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Finally used my tractor for something useful!

M

Mike CA

Well-known Member
I've had my H for about a year now. It's been running since the Spring. For all the kid rides I've done, I've never had a "practical" use for it. Well, today was the day! It's my youngest son's 4th birthday today, so I pulled out the old boy so he could drive it around the neighborhood. Afterwords I did some yard work, and we had a really big bush die on us. So I was trying to pull it out and had no luck. Then I had an idea! I have a chain... I have a tractor... So I yanked that root ball out of the earth like it was nothing!

I'm ready to plow a field! :lol:

8)
 
Wow, did you get lucky! If that tree had not moved so easily, you could have easily had the tractor do a back flip. You would be underneath with the tractor on top, wheels up.

[b:654c4848f0]**[u:654c4848f0]PLEASE[/u:654c4848f0]**[/b:654c4848f0] promise me you won't do this again!!
 
Glad you have a use for your H!

If you are hooked to the drawbar, I highly doubt you would flip it over without doing something extra stupid... like going at it full throttle and dumping the clutch.
 
It is advisable to not do that (if the "TREE" is less than 2 inches OK, but all larger, tough trees will be a dangerous pull.
The bigger trees don't come out, the tractor digs in a bit, and the pinion in the differential climbs up the ring gear tipping the tractor over backward. In a Flash!!
You can use the tractor for an anchor and use a come along to do the actual pulling. There is real danger there. Jim
 
If the chain is hooked to the drawbar there is no way the tractor can flip because the line of draft is below and behind the axle. If it would flip when hooked to the drawbar everytime you hooked a plow on and hit a tough place in the field it would flip.
 
Mike, I did the same thing a few years ago. Had those evergreen shrubs on the west and the north side of my house. the shrubs were not dead, but they were ugly and basically just a nuisance. Wrapped a chain around the base of each shrub, hooked it to the drawbar of an H, and out they came. The H struggled a bit with one of them because its roots were tangled into the roots of the shrub next to it, but the struggle was over quickly, and the H won. Most of those ornamental shrubs have a very shallow root system.
 
If the tractor has a swinging drawbar it is hooked under the belly and in front of the axle. So if you are hooked up to the swinging draw bar if will pull down on the front off the tractor.
 
(quoted from post at 13:40:30 08/03/08) If the chain is hooked to the drawbar there is no way the tractor can flip because the line of draft is below and behind the axle. If it would flip when hooked to the drawbar everytime you hooked a plow on and hit a tough place in the field it would flip.
Click to expand...

Exactly, it would take an extra dose of stupidity to flip an H over backwards! Mine don't have enough power pulling from the drawbar to even get the front end off the ground at all...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip7ZMcEF_Co
 
I agree with the reply about NOT being able to flip the tractor IF the drawbar is fixed as it is below the centerline of the axle. I did see a tractor flip right in front of me, however, at a local tractor pull. A John Deere 40 had a 3 pt. hitch which was NOT pinned fast and the tractor did just that - walked around the ring gear & flipped in an instant. Fortunately the guy was NOT crushed but was pretty well shaken up. A word to the wise!
 
Scott,
Never had one good and stuck have you? They will "climb" the differential. Ever watch a pull ?? That's whats happening when front wheels come up but sled is moving THAT is why they must have "wheelie bars".
 
Well, after the safety ruckuss dies down... congratulations. It always makes me feel good to use my old girl for something out of the ordinary.
 
I've grew up on Super H's and Super M's. I've had them hooked to almost everything you can imagine from implements, to tree stumps to stuck cars and trucks. I always hook to the drawbar and have never had the front wheels more than an inch or so off the ground. The laws of physics will not allow the tractor to overturn on itself if the hitch point is below and behind the axle period! Now if you hook around the axle itself or any point higher than the axle it will flip faster than you can react, again laws of physics
 
If the stump pulls out some what, and the drawbar does not extend beyond the effective diameter of the wheel, and if there is enough inertia moment built up in the tractor going up, it can and will flip. Attaching to the swinging drawbar (mentioned) can be of help only because it is farther behind, not becaue it is forward in its mount. The up down limit prevents it from being anything but a rearward extension of the U drawbar. It does work from the center of the tractor on turns, but only if not pinned in place. JimN
 
This bush came up to my hips. I had already tugged it out a bit, but the roots were in there. The H barely even felt it as it pulled the bush out.

Please don't freak out over something so minor. Save it for someone who is pulling down a forrest or something.
 
I have been pulling from drawbar on Hs and Ms for sixty years and have never had front end to come up while on fairly level ground. If you have a modified high powered engine and lots of rear weight that is different story. There are a lot of other bad things that can happen though like chain breaking and conking you on head so be carefull and enjoy your tractor.
 
Mike,
That is great, don't it feel good to use it? As for flipping one backward, I doubt it, my H has 1 set of pie weights, no fluid in tires, and it probably cannot flip over backwards, it will not get enough traction to flip over. As I am sure you have unloaded tires, minimal weight, your tires will spin first. Boy, these people don't think you can do anything right. LOL I have faith in your common sense.
Jim
 
It's fun isn't it ? Having a use for the hard work of rebuilding your tractor ? A year and a half ago in the spring I pulled dozens of what I call saplings out with my Oliver and my Farmall M . The trees were anywhere from 4" to 12" in diameter with the vast majority under 6" and most of them were soft maples . I dug some pretty deep holes with the Oliver on some of them while having to pull from many different angles to get them out . I cut the trees about 4' high and hooked the chain as high as possible to get as much leverage as I could to tip the tree to help break the root system on the far side first . Not once did the front wheels of either tractor leave the ground . I did have some bounce in the whole tractor on a few occasions . I didn't start with a tight chain either . I've read a lot of your post's and don't believe you are anything less than an intelligent and maybe a little overly cautious individual . With that said , just think about the end result of any idea you get while using the tractor . I probably do many unsafe things in the eyes of most people concerning using heavy equipment but that's what I do for a living . I use leverage . I'm a crane and heavy equipment operator . It's all good if you think about certain laws of physics and try to work with them instead of against them . I'm not saying the tractor couldn't go over backwards just that you'd need perfect traction to cause it to happen . Not likely on grass such as I assume is in your yard . ...Randy
 
Hi Mike, I used my Farmall BN to rip out a huge rose bush that was on my mother's property that she didn't want anymore. It never did much and she wanted rid of it. I ripped it out with a chain and drug it bouncing behind the tractor over to plant it at my place. I dug a quick hole and just threw it in. It has since bloomed beautiful and has grown very big and healthy. I know what you mean about having fun using the tractors.
 
Tractors can flip, and they also can be controlled. I have just recently gotten into the F series, but have quite a few years with a Super M (and more Letters since then).

I cannot tell you the number of times I have pulled VERY heavy loads of logs and firewood out of the woods, steering with the brakes because the front wheels were off the ground. It's not for the faint of heart, nor for someone who is not used to it.

I learned very quickly as a teenager, about the "climb" of the SM. Was making a go-kart track, and needed to pull some pine trees out. I cut the trees at about 6', hauled the top away, and then chained to the top of the 6' stump and worked them out. However, one was rather tough, and the rear wheels were digging in, until the really "bit" in. Front of the tractor came up VERY fast, and I slammed the clutch. Needless to say, the front came down faster than it went up. Blew out both front tires (they were dry rotted to begin with). Luckily, I hit the clutch before it came all the way over. Also lucky, the only thing broken was the front tires/tubes........and my savings. Dad made me buy new tires/tubes.

As with any older machinery, there is danger. Even the most experienced operator can have a mis-hap. And as with everything else, you learn by listening to those who have experience, pay attention at all times, and THINK THINK THINK (ie. anticipate as best you can).

My $.02 worth.
 
always use my bn for something usefull It skidded 10 cord of wood last winter but I got to say with that fixed draw bar it never flipped but i've steered with the brakes once or twice. I bought it to use and enjoy. nothing runs like the old ones. I enjoy restoring them and working them as much as I can.
 
I grew farming using everything from a Ford 841 to a JD 8400 all with loaded tires. In the right conditions, anything is possible. Most of the time if pulling on a stationary object even if it weighs more than the tractor it will not flip using the stationary drawbar. Physics are on your side because the tires will slip first. Now if using a drawbar on the 3-point, that is risky because it changes the pulling angle of the tractor to above the centerline of the axles and increases the odds of a bad situation.

Moral, Good judgement, stationary drawbar, and a clevis you should be safe.

By the way, congrats on giving the H a taste of work. Before you know it your yard will be full of impliments!

Charles
 
Exactly right. When towing a disc or any other implement I always use the swinging draw bar . It seems to stabilize the pulling power. NUff said Henry
 
I can understand the safety concern but really, an H vs a shrub? Dont really think there is much of an issue here. At the farm i work on we pulled out 50+ 20 year old apple trees via the chain and drawbar method from a Ford 7600 without any issue. Now i wouldnt recommend trying the H on a full grown maple tree or what have you. All you need is common sense.
 
Tom,
Your still in amateur status with a couple of dry rotted tires, I
think it only counts if you cash in a spindle or two or if you are
full pro you take out the bolster, makes your father really proud
and your but really,really sore.
 
I have seen tractors stuck hundreds of times but am still looking for first one to flip back. Way back in the day when they got one badly stuck as last resort they would pole them out. You cut 8/10 inch pole, lay it under tractor, chain it to rear wheels and let tractor lift itself up and forward, never saw anyone hurt doing this but it sure is a good way to get killed not only by tractor flipping back but by pole coming around and crushing driver.
 
If yall don't think a tractor will flip when pulling stumps, I had a friend I will have to dig up and tell him and his wife he ain't dead any more. You'll probably cry foul though cause it was a Ford 9n. Guess you never saw a dirt bike do a wheelie.
 
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