Combines Whats your closest call with a piece of farm machineryIJ

[Oz]

This reminds me of the young and stupid days.The folks were away for the day and a couple of my freinds came over.Well the over welming desire came over me to show them how to drive a tractor.I got the old farmhall out and started to race up and down the feild,going up a gear each time.On the last lap, and of course in top gear, I had the old girl humming along.I clipped a large mound of dirt and up she went,2 wheels for about 30 yrds,I n$%and^ myself but managed to hang on.It must have looked like some sort of a car stunt I think.Imagine the worst no cab and no roll bar.We put the tractor back in the shed and after they left I sat down and cried.Makes me shudder now just thinking about it.I was just a fool,but it taught me a lesson.

 

[rf]

I was about 12 years old and was working for a farmer in the summer. We were preparing to spray cantalopes. He had a C farmall hooked up to the sprayer and we were getting the sprayer ready priming the PTO driven pump. I had on a pair of loose fitting coveralls and I was priming the pump with the tractor idiling I was pouring water into the pump. Without even felling it my right pant leg caught in the PTO and in flash was up to my waist band tugging me. I reached up and shut off the PTO. The PTO lever on the C was below the seat and on the back right had side of the operators platform.He had to cut my pants off to get out of the situation. With the equipment today, I would have been hurt or killed because there is no PTO shut off within arms length of the PTO shaft on modern tractors. I only had a cut on my leg where the set screw on the PTO cut my leg. Needless to say the farmer was pretty shook up. I wasn't then but I think about in now and it was pretty scary.

 

[statboy44]

A few years back i was on a narrow road with my 16 row Kinze corn planter, lost control as one of the folded wings caught the ditch, and ripped the right side right off the planter.

 

[Ed_Boysun]

Excellent topic. For all you young and beginning farmers this is probably the single most important thing you can do in your career. You cannot spend too much thought, time or money on safety, It is simply impossible!! I have never seen a farmer fail because he was "Too Safe" have seen several forced sales from accidental death, crippling injuries, and long hospital stays. Farm safely guys. Ed

 

[gilly]

My closest call involved an 8300 in transit after a parade a couple years ago. Our dealership had several units in the fair parade, including a 36 B, an H, and a 720. Those tractors did not go as fast as the 8300, so I looked for an opportunity to pass them and get back to the shop. I got past the H and 720, and caught up to the B quickly. I looked in my mirrors and saw a red car quite a ways back. After checking for oncoming traffic and checking the mirrors again, I merged out to pass. looking to the left, I saw the red car, which had been hidden behind the tire of the 8300, attempting to pass me. I jammed the clutch and merged over. It scared the heck out of me. I probably should have smashed that car, but something in me told me to look twice.

 

[VAfarmboy]

Thanks, that is why I posted it! You can never be too safty concious. Just the other day we had a guy down here who got in a grain bin with the bin sweeper running and he got tangled up in it and almost lost his leg. I have a 4440 on my farm that my dad bought from a young guy who had just started farming back in 1979. It had 75 hours on it when dad got it. The reason the guy was getting out of farming was because he got run over by that 4440. Apparrently he was trying to teach his girlfriend how to drive it, and he was standing on the step of the cab. It had a 5 bottom flip plow on the back, and apparrently she popped the clutch, and it jumped throwing him off, and he ended up getting crushed under the dual wheels. Fortunately for him, it was in soft plowed ground otherwise he would have been dead. When we went to pick the tractor up, the guy was in bed in a body cast, and he told dad, he did not ever want to see that F$@ning tractor ever again. I have seen the guy since, and he has finally recovered, after many years, and surgeries, but he never farmed anymore.

 

[Spark_Plug]

Hey guys, great topic... My closest call came last summer chopping hay. We run old Hesston Field Queen side dumps from the 70's, model 7655's. Cutting hay one day on contour strips. Had to cross over a very steep hill to get back to the trucks to dump. I was coming back loaded, and the first time i followed the contour at the edge of the field. That was pretty steep, so The next time on the way back, i decided to go up the middle because it didnt look as steep. I quickly learned that was not the better choice. I just creeped along really slowly, and then suddenly all motion stopped except for this bouncing sensation. I looked in the mirror and realized my right tire was spinning off the ground. I sat there, loaded full of hay on this hill, about ready to roll over and wondering what to do. I started sweating bullets when the CB speaker slid across the dash. I turned it down hill and dumped the hydro to full speed, and got out of it. I had the $h!t scarred out of me, and was white as a sheet. That is no doubt my closest call. We still have the Field Queens and farm about 600 acres with them. They are a great harvester, but better on the flat ground! BTW - If any of you are interested in Field Queens.. Go to www.clubs.yahoo.com_clubs_hesstonfieldqueenharvesters That is a club i started for Hesston Field Queen Thanks for listening, this is a great message thread, and i enjoyed reading them

 

[deerelover]

MINE was when i was taking our 7700 home with the 6row cornhead and a guy passed me after i waited for on coming cars to go by me before entering a bridge .. when taking backoff he came around and went under the cornhead .. lucky iwas watching out for it because i raised the head as e went under it and then he gave me the finger like it was my fault ! i have had them pass me on double yellow lines and on the rightside in the grass .. so i just hod my ground and go on now watching out for myself !!!just don't want too get hurt or hurt somebody ! had a friend moving round bales and pulled over to let traffic go by looked in his mirrors at a car coming up fast jumped out of the tractor trying too flagthem away from it but they didn't pay any attetion an ran in too the back of the tractor killing them both! now he has too live with that for the rest of his life ! which he done no wrong in it !we need to give respect and recieve respect out there ! hope everybody has a safe farming year!!!!!!!

 

[Gene9750sts]

One close call was I had a hired man pulling the double head mover to the next job.I was behind him hauling the combine.We were moving right along on a two lane road.The head mover had a touge wait problem at the time,so we had a anti sway bar on it so it wouldn't wip,but a few miles back it broke.And he was getting a run for the next hill and I started to see the trailer wip little by little right at the bottom,then it hit a bad spot on the road,and there it went wipping like the worst gravity wagon you have ever pulled,but we were going about 70 mph the heads were hanging into each side of the ditch every time it wiped side to side,the wheels smoked every wip,I thought for sure I was going to have two heads in the ditch,then during all that a couple of cars was coming from the other way.Then he finally hit the lever for the trailer brakes.And that straighten it out.Talk about sh--ing bricks

 

[Ole]

My closest call didn't involve any self propelled machinery, but here it is.