A couple of tractor stories that didn't have a happy ending.

IA Leo · May 27, 2009

During WW2, I heard a story of a fellow who hooked his PTO onto a two wheel trailer made from a truck rear end, even used the truck transmission in the drive line. He got amazing speed by leaving his tractor in neutral and having the trailer push him. Tractor upset, killing him.

Another story of a young man who removed one of the leaves of a JD model D tractor seat support for a softer ride. He never showed up after a night of discing Kansas wheatland. Found the tractor in a drainage ditch, still running in the morning, minus seat and operator.

I cannot verify these stories. I am sure there are many more who rode their tractor to the great beyond. Leonard

fixerupper · May 27, 2009

We don't hear much about farmers falling off their tractor and being plowed under today because of cabs, but I remember hearing about it years ago. I sometimes get an uneasy feeling about the seat springs on some of the old tractors I have driven. Those springs have been flexing away for 60 to 80 years by now.

In the forties my dad was mowing hay with a team of horses and the seat spring broke on the mower. He wasn't hurt when he hit the ground, but the spring made a bang which spooked the horses, so they ran away with the mower and stopped up against a fence. When he told the farmer he was working for what happened the farmer said "WHY DIDN'T YOU HANG ONTO THE REINS". Dad told the farmer he didn't plan on having the world drop out from under him just then. Jim

PJH · May 27, 2009

Never gave it a thought when I was young, but I did a lot of plowing with a WD-45, and now when I think about it, what happens when the snap coupler gets worn enough to release at an in-opportune moment? Looks to me like the plow would flip right up against the seat.

I worked with a guy whose grandfather was killed by an evener pole, like you used to pull harrow sections behind. He was going to go through a gate, so he unhooked all the harrow sections and set them inside the fence. Then he unhooked one end of the evener pole and started to drag it through behind the tractor. The chain was connected to the pole about a foot or two from the end. The pole caught on a rock, or a root maybe, and it catapulted over like a big flyswatter and struck him in the head. They found him dead, still on the tractor, but stalled in the woods on the other side of the field.

You can get hurt or killed by the simplest things.

Paul

just another old geezer · May 28, 2009

My father grew up during the time that tractors were just starting to take over the workload from horses. I have heard LOTS of stories, but I still think that the run away horses were the most dangerous

730 virgil · May 28, 2009

i was in high school when i heard a young guy that was disking when a thunder storm came up he got struck by lighting fell of off the tractor and got ran over by the disk.
when he didn't come home family went looking for him found the tractor and disk in a ditch the young man in field.

Mike (WA) · May 29, 2009

Fellow retired after many years with local farm supply company, he and wife were going on an extended road trip with newly acquired motor home. While she was packing for the trip, he wanted to finish up disking a small field. An older Case or AC, as I remember, with seat cantilevered out back. Fell off the seat, run over and killed by the disc.

My great grandfather was struck and killed by "ball" lightning in Missouri (Lebanon) around the turn of the century, while loading hay on a wagon. His son was also hit, they found him dazed and wandering in the woods a day or so later- he did recover fully.

440roadrunner · May 29, 2009

I grew up in the '50's and '60's so our tractor was already "out of place" We had a small family place, always with garden and couple of critters for milk and meat.

We had an old Farmall Regular at the time. Dad had done a magnificent job adding electric start, snow blade, and front mount buzz saw. We put up hay loose.

When I think back on all the times that something "could've been" I cringe. last time I saw that big saw blade, I thought back, little me, standing in the fall wet ground, throwing away wood from that horrid thing. Guard? are you kidding me?

When I was sorta first old enough to "operate" that huge Farmall, I used to scoot my butt up and clamp my thighs around the wheel to keep from losing it. Dad hurt his arm a couple of times in rough ground.

One winter I went up the steep hill to "grammas" to plow her out, Darn near missed getting 'er in gear coming DOWN the hill

I damn near got it one winter night with the crank, which was in the road of the snow blade

A couple of tractor stories that didn't have a happy ending.

IA Leo

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fixerupper

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PJH

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just another old geezer

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730 virgil

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Mike (WA)

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440roadrunner

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