ROPS and ramps

[DitchFisher]

Yesterday I was working on my property. We are getting ready to build our retirement house. I had a couple of loggers there to take down some trees where the house is going. I did some clearing of under growth and other stuff with the tractor. I was done for the day and went to put the tractor on the trailer. The ramps are (used to be) 4 by 12 lumber reinforced with angle iron. Just as the rear tires were reaching the trailer bed, the right ramp exploded. This of course dumped the tractor and me off the trailer. I was able to jump most of the way clear, somehow the ROPS caught my shoulder and head with a glancing blow. The tractor tried to roll over to a complete turtle, the ROPS stopped this from happening which also kept me from being crushed. Needless to say it was a little exciting. Luckily the loggers had a skidsteer and we were able to get the tractor back to its normal upright position.
Here is the damage: Tractor none that I can find. I let the fluids settle, and it started right up. Trailer is probably toast, one of the rear cross members got crinkled. Me sore shoulder, lump on my head. All things considered not to bad. Sure glad the ROPS did what it is designed to do.
Bob

 

[live_roll]

You are one lucky man!! count your blessings. that tractor is equipped with a seat belt, which is part of the safety system, the safest place to be is strapped onto the seat. more people get killed by trying to escape and having the machine roll onto them or over them..... you narrowly and luckily escaped with a shoulder bruise and a lump to the head it could have been much much worse........NEVER scrimp on safety

Cheers

Roger
New STEEL ramps are on order I take it?

 

[Wild and Free]

Glad you came out of it with minor damage. It is truely amazing how fast things like this happen. I have been around heavy equipment my whole life and have seen more than my fair share of close calls and a couple more serious ones. but no loss of life.

As you found out using the wrong tools for the job are what get most in trouble, home made ramps and rotten trailer decking cause lots more accidents than one can imagine.

As Live roll stated trying to jump rather than being strapped on is what would have been the end of it for you.

 

[DitchFisher]

You are one lucky man!! count your blessings. that tractor is equipped with a seat belt, which is part of the safety system, the safest place to be is strapped onto the seat. more people get killed by trying to escape and having the machine roll onto them or over them..... you narrowly and luckily escaped with a shoulder bruise and a lump to the head it could have been much much worse........NEVER scrimp on safety

Cheers

Roger
New STEEL ramps are on order I take it?

Well I always wear the seat belt, had taken it off to load some tools, and in this case I am glad I did. The angle that the tractor came off the trailer my head would had been the one of first things to hit. Got a hard head just not that hard. No steel ramps are not on order. New trailer with ramps is.

 

[TripleR]

As others, I am glad you are OK.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Well now that a new trailer is on order how many new fresh and clean underwares did you buy??!?!

 

[DitchFisher]

Well now that a new trailer is on order how many new fresh and clean underwares did you buy??!?!

Only one, but that was just because I landed on the wet ground.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Only one, but that was just because I landed on the wet ground.

Oh I'm sure the ground was wet... wet and yellow!

 

[sk123]

Glad you are OK and also glad no damage on the bota

 

[DitchFisher]

Glad you are OK and also glad no damage on the bota

Thanks I appreciate that

 

[Bulldog]

DitchFisher, glad you made thru this with minor injury.

It's so easy to overlook doing things safely. I find myself doing things all the time that I know better but do it anyway. One thing I notice and if I'm wrong please correct me but it appears your fel is lifted pretty high. Might have not made a difference but keeping the bucket as low as possible should apply to loading and unloading as well. I know it easy to simply lift it up so you can look under the bucket but it's much safer to lower it down as soon as you clear the rear of the trailer and look over it instead.

We all should take a safety double check and learn from what just happened to you. I have always heard that when a operator thinks nothing can happen to them is when they are most likely to mess up.

 

[Bellinghamster]

Wow, glad to hear you made it out of there with just a knock. I'm sure you'v e replayed it over and over thinking of how it could have turned out much worse.

I just finished making new steel ramps for my trailer to replace the rotten 4x10s that came with it before the same thing happened to me... and I don't have a ROPS on my B7100.

I'm just up the road (Bellingham). What are you going to do with your old trailer? I might be interested in it repairing it if it's in better shape than mine (which also needs some work).

 

[DitchFisher]

Wow, glad to hear you made it out of there with just a knock. I'm sure you'v e replayed it over and over thinking of how it could have turned out much worse.

I just finished making new steel ramps for my trailer to replace the rotten 4x10s that came with it before the same thing happened to me... and I don't have a ROPS on my B7100.

I'm just up the road (Bellingham). What are you going to do with your old trailer? I might be interested in it repairing it if it's in better shape than mine (which also needs some work).

Sorry, I did not see your post and thanks. I haven't had time to worry about this too much, but everybody else in my life has... the wife "I told you" the kids "You quit riding bulls years ago, didn't you learn anything?"... etc...
About the trailer, I haven't given it much thought. Shoot me a PM and you are welcome to come and look at it. I have two trailers now and can only tow one I have been told that I am as cheap as I am easy. I am spending my time between 2 places, but I can make the time to meet you if you want. By the way the ramps you built look great. Wish I could weld.
Bob

 

[RDR]

It is good to hear you survived.

Now to get to the things people don't think about and won't want to hear. Driving with the bucket up is not a good idea. I'll be nice and not say what I'm thinking. I've seen this happening around here lately. Once is too much.

Wood for ramps to load a tractor isn't a good idea, which you have found out now. If they had been doubled to within 3 or 4 inches from the end would have been better.

Putting jack stands under the back of the trailer doesn't let the trailer settle under the weight making a steeper incline when loading. If the jack stands hadn't been there you might not have tipped over. If loading your trailer raises the tow vehicles rear wheels off the ground you need a bigger tow vehicle. Thinking about where your tie down chains are located, you have all of the weight on the trailer axles. If the trailer tries to sway you have it tail heavy.

I have a 20 year old 1 ton flatbed with dual rear wheels used mainly for when I need to pull a trailer. It doesn't use any gas when it is sitting. After you pull a trailer with dual wheels on the truck you won't want to go back to singles pulling a trailer. The plates and insurance are less than $500 a year.

The cost of having a welding shop build you some steel ramps like Bellinghamster built would be a lot cheaper than some expensive repairs to the tractor. I bet you didn't think about buying a lottery ticket when you got done.

 

[Wildfire]

Oh man you are one VERY lucky guy. Not many get to tell a story like that. I operated heavy equipment for many year. I'm talking Hugh equipment such as the Cat 988 and 992 just to name a few and the one golden rule that was POUNDED into our head every day was NEVER JUMP CLEAR OF YOUR MACHINE,NEVER. We heard this all the time.

I remember a new guy was driving a 35 ton Cat haulage truck and it was night shift. It started to sink down at the edge of a dump site. He panicked and jumped. He broke both ankles and spent a week in hospital recovering from bruises, sprains ... The truck only settled down in the iron Orr but he had panicked.
If he had stayed in the truck he would have been fine.

He lost months off work. Could have died and was fired for breaking the golden rule.

So everyone wear your seat belt and stay with the machine in the event of a roll over.

To the poster of this thread I'm very happy to hear your ok. One little bit of advise though. Check every inch of your ROPS NOW. If it was damaged in any way replace it. The next time it may fail if you don't.

 

[skeets]

Yes its good to hear you tell your story very good indeed,,,, Back when I use to work for a living, not a week would go by with out a fatal gram about a loader operator of truck driver out on a strip job that was injured or killed because he tried to jump clear of his machine. Lord only knows how many tickets I have written on guys not using their seat belts, and how many safety programs I put on about them. Stay inside and stay alive, seat belts work. I am surely happy you could tell your story !

 

[lsmurphy]

Tiltbed.

The ONLY way to go on a new trailer in my opinion.

http://www.dktrailers.com/trailers/Tilt Deck Trailers/index.htm

 

[Bulldog]

Wildfire, Good advise about checking the Rops for damage. If it hit pretty hard might not be a bad idea to replace it anyway. A new Rops will be cheaper than a life lost if it did fail.

Wildfire, I was going to send you a PM but you answered what I was curious about in this post. I know several times you have mentioned differed size loaders which were to big for a average job site. I'm going to assume you formerly worked at a Iron Orr mine.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I think in the past Wildfire has rented big damn loaders to plow snow up in his neck of the woods. I think I remember seeing somewhere he was on a giant Cat wheel loader. I could hardly see the low-boy trailer it was hauled in on.

 

[Wildfire]

Wildfire, Good advise about checking the Rops for damage. If it hit pretty hard might not be a bad idea to replace it anyway. A new Rops will be cheaper than a life lost if it did fail.

Wildfire, I was going to send you a PM but you answered what I was curious about in this post. I know several times you have mentioned differed size loaders which were to big for a average job site. I'm going to assume you formerly worked at a Iron Orr mine.

Well I worked as a heavy equipment operator in a place called Labrador City. It was one of the largest open pit Iron Orr minds in the world and still is. I basically grew up operating Hugh equipment and my title was "floater" at that company. A floater was an operator who was licensed and experienced to operate all the equipment that was in the company's fleet.

I operated mostly Caterpillar equipment such as 966,980,988 and 992 loaders, Cat excavators 245,235, 35 ton haulage trucks,cat graders, scrapers, D-6,D-8, and D-9 dozers with either rippers or winches. They also had some odd ball stuff like smaller JSW excavators ad a few small JD 310A rubber tired back hoes that I used in space restricted areas.

When I first started with the company I started out as a young guy cleaning up the garages, helping the mechanics then graduated to operating a Fairbanks Morse truck scales but while I was working in the garages I got to be very good friends with a welder from France. He treated me like a son and showed me really how to weld, they had a big old lathe that no one knew how to turn on so gradually I picked that up and ran that for awhile.
After that I trained and got all the license's that were required to operate their equipment.
I've always loved equipment and I just turned 53 and still love it. I met my wife in that mining town and would pick her up at night school in a Cat 988 loader. That's why she's so supportive when it comes to my love of these little 5740's and the BX.
Hey you did ask

I think in the past Wildfire has rented big damn loaders to plow snow up in his neck of the woods. I think I remember seeing somewhere he was on a giant Cat wheel loader. I could hardly see the low-boy trailer it was hauled in on.

You are correct. Even though I've long left that mining town there are times I need much larger machines to look after various contracts that I have so I rent the larger machines without the operator to take care of it. It gets me back in the seat so I don't get to rusty