Close call bush hogging

Had a scare yesterday bush hogging, my heart rate is just back to normal today grrrrrrrrr

For years since I took cattle off my farm (rolling hill and dale pasture) after 30 + years I have bush hogged the exact same safe route and know every hill n stump and rock and drive the same exact route each time (AC D 15 low profile, wide front, live PTO via hand clutch, mounted bush hog) HOWEVER yesterday I rounded a curve n thought hmmmmmmmm if I drive up (place I always went down nice n straight) the side of this hill I can cut an extra swath I hadnt before. I knew of a big flat rock there (barely up above ground) but in my normal route I go down that hill slowwwwwww and you feel the low rock but the tractor and mounted hog go over it easy no problem never dragging or blades hitting it (pretty low lying outcrop).

YEP all a sudden the tractor tire hit that and started bouncing n digging cuz the tire wouldnt climb up on and over the rock. I successfully got her all shut down but that bouncing n digging had her turned 45 degrees half down half up. Thats a hill I have ALWAYS went down slow n easy and NEVER go there when grass is wet NEVER A PROBLEM the engine alone holds her back.

Im kinda shaky so I have my son come out and tell him to have phone in hand and go ahead and dial 9 1 . I tell him my plan is to have hog out of gear of course (was already), lower front loader bucket to near ground level, put her in reverse and slowlyyyyyyyy BACK OUT (thats the downhill direction) n get her straight up n down n slowly back down the hill..

NOW I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO SAFELY HANDLE IT BUTTTTTTTTTTTTT in a panic even best laid plans sorta go out the hill cuz when I started to raise the 3 pt mounted hog YOU GUESSED IT GRAVITY DIDNT WAIT and she started rolling down the hill backwards pretty fast and got in a sideways (to downhill direction) turn before it reached bottom of hill WHEWWWWWWWWWW. I was so scared by that ride I dont know if I was in gear or out (musta been out) or clutch or brakes or what all I was depresing in my panic ........

IM NEVER GONAN STRAY OFF MY KNOWN AND SAFE ROUTE EVER AGAIN

Then today Im gonna get my 1938 hand crank JD B out ready for out big show next week. I have it restored, timed, super hot mag all perfect and for yearssssssssssssss she always started the first or second roll over of the flywheel. When I put it to bed I always add Sta Bil to the gas and a shot of low ash 2 cycle oil and run it so the carb is getting the sta bil and a light thin film coat of oil and then turn off the gas n let her run dry. But this year she wouldnt start with a stick of dynamite despite a super hottttttttt strong spark and timing perfect SHE ISNT GETTING GAS although the carb bowl is full. I drained the tank and flushed her all with new fresh clean gas till it was draining out to clean n purge the bowl n needle valve n seat and all looked and flowed great BUT STILL NOT ENOUGH GAS DESPITE HOW MUCH CHOKE, THE CARB IS SIMPLY CLOGGED UP N NEEDS DISASSEMBLY AND CLEAN UP GUNK N VARNISH BUILD UP GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR (yes, compression is fine and squiritng oil in cylinders to imporove ring seal didnt help)

I will nottttttttttt take a hand start tractor to a show unless it ALWAYS starts first or second at max pull over like it did for years ITS NOT GOING AS IT IS gotta get the carb all cleaned. Not even sure if Im taking it at all after this scare and then she didnt start first pull grrrrrrrrrrrr

Sorry for the long rant but I was reallyyyyyyyyy scared n still nervous

John T Still here

Glad your OK. Most "accidents" happen when we have done something numerous times. A small change in it to (save time) gets us. As I"ve grown older I try to recognize these little shortcuts and avoid them. No amount of time saved is worth the time to recover or an eternity of rest.

Yep it was exactly that "small change" to my normal route I had taken for years that got me in trouble

John T

I used to drain the gas out of my old JD's carb.s and tanks. But then I had one stick the needle open one time from the wee drop of gas that was left varnished it open. Ever since then I drain them and then put some kerosene in them and make sure it fills the carb. Then when I get them out of storage I drain the kerosene and fill with some gas. What little bit is left in the fuel bowl mixes and does not seem to effect anything. I can also burn the old kerosene that now has some gas mixed in with it in the all fuel tractors once warmed up.

That was scary to read. Glad you're O.K.

John glad you are able to tell us about it. My worse experiences are being stuck on a hill and having to back up. I just don't like it. Even posting it today we readers can't begin to experience the terror you went through. Take it easy today. Don't hurt your self cranking that JD tractor either. Stan

JohnT, I would take a backhoe and eliminate some of the problems. Glad you weren't hurt. I hear goats will eat anything.
George

Several questions.
What size bush hog?
What type snap coupler/ three point adaptor?
Trip bucket loader?
How do you control loader vs rear rockshaft?

Scary! Glad you are still here ol' John T.

John, glad you are ok. There enough voltage there to get your amps flowing. Seriously, i found that 2 wheel drive tractors equipped with a front mount loader poses serious risks as it decreases the weight applied to the rear tires. i read a lot of comments about old iron compared to new plastic with a lot of bad said about the new. over the years i have had fords and mfs, all 2 wheel drive with no loaders and they all performed well in the field. i currently have one of those orange things, 4 wheel drive/loader. the first thing i realized is descending a hill in 2 wheel drive will give you the same ride you experienced. now, whenever i am on some slope its 4 wheel drive for traction and stability. Again Thank God you are ok.

What size bush hog?

6 ft 3 pt mounted

What type snap coupler/ three point adaptor?

Heck if I know, Im NOT an AC man, the center fits into the bottom snap coupler while the lift arms are off the side rockshafts, its looks all AC and all original n works great

Trip bucket loader?

Yep its a trip bucket

What was wrong was I must not had it in gear and/or the power diverter was in Neutral or I was so scared I was pushin thE cluth n brakes I JUST DONT REMEMEBR I WAS TOO SCARED FOR WHATEVER REASON (but NOT a mechanical tractor fault, it was cuz I did somethign wrong when I panicked) it WAS FREE ROLLING DOWNHILL N FASTTTTT

How do you control loader vs rear rockshaft?

Theres a gate valve you close so the bucket locks in place and hydraulics is diverted to the lift arms, that part works okay

Thanks

John T

Fer sure, Im NEVER AGAIN going uphill where that rock is and yep I need to get my buddy over here with his hoe so its never an issue again

John T

Scarey situation. . . Glad you're OK.

I think you're kinda like the rest of us.

I mow places today that I was scared (too smart?) to mow thirty years ago. Some of those situations - I get to thinking that it would only take a box turtle under that uphill wheel and over she'd go. Whatta we do stuff like that for anyhow?

OK John, sounds like you have it all under control. Sounds like a well balanced set-up.
I asked because indeed you are obviously a JD man, maybe THE JD man when it comes to electrical things. And I guess the resident legal guy too. How does one fit so much into one life?
I was surprised to see you had an AC. I grew up on AC and JD. As a youth I could handle the WD with no problem. The 50 was not so kid friendly.
My cousin(20 years my senior) had a new D15II in my youth. I liked it so much I just found one and bought it. It's now my permanent side mount sickle bar mower-around-the-farm-tractor.
The WD45 I had bought for that purpose is now going to become the permanent bush hog tractor. I can't sell it for what I have in it!
I had known you could get a factory three point on a series II D15, but didn't know until I got a manual for this one that there was a factory optional multi valve hydraulic system- much like the D17IV. I've never seen one in real life.
You can't leave us yet. We all enjoy your communications too much!
I think I've seen you mention Canandaigua. I'm just east of there.

Sounds to me like you're too old to be mowing on hills. Better let your son mow the hills.

And fix the brakes on your tractor or get a tractor that has good brakes.

well john, i think the problem was, you didnt have a good enough ground on the tractor!!!! should have run a 3/8 inch transport chain from the tractor to 8 feet of 1 inch rebar buried in the ground!!
glad you are ok!!! those "pucker factor" moments can sure sneak up on you, even with the best laid plans.

Thanks for the kind words,

Yep for several years I gave Electrical Seminars at the JD Two Cylinder Expo there in Canandaguia (spelling???). The reason I picked up the little AC was its low profile, wide front, 3 pt and pwr steering good for not too steep hillside mowing. Sure, Im a two banger Deere kinda guy, I didnt wanna get on hillsides with a tall narrow front end high profile JD with no fenders grrrrrrrrrr

I gotta fix them brakes, the one side is good but no brakes on the other and when she started rolling I probably hit the left brake which put her into a bad turn grrrrrrrr

John T

Hello John T.: Naa, don't need a backhoe to remove that rock. Just leave it alone cause it will be a great reminder everytime ya see it.. That rock didn't do anything wrong..leave it be.

Are you saying JohnT has a senior moment and he needs a reminder?
George

JohnT, Just glad you didn't have to send this report from the hospital. Y'know, a man is capable of thinking fast and making split-second decisions, but, be-danged if machinery can't out-think us sometimes. I had a scare a few years back, I looked over an area to make sure it was clean, and started bush-hogging, ran up on an automobile wheel and the danged thing flipped up when the front tractor wheel hit it, jacked the rear tractor wheel about 12-16 inches off the ground when it hit. I had to go to the house and change pants. If a man does not have at least one anxious moment to relate, he has never operated machinery.

At the least I plan to drive a stake there with red surveyor ribbon hangin to it. I never had any problem going DOWN the hill over it. Just as I started up that DIFFERENT path UP the hill I was thinkin that rocks here somewhere OOPS

John T

NOW we know what happened. Yes, good brakes are a must. Pretty simple once you get in there, but the downside is pulling the axle housings off.

May wanna scotchgard your drawers from now on :roll:

That's what a guy gets for thinking! It'll get you every time.

Glad you're still one piece to tell us about it - lesson for all.

I have heard "What don't kill you makes you stronger", you must be pretty strong about now. Your gut got cleaned and your heart rate was raised to a healthy leavel, think of the money you saved!

I hope you know that rocks are forced up by frost every year.

What is with the muliple letters on some words? Looks like something my 15year old granddaughter would do???

John, your experience is just like life in general. If you go the easy way down the hill all the time you'll never get anywhere in the end. You've gotta take the chance and try the unknown route up the hill sometimes.

It's good you came out safe. Next time you visit the doc you can tell him your heart passed the stress test at home so he doesn't need to bother with any of that fancy EKG stuff. Jim

Hey neighbor you should check out the benefits of the ESSEX-TRI DIRECTIONAL with the self leveling option. Hope to see you next week at Elnora show, provided you don't do anything else dumb.

HHHHEEEEEEYYYY NNNNIIIICCCEEE GGGGUUUUYYYYY YYYYYOOOOUUUU AAAARRRREEEEE AAAA AAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHOOOOOLLLLLLEEEE

you got to be some kind of a jerk to make a comment like that.

(quoted from post at 02:20:38 08/31/12) you got to be some kind of a jerk to make a comment like that.

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[color=green:ebf1988b2b] I'd say just a regular jerk.[/color:ebf1988b2b]

Hey Joun,
Let us know what you find in that carb. Sure would be interested to know what that gas turned into. Had that happen to me once on my JD D, ended up boiling out the gas tank and plastic coating it.

Dang John, glad your ok! Appreciate the help you have given me. Lesson learned my friend.
Take care and be well,

Kerry in mid MO

Prayers are with you and your entire family. Good luck to you and your wife.

(quoted from post at 15:30:32 08/30/12) What is with the muliple letters on some words? Looks like something my 15year old granddaughter would do???

Click to expand...

Since you are so into grammatical correctness, you misspelled multiple.

I prefer to read the peoples posts for the subject, not to exercise my English skills. To each their own.

Rick Kr

There is no shame in abandoning a sinking ship. It is shut off, or atleast not in a gear, jump. Just aim uphill. Better to have a twisted ankle than a crushed spine. As long as in neutral, still running or not, get a chain on something and another tractor, hey if it flips over when towing it, everything can be repaired, human tissue is harder to fix.
BTW, I never do anything uphill or on a hillside unless all thought out in advance...including an escape route...

John I am glad you are OK. Many don't get a second chance. I have read many of your postings on electrical issues. You could not have the knowledge on electrical issues and be a stupid man. Now my comment that will sound smart butted. I read where the tractor only has one working brake. So you knowingly took a tractor with one working brake on a steep hill???? That is just asking to be KILLED!!!!!!

To fix the brakes on a AC D-15 might cost a few hundred dollars at the most if the disks are shot. Compare that to what a life time of being a cripple would be??? Even worse you getting killed.

GUYS if a tractor does not have all the systems working DO NOT USE IT!!!! What I mean by this is: 1) THE brakes 2) The steering 3) Lift/hitch 4) Lights if it has them.

If the brakes are not fully functional you can lose control like you did today. You got very lucky. Seen several guys killed by just one brake working. Tractor goes side ways when the one brake is hit and the tractor flips. One dead operator.

If the steering locks up or even worst quits working then you loose control. Had a good friend killed on a JD 4020 pulling a hay rake down a gravel county road. The tractor had a worn out tie rod end. He did not want to spend the money right then to fix it. It fell off and when the wheel locked back it flipped the tractor into the road ditch. Broke his neck right there in front of his kids that where following him with the baler.

The lift not working can get you killed. Had a customer that had a JD 2020. The three point lift cylinder had a blown oring. It would not lift. He decided to use his rear scoop to clean a ditch out. His wife said she saw him doing it. He would back in and get the scoop full. Then just drag it forward on the ground to where he wanted to dump it. He then would hook a log chain through the wheel to the lift arm and drive forward real slow. The chain would lift the three point arm. Then he could dump the scoop. He did this a few times with no problems. The last thing he ever did was try it again. He must have let the clutch out too hard or his foot slipped. The chain broke the lift arm when it hit the top of its travel. Then the scoop flew up and over hitting him in the head. He died instantly with a crushed skull.

Lights not working getting you killed. Neighbor has a feed yard up the road about 500 feet from his barns. This is a paved State road. Traffic going 55-60 MPH. His oldest son did the feeding. They did not keep the lights working on the tractor. Not a single rear light. He was feeding two years ago in the evening. A semi hit the feed wagon an flipped it and the tractor several times down the road. 15 year old kid killed because of no rear lights.

So guys keep things well maintained. Also consider what you are doing with an older tractor. The newer tractors do have more safety equipment on them. Like ROPs and seat belts. There where a lot of guys killed on this older stuff we play with. Many of these tractors where not very safe the day they where new.

Scared me just reading it. Glad you made it through.

This happened close to me. I know the family well. So sad that such a precious young life was taken. Dittos to JDSeller comments, you can never be to safe.
16 year old girl killed

I did something similar. I let someone else make the judgement call on how to position the tractor and nearly paid the ultimate price. Nowadays, I look the job over and make all decisions on tractor placement, pull angle, etc...

On the brake issue, when I got my tractor done, I wanted to show my Dad. I had it set on an incline and had the brakes set. He stopped by and I jumped on and fired it up. Leaving the shifter in neutral (and the brakes set), I jumped off. He jumped on as I was stepping off. He had never had a tractor with brakes and thought I was plumb nuts. Massey 65 brakes when well lined and properly adjusted will stop a divorce.

On the fuel issue, hope you figure it out. We have a PM order at work to remind ya to go out and check/run each piece of equipment. Might pay to fire it up on the first of every month.

Thats what I tell the missus anyhow.

Aaron