How not to start a tractor.

[Tom Spivak]

I'll own up to a big mistake, about 15 years ago I owned a little Ferguson tractor with a 3 point grader blade on the back that we used for keeping the log yard smooth at our mill.
The first time ever I did this, I reached over thinking the machine was in neutral and hit the starter. Bless that little Ferguson, it hit on the first turn in first gear and since I was planted between the front and rear wheel it knocked me down and drove right over my midsection about at the hips, then dragged the scrapper blade over my legs. I still don't know how I did'nt get hurt. I guess the blade rolled my legs over under it. Wheels were loaded as well.
Had a fellow down the road from me that had an old case orchard tractor that had a bad starter, he put a notch in the pto pulley on the side and used a rope wrapped around the pulley to pull start it. When the stick on the end of the rope broke he wrapped the rope arond his wrist and hand to pull, well you can guess what happened one day. The rope stuck on the pulley and he darn near ripped his hand off.
I shudder when I see anyone start a piece of equipment now when they are'nt sitting on it. Be care guys!

Not much competition going on for this quarter.

Nobody doing anything wrong? :cool2

[thejdman04]

glad no one was hurt

[ror76a]

Reminds me of the old D6s and D8s we had with the pony moters. The controls for the starting engine were on the side of the engine, and the track sure makes a good seat while you are fiddleing with the pony to start the diesel engine. I believe that a few people have been killed from sitting on the track and starting the engine with the tractor in gear. The later ones were set up so you could start the pony from the seat, but the moral of it is to always make sure you are in neautral before you start anything.

Now it was a lot more fun to pull start one of those old beasts by yourself, but thats a whole nother story.:cool2

[srs_mn]

Tom,
Wow, about 30 years ago, I did exactly the same thing with my little Ford 8N!! Even had a scraper blade on the back like yours... of course, my tractor had the neutral start switch bypassed; yours probably did, too.
The back tire knocked me down and then proceeded to claw at me a little while before finally running over both legs; I did manage to roll out of the way before the scraper blade got to me... At first my biggest concern was running after the tractor and getting it stopped... luckily it ran into an oak tree before I caught up to it or I probably would have got run over again trying to stop it... my next concern was spending the next couple weeks on crutches because of torn tendons... pain!
But wait... there's more...
Not satisfied with the lesson learned from that experience, I also let a John Deere 450C crawler get away from me after I started it while standing on the track... knowing full well that 450's are notorious for taking off in neutral did not deter me in the least, and, once again, a tree saved me from doing something stupid to stop it.
Although I didn't get run over that time I did learn my lesson, and have since parked my butt firmly in the seat before starting anything.
Be careful out there.
srs_mn

[Tom Spivak]

Yeh, gear shift switch was bypassed, all got was a small scrape on ankle and a little bruise on hip. Had 3 guys watching me when it happened.
One big long armed fellow reached over quick and shut it off as it went by.
Just got a old Michigan 75 AG loader that someone had put and extra start button down by the side of the engine so they could crank it over while standing between the rear tire and frame. I took that off quick to avoid temptation.

[Komatsu 150]

Yeh, gear shift switch was bypassed, all got was a small scrape on ankle and a little bruise on hip. Had 3 guys watching me when it happened.
One big long armed fellow reached over quick and shut it off as it went by.
Just got a old Michigan 75 AG loader that someone had put and extra start button down by the side of the engine so they could crank it over while standing between the rear tire and frame. I took that off quick to avoid temptation.

Tom, I'm sure you're aware of it but the 75 never had a neutral safety switch. They will start happily in gear although "usually" will not move at idle. Years ago a local mechanic was killed in a shop with a larger model same era machine. He was standing between the tires and jumped the starter. The family tried to sue but got nowhere as he jumped the starter with a screwdriver - a safety switch would not have helped and no wheel blocks, or parking brake.

[Freightrain]

This reminds me of a time way back in early 80's when I got my pickup truck stuck in driveway(ice). It was '72 International p/u 1100 series and I got rear tires turning(stick shift) and pulled choke out a touch to get them moving some and stepped out to give truck a push or two from the side to get it moving. No good. So I found a piece of carpet and was going to "kick" that under the tire as it was turning to see if that would get it moving. Well..........just as I kicked it my foot kinda got stuck under tire. Luckily it didn't have posi(that's why it was stuck) and that wheel just stopped turning and caused the other to spin instead. Now I'm stuck with my foot under the tire, truck still running in gear and NO ONE home! DOH! After some frantic squirming around I was able to get it to release my foot. I quickly shut off truck and gave up on going out!

Been 25 yrs and I've never pulled that stunt again.

[Ray Welsh]

This reminds me of a time way back in early 80's when I got my pickup truck stuck in driveway(ice). It was '72 International p/u 1100 series and I got rear tires turning(stick shift) and pulled choke out a touch to get them moving some and stepped out to give truck a push or two from the side to get it moving. No good. So I found a piece of carpet and was going to "kick" that under the tire as it was turning to see if that would get it moving. Well..........just as I kicked it my foot kinda got stuck under tire. Luckily it didn't have posi(that's why it was stuck) and that wheel just stopped turning and caused the other to spin instead. Now I'm stuck with my foot under the tire, truck still running in gear and NO ONE home! DOH! After some frantic squirming around I was able to get it to release my foot. I quickly shut off truck and gave up on going out!

Been 25 yrs and I've never pulled that stunt again.

I did something similar with an old ford ute years ago. I had installed a new engine and dropped it in complete with the auto tranny. Connected the driveshaft and proceeded to start with a special hand device I had made for crook engines, (instead of using a screwdriver). When the motor fired, it was in gear & proceeded to the end of the shed. Lucky it ran into something and stopped. No damage done.
Another time, we had put a new head on a petrol engine and wanted to spin the starter to check the rocker movement before the cover went on. We had had a few beers and I made a joke about it catching fire. That's exactly what happened when the spraying fuel hit a spark. It was quickly extinguished with an extinguisher, and the worst part was wiping off the powder from that.
So take care!!!!! ..........C ya..........Ray

[Taylortractornu]

We have a little D gas AC grader at the landfill we run. Theres 3 owners in the thing and they have the occasional plant manager that comes in and tries to get us to take a private load or other boot legged load. One day dad was gone to Tupelo for parts and I was un the fill cooming out for lunch . I had been out on the grader fixing a haul road and had left it out for another run when theis man in a pick up pulled up and the driver got out. He was a straw boss at the tub plant on break. I happenedto pull up right in fron of the grader about the time he hit the key. That littl Continental takes off as soon as you let off the key. Im glad he was standing behind the blade and I was butted against it. He had been by earlier and played with the controls leaving it in gear.
Also I Tried to buy an old small wheel dozer from a farm vit was a smill Michigan ablut like a 2 yard 175 with a blade. This ladies husband was working on it on a site and had left it running and was laying ontop ot the tire trying to get the ****er adjusted. He jerked it into gear and it ran over him. She wont sell the machine because of that. One of my friends had a 77 F700 Ford dump and the swicht when out he happened to step on the fron bumper with a screwdriver and short it out not thinking about it being in gear. Used his arse as a battering ram through 3 barn walls before it stalled out in against a trailer.