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Tractor Pulling Discussion Forum

Accidents waiting to happen.

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Super Lurker

01-10-2006 08:54:27




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This is something that I have seen happening more and more the last couple of years at pulls. That is inexpierenced drivers who can't handle a tractor well enough to drive onto the track, back to the sled and put the tractor in the correct gear. The posts below reminded me of it. PLEASE this is not a slam of any specific person or gender. I am glad more people are getting involved in our sport of antique tractor pulling. It is men, women and kids, who are doing this. Why is it that Bubba's first time to ever drive a tractor is at the tractor pull? If Bubba wants to pull, let him practice some. Go down behind the barn or out in the side yard and let your inexpierenced driver get some seat time. Teach them about the clutch and brakes and how to start and stop safely. Let them drive awhile and get the feel of your tractor. Then have them learn to back up to a clump of grass or a bush. Something it wont hurt if they have an uh oh. Make it fun for them and safe for everyone else. Then when it's pull time they know what their doing and can be safe about it. If some of the inexpeirenced drivers that I have seen don't get some practice time---someone is going to get bad hurt or killed, because the driver doesn't know how to control and stop the tractor their pulling. This is both genders and all ages. Make it safe for everyone, so our beloved sport will keep growing and someone's death won't kill it too. Setting in the seat doesn't make you a driver and walking beside the tractor doesn't mean you can stop it if something goes wrong.

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Mathias NY

01-11-2006 19:04:38




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to Super Lurker, 01-10-2006 08:54:27  
I have never pulled before, so I can't speak from first hand experience. I did grow up with hand-clutch Deere's and own a couple of Flambeau Case's so I have a clue about driving old tractors.

I did witness several stock pulls last year where the operator was so inexperienced that they had to have someone else put the tractor in gear after hitching. After this, several helpers would roll the tractor forward until the chain was tight. The helpers then jump away to avoid being hit as the operator pops the clutch.

From my humble perspective, this is unsafe. If the operator can't drive by themselves, they have no place on the track.

Anyway just my two cents...

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farmall300boy

01-10-2006 17:55:06




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to Super Lurker, 01-10-2006 08:54:27  
yeah some people just dont understand wheel brakes for steering. when the front end is up in the air and you see some people steering the wheel and then when it doesnt work they crank harder. people need to be aware of all the controls before they should bea able to pull. i agree too that its not just the youth because ive seen a group of young boys who can run some pretty big tractors better than some older men.

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Ohio puller

01-10-2006 17:21:54




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to Super Lurker, 01-10-2006 08:54:27  
I have seen drivers hit the steering wheel with there face and or head and get bounced all over the seat when frontend came down hard for one reason or another. I saw a little boy get hit when a tractor was backing up, thank God was just scared and not hurt. This has happened on slow tractors as well as on quicker ones. It only takes a blink of an eye for something to happen. I truely beleave we all get a little too relaxed at times when it comes to safety around tractors and pulling. I beleave we all need to remember these are not toys and do everything we can to see that the drivers can operate and control the tractor and do it in a safe manner. I would rather make twenty people mad because of inforcing safety then see one person hurt because of something that could have been prevented. I have seen many accidents around the sport of pulling in the 40 years I have been involved with pulling. In most cases they could have been prevented and too many times it was due to lack of seat time, just not knowing what to do or how to control the tractor.

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Accidents dont happen the

01-10-2006 16:21:09




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to Super Lurker, 01-10-2006 08:54:27  
Thats all we need to remember.



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JerryB

01-10-2006 14:20:49




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to Super Lurker, 01-10-2006 08:54:27  
Yes.. this subject of inexperiened drivers in the seat trying to pull reminds me of the riddle:

What has a blind javaline thrower and a bag pipe player have in common?

Neither has to be very good to get everyone's attention.



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minnesota red

01-10-2006 19:51:57




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to JerryB, 01-10-2006 14:20:49  
as i said before,running a tractor in the field in no way is the same as on the track.
no 2 tractors act the same on the track,and no 2 people respend in the same way or the same speed at the same time.
thus,know everything you can about the machine and expect it do do exactly what you do not want it to do.
then expect that it will be over corrected and will run sideways for 15-20 feet,then if you get lucky it will settle down.
if not the skid operator should shut it down.
no way running a 150hp tractor in the field prepairs you to set on the seat of 1100hp.

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JD hauler

01-10-2006 13:38:39




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to Super Lurker, 01-10-2006 08:54:27  
I just cringe at pulls when someone steps between the rear tires and the sled pan, to unhook the tractor, should mandate the tractor be shutdown to unhook or some safer way, too many close calls here.



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G/MAN

01-10-2006 13:25:56




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to Super Lurker, 01-10-2006 08:54:27  
It's not limited to inexperienced guys. I've seen guys that know better pull up on a JD two-banger and simply pull the clutch back, instead of putting it in neutral and engage the clutch.



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Bamapuller

01-10-2006 16:35:48




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to G/MAN, 01-10-2006 13:25:56  
It's not just JD's either. Some of the other brand names had a hand clutch too. The hand clutch must be first nature, not even second nature when something happens. With inexperienced drivers on hand clutch tractors, the first thing they do when something goes wrong is stomp on the brakes, thinking it's the clutch. This causes the tractor to veer one way or the other or if both brakes engage then the Gov. opens up and the tractor gets faster. We pull because it's good, clean family fun. Nobody should get hurt while we're doing it.

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Jak

01-10-2006 14:51:46




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to G/MAN, 01-10-2006 13:25:56  
See the JD's all the time with the clutch pulled back in gear running with no one on it,makes me nervous.I once seen a guy get knocked out cold by a pulling truck lunging backward while he was unhooking the truck,he was in between the truck and the sled and the truck had one heck of a stall converter.Good thing the metal on the back of the truck was homemade and very thin and light weight.It got caved in with the inprint of his body.He turned around and took about one step and collapsed.Bring in the"MEATWAGON".

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G/MAN

01-11-2006 10:34:25




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to Jak, 01-10-2006 14:51:46  
When you see it, I think it's your duty to politely inform the guy responsible that it's a potential life-and-death situation. All I needed to be told was the story from my Grandpa about pulling the clutch on his "A", and then getting off to clear the cultivators of some trash. Something in the clutch chose that very moment to break, the tractor took off and he was nearly killed.



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Jak

01-11-2006 11:45:24




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to G/MAN, 01-11-2006 10:34:25  
Your right G/Man about telling the person but it makes some hard heads mad when you question thier actions.A friend of mine had to crawl up on and across a disc to evade an A John Deere coming his way with a broken clutch disc.Liked to have killed him.



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G/MAN

01-11-2006 16:01:54




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to Jak, 01-11-2006 11:45:24  
Yes, I know it will probably upset some people, but I think it's worth the risk when it's a safety-related issue. Sure, the odds of it happening at a pull and someone getting hurt and injured are very small, but I'd rather see someone mad and alive than injured or dead. Especially when you see kids and the like running all over at pulls.



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Doug Boll

01-10-2006 13:15:15




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to Super Lurker, 01-10-2006 08:54:27  
I get concerned about young drivers, It's one thing if they know how to drive but then the grandkid from the big city decides to give pullin" a try ( at age 12) and in a panic runs over someone. Not that young drivers are always to blame for I have seen many old farmers that didn't know how to handle a tractor, this is not to be confused with driving, they are two differen't things.



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minnesota red

01-10-2006 11:06:27




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 Re: Accidents waiting to happen. in reply to Super Lurker, 01-10-2006 08:54:27  
you and i both know that simply working with a tractor on the farm is no way the same as on the track.
just the crowd makes it harder,i still get the jitters after 13 years in the seat of a puller and 24 years in the field.



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