Anyone here ever been hit while on a tractor?

old fashioned farmer · Nov 7, 2009

Howdy,

I went over to dad's today to get my JD R and bring it over to our new farm. I had been rebuilding the motor there prior to getting married this summer. On the way home I was traveling a short distance on a four lane highway. Probably a distance of about 3/4 of a mile. I can keep it on two lane roads up to that point. Well, it was starting to get toward sunset when I got on there and I had my lights on (including the rear light). As I'm driving along I suddenly get startled by the sound of tires screeching. I hear a pop, see a mirror go flying, and then a car careening off to my left. I stop the tractor along side the road and the car that just hit me pulls in behind. No one hurt but the people in the car were pretty shaken up. Apparently the guy wasn't paying attention and bounced off my left rear tire at about 60mph give or take an mph. His wife was apparently the one who yelled "tractor!" in time for him to skid off my tire instead of rear-ending me. I am certainly grateful for that. Not sure how bad it would have hurt me but given the size of his car, speed he was going, and its age I would say there would have been fatalities in that car. Definitely a scary incident. The strange thing was that I didn't even feel the tractor shake or anything. Guess 50 year old tractors are pretty tough. I am certainly thankful for God's protection though. God bless.

--old fashioned farmer

S.Crum · Nov 7, 2009

Learned the lesson that people have no repect for farm equipment or anything other that the huge articulated loaders on US 220. Can't count the number of times I was nearly rearended pulling our New Holland 285 bushel tandem axle spreader the 200 yards on 220 from the barnyard to the flats driveway. Always figured a fully losded s**t spreader would beat any bumper in a rear collision. Pretty messy though.

504-2 · Nov 7, 2009

Glad no one was hurt, guy had a new to him 185 AC and was just 1/2 mile from the stop sign on a straight road, car hit him square in the rear and broke the AC half into, he walked away from it.Insurance bought him a 200 AC.

Erik Ks farmer · Nov 7, 2009

Last year a neighbor and his son were moving 2 TR 85 New Holland combines on a gravel road and two kids on the way to sports practice hit the lead machine on the left front, tore the hub off the machine and sent it into the ditch. totaled the combine and worse for one of the kids. Needless to say that moving machinery is one of the most nerve racking tasks on the farm, a guy can't be too safe.

kyhayman · Nov 7, 2009

Sometime back in the early 80's I was moving from one field to the other. Creek had a low water crossing and the water wasnt low so I went around the road. As I was making a left turn into the gate I heard that screech of tires and two guys in a Chevy Love drilled the haybine all the way to the rollers. Everyone walked away but they needed a hood and a radiator.

NCWayne · Nov 7, 2009

A friend of my dad lost his father some years back. What we were told is car tried to pass him just as he began turning into his drive and broadsided him.

Unlike others I don't drive a tractor on the road that often. For me it's just on the rare occasion when I transport one to my shop for a customer. Even then I've had people pass me, and the vehicle I had following me, in a no passing zone in a blind curve. I guess it all proves what my Great Grandma used to say about "All fools ain't dead yet". Unfortunately it's the fools that are killing the other people.

IH2444 · Nov 7, 2009

Yep many ignore faarm equipment on the roads too much. Unfortunately some of them who do are also farmers.

Or for instance pulling an oversize load of hay 45+ mph on a winding 35 mph lane and a half road.

It is not just the non farmers that do not show good sense while driving.

kyplowboy · Nov 7, 2009

Buddy of mine lost his FIL in a deal like that. He was stoped in the road on old tractor (I think a Farmall H but it's been a while) getting ready to turn left into a field. Some body drive'n like a heathern on back roads hit his right tire as he started to turn. Tractor fliped over on him. Glad your deal worked out better.

Dave

Bob · Nov 8, 2009

Do you have and SMV emblem on the rear of the tractor? (Not that the city-slickers that hit you would know what it means, anyway.)

Tom671 · Nov 8, 2009

About 10 years ago, I was making a left had turn on to the county road and some fool decided to pass me on my left as I was turning. I walked away with a couple of scratches from the glass, but other people were hurt, but not to bad.
The sheriff was more interested if I had my seat belt on or not. Yes I did. I even had my turn signal on and it was still flashing when they did their investigation. The front axle did not survive the accident though.

495man · Nov 8, 2009

Yep, while making a left hand turn in a marked intersection with double lines on both sides of the intersection, car decided that was a great time to pass me, hit me at a 45 degree angle, no injuries but wrecked car plus tractor needing repair.

1936 · Nov 8, 2009

Family member had his 4010 cut in half. Was injured was a good settlement. Has both halves of JD.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 8, 2009

Any one who can't see a tractor in front of them, has to be on drugs...

onefarmer · Nov 8, 2009

I had a near miss like that a while ago turning left on to my road. I used turn signals and hand signals. And he would have tore off the front axle if I hadn't of looked and stopped at the last minute. He got his rig stopped just as he got beyond me, looked back and gave me the one fingered salute.

Maybe I should have let him hit me, I need a new tractor.

phillip d · Nov 8, 2009

A neighbour was struck hard from behind while driving a fair sized tractor,think it was a 2805 MF.It caused evough spine injury that he can't milk any more so he had to sell his herd.He still does what he can,but sometimes he can't do anything,he's not a lazy sob either,always worked 7 full days a week since he was old enough to do anything.It is apparently in the car owner's pollicy that the insurance company is not liable to injury or damage to vehicles or opperators of non plated motorized vehicles.He's wasted over 40 000 in legal fee's fighting it to date,but so far he's spent most of his livestock sales money's on lawyer's and feeding his family only to continually hear that he's not elegible to recieve settlement.

Pat-CT · Nov 8, 2009

You are very luck that tractor is so big, had it have ben something not build so stalky and heavy duty, Like my John deere 60 or Farmall H

The tractor wouldnt be driving home....

Bill in Colo · Nov 8, 2009

SIL was driving a MF2705 on rural road in wyo. a few years ago when some drunk teenagers in chev s10 hit left dual, upset him, broke front end out of tractor and sent kids to hospital for a lengthy stay. After a couple years sil insurance did prevail.

TimMiller · Nov 8, 2009

I know down here in tx, if you rear end someone you are immediately at fault. It doesnt matter if they slam on their brakes, or pull out infront of you its your fault. I am also a firm believer in full coverage insurance. If someone breaks into your truck your covered, one of these illeagals run into you with no insurance or DL your covered, you hit someone, everyones covered. It has saved my butt a few times. I keep the deductable at 1000, but if someone breaks the glass (kid with bb gun, someone doesnt find anything worth taking) and thats all you file, 100 bucks and a guy comes out to replace the glass.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 8, 2009

It's not always easy to see a tractor. If there's hills or curves in a road, the tractor could basically disappear from view. Doing 60 mph on a hwy. or 50 a country road, you can come up on a tractor really fast. I came close to hitting a big JD with duals and a cab. It was very dark and I did see 2 bright headlights in front of me. I figured it was a tractor or something similar because the lights were mounted high on the cab. It was a 2 lane secondary hwy. and I thought the tractor was in the other lane coming towards me. I did slow down some but still came up on the tractor pretty fast only to realize that it was in my lane going the same direction I was. Luckily no one was coming the other way and I could swerve around the tractor. The lights on the cab pointing back were blinding and there was no way to tell that the tractor was in my lane. The driver of the tractor should have turned the REAR lights off so that his blinking orange lights would have been visible. I saw the same tractor a few weeks later and maybe the guy smartened up because he had the rear lights off. He was coming the other way though but I looked back and could see the flashing marker lights. Sorry for the long post but my point is that sometimes the tractor or equipment driver is at fault or negligent even if he is only going a 1/4 mile down the road to his field. Anyone driving a tractor on the road should take every precaution to avoid being hit. Dave

Anonymous-0 · Nov 8, 2009

I agree with you Dave on the part that you say, (( tractors on the road should take every precaution being hit )) it's the same with any one on the road...

when you said, (( I seen TWO Bright lights in FRONT OF ME,)) that would be your FIRST CLUE of TROUBLE IN FRONT OF YOU, And immediately slow down fast.

Thinking it was some thing else in the other lane is a POOR excuse, or no excuse for you...

Jiles · Nov 8, 2009

I think the biggest danger comes from the inconsideration of the equipment driver.
I can't count the times I have followed a slow moving tractor and the operator never looks back. Just yesterday, I was behind at least 7 vehicles on a crooked two lane road following a tractor with hay rake.
Why couldn't the tractor driver look back and pull off road and let the vehicles pass??
I have never drove a piece of equipment on a public road without a person following me with their lights and emergency flashers operating.
This, to me, is common respect for others and a little extra safety that doesn't cost and might save a life or day in court.
Even with these extra safety measures, there are some people that can't react properly to the situation and will hit a SMV.

hayray · Nov 8, 2009

Your kidding right? Funny, I followed a car down the road today and the driver never looked back to see what was behind them, maybe they were using their rear view mirror like I do in my tractor? Pulling off the road onto the side is stupid and dangerous, as well as illegal in many juridstictions. Nothing dangerous with traffic behind a SMV going slow. If you think I have time to hire another driver to follow me ever time I go down the road then you are selfious to say the least. Also, additional slow moving vehicles in a row present more of a traffic hazzards. I insist that my hired hands do not follow me. Sorry to be so stirn but people who don't believe in sharing the road really irks me. All my tractors and equipment as per state law are operated inbetween the marked traffic lanes.

hayray · Nov 8, 2009

Your kidding right? Funny, I followed a car down the road today and the driver never looked back to see what was behind them, maybe they were using their rear view mirror like I do in my tractor? Pulling off the road onto the side is stupid and dangerous, as well as illegal in many juridstictions. Nothing dangerous with traffic behind a SMV going slow. If you think I have time to hire another driver to follow me ever time I go down the road then you are selfious to say the least. Also, additional slow moving vehicles in a row present more of a traffic hazzards. I insist that my hired hands do not follow me. Sorry to be so stirn but people who don't believe in sharing the road really irks me. All my tractors and equipment as per state law are operated inbetween the marked traffic lanes.

olgentdc · Nov 8, 2009

About 20 yrs ago , Was heading toward home at dusk , came up on a elderly Farmer running the tractor home on the STate hiway, Since I knew Where he would be turning in up the road , I decided it best as a Curtesy to Flip on my flashers and just follow along, since His Back lite was not on ,The Farmer gave me a friendly wave ,. Just As he Got to his drive and began to turn left , None of us were aware that anyone had QUIKLY come up on Us ..Much to my HORROR , i heard a 4 barrell Carb Suckin in And revving past Me , And Right into the angled side of the 5000 FORD ! , The FLUIDED Rear wheel bounced the Mustang into the Farmers front Yard , The tractor nearly turned over but righted itself , The driver Nearly fell Off trying tohold on to the Steering Wheel .. The poor Kids were at Fault , because the Old Guy Swore to the good OL Boy Sheriff he had signalled with his arm , Glad They didn't ask me anything ..

Anonymous-0 · Nov 9, 2009

Lets see, speed limit 60 mph, tractor going about 10 mph. Unless you lock the brakes you're still going to come up really fast. There was no way to know it was a tractor in my lane. The guy in the tractor is supposed to have flashing lights and a SMV sign that is clearly visible. He didn't. It could have been a semi or anything else in the other lane. I couldn't tell what it was until I got fairly close. Some of the new headlights on vehicles are also so blinding that you want to pull over and stop. A large slow moving and over width machine, especially at night, needs to take extra precautions while on the road than a regular vehicle. Also the grammer I used is a lot better than what you tried to quote me on. Sometimes when people are in a hurry or don't have far to go, they take some huge risks. I saw blinding headlights and slowed down. Someone else driving may have also thought that seeing headlights, meant a vehicle was coming the other way and hit the tractor. Cars don't have headlights on the back, they have red tail lights. The guy in the tractor should have turned his rear work lights off, so that his SMV sign and flashing marker lights could be seen. You couldn't even see the duals because it was so bright. Tractors don't get special privledges on public roads and hwy's. Dave

Anonymous-0 · Nov 9, 2009

Dave,, the Law states, you are at fault if you hit a person in the back, if your in a hurry, that alone will get you in trouble,

You are suppose to keep your vehicle under control at all times, that is the Law.

Tractors are also under the law to use safety at all times, they can be a contributor to the accident.

greygoat · Nov 9, 2009

A few years age a neighbor farmer was hit from
behind, and the car rode right up over the tractor
tires, smashed the cab, and killed the farmer.
The farmers wife got a huge insurance settlement,
enough to pay off the farm, and equipment, and
buy herself a newer, younger husband, who was
glad to marry an older women and get a debt free
farm!

Anyone here ever been hit while on a tractor?

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads