have them. I have never had a tractor or vehicle try to pick up the tongue and rear wheels while loading, or the same unloading. The trailer and tow vehicle stay nice and level and don't move. Make sure when you mount them that you have clearance to swivel horizontal back to a haul position and clear your ramp storage, corners, etc. and the swivel can lock in place, and the handle clears.
Another thing you can do to avoid your truck/trailer running away while loading on a hill in addition to chocking your tires is to support the rear of the trailer. A stack of 2x works. Place them under the rear of your trailer such as under your ramps to limit the downward movement of the trailer while loading. This will limit the lift f the rear suspension of the truck. I have previously seen that video. The delivery guy did lots of stuff wrong. Most likely 1st by taking his children to work with him. I really question that he ever had the tractor and ramps lined up as he tried to jockey the tractor around on the trailer before starting to back off. He had the loader raised high as he was unloading. Much higher than is safe.
Many trailers have ramps that have a stand built into the forward part of the ramp that limits how low the trailer can be deflected, basically turning the ramp into a right-triangle when viewed from the side. It adds to the weight, certainly, but is helpful to prevent losing too much weight on the tow vehicle axle.
I am subscribed to the channel that had the tractor delivery incident...that was a dealer (Messicks) that did the delivery, and those kids were the delivery driver's. Things went bad fast. Luckily though the dealership took the tractor back, and brought out a replacement, and the owner of Messicks actually came out on the 2nd delivery with a different driver. Pretty interesting to follow along on that ordeal though, and was really happy that the dealership did what the customer asked in getting him a replacement tractor & mower. They did a great job in taking care of that customer, and the latest video on that channel was really good on the delivery.
I saw this a few months ago and I always wanted to ask you: How Come you didn't help guide that guy with the off load of YOUR new tractor? I have to think it is the difference in thinking of the North East vs Out West. Here we don't have an expectation that someone should watch(film) someone else struggle, here as there it was to your Benefit to help that guy. I didn't ask then cause I had to quit watching.
@@ModernMountainLiving That guy was a diva he had cameras recording at different angles but stayed in the garage to stay dry while his expensive toys were being unloaded. Second the kids never went to the sides of the tractor they should have stayed in the truck but it's a good thing for dads to spend time with his kids and the guy who recorded the video seemed to despise those children and as you said never lifted a finger untill it went bad . In the south we help drivers even package delivery drivers , if they are old or small and the package is big most of us will get it from the truck right from the door so they don't have e to struggle , when epuipment is delivered I show the driver the best spot and then I help unload but I don't cramp the drivers process like recording them can do . I know the lay of the land were I live the driver doesn't , it's easy to miss something like being on a hill when your busy , nervous being recorded and in bad weather.
One thing you could add would be properly chaining the equipment down to the trailer! All too often I see guys with half ton trucks, towing a 20-40hp tractor, on their new trailer with nothing more than two little 2in ratchet straps securing the tractor down.
Great subject and safety points for loading any type of vehicle! I got into trouble loading my show car (hurriedly) into my enclosed trailer when a downpour popped up at a car show in a field of grass. As soon as the rear tires started up the ramp door the back end slid out and I came with 2" of a wrecking my restored 6bbl Mopar! After that incident I have applied silica sand paint to all my trailer decks instead of sealer. I also load my tractor in 4wd. I didn't really consider the other two issues you brought up but these were very important topics and they're not spoken about enough! Subscribed!
I feel bad for Messicks for that embarrassing mess. We all screw up, and in today's age we end up famous on CZcams when we do it. There were a lot of good lessons to be learned which you pointed out. Your videos like this should be very much applauded, because they may save someone's life (even if it is someone else on the road other than who is hauling the tractor). A lot of people said in the video he should be been pointed downhill, but when you unload a TLB the backhoe tends to drag the ground if you unload at a steep angle, which being facing downhill would have caused. Having a backhoe I know this firsthand, and it's a real pain (luckily our driveway is gravel so it doesn't hurt our driveway when it is unloaded/loaded). I was surprised they did not unload the tractor in the owner's driveway or yard which appeared much more level, but I wondered if they were afraid to drive on his grass (nice looking place) to get in position. Years ago when the dealer delivered the second tractor I owned, our driveway had a slight incline and when they backed it off the trailer the truck took off downhill. The guy had to ride it out until it moved about 10' and to the road and stopped, but it was dangerous as heck and could have ended up worse than it did. I wondered if they had locked the 4x4 in on the truck if it would have helped. Some of us learn this stuff by seeing (or doing), and that's never a good place to be. If I would have been beside the truck or trailer I would have been crushed. Which leads back to that first video and the kids. Holy heck man, I almost vomited when I saw that video when it was posted because of those kids. When anyone loads anything on a trailer, I am far back from the trailer until the machine is shut off. I also do not engage myself with any efforts of tying it down, although I have kindly offered advice on where to tie something down to my tractor. My daughter (almost 5) will always get the lecture to stay far away from my equipment and anyone else's when it is running. That includes anything moving that could crush her. What are you going to say if your kids get crushed? Well, bad things happen, at least they had a fun life of riding and working with daddy. Heck no, you're going to blame yourself until your death. Not worth it. /end rant
Rant is welcome, I agree with everything you said. I want to make clear, every dealership has stuff like that happen. That guy was probably trying to do too much in too little time in the busy time of year and was tired. It could easily have happened in the dealership where I worked, could have happened to me. I'm actually glad it got posted, no disrespect to Messick's, because it lets everyone know how easily and quickly accidents can happen, even if you're not a novice. I'm sure the driver feels terrible and I feel real sorry for him, but his pain may well save someone else's life.
@@TractorMike Well said and totally agree. There isn't anyone that hasn't messed up, most of us to the point of almost costing us our lives. Live and learn, unfortunately for us (but to the benefit of others) we often have video proof these days. One thing the owner was lucky about is that it was Messicks, and everyone knows they'd take care of it :)
Nice video Mike, I can vouch for your warnings through an experience I had. Several years ago I went to a guy's place to mow his field. I had a 2001 F-250 Suoer Duty, and an old beaver tail deck over trailer that I used to cart around a '66 International 504 utility tractor with loaded tires. It had a 5' IH rotary mower on the back, and a manure bucket loader on the front. The weight of the tractor/loader/mower was 8,060 pounds as weighed on a truck scale. The guy's dirt driveway was very slightly up hill and curved so the truck and trailer were not straight. When I was putting the tractor back on the trailer, the whole works started slowly sliding down the driveway and began to jack knife while picking up speed ( at least it seemed to be speeding up). I quickly drove the tractor all the way on thinking the weight would load the rear truck tires and it would stop sliding. It didn't work, so I threw it in reverse and backed off the trailer as quickly as I could and that stopped the sliding but not before the trailer tongue found the truck's rear quarter panel putting a pretty good size crease in it. Oh, and it stopped a matter of inches from a great big spruce tree. I guess I violated all your warnings and a couple of others to boot. Not having the truck and trailer straight and the tractor and trailer combined weight weighed in at a little over 13,000 pounds, that's 3,000 pounds over the truck's recommended towing capacity and almost twice the weight of the truck which I think was around 7,000 pounds They say the Lord watches out for children and fools and I give him plenty of work from time to time.
The tongue lift can be prevented by blocking the rear of the trailer with blocks so it won't lift the tongue, also protects the rear spring and axle from damage /overload !!!
Good reminders. Curious why you didn’t mention blocking the rear of the trailer or the addition of rear jack stands as to stop tongue lift. I use 6x6’s that I cut to a length so as to only clear about an inch under the rear of the trailer when loading. Also it feels more secure when driving the tractor onto the trailer. Oh, and don’t forget to flip the latch for the ball on the hitch. ( dont ask me how I know about that) that can make your day nasty.
I always chock my front truck wheels slope or no slope when I load or unload . I also chock both sides of my trailer wheels. Another thing I do is that I have cut two pieces of 6x6 post 12 inches long that i put under the rear of the trailer to keep it from pulling up on the truck so hard. When it hits the two blocks, the truck doesn’t go any higher up. When it’s raining or snowing it doesn’t get hauled. Great video, Mike! You can’t stress this enough. Y’all have a good-un!
Those are great tips and why I am very careful about using my tractor and where I use it. I am especially careful about loading the tractor on a trailer and hauling it because I don't want to have an accident with it and hurt myself or anyone else. Thanks for sharing this tip with us all and I hope you are having a nice week.
Mike, in the case of the Kubota delivery going wrong, besides what you mentioned with down hill slope and being wet, he ALSO put the backhoe bucket WAY up and behind the tractor which shifted a lot of weight and then he had the forks all the way in the air which made the tractor top heavy and also shifted weight back. ALWAYS load and unload with your attachments as close to the deck and ground as possible.
I follow all of your suggestions for loading and unloading my tractor and add an additional precaution. I have a 3015R Branson and pull it with my GMC pickup on a 20 ft trailer. The front end of the trailer lifts up so high when i start onto the trailer that it doesn't look safe, so to avoid any incidents I carry 2 jack stands and position them under the rear of the trailer so that they take the weight. I do not know if the hitch could ever give or the pick up be damaged if I don't do this, but it provides a much more stable loading platform and makes the load easy and safe.
You're right not only do you have to have weight on the tongue but I come from the professional side of this like with a semi the name semi means half and half 50/50 meaning you split the weight 50/50 half in the front half in the back now we've always done that for equal weight distribution I understand that would normally overload a pickup truck unless you had a heavy duty pickup truck I normally do that though with my Dodge ram 3500 I normally put 50% of the load of my tractor on the back of the truck and then about 50% of the weight of my trailer the remaining weight I mean you know on the trailer but basically if you even out your weights and I understand you still don't want to be over on your axles and for a pickup truck you're right a lot of times the pickup truck axles only going to be able to accept maybe 10 to 15% of whatever your trailer is and that's kind of sad that's kind of almost like using it underrated pickup truck really because I would like to get that closer to a 50/50 wait I mean it's it's more stable in the corners it honestly driving down the road it's a huge difference it it really is I'll tell you one thing I've noticed over 10 years of actually hauling freight commercially the smaller the vehicle is the higher the chance is you're overweight so the bigger the truck is honestly very small chance you're actually overweight if you have a pickup truck you have to seriously do some math and think about that are you actually overweight you have to really do your calculations because there are some pickup trucks that can haul only very very light loads I mean it's almost crazy how light the only pickup truck I've had in about the last 8 years has been a 3500 Dodge ram and I don't really pull very much with it except maybe I move some tires around and I might move a couple of tractors every now and then on a 20-foot gooseneck but to me that's very very lightweight you know even putting 20 or 30,000 on that truck is extremely lightweight
Always carry 40 pound sack of oil dry , always carry 4X4’s to shore up rear of trailer when loading . Strap tractor hood down , remove loose seat cushion , loose muffler and intake bonnet . When strapping hood down ( frame to frame ) not to trailer .
I have read all the comments so far and y'all had great points mentioned we need to have a true video with all these talking points in it, also showing a link to O&Ds experience. level ground. weather rain or ice .chalked Wheels. put in 4-wheel drive if it has it. a spotter from safe distance with eye contact of operator . trailer tail stabilizer jacks also maybe a checklist before movement on or off. I want to be able to go home to my loved ones so be very safe
I had a JD350 dozer i hauled with a 4x4 pick up for a number of years it only took one attempt to load to learn to not only block up the back of the trailer but chalk the wheels on both sides. Got alot of years hauling heavy with a pickup and trailer. So i have had my share of pucker moments even though i tried to alway keep safety in mind. But sometimes they is always the unexpected that can sneek up and bite you.
I wholeheartedly agree with doing or redoing these saftey videos at least once a year! Not just for new people but also for the ones that work tired or become complacent. The next statement may not apply to tractors but also loading any steel tracked equipment when it's wet it dangerous also! I've slid off a wet trailer deck with a full size dozen with very little incline. The problem was besides saftey of people around, I went off the side and it landed on its side. Things can happen in the blink of an eye regardless of experience.
I use two jack stands one the back of the trailer. The Ramps with legs sometimes and not the right height when you unload . It only takes a few extra minutes but it safer
Jack stands of some sort under the back corners of the trailer. I don't care if there are stands built into your swing ramps. The stands built onto the swing-up ramps will flip the ramp up when the vehicle gets pushed forward. . And put in wheel chocks between the trailer wheels.
And yes I agree with everything Mike saying he's absolutely right it's sad though to me that most pickup trucks can't take more than about 10 to 15% as you were saying on what you're calling the tongue weight you know putting it on the vehicle the tow vehicle that's because I guess that's how your tow vehicles are spec'd out mainly because that's these vehicles are not really built for towing if it's actually built for towing you really want to be as close to the 50/50 weight distribution as you possibly can I mean if your axles are compatible and if your trailer or your vehicle's tires or are going to be rated for that much weight obviously
I have a dovetail angle down top trailer but I don't have any ramps on it I find that a set of ramps takes on more of the weight off of the truck then it needs to so I just take the bucket pick up the front of the tractor it's only about 5 inches off the ground and walk the tractor up back wheels pick it up and put it onto the trailer by that time I'm far enough onto the trailer that I've got a little weight on the truck
Few years back an older neighbor was loading an antique tractor on a trailer one morning to head to a show. Just enough dew on the ground to make things slippery. Slid off the ramps, flipped and crushed him under the machine. A young man he was a friend and bit of a mentor to unfortunately was witness to the whole incident and horrific aftermath. Old gentleman had loaded and unloaded that tractor a hundred times or more over the years. The dew was a contributing factor but complacency killed him. Does it every year around here. This year the latest was a hung tire causing a tractor to flip over backward while trying to get unstuck. Guy operating had thousands of hours and decades on that machine and it killed him in a split second. Complacency and lack of a ROPS are big killers in my neck of the woods.
When I first loaded my tractor in my sloped driveway I had the same runaway situation. Fortunately I continued up and got the weight back on the front of the trailer. Only rolled a couple of feet, but It was still a "pucker" moment. My trailer now has drop leg stands on the back. If trailer does not have support on the back, I highly recommend them. I ordered mine off Ebay, but they are nearly identical to the ones in the included link. One on each rear corner of the trailer will keep the trailer from tilting. www.etrailer.com/Camper-Jack/Fulton/FSJ1-SJ2.html When loading a trailer, I put a brick between the stand and ground. Once the trailer is loaded the stands may be solidly on the ground making the pin too "wedged" in to pull out. If you have a brick between the stand and ground you can simply pull foward a few inches off of the brick and then pull the pin out.
What I say is most people load a tractor on a trailer that is way too light for the tractor and try to pull it with a vehicle that is way too light for either one. If you do not own a four-wheel drive at least 3/4 ton truck you have no business towing a tractor that he's over 30 horsepower on any kind of trailer it's just too heavy for the vehicle
Great video, and the follow-up video you recommended about the Kubota was very interesting. I own a JD 1025R and am thinking about upgrading to a 30-40 hp tractor. Recognizing you worked in the industry, do you have any recommendations that you would purchase if you where in the market. Michael from Canada
Will you do a video about hydraulic fluid to avoid, better yet I noticed a sign at the local rural King stating not to put the hydraulic fluid they carry in a tractor newer than 1976 or damage may be caused (cheap 303 in the yellow bucket) I never knew until doing some research how bad the yellow bucket fluid is.
Perhaps the usefulness of a trailer winch could be discussed. A winch can mitigate the dangers and difficulties of loading/ unloading under slippery conditions.
Mike, how long should I warm up and cool down my diesel tractor engine before heavy use like brush hogging? During warm up, can I move the tractor around right away, just not loaded, like hooking up an attachment right away and letting that be my warm up time? Or driving slowly to the work site? Also, what RPM? Should I be near minimum rpm, say 1000. Or is it better like mid range, say 1500 rpm, for warmup and or cool down? Do you gauge your warm up or cool down based on your engine temperature gauge?
Thanks for repeating this information. I noticed you were loading your tractor on a trailer attached to a 1/2 ton pickup. Any thoughts/concerns about doing that? I have about the same size tractor (MF 1742) and a 1/2 ton Chevy pickup and I'm not sure I have enough truck to tow it and be legal doing it. Thanks again.
D.A. Ballou You have to look at your tow vehicles specifications to determine how much you are able to tow. Even half ton trucks from the same manufacturer can have different tow capacities depending on wheelbase, engine, axle gearing and other factors. Check your specific vehicle, then determine the weight of the tractor and trailer. Don’t exceed your trucks specifications. And use a trailer with brakes and install a trailer brake controller.
Thanks for showing this, I had to quit watching when I saw it before because that mindset of the New owner made me so mad. Now I get to ask him why didn't you help?
In the case you were showing with your pickup and trailer, if you have a 4WD truck, would it help putting the truck in 4WD before loading the tractor, that way you have the help of the truck's transmission to help keep the truck from rolling, course use chock blocks as well, but wonder if simply putting the truck in 4WD would help at all as you are parking the truck/trailer before loading a tractor, or unloading a tractor, that way with it in 4WD, if the back wheels come off the ground you still have the front wheels engaged to the transmission which will still remain locked...anyone know if that would work/help at all with chock blocks?
When tractors are loaded you need to block the back of the trailer to prevent the tongue lift, and as a bonus you protect your springs on the trailer from being damaged from being overloaded when loading. All weight gets transfered to the back axle/springs !!!
On some trucks putting it in 4wd would help, but with all the different 4wd systems out there it's not a solution for everyone. For example my 05 Dodge 2500 has a traditional part time 4wd setup, so when I pull the Transfer case lever into 4wd both driveshafts will turn at the same speed, and the rear parking brake and transmission park pawl will act on the front axle because on this truck has front hubs that are always engaged. If you consider a lot of newer trucks and 1/2 tons have disconnecting front hubs, either through vacuum or electric, and transfer cases with a full time 4wd mode, thus clutches or a vicious coupling that allows some slip and it's just not a guarantee that it would hold in those cases.
William Todd I have read all the comments and you all have great valid points also O & D's Channel has shown his experience I believe we all had that Pucker Factor
Many years ago I added two swivel jacks to my 18 foot haul trailer, ( 18 foot, 2 inch ball receiver hitch tow ). One on each rear outside corner of the trailer. They have a lock pin on each which you pull to release, and you can swivel the crank jack 90 degrees, either vertical down, or swivel 90 degrees horizontal and the pin locks back in place. I put a block as needed depending on ground elevation under the jack foot, and crank down as needed until I get trailer weight on the jack, and do the same on the other side. I got these from TSC, however any place that sells jacks and trailer equipment should have them. I have never had a tractor or vehicle try to pick up the tongue and rear wheels while loading, or the same unloading. The trailer and tow vehicle stay nice and level and don't move. Make sure when you mount them that you have clearance to swivel horizontal back to a haul position and clear your ramp storage, corners, etc. and the swivel can lock in place, and the handle clears.
Another thing you can do to avoid your truck/trailer running away while loading on a hill in addition to chocking your tires is to support the rear of the trailer. A stack of 2x works. Place them under the rear of your trailer such as under your ramps to limit the downward movement of the trailer while loading. This will limit the lift f the rear suspension of the truck.
I have previously seen that video. The delivery guy did lots of stuff wrong. Most likely 1st by taking his children to work with him. I really question that he ever had the tractor and ramps lined up as he tried to jockey the tractor around on the trailer before starting to back off. He had the loader raised high as he was unloading. Much higher than is safe.
I too place a block of wood under the rear of my trailer when loading. The back of the trailer can only go down a couple of inches.
Many trailers have ramps that have a stand built into the forward part of the ramp that limits how low the trailer can be deflected, basically turning the ramp into a right-triangle when viewed from the side. It adds to the weight, certainly, but is helpful to prevent losing too much weight on the tow vehicle axle.
Me too! Works great and just about anyone has scrap lumber around that can be cut into easy to handle sizes and costs nothing.
I am subscribed to the channel that had the tractor delivery incident...that was a dealer (Messicks) that did the delivery, and those kids were the delivery driver's. Things went bad fast. Luckily though the dealership took the tractor back, and brought out a replacement, and the owner of Messicks actually came out on the 2nd delivery with a different driver. Pretty interesting to follow along on that ordeal though, and was really happy that the dealership did what the customer asked in getting him a replacement tractor & mower. They did a great job in taking care of that customer, and the latest video on that channel was really good on the delivery.
I saw this a few months ago and I always wanted to ask you: How Come you didn't help guide that guy with the off load of YOUR new tractor? I have to think it is the difference in thinking of the North East vs Out West. Here we don't have an expectation that someone should watch(film) someone else struggle, here as there it was to your Benefit to help that guy. I didn't ask then cause I had to quit watching.
@@ModernMountainLiving That guy was a diva he had cameras recording at different angles but stayed in the garage to stay dry while his expensive toys were being unloaded. Second the kids never went to the sides of the tractor they should have stayed in the truck but it's a good thing for dads to spend time with his kids and the guy who recorded the video seemed to despise those children and as you said never lifted a finger untill it went bad . In the south we help drivers even package delivery drivers , if they are old or small and the package is big most of us will get it from the truck right from the door so they don't have e to struggle , when epuipment is delivered I show the driver the best spot and then I help unload but I don't cramp the drivers process like recording them can do . I know the lay of the land were I live the driver doesn't , it's easy to miss something like being on a hill when your busy , nervous being recorded and in bad weather.
One thing you could add would be properly chaining the equipment down to the trailer! All too often I see guys with half ton trucks, towing a 20-40hp tractor, on their new trailer with nothing more than two little 2in ratchet straps securing the tractor down.
Great subject and safety points for loading any type of vehicle!
I got into trouble loading my show car (hurriedly) into my enclosed trailer when a downpour popped up at a car show in a field of grass. As soon as the rear tires started up the ramp door the back end slid out and I came with 2" of a wrecking my restored 6bbl Mopar!
After that incident I have applied silica sand paint to all my trailer decks instead of sealer.
I also load my tractor in 4wd.
I didn't really consider the other two issues you brought up but these were very important topics and they're not spoken about enough! Subscribed!
I feel bad for Messicks for that embarrassing mess. We all screw up, and in today's age we end up famous on CZcams when we do it. There were a lot of good lessons to be learned which you pointed out. Your videos like this should be very much applauded, because they may save someone's life (even if it is someone else on the road other than who is hauling the tractor).
A lot of people said in the video he should be been pointed downhill, but when you unload a TLB the backhoe tends to drag the ground if you unload at a steep angle, which being facing downhill would have caused. Having a backhoe I know this firsthand, and it's a real pain (luckily our driveway is gravel so it doesn't hurt our driveway when it is unloaded/loaded). I was surprised they did not unload the tractor in the owner's driveway or yard which appeared much more level, but I wondered if they were afraid to drive on his grass (nice looking place) to get in position.
Years ago when the dealer delivered the second tractor I owned, our driveway had a slight incline and when they backed it off the trailer the truck took off downhill. The guy had to ride it out until it moved about 10' and to the road and stopped, but it was dangerous as heck and could have ended up worse than it did. I wondered if they had locked the 4x4 in on the truck if it would have helped. Some of us learn this stuff by seeing (or doing), and that's never a good place to be. If I would have been beside the truck or trailer I would have been crushed.
Which leads back to that first video and the kids. Holy heck man, I almost vomited when I saw that video when it was posted because of those kids. When anyone loads anything on a trailer, I am far back from the trailer until the machine is shut off. I also do not engage myself with any efforts of tying it down, although I have kindly offered advice on where to tie something down to my tractor. My daughter (almost 5) will always get the lecture to stay far away from my equipment and anyone else's when it is running. That includes anything moving that could crush her. What are you going to say if your kids get crushed? Well, bad things happen, at least they had a fun life of riding and working with daddy. Heck no, you're going to blame yourself until your death. Not worth it. /end rant
Rant is welcome, I agree with everything you said. I want to make clear, every dealership has stuff like that happen. That guy was probably trying to do too much in too little time in the busy time of year and was tired. It could easily have happened in the dealership where I worked, could have happened to me. I'm actually glad it got posted, no disrespect to Messick's, because it lets everyone know how easily and quickly accidents can happen, even if you're not a novice. I'm sure the driver feels terrible and I feel real sorry for him, but his pain may well save someone else's life.
@@TractorMike Well said and totally agree. There isn't anyone that hasn't messed up, most of us to the point of almost costing us our lives. Live and learn, unfortunately for us (but to the benefit of others) we often have video proof these days. One thing the owner was lucky about is that it was Messicks, and everyone knows they'd take care of it :)
Nice video Mike, I can vouch for your warnings through an experience I had. Several years ago I went to a guy's place to mow his field. I had a 2001 F-250 Suoer Duty, and an old beaver tail deck over trailer that I used to cart around a '66 International 504 utility tractor with loaded tires. It had a 5' IH rotary mower on the back, and a manure bucket loader on the front. The weight of the tractor/loader/mower was 8,060 pounds as weighed on a truck scale. The guy's dirt driveway was very slightly up hill and curved so the truck and trailer were not straight. When I was putting the tractor back on the trailer, the whole works started slowly sliding down the driveway and began to jack knife while picking up speed ( at least it seemed to be speeding up). I quickly drove the tractor all the way on thinking the weight would load the rear truck tires and it would stop sliding. It didn't work, so I threw it in reverse and backed off the trailer as quickly as I could and that stopped the sliding but not before the trailer tongue found the truck's rear quarter panel putting a pretty good size crease in it. Oh, and it stopped a matter of inches from a great big spruce tree. I guess I violated all your warnings and a couple of others to boot. Not having the truck and trailer straight and the tractor and trailer combined weight weighed in at a little over 13,000 pounds, that's 3,000 pounds over the truck's recommended towing capacity and almost twice the weight of the truck which I think was around 7,000 pounds They say the Lord watches out for children and fools and I give him plenty of work from time to time.
Excellent advice. You have to be safe, that's a fact. Good video Mike👍
The tongue lift can be prevented by blocking the rear of the trailer with blocks so it won't lift the tongue, also protects the rear spring and axle from damage /overload !!!
Good reminders. Curious why you didn’t mention blocking the rear of the trailer or the addition of rear jack stands as to stop tongue lift. I use 6x6’s that I cut to a length so as to only clear about an inch under the rear of the trailer when loading. Also it feels more secure when driving the tractor onto the trailer. Oh, and don’t forget to flip the latch for the ball on the hitch. ( dont ask me how I know about that) that can make your day nasty.
Good informative video Mike. Safety is often overlooked unfortunately. Keep up the good work.
I always chock my front truck wheels slope or no slope when I load or unload . I also chock both sides of my trailer wheels. Another thing I do is that I have cut two pieces of 6x6 post 12 inches long that i put under the rear of the trailer to keep it from pulling up on the truck so hard. When it hits the two blocks, the truck doesn’t go any higher up. When it’s raining or snowing it doesn’t get hauled. Great video, Mike! You can’t stress this enough. Y’all have a good-un!
Those are great tips and why I am very careful about using my tractor and where I use it. I am especially careful about loading the tractor on a trailer and hauling it because I don't want to have an accident with it and hurt myself or anyone else. Thanks for sharing this tip with us all and I hope you are having a nice week.
Mike, in the case of the Kubota delivery going wrong, besides what you mentioned with down hill slope and being wet, he ALSO put the backhoe bucket WAY up and behind the tractor which shifted a lot of weight and then he had the forks all the way in the air which made the tractor top heavy and also shifted weight back. ALWAYS load and unload with your attachments as close to the deck and ground as possible.
I follow all of your suggestions for loading and unloading my tractor and add an additional precaution. I have a 3015R Branson and pull it with my GMC pickup on a 20 ft trailer. The front end of the trailer lifts up so high when i start onto the trailer that it doesn't look safe, so to avoid any incidents I carry 2 jack stands and position them under the rear of the trailer so that they take the weight. I do not know if the hitch could ever give or the pick up be damaged if I don't do this, but it provides a much more stable loading platform and makes the load easy and safe.
You're right not only do you have to have weight on the tongue but I come from the professional side of this like with a semi the name semi means half and half 50/50 meaning you split the weight 50/50 half in the front half in the back now we've always done that for equal weight distribution I understand that would normally overload a pickup truck unless you had a heavy duty pickup truck I normally do that though with my Dodge ram 3500 I normally put 50% of the load of my tractor on the back of the truck and then about 50% of the weight of my trailer the remaining weight I mean you know on the trailer but basically if you even out your weights and I understand you still don't want to be over on your axles and for a pickup truck you're right a lot of times the pickup truck axles only going to be able to accept maybe 10 to 15% of whatever your trailer is and that's kind of sad that's kind of almost like using it underrated pickup truck really because I would like to get that closer to a 50/50 wait I mean it's it's more stable in the corners it honestly driving down the road it's a huge difference it it really is I'll tell you one thing I've noticed over 10 years of actually hauling freight commercially the smaller the vehicle is the higher the chance is you're overweight so the bigger the truck is honestly very small chance you're actually overweight if you have a pickup truck you have to seriously do some math and think about that are you actually overweight you have to really do your calculations because there are some pickup trucks that can haul only very very light loads I mean it's almost crazy how light the only pickup truck I've had in about the last 8 years has been a 3500 Dodge ram and I don't really pull very much with it except maybe I move some tires around and I might move a couple of tractors every now and then on a 20-foot gooseneck but to me that's very very lightweight you know even putting 20 or 30,000 on that truck is extremely lightweight
Always carry 40 pound sack of oil dry , always carry 4X4’s to shore up rear of trailer when loading . Strap tractor hood down , remove loose seat cushion , loose muffler and intake bonnet . When strapping hood down ( frame to frame ) not to trailer .
I have read all the comments so far and y'all had great points mentioned we need to have a true video with all these talking points in it, also showing a link to O&Ds experience. level ground. weather rain or ice .chalked Wheels. put in 4-wheel drive if it has it. a spotter from safe distance with eye contact of operator . trailer tail stabilizer jacks also maybe a checklist before movement on or off. I want to be able to go home to my loved ones so be very safe
I had a JD350 dozer i hauled with a 4x4 pick up for a number of years it only took one attempt to load to learn to not only block up the back of the trailer but chalk the wheels on both sides. Got alot of years hauling heavy with a pickup and trailer. So i have had my share of pucker moments even though i tried to alway keep safety in mind. But sometimes they is always the unexpected that can sneek up and bite you.
I wholeheartedly agree with doing or redoing these saftey videos at least once a year! Not just for new people but also for the ones that work tired or become complacent. The next statement may not apply to tractors but also loading any steel tracked equipment when it's wet it dangerous also! I've slid off a wet trailer deck with a full size dozen with very little incline. The problem was besides saftey of people around, I went off the side and it landed on its side. Things can happen in the blink of an eye regardless of experience.
I use two jack stands one the back of the trailer. The Ramps with legs sometimes and not the right height when you unload . It only takes a few extra minutes but it safer
Jack stands of some sort under the back corners of the trailer.
I don't care if there are stands built into your swing ramps. The stands built onto the swing-up ramps will flip the ramp up when the vehicle gets pushed forward.
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And put in wheel chocks between the trailer wheels.
And yes I agree with everything Mike saying he's absolutely right it's sad though to me that most pickup trucks can't take more than about 10 to 15% as you were saying on what you're calling the tongue weight you know putting it on the vehicle the tow vehicle that's because I guess that's how your tow vehicles are spec'd out mainly because that's these vehicles are not really built for towing if it's actually built for towing you really want to be as close to the 50/50 weight distribution as you possibly can I mean if your axles are compatible and if your trailer or your vehicle's tires or are going to be rated for that much weight obviously
IT CAN GET GOOFY.
Thanks for the video.
I have a dovetail angle down top trailer but I don't have any ramps on it I find that a set of ramps takes on more of the weight off of the truck then it needs to so I just take the bucket pick up the front of the tractor it's only about 5 inches off the ground and walk the tractor up back wheels pick it up and put it onto the trailer by that time I'm far enough onto the trailer that I've got a little weight on the truck
Few years back an older neighbor was loading an antique tractor on a trailer one morning to head to a show. Just enough dew on the ground to make things slippery. Slid off the ramps, flipped and crushed him under the machine. A young man he was a friend and bit of a mentor to unfortunately was witness to the whole incident and horrific aftermath. Old gentleman had loaded and unloaded that tractor a hundred times or more over the years. The dew was a contributing factor but complacency killed him.
Does it every year around here. This year the latest was a hung tire causing a tractor to flip over backward while trying to get unstuck. Guy operating had thousands of hours and decades on that machine and it killed him in a split second. Complacency and lack of a ROPS are big killers in my neck of the woods.
Thank you for the great advice.
Great videos. Could save my life !!
When I first loaded my tractor in my sloped driveway I had the same runaway situation. Fortunately I continued up and got the weight back on the front of the trailer. Only rolled a couple of feet, but It was still a "pucker" moment. My trailer now has drop leg stands on the back. If trailer does not have support on the back, I highly recommend them. I ordered mine off Ebay, but they are nearly identical to the ones in the included link. One on each rear corner of the trailer will keep the trailer from tilting. www.etrailer.com/Camper-Jack/Fulton/FSJ1-SJ2.html
When loading a trailer, I put a brick between the stand and ground. Once the trailer is loaded the stands may be solidly on the ground making the pin too "wedged" in to pull out. If you have a brick between the stand and ground you can simply pull foward a few inches off of the brick and then pull the pin out.
Very good information and safety reminder.
I use blocks under my trailer when loading and unloading
What I say is most people load a tractor on a trailer that is way too light for the tractor and try to pull it with a vehicle that is way too light for either one. If you do not own a four-wheel drive at least 3/4 ton truck you have no business towing a tractor that he's over 30 horsepower on any kind of trailer it's just too heavy for the vehicle
Great video Mike. May have saved a life with this information.
Great video, and the follow-up video you recommended about the Kubota was very interesting. I own a JD 1025R and am thinking about upgrading to a 30-40 hp tractor. Recognizing you worked in the industry, do you have any recommendations that you would purchase if you where in the market.
Michael from Canada
Great video Mike!
Will you do a video about hydraulic fluid to avoid, better yet I noticed a sign at the local rural King stating not to put the hydraulic fluid they carry in a tractor newer than 1976 or damage may be caused (cheap 303 in the yellow bucket) I never knew until doing some research how bad the yellow bucket fluid is.
Perhaps the usefulness of a trailer winch could be discussed.
A winch can mitigate the dangers and difficulties of loading/
unloading under slippery conditions.
Great info!
Mike, how long should I warm up and cool down my diesel tractor engine before heavy use like brush hogging? During warm up, can I move the tractor around right away, just not loaded, like hooking up an attachment right away and letting that be my warm up time? Or driving slowly to the work site? Also, what RPM? Should I be near minimum rpm, say 1000. Or is it better like mid range, say 1500 rpm, for warmup and or cool down? Do you gauge your warm up or cool down based on your engine temperature gauge?
Thanks for repeating this information. I noticed you were loading your tractor on a trailer attached to a 1/2 ton pickup. Any thoughts/concerns about doing that? I have about the same size tractor (MF 1742) and a 1/2 ton Chevy pickup and I'm not sure I have enough truck to tow it and be legal doing it. Thanks again.
D.A. Ballou
You have to look at your tow vehicles specifications to determine how much you are able to tow. Even half ton trucks from the same manufacturer can have different tow capacities depending on wheelbase, engine, axle gearing and other factors. Check your specific vehicle, then determine the weight of the tractor and trailer. Don’t exceed your trucks specifications. And use a trailer with brakes and install a trailer brake controller.
If you put blocks under the back of the trailer frame, the lifting of your truck will be minimal.
Thanks for showing this, I had to quit watching when I saw it before because that mindset of the New owner made me so mad. Now I get to ask him why didn't you help?
In the case you were showing with your pickup and trailer, if you have a 4WD truck, would it help putting the truck in 4WD before loading the tractor, that way you have the help of the truck's transmission to help keep the truck from rolling, course use chock blocks as well, but wonder if simply putting the truck in 4WD would help at all as you are parking the truck/trailer before loading a tractor, or unloading a tractor, that way with it in 4WD, if the back wheels come off the ground you still have the front wheels engaged to the transmission which will still remain locked...anyone know if that would work/help at all with chock blocks?
When tractors are loaded you need to block the back of the trailer to prevent the tongue lift, and as a bonus you protect your springs on the trailer from being damaged from being overloaded when loading. All weight gets transfered to the back axle/springs !!!
On some trucks putting it in 4wd would help, but with all the different 4wd systems out there it's not a solution for everyone.
For example my 05 Dodge 2500 has a traditional part time 4wd setup, so when I pull the Transfer case lever into 4wd both driveshafts will turn at the same speed, and the rear parking brake and transmission park pawl will act on the front axle because on this truck has front hubs that are always engaged.
If you consider a lot of newer trucks and 1/2 tons have disconnecting front hubs, either through vacuum or electric, and transfer cases with a full time 4wd mode, thus clutches or a vicious coupling that allows some slip and it's just not a guarantee that it would hold in those cases.
I don't know, but I've wondered that myself sometimes.
No you set brakes and if you feel the need chock wheels.... never ever let your transmission hold truck still.... great way to snap a parking paw
William Todd I have read all the comments and you all have great valid points also O & D's Channel has shown his experience I believe we all had that Pucker Factor
The two who down voted just hit the wrong buttons.