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Fatal Tractor Accident


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Fatal Tractor Accident [url]http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=2271770&nav=4QcRQfx0[/url] Sharon, Vermont - September 8, 2004 A Sharon man is dead following a tractor accident. Authorities say 53 year-old Robert Burnham was operating his lawn tractor yesterday evening, when it overturned, pinning him underneath. Burnham was taken Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
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I've had one flip over on me before--it's very scary. I wouldn't wish that on anybody. In my case, I was loading it on a trailer, and the trailer was wet with dew and very slick, and the trailer was a tilt bed, and the bed didn't go down when I drove up on it, and I hit the clutch, and the front end of the tractor came up and slid back down the trailer and flipped over backwards on me on the ground. I was able to kick it off of me so that I landed behind it.
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Bigcountry You were very lucky. Our prayers go out to the man's family. You must respect the mass of your tractors. My lightest goes 680# my heaviest about 900-1000# I go 160# I can move them but get one off me after a fip or a roll!!! I don't know? I am extreamly careful loading,unloading, lifting jacking,or operating on banks or hills.
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I had a friend that 'flipped' his Sovereign while trying to mow a steep swale. He said he saw the blades way too close & personal! It broke the steering gear & bent the steering wheel. He walked away, needless to say, he doesn't mow that anymore! (and a little more cautious on inclines)
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My wifes grandfather was 92 when he lost control of a Bolens and ended up over the sea-wall and into the Lake. He was fine, but the tractor is still in recovery. Two weeks later he had a new tractor (Sears) He took a break from mowing one morning and went into the house. A half hour later it was fully engulfed in flames and a total loss. (Still dont know why) His kids and grandkids mow for him now.
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condolences to the man's family. I had a B-10 fall on me while unloading it from a pickup. On ramp slid off the bumper and it rolled off. Luckilty I fell clear.. I was mad and scared enough to pick it up and put it back on it's wheels. I've tried since and I cant even get close to doing that....It's just a miracle I wasn't hurt...
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I rolled a neighbors B-12 with tiller over a hill and came to rest on the side of a garage. The tractor fenders one touching the garage the other side on the hill kept it from pinning me. I'm a little more careful on the hills now. Guess I was prety lucky.
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I had one flip over and pinned my leg between it and the ground. I was mowing near a stream when unbeknownst to me the tranny pulley came off when I was shifting from reverse to 2nd gear. I let out the clutch and didn't go forward, instead rolling backward slightly(towards the stream). Thinking I just hadn't shifted all the way into gear(it happens every once in a while...), I clutched and made sure it was in 2nd gear, then let the clutch back out. By now I was at the point where there's a slight incline towards the stream bank, a decent drop off of maybe a foot or so. Anyhow, I let out the clutch and rolled backwards again. Now realizing that something was definitely amiss, I hit the brakes. The inertia of the tractor rolling backwards, perfectly timed with the right rear tire starting to drop off over the edge of the bank and the application of the brake, caused the front end to come up and over.... Because only one tire was off the edge(at first), it flipped at an angle and the front end landed on the inside of my right shin. It hurt like all get out, and swelled up too, but I was able to kick it off my leg enough to pull free. Ever had an engine running upside down on top of you??? I highly recommend NOT doing it.... Of course, I then had to get the truck and chain and pull the tractor out of the stream, put the pulley back on, and finish mowing.... That was in the spring and I still have a small mark on my leg and a slight lump, probably from a bone bruise or something like that. I had it X-rayed and no break or fracture, but it hurt for about a month.... guess I got lucky on that one. BTW, yes the deck was engaged and blades turning but they and I stayed on opposite sides of the tractor.
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I had one of the cheap mowers raise the front wheels and flip over backwards on me will trying to pull a heavy load with a chain. It happened so fast that I couldn't get my foot on to the clutch pedal. I rolled of to the side, leaving my legs between the dash and seat. Luckily it didn't roll toward me. I was not injured, but the seat was mangled. Even though they may be small and look like toys, these machines can hurt people badly if caution is not taken in their operation. My condolences to the Burnham family.
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Hi, Nearly 30 years ago, a friend of mine had some dirt work done in his back yard and it was steep. He was going up this bank about 60' up and about 40 degrees to get a trailer at the top. His Wards Squire 9 with no mower on and he got the back wheels in a cross wise wash and it started to spin wide open in 2nd. He put his feet on the ground and raised up and dropped his 235 back in the seat. This slammed the tires down in their holes. Over backwards it came and he kind of fell out of the way. It then rolled about 4 or five times down the hill and came up on the wheels and started right back up the hill on its own. I ran it down and shut the key off. Luckily no one got seriously hurt Last week on TV an older man was killed when he was mowing along a bluff at his home on the Mississippi near Marquette Ia. He dropped a wheel into a fresh washout and the tractor tipped over and fell 85 feet off the bluff. Al Eden Al Eden.
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I've seen a number of near accidents on mowers. I was once driving a Murray 11, the older kind that still had a rounded hood, down a hill on a one lane gravel road, at the bottom of the hill there was a creek and a narrow bridge. Somehow I ended up out of gear and in neutral flying down the hill at too fast of a speed, the brakes didn't work. Things took a turn for the worst when the steering column assembly broke off and I lost all steering. So I had to jump off the tractor, It ended up in the creek, nearly hitting an enormous tree. My buddy just stood there laughing. Later he would attempt to drive a tubeframe Bolens G12 onto a trailer up a pretty steep hill. The tractor's front wheels were soon off the ground and then went the rest of the tractor. I was standing next to him and kind of helped hold it up just long enough for him to get out. The tractor ran upside down a few seconds, Bent the sheetmetal pretty bad. He was very lucky. My old neighbor used to have a saying " Lets be prayerful and careful." Wise words.
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I have always mowed my banks sideways until a couple of years ago when I was mowing along with My FDT and it started wanting to tip and I but my leg down (dumb thing to do) LOL and it started binding my leg I thought it was gonna break my leg , and then I got the tractor steered down the bank You have got to be careful with these tractors.. You hear of stories like this a lot....
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i have a steep ravine in my back yard. i have never had a problem with my 7100 going straight up and down. i won't take it sideways cause i always have incidents like this in mind.
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While testing my 912 w/ loader the other night the tractor went forward over an embankment..kinda scared me ...didnt flip but with the new center of gravity it was a different machine...gotta get used to it before i let the wife use it...
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Flipped my 207 over on the lower side of a hill one day, with the center pivot they are not the tractors of choice for hillsides. Lucky for me and the 207 I caught it in time to roll clear and no damge was done.
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Saved a mans life once about ten years ago. His ZTR roll off onto a big ditch and landed on top of him. The kill switch in the seat saved him from being decapitated. When i found him he was pined under the mower in about 3 feet of water. With my adrenalin flowing i picked up the back end and pulled him out from under his mower. CPR and a lot of luck he came to. To this day every time i see him he thanks me and gives me somthing out of his shop. I tell him he owes me nothing, he says no just his life. I dont feel right by excepting his gifts from time to time, but he insist. And im not talking small stuff, Like a 1920s oak machinist tool box, Just last week he gave me a 12v boat wench.
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My brothers 75 year old neighbor was killed last year (he was a retired doctor) he was on a snapper it rolled and crushed his skull his wife found him when she returned home from shopping.
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i totally agree about the center of gavity changing when you use a loader, i have a power max with a detacable front end loader that i don't keep on the tractor a lot, on day i decided to use it to unload and stack 120# bales of hay a little higher, one bale on the bucket and one on the back of the bucket, the first few went well until i hit a small dip and the tractor started to lift off the ground on the left side, it was just on the verge of tipping when i managed to drop the bucket to the ground stopping the tip over, thing of it was i only had the bucket about 2' off the ground, had i had it at full height she would have been on her side and probabally me too. so use extreme caution and be safe!!!! need lesss to say i don't use it to stack hay anymore
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Condolences to the family on such a terrible accident and loss. My encounter: I lost the transmission while front blading and went to hit the brakes and nothing there of course. I rolled my AC 710 and it pinned me. My friend Tony saw the whole thing and lifted the tractor off of me so I could escape. I asked how did you lift that? He could never do again but in the heat of the moment strength comes from within or somewhere. I was so thankful. The tractor can be repaired. I learned the hard way the lesson about the relationship of the brakes and drivetrain on the AC/Simplicities. Steve
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well my story starts with i hate running my weedeater, so i do way more then i should with my tractors, anyways i am mowing on top a 20ft stairstepped bank, i get myself into a tight spot and am trying to turn around, backing close to the edge, i attempt putting it in 1st gear, let clutch out and it goes backwards, i hit the brake, the rear tires go over the edge and my big ten wheelies strait up in the air, i jump off and try to push it back over, well it was coming over backwards, trying to save my tractor i catch it trying to roll it over gently, well that machine hit me like a freight train, then rolls over on me, mower blades running full mowing speed, im watching these blades coming right at my face, and they hit my face, trying to keep from getting my head cutt off i put my arm up and the blades get my arm, im scrambling to get away from it, and it keeps following me, anyways this pic is after soaking 3 bath towels with blood, i was a bloody mess, went to ER got several stitches in my face, and had internal injuries, the tractor hit me right under the ribs in the stomach area right side, was ****ting blood and blood was coming out my ears for 3 wks, my neck still hurts. i went into shock, couldnt stop shaking severly, between shock and adrenaline i couldnt even walk, these tractors are heavier then they seem, and thats hard steel when it hits you, be carefull everyone, mine could have easily been a tragedy, my Angel was there protecting me that day. ps i tried to upload the pic right but think theres a problem hopefully someone can repair my pic so you guys can see this, also had to crop the pic way down to upload here.
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My grandpa was mowing a steep bank one afternoon with his 3012 and a 48" Deck. He was trying to get it done in a hurry and he ended up rolling 3 or 4 times on top of him with the deck running full throttle. He got cut up pretty bad and there was no one home at the time when he did that. Lets just say he never mowed that bank again with the 3012. BTW, the 3012 also fell off the back of trailer not to long ago. It's been through a lot in it's life and so has my grandpa.
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One thing you can do to add stability is to fill the tires and add wheel weights. This lowers the center of gravity and helps keep the rubber side down....
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My wife let her atention wander one day and into her garden she went. The 20hp Sunstar with 60" deck ate three of the large heavy duty tomato chages before she could stop it.8 Now she knows why I never before and have never since let her use it. Even with the 60" deck I leave my wheel weights on year round as I have a couple of slopes to mow and it does help to hold it down. People don't realize how powerful and dangerous this equipment is. It realy bothers me to see so many kids running this stuff. One of the first things I was tought when running a farm tractor was to let the clutch out in reverse the first time each use in case the rear tires were frozen to the ground. They can flip right over in such cases. 8
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