Compact Tractor Rescue with Kubota U55-4 Excavator

[Allan M]

I use a compact tractor on my 17 acre property for flail mowing, PTO wood chipping, spraying and general trail maintenance. (1550 lbs + 500 lb box scraper in pic) Over the last 18 months I've cut close to 1/2 mile of mountain trail with my Kubota excavator. California just experienced 3 weeks of record rain (no kidding it does rain in California). After about 3 days of a rain break I was investigating how well my mountain trails had held up. Toward the end of my furtherest cut on a North Facing slope, still very mucky, I lost traction and slid to the downhill edge of the trail. I popped my seat belt off because I thought for sure I was going over the steep grade. I don't think I could have survived multiple rollovers. Within minutes the left front and rear tractor wheels sunk off the edge of the slope. The tractor was now hung on its undercarriage. See Pics. I jumped off the tractor, ran down the hill (3/8th mile to my barn) and grabbed a chain. I drove my excavator back up, chained the tractor to an uphill tree to stabilize it and then began my recovery effort the next day. I wound up widening the trail by about 3' to make sure I was on stable soil, attached a come-along to the uphill tree and the center frame of the tractor, and then dug the trail down about 1' lower than the rear tractor wheel. I then attached a second chain to the rear tractor frame and my excavator arm and pulled my tractor back on the widened path pivoting on the come-along chain attached to the center frame. I really thought I was going to lose the tractor. I learned a bunch of lessons during this event. I'd be curious if others on this site would have approached this tractor rescue differently or have better alternative approaches than what I used--other than not being so dumb to get in this situation in the first place. Any feedback, observations appreciated.

 

[skyking1]

Now you've learned the hard way on what impassable looks like.
You are also out there all alone without support. I take it you have a college degree or two. Brighten up and care more about yourself and your family. Get some help and pay for it if you have to in these kinds of situations. Don't be embarrassed to death, as I used to say to student pilots.
That's all I got.

 

[Tags]

I completely understand wanting to go and investigate how your “roads” held up after a massive rain event, but I imagine you may have learned that it may have been better to continue on foot instead of on the tractor.

So much rain in such a short time completely saturated the materials you used to cut and fill your road. The material was probably bone dry when you did it, it wasn’t compacted, and it sucked up the water like a sponge, the second you started driving through it you were in trouble. You learned a good lesson, didn’t get hurt, got the tractor recovered, and you’ll approach a similar situation next time with more caution. It’s the only way to learn.

 

[Clguest]

Looking to the future, a wider path along the full length of the trail may be warranted. Also, trail water control (drainage) may likely be needed. Thanks for sharing your event...a thought provoking reminder of the risks of operating equipment.

 

[Bootheal]

My takeaway is: you got in a jam and got yourself out. Learned a little in the process. That’s a win in my book. Good job.

 

[Tones]

Recut your tracks so they slope to the up hill side. Cutting tracks flat or slopping to the outside is a no no IMO. Water then runs down on the hardest part and not over the outside edge. Tractors and vehicles will slide into the cut and not over the edge if the need arises that you have to travel on them in the wet. This was standard procedure I learnt in 67 when working on a 5500 acre hill country farm in a high rainfall area and has stayed with me ever since.

 

[Allan M]

Recut your tracks so they slope to the up hill side. Cutting tracks flat or slopping to the outside is a no no IMO. Water then runs down on the hardest part and not over the outside edge. Tractors and vehicles will slide into the cut and not over the edge if the need arises that you have to travel on them in the wet. This was standard procedure I learnt in 67 when working on a 5500 acre hill country farm in a high rainfall area and has stayed with me ever since.

Others have advised me on cutting tracks sloping to the uphill side. I have a real tough time getting that angle. Are there any tricks that you use to cut the correct slope? One of the things I've been doing is to start the cut on the downhill side. Cut deep enough to hit solid dirt (get through the top soil), then back-cut toward the hill until I get the right width. I still seem to wind up, at best, with a flat trail--not sloped toward the hill.

 

[Tones]

An eyeomerter helps. You have an excavator with a blade and that makes very easy. Set the machine on the crossfall you want and dig to that. It's all very rudimentary.

 

[skyking1]

we talked about that in your initial convos about the trails, @Allan M
Did you put a magnetic level on that sheetmetal right in front of the sticks, or on top of the blade?

 

[ken hansen]

I have two acquaintances that recently died, one on a tractor pulling logs going up hill and the log stuck so tractor went over, and a second who was going down hill in a dozer without the seat belt (I hardly use them too), the blade caught something and the dozer went vertical which ejected this great man in front of the machine. The dozer landed back down and went over him. I have had accidents too and they all happened before I knew what was going on. Now...I try to anticipate, Now, I try to use safety gear and to be "SAFE" I think you did well and just learn from this. I would rather be out working trying my best and not taking risks, but...things happens. Being grateful each day, not trying to force self or equipment. Thinking for a bit what could happen, and I likewise pray for wisdom. Anyway...glad you made it, and kudos.

 

[Allan M]

we talked about that in your initial convos about the trails, @Allan M
Did you put a magnetic level on that sheetmetal right in front of the sticks, or on top of the blade?

I did get a bubble level but haven't installed it as of yet. I've been waiting to get the machine on level ground. I'm motivated now to do so. Thanks for reminding me. You're a good coach and i appreciate all of the advice you've given me over the last couple of years. BTW, I'm a pilot too. As the saying goes, "The are old pilots and bold pilots but no old, bold pilots." I am taking to heart all of the advice from the experienced operators on this thread. I'll throttle it back a bit and do my best to not take chances.

 

[Allan M]

I have two acquaintances that recently died, one on a tractor pulling logs going up hill and the log stuck so tractor went over, and a second who was going down hill in a dozer without the seat belt (I hardly use them too), the blade caught something and the dozer went vertical which ejected this great man in front of the machine. The dozer landed back down and went over him. I have had accidents too and they all happened before I knew what was going on. Now...I try to anticipate, Now, I try to use safety gear and to be "SAFE" I think you did well and just learn from this. I would rather be out working trying my best and not taking risks, but...things happens. Being grateful each day, not trying to force self or equipment. Thinking for a bit what could happen, and I likewise pray for wisdom. Anyway...glad you made it, and kudos.

Ken: Thanks for sharing. Sorry about your friends. I mentioned in a different thread that my neighbor has a wood cutting business. He uses his CAT skid-steer with forks to move pallets of split wood around. One day he picked up a load too heavy. The skid-steer lunged forward tossing him out of the seat (no seat belt on). The plate shifted forward and crushed both his legs. He's out of the wood cutting business and walks with a limp...but survived. Safety matters. He would have been fine if he was wearing a seatbelt. I feel lucky that I didn't get hurt in my situation and will make every effort to not become some kind of accident statistic. Thx.

 

[skyking1]

I have two acquaintances that recently died, one on a tractor pulling logs going up hill and the log stuck so tractor went over, and a second who was going down hill in a dozer without the seat belt (I hardly use them too), the blade caught something and the dozer went vertical which ejected this great man in front of the machine. The dozer landed back down and went over him. I have had accidents too and they all happened before I knew what was going on. Now...I try to anticipate, Now, I try to use safety gear and to be "SAFE" I think you did well and just learn from this. I would rather be out working trying my best and not taking risks, but...things happens. Being grateful each day, not trying to force self or equipment. Thinking for a bit what could happen, and I likewise pray for wisdom. Anyway...glad you made it, and kudos.

When I was a 15 year old lad, we cleared 21 acres of ancient orchard. It was a mix of cherry and apple in the big trees, 50~60 years old.
We had a catskinner with a TD18 push out the stumps, give the hole a quick backblade, and move on.
My brother and I were tasked with pulling the stumps down to a burn area. I had a 17 HP Mitsubishi and my brother had the Ford 8N .
I was hitched up high at the top of the 3 point and going wide open with a big stump in 5th when I ran across that soft hole from a backbladed stump.
It bogged down in an instant and then reared right up vertical. It pitched me off the back onto the chain and there I was, looking at the Mitsu vertical seemingly hanging over me and digging in. Because of the geometry of the pull it could not come over on me, but my gut said otherwise. I scrambled away and then went back and cut the throttle.
I could have been one of those farm kid on a tractor stories, but I survived.
Allan I did not mean to come off harsh. I'm hoping you can team up with a neighbor and help him when he needs it, and come help you when you are stuck. That's all.

 

[Gary Layton]

Good shares, all. I got my first excavator about 1.5 years ago...new Takeuchi 370...just got my 2nd one in Nov. about 2 months ago. It is used, a 2006 CAT 320CL, really big compared to the Takeuchi. I wear the seat belt all the time, even tracking down the dirt road to the pond where I am dredging out 70 years of silt. I figure the seat belt can keep me contained in the seat and able to react when something goes wrong...might just run in a ditch on the road, or snag the boom on a tree unseen as I track to the work area...or bang an unseen stump in the work area. The pond was created 70 years ago and the timber cut down had the stumps left, probably for fish habitat. The pond was famous for big bass, I figure partly due to the pond bottom condition (stumps for fish cover). Surviving an initial violent incident is the key to dealing with the things that happen next. I know of a tree climber that survived an initial fall onto a very sloped hillside, a 30-40 foot fall; he had on his helmet, but not his chinstrap. He hit the ground and was OK but the helmet flew off and he rolled down the hill and hit his head on a rock. Dead right there. The seat belt gives you the chance to deal with the sequelae after the initial madness. Stay safe.