Tractor Advice in a Rollover

This may sound morbid, but in light of the hazzards of tractors and other impliments, what do you do on a utility type tractor (8N, TO 30, etc.) if it starts to roll over? Jump? Stay with it and hope for the best? Or kiss your a$$ good bye? Hopefully, I'd think quick enough to kill the switch?

Larry in Michigan

There's NO reason to get into a rollover situation with a (low-to-the-ground) utility tractor in the first place!

Be sensible, and if a slope is even QUESTIONABLE, stay off of it with the tractor!

Well, even the best laid out plans often go right out the window once one is actually experiencing adversity. As for me, when I start getting on steep angles, my heart starts beating faster and I start breathing heavy. On those occasions when I've been twisted heavy to one direction with a tractor and wondered "Where am I going to jump" when the only way I can jump is in the same direction that I and the tractor are already twisted, I just kind of hope that it don't go over and have been lucky so far. But, I try not to get into those situations.

Hard to say. Best of luck just the same.

Mark

Listen to Bob and Mark; don't put yourself in a situation where it might happen. I've driven on the hills of West Tennessee for 56 years......on everything from a "G" Allis-Chalmers to a 180 hp John Deere; never come close to a roll-over.

Try to put a roll bar on the machine.

Once you're past the point of no return, you ain't gonna have time to do schitt.

It's probably one of those moments where your whole life flashes before your eyes.

Do you even want to find out what that's like?

Listen to Bob and all, and stay away from ditches or other stupid stuff you shouldn't be in.

Like mark and bob, just stay away from steep slopes. I have yet to roll, or come close to rolling a tractor. But-on an open tractor, i'd try to throw myself clear of it. On cab or ROPS tractors, i'd stay with it. I will admit that i dont usually wear the seat belt, but i also dont get into risky situations either

How old are those tractors? 50, maybe 60 years? How many times has it been in a roll over? Probably zero.

Keep common sense in mind. If it seems like a bad idea, it probably is. Drive safe and you will never have an issue.

I did not put myself in the situation but probably twenty years ago I was helping neighbors put away hay after we all lost a lot of time due to a fire dept call. after dark I was pulling an empty wagon away from the barn on an area that I was comfortable on when suddenly the rt side dropped away from me. I instinctively (I guess)turned the wheel hard right and drove down the slope instead of rolling.I don't believe that had I tried to get off, that the tractor, as much as I know it liked me, would have slowed the roll enough for me to stand up and jump away down or climb up over the high side.

Lanse, I believe that probably less than 25% of the people that have been injured in rollovers thought that they were in a risky situation. I also believe that it is not as often steep slopes that have caused rollovers but woodchuck holes on those slopes. I also believe that probably 90% of those who have been involved in rollovers have told others to stay away from unsafe situations.

Well, lets just stay off slopes then

I'm reminded of a story my cousin told me back about 1970. My aunt and uncle and cousin joined a community garden back then somewhere by Lincoln, NE. They were out there and someone was discing a bunch of the plots with an old Ford tractor. The tractor didn't have a drawbar or anything set up to hook the disc to, so the guy took and hooked it up somewhere behind the seat and started pulling the disc. It didn't take too long before he pulled the tractor over on top of him. My cousin saw it and said it looked like every bone in his body was broken. He died at the scene. You have to know what your doing out there....

Fasten down the seat belt and ride out the roll from under the rops frame.
No rops frame? Get your will up to date or purchase something that has a rops/can be rops equiped.

One amazing roll-over happened to my late Uncle, when he was in his 60's. He rolled a JD A over on a hillside, and jumped over the high side to avoid being crushed. He was sore and bruised a bit, but was ok.. The tractor needed all new sheet metal, and the tongue on a Brillion mower was twisted off.. He was very lucky that day.

You ever see the guys that mow for the state. If anyone gets on anything steeper, I wouldn't want to be on it. Do they have to put extra oil in the engine?

Other than an Olympic athelete, I doubt anyone has the ability and reation time to jump off a tractor thats gonna roll. More likely people have been thrown clear. Think about it, the body mechanics and physics just aren't there to enable someone to jump from a sitting position. ROPS and a SEAT BELT are the only way to reliably reduce injury and death, and then there's still a risk.

You got it Lanse. It's too steep, if you can't keep your butt in the seat.

I'd imagine if you raised the bucket loader above head level it will act like a roll bar and keep the tractor from crushing you. You could also use the bucket as a sled if your front wheel goes in a hole.

I seldom use it, but my cub has a tether and a kill switch installed for grandson. In a shaky spot I would sure use it. Only cost ab out ten bucks. Hook it to your pants. When you leave the tractor it dies.

I am currnetly working on putting roll over protection on my MF65. I understand that it will not be safety rated, etc. But it will be built plenty heavy. I intend to narrow and reweld a used set. If I cannot find them heavy enough, I will build my own. Anything is better than nothing. I will also use a seat belt with this setup. Used Rops are about $300 here. I would expect to pay around $100 to have them adjusted to fit the tractor.

Then I plan to run it like they weren't there...

Aaron

A lot depends on what your doing at the time. Jumping clear works but if say your brush hogging good luck because it will eat you as it rolls over. So it all depends on the tractor and what your doing at the time as to how to maybe live after.
Hobby farm

Hi Guys , IT 'S the SURPRISE things that can get YA !
The other day While in 4th gear cutting hay with the tricycle 800 Case the front end broke thru a sink hole,You Talking about a jolt ! Almost ran over my Water jug ,, couple years back a fellow wanted His old home site mowed and Said I could have the hay in the field toO,found the remains of an open ancient septic tank just before the front wheels did , Whoooh !!, That was CLose ! Been in tight spots a few times ,took My time and was careful in delicate situations ... And I was watching it Closly every time when I had a Massey 210 with Loader that Went on its side at least twice . Traded that durn thing ! ....it doesnt matter how big or Small they are they can Hurt YOu , Seems like the worse things happen when You are not expecting anything to go wrong

The main reason I asked is I usually take the road going to one of my fields because it's shorter than going down the power line. On both sides of the road there's a steep bank. I don't get anywhere near the bank, but just wanted some advice in case I got forced off the road. I am very cautious. I NEVER use road gear with an implement attached on the road and I'd never try mowing a steep bank. Let the road guys do that.

Thanks for the advice and comments. S**t happens so fast.

Larry in Michigan

Back in the mid 70s when I was a teen I worked on a farm on weekends when not needed on our own farm. We were just comming back from lunch and one guy jumps on a narrow front Farmall M. He never noticed the wheels turned tight to one side. He went to take off fast tractor spun around in tight circle, threw him off and tipped over. He got lucky.
Another guy I worked for never got so lucky. He was taking some dirt down a hill and around a corner of his house in a front end loader bucket. He had the bucked raised too high, as he turned at bottom of hill tractor tipped over and crushed him. I was not working there at the time this was a few years after I left.
I can not see any way that a front end loader would ever help stop a roll over. I would think arms would just bend and twist around.
A person has to be real carefull out there on that equipment.

My Dad really drilled this into my head. Never have a loader higher then needed especially if any weight in the bucket. Bucket is way out front and if high with weight it will cause the tractor to roll if hit a hole or get on too much of a slope. Its not going to work like a ROP and save you. IF kept low it will help keep the tractor more stable then if bucket is high but still no help in a roll over. but high is not good driving along if any weight in bucket.

The only situation I can think of where you would have enough time to react would be if you started to slide sideways on a slippery sidehill. When that happens, there is a very good chance that the tractor will roll when it comes to a stop; bailing out on the high side could save your life. Of course, if for some reason the tractor DIDN't roll, you would have a tractor running in gear with no one aboard.

The best thing, of course, is to avoid potential rollover situations, but that's easier said than done. Even for an experienced operator.

In my personal experience, virtually ALL of my "near death tractor experiences" have occurred while I have been using the loader.
Too high, too much weight, too much incline- too stupid at the wheel. All happened so fat it took my breath away- i don't think anyone could react and bail. Some big ol wheel weights and something heavy on the tail would probably help...
Some one else said it in an earlier post- keep the loader light, low and slow and most of your problems will be solved.

on these old tractors, its up to you not to turn it over,, yours as well as the ones i own have survived 50 to 60 or more years doing no telling what without a rollover incident, due to operator intelligence, if you need to road your tractor do it during times of less traffic, ie; after full sun up but before city dudes and soccer moms get on their way to work, driving while they eat breakfast with one hand, shave or put on makup or talk on the cell phone with the other, steer with their knees and look down at the front seat and read the paper all at the same time, have at least one shiny new slow moving vehicle triangle on the rear, it at least helps them see you, if you have a loader travel with it in the lowest position pratical while moving, [loaded or not] dont forget a counter weight on the rear for loader operation, [ the first time you lift something and feel those rear wheels come up, certain parts of your body gets a very strange feeling, you wont do that twice]if you pull tree stumps or simaler pull only from the drawbar, under the rear axle centerline, keep your foot on the clutch, seconds can save your life, if she rears up on you, if your brush hoging, use a over running clutch on your pto,keeps you out of the wall, the duck pond or momma's new car set your tractor wheels as wide as praticle for stability, finally these old tractors aint a new kubota, they require brains be used to operate them the only saftey interlock on them is you! keep your mind on what your doin and youll be just fine, if it looks dangerous, it probably is, find a different way to do the job

It's something to avoid, 2 scenarios, the one you mention, I don't think you can get your feet and legs clear in time, you kind of straddle these kind of tractors, seat with belt and r.o.p.s. is what you need to install.

The other scenario is when the nose comes up and it flips backward, you get caught like a mouse in a trap. Cannot be too careful towing things with one of these.

Heavily ballasted, both wheels and something on the back end and with a bucket loader installed, something like the 800 series ford, which is not that far removed from one of these, is actually quite tolerant of side slopes, though you can slide on wet grass, I think it's a matter of knowing the limits, respecting same if you don't have a seat with a belt and r.o.p.s installed. If it goes over, without these safety accessories installed, really hard to say, sideways maybe you can get your feet out, all it takes is your pants getting caught, backwards not good, keep em upright and don't push the limits, I've posted the article of the person near us who ended up under a brush hog, after getting bounce out of a 640 ford, we also lost a distant cousin within the same year, tried to pull something out, went over backwards, both incidents were fatal.

I've dealt with hills here since a kid, I'd not own a utility size tractor like one of these unless it had a loader, wheel weights and or loaded tires, low center of gravity models even better, but the standard row crop hundred series width seems fine on the slopes, the loader allows you to ballast the front too.

You are not going to jump clear from an 8N, TO-30, Oliver 550 etc... any easyier than you could jump clear from a sports car seat. There is not enough room to get out from under the steering wheel quickly. Roll overs don"t just happen from stupidity they happen because of getting in a hurry. They do go together though. Every time I have been injured on the farm, for 50 years, is because I got in a hurry.
I have posted this before but it warrants being said again. When using a "Bush-hog" rotary cutter on a 3 point. PLEASE use the top link. When I was young, maybe 12, a neighbor was running a 8N with a rotary cutter with out the top link. Don"t know why but guess he got in a hurry and just attached the cutter to the lower links. He was cutting a small lot and hit a stump which caused the cutter to pivot up and hit him in the back of the head. I doubt he ever knew what hit him. It left a lasting impression on me about safety.

The reply below is correct about hooking up the top link with a solid link. I mow mountain pastures, and have put in a short link of chain between the mow arms and the lower 3 point hitch arms to keep the skids from digging into the ground. This does not work good on a side slope,so I mow those backing up the hill. Haven't been able to use it the last two years because I'm afraid the blade will hit a rock and start a fire. It is DRY...........

When I was in high school I took a 4H tractor safety course that was pretty informative. They were adamant that a loader bucket should never be higher than the seat of a chair while transporting the tractor. When you think about it, this makes a lot of sense.

How is it "city dudes and soccer moms" are all fools and farmers are not?

Even is the home brew rops is strong enough. The tractor or where the rops attaches may not be.
The rops can be too strong and instead of absorbing some roll over energy. The too stiff rops can snap the tractor apart.
For the love of $200 measly little bucks.Get the proper rops.

Terry,
CORRECT, a high bucket raises the center of gravity

By the time you realize it's going over, it's too late, that pup's gone, and you wont even have time to kiss your A goodbye. I'd go to rops and seatbelt city, for more sure protection. And you can't have one without the other.

A lot of people are commenting on ROPS. I know that Deere sells a ROPS + seatbelt kit for their older tractors that didn't come with one for $500. I guess they've been sued enough times that they decided they needed to offer this. Anyway, check with your tractor's manufacturer, they may have a similar offer.

I'll first give ya credit fer askin'.

Second, I'll say that I know absolutely nothin' about you personally, but add that I don't know anybody that could get away from the type tractor you describe when things fall to pot. You're tucked in there like a cockpit and just can't get past the wheel and above the fenders to make a quick getaway. And the odds ain't much better on a tall rowcrop where you might think the raised seat platform would improve your chances of bailin' out. Cold hard fact is that, whether she's goin' over the side or the rear, it'll be over in less than a heartbeat.

My one experience of a fatal accident on a tractor like you describe is no happier for it being second-hand. A neighbor took a Ford xN back into the woods to cut out the windfalls and drop some trees for the next winter's firewood. Nobody knew anything was wrong until his dog came home without him. Near as anybody could figure, since we found the motor off the bar of his chainsaw, he got his bar bound up in a standin' tree, and when all else failed gettin' the bar out, he tried to spring the cut open by pushing on the tree with the bucket, and the tree snapped and fell back on him. A tree falling gives you more time to bail than a rollover, and he still didn't have time to get out of the way. When they found him, he was crushed in the seat behind a bent steering wheel and the tractor had run so long pushing the front up against that all that was left of the tires were the rags of the sidewalls.

Somebody in this thread said the the most important safety over-ride sits between the ears of the person ridin' in the seat, and I can't think of a better way to express that point.

Tragedies of this type stem from two very different kinds of ignorance in my book. One is borne of lack of experience, where the operator just did not recognize the potential perils of what he was doing. On the flip side, there are well-known hazards that people choose to ignore "just this once" that end up maiming or killing them.

The case I cite might be seen as a fluke but is offered as a testament to how badly and how unepectedly things can go wrong. More to your question about rollovers, it simnply happens too fast.

The only time I ever rolled one it was a lawn tractor. I was mowing out an old lane between two nice rows of maples going up the steep hill that had been the old carriage road to the house before the driveway was cut. In the tall grass, the right front wheel caught a root that I never saw. The front of the tractor climbed the tree. Only because it was a garden tractor was I able to jump uphill and get away from it. The ugly snarl and the gray blur of those blades as the machine tumbled a turn-and-a-half down the hill are quite firmly embedded in my memory. I made a few calls afterwards and asked some family to add their prayers of thanks to mine that night.

Best advice is that if it doesn't feel right, STOP. Throw it out of gear and stay on the brake while you look it over. Back out of it if you can. If that only makes it worse, shut her down right where she is. I can't think of a thing we do with tractors, whether as a hobby or for a livin' that's worth dyin' for.

YT isn't letting me post a couple of videos I have that illstrate how quickly it can happen. I'll contact them and see if I can get them into the thread.