Never Borrow a tractor

mukki

Borrowed my cousins 92 reg 4wd john deere 2850 to use its power loader the other day, because i wanted to move a few bags of stone on a building site, and my own loader is on its last legs

asked him to put the grape on the loader so i can loop the corners of the bags onto the spikes


anyway the site was a 5mile drive from his house, so i bombed my way down the road, the speed of the thing when your in top with the torque thing up high. When I passing through a village i really had to slow down as the road was very bad and i was getting bumped about with the loader jumping



then the grape fell clean off the loader and onto the road directly in front of the left front wheel, i was still doing between 10-15mph!!!!!!!!



the grape landed on the road with the spike pointing stright up and the back part (that connects it to the loader) was flat on the ground with the spikes on the side furthest from the tractor

so the left front wheel mounts up on the back of the grape and the front of the wheel pushes against the sides of the spikes pressing the spikes flat against the road and the back plate is not vertical and the the front wheel passes over it, this felt like i had just hit a pot hole or a concrete block

then it was the back wheels turn, it starts pushing against the back plate of the grape while the 8 spikes symultaniously dig 1inch deep grooves into the road for about 6ft until the finally decide to dig in enough to force the back wheel to leave the ground, this felt like i had hit a kerb at speed with the back wheel. i had hit the breaks and clutch at this stage so the tractor fell back down with the grapes wedged between the front and back wheel

got out and looked at the damage, as people gathered around to see if i was okay and talking about hearing a loud noise and looking over to see to see a tractor with a wheel about 2 foot off the ground, andyway with a quick inspection i honestly couldn't see anything wrong!!!!!!

i forwarded and reversed a few times with the wheels locked different angles to wriggle out the grape, then i reversed back to pick the grape back up and heard a horribal rumble, got out and had another look and then spotted that the 4wd front drive shaft was bent.

had a leatherman on me, and found a sliding spanner in the tractor, so i took off the 8 bolts that joined the shaft onto the front axle, and the far end just slid off a splined shaft

did about 2 hrs work in 2wd with out any more trouble, a farmer called in while i was working and asked whos tractor it was, and before i told him my story about what had happend he said that..... the 2850 was a great tractor!





i had realised that already

emaherx

Well after that story I'm never lending you mine.:D

Whats a grape? is it like a grab with a mayo accent?

Rovi

emaherx wrote: »

Well after that story I'm never lending you mine.:D

Whats a grape? is it like a grab with a mayo accent?

Grape/gripe = a fork of some sort; silage, dung, or possibly even a bale spike or a shear grab.

kerryman12

dont get me stated about tractor problems.

Look at it this way it could have been a lot worse, move on a learn from this one!!

emaherx

Rovi wrote: »

Grape/gripe = a fork of some sort; silage, dung, or possibly even a bale spike or a shear grab.

Sorry, that must be grab with a Laios accent, So!:D
So its basicly any loader implement thats not a bucket?

Rovi

emaherx wrote: »

Sorry, that must be grab with a Laios accent, So!:D
So its basicly any loader implement thats not a bucket?

Nah, that'd be a forrrrk.

In the past, I've heard the term 'gripe' or 'grape' applied to the traditional four grained fork (aka 'sprong' or 'sprang' hereabouts), but it was vaguely in the West or the South, if I recall correctly.

I suppose the term has evolved to apply to cover any spiked implement, whether loader mounted or hand operated.

mukki

unfortunatly it was the first one that i drove over

emaherx

mukki wrote: »

Pitty it wasn't my definition of a grape that you ran over.
Although the dictionary version may have involved a sick cow or horse.

grape
1.the edible, pulpy, smooth-skinned berry or fruit that grows in clusters on vines of the genus Vitis, and from which wine is made.
2.any vine bearing this fruit.
3.a dull, dark, purplish-red color.
4.grapes, (used with a singular verb) Veterinary Pathology. a.tuberculosis occurring in cattle, characterized by the internal formation of grapelike clusters, esp. in the lungs. b.tuberculosis occurring in horses, characterized by grapelike clusters on the fetlocks.

I can't find any referance to a fork being a grape anywhere on the net.
So I guess its another one of the many localism's of Ireland.

mukki

emaherx wrote: »

I can't find any referance to a fork being a grape anywhere on the net

thats probably because my dad didn't have the internet when he was growing up

anyway the site was a 5mile drive from his house, so i bombed my way down the road, the speed of the thing when your in top with the torque thing up high. When I passing through a village i really had to slow down as the road was very bad and i was getting bumped about with the loader jumping


Moral of the story is : cop on and drive at a speed suitable to your vehicle and conditions. The whole sorry incident probably wouldn't have occurred otherwise. Big tractor = big man ??

mukki

OsciiBoscii wrote: »

Moral of the story is : cop on and drive at a speed suitable to your vehicle and conditions. The whole sorry incident probably wouldn't have occurred otherwise. Big tractor = big man ??

LMAO



ooops i went fast on the smoothe road and slow on the bumpy road


so do you recon i should have just gone slow the whole time


your a smart one, you should look into working with a contractor

I'm speaking as one who has witnessed the likes of you at first hand and the utter devastation the likes of you on the road cause. Grow up.

mukki

OsciiBoscii wrote: »

I'm speaking as one who has witnessed the likes of you at first hand and the utter devastation the likes of you on the road cause. Grow up.

:rolleyes:


oh yes, us people who borrow tractors, and assume that the owner has it in a roadworthy condition are a complete menace to society.


accidents happen, you'll get your turn, hope you'll be as lucky as i was

mumhaabu

mukki wrote: »

:rolleyes:


oh yes, us people who borrow tractors, and assume that the owner has it in a roadworthy condition are a complete menace to society.


accidents happen, you'll get your turn, hope you'll be as lucky as i was

Accidents don't happen they are caused and it is usually by idiots who don't know what they are doing. You were lucky there was no pedestrians or children nearby, so you slowed down because the road was a bit rough? Had you planned to "bomb on away" through the village if it had a smooth surface??

I also hope you were using White Road Diesel in that Tractor at the time as your description of its use was entirely non-agricultural and thus does not warrant the use of subsidised Diesel. If the Tractor contained Green Diesel you should have drained the tank and filled it with Road Diesel before setting off "bombing".

mukki

mumhaabu wrote: »

Accidents don't happen they are caused and it is usually by idiots who don't know what they are doing. You were lucky there was no pedestrians or children nearby, so you slowed down because the road was a bit rough? Had you planned to "bomb on away" through the village if it had a smooth surface??

yeah i had planned to go through the village at full speed, but because the road was bumpy i had to slow down. in a tractor maximum speed is a target, not a limit.

mumhaabu wrote: »

I also hope you were using White Road Diesel in that Tractor at the time as your description of its use was entirely non-agricultural and thus does not warrant the use of subsidised Diesel. If the Tractor contained Green Diesel you should have drained the tank and filled it with Road Diesel before setting off "bombing".

oh of course, i bleed the system off all green diesel, and relaced it with diesel that is 40c per litre dearer!!!!!!!!!!
actually i chased a cow for 30 seconds to save the time and expense

il gatto

I always called a four pronged fork a grape. It's common enough in these parts.
Accidents happen. It's an unfortunate fact of life. You can't eliminate them completely, no matter how careful you are. White diesel. It'd die of fright if you put white diesel in it:D
I know a guy who borrowed his cousins tractor as he'd burst the rad on his own 165 on a gate pillar. His cousin lent him his nice Ford 5640, only 6 years old at the time and had had a re-spray. He got a phone call 2 hours later to come quickly. When he got there, the guy had tipped the tractor on a hill and it had slid down and got caught in wire above a 20foot cliff above the shore. The wire was so tight you could play a tune on it. Needless to say he didn't lend him a tractor again. He said he was just relieved he hadn't given him the 4 year old John Deere 6600:D

maidhc

mumhaabu wrote: »

Accidents don't happen they are caused and it is usually by idiots who don't know what they are doing. You were lucky there was no pedestrians or children nearby, so you slowed down because the road was a bit rough? Had you planned to "bomb on away" through the village if it had a smooth surface??

Eh? I think it was who ever put on the grab/fork/edible fruit on the front was at fault there. The tractor is maxed out a 20mph, and generally have excellent brakes.

mumhaabu wrote: »

I also hope you were using White Road Diesel in that Tractor at the time as your description of its use was entirely non-agricultural and thus does not warrant the use of subsidised Diesel. If the Tractor contained Green Diesel you should have drained the tank and filled it with Road Diesel before setting off "bombing".

Green diesel may be used in any agricultural vehicle with a design speed under 50km/h in Ireland regardless of use. This is not the Uk. You, my good friend are wrong.

mumhaabu

maidhc wrote: »

Green diesel may be used in any agricultural vehicle with a design speed under 50km/h in Ireland regardless of use. This is not the Uk. You, my good friend are wrong.

No, you my good friend are actually wrong.

As you will see in Page 12 of this recent review (.pdf 1.17MB) by the RSA

The use of rebated fuel is clearly intended for agricultural use and its use for any other purpose other than those outlined in
the relevant legislation, and in particular haulage for reward, is not permitted. Its use in the haulage of non agricultural
goods undermines the licensed haulage industry and policy decisions on its use and enforcement are required.

The Irish Times also had a recent article on the Review by the RSA of Agricultural vehicles.

It seems the RSA are eventually cracking down on Tractors and it about time too, I can't count the amount of time I have been stuck behind a tractor for miles and miles and they never think of pulling in. Rebated Fuel should be abolished completely and make Tractor Drivers take the same rigorous tests as HGV drivers have to take. Also make the Road Tax €1,000 a year to reflect the environmental damage caused by these fuel guzzling monsters.

If a tax paying citizen has to pay it then I think a farmer who grabs thousands in subsidies (our taxes) should have to pay also considering they rarely pay tax and have no minimum retirement age. Funny how 80 yr old farmers can get thousands in subsidies while our young people Emigrate to survive.

kerryman12

Dear Mumhaabu

Welcome to the farming and forestry forum. I assume you are trying to here trying tp pick a fight with comments such as:

If a tax paying citizen has to pay it then I think a farmer who grabs thousands in subsidies (our taxes) should have to pay also considering they rarely pay tax and have no minimum retirement age. Funny how 80 yr old farmers can get thousands in subsidies while our young people Emigrate to survive.

Needless to say such comments are completly removed from reality, as you would know if you had any experiance in this area.

And of course without

the environmental damage caused by these fuel guzzling monsters

where would you get the food that is on your tale every day. Or perhaps you think it is a good idea to bring all our beef from Brazil or wheat from france etc. Did you ever stop to conside the carbon foot print associated with importing food over such distances =- foot which should be produced locally.

Do us all a favour and before you come in here tell others the way it should be, get a little informationup front so at least we. can have a informed debate

mukki

mumhaabu wrote: »

It seems the RSA are eventually cracking down on Tractors and it about time too, I can't count the amount of time I have been stuck behind a tractor for miles and miles and they never think of pulling in. Rebated Fuel should be abolished completely and make Tractor Drivers take the same rigorous tests as HGV drivers have to take. Also make the Road Tax €1,000 a year to reflect the environmental damage caused by these fuel guzzling monsters.

there is a good reason why tractors dont pull in

1) they can never pull in fully, usually over a foot will still be on the road, so there is no point pulling in unless they are on a good stright stretch and there is no one coming, i wouldnt want to cause an accident

2) a tractor and trailer need about 20 yards of a layby to be able to get the trailer in off the road too

3) the driver has to slow the tractor right down before they reach a spot to pull in, because without suspension you can't leave the road at speed, this means if you are on an unfamilar road you will drive right past most good spot.

4) car drivers never show any appriciation when you do manage to get a spot

JohnBoy

Mumhaabu

please quote the relevant legislation, I'm genuinely curious as to what the statute books actually say on the topic of green diesel.

emaherx

Mukki, I'm sorry for slaging you off over calling a fork a grape seems a few people around here use the term.

But how the hell did it fall off sounds like either there is something seriously wrong with the loader or else someone didn't mount it right in the first place. Dosen't matter how fast you were traveling or how rough the ground is it should not have fallen off.

Although you may or may not have been travelling too fast, it dose not sound like it was intirely your fault.

T the same time you as the driver have some responsability to check the condition of the viehcle before entering onto a public road.

mumhaabu wrote: »

If a tax paying citizen has to pay it then I think a farmer who grabs thousands in subsidies (our taxes) should have to pay also considering they rarely pay tax and have no minimum retirement age. Funny how 80 yr old farmers can get thousands in subsidies while our young people Emigrate to survive.

I think most farmers would prefer to get a fair price for their produce than to receive subsidies. Subsidies were introduced not for the farmers benifit, but for your benefit so that you can afford to have quality meat at an affordable price.

il gatto

It means the guy who does the bare minimum (still a hell of alot more than an eight hour day usually) gets almost as much as the guy who puts in alot of work. The reward for having more produce and a tidy farm is feck all more as subsidies make up a big chunk of your income. The benefit from extra work gets incrementally smaller because the prices a farmer receives for livestock, milk, grain and vegatables is tiny compared to the cut middlemen and supermarkets get. Not only that, but should someone want to produce more milk to increase his income, he has to buy the right to do so at a high cost (quota).

jmayo

mumhaabu wrote: »

No, you my good friend are actually wrong.

As you will see in Page 12 of this recent review (.pdf 1.17MB) by the RSA

The use of rebated fuel is clearly intended for agricultural use and its use for any other purpose other than those outlined in
the relevant legislation, and in particular haulage for reward, is not permitted. Its use in the haulage of non agricultural
goods undermines the licensed haulage industry and policy decisions on its use and enforcement are required.
...
It seems the RSA are eventually cracking down on Tractors and it about time too, I can't count the amount of time I have been stuck behind a tractor for miles and miles and they never think of pulling in. Rebated Fuel should be abolished completely and make Tractor Drivers take the same rigorous tests as HGV drivers have to take. Also make the Road Tax €1,000 a year to reflect the environmental damage caused by these fuel guzzling monsters.

If a tax paying citizen has to pay it then I think a farmer who grabs thousands in subsidies (our taxes) should have to pay also considering they rarely pay tax and have no minimum retirement age. Funny how 80 yr old farmers can get thousands in subsidies while our young people Emigrate to survive.

AFAIK the RSA proposals are only that, proposals.
Of course tractors are now the latest cause of all the road deaths :rolleyes:

A lot of this debate is fuelled (pardon the pun) by the road haulage guys kicking up because tractors hauling goods can be run on cheaper green diesel
and the drivers do not have to obey more stingrent rules followed by lorry drivers.
Also a lot of this will be copied from the UK where some of the rules being brought in will be gas to see in operation.
For instance, I can haul my own products to market with red diesel, but if I was to take yours then I have to empty the tank and put in white diesel.

Oh and by the way how do you know that some of the tractors holding you up from your important business are not just moving from field to field, rather than hauling some non agricultural goods.
Also some of them could be running on bio fuels.

Hell lets make farmers/contractors use white diesel when driving on the roads, they can switch to green when they go into the fields.
Yeah sure raise the tractor tax to €1000, make all farmers have HGV license and then YOU can pay the extra when you go for your pint of milk and your steak.
Better still get rid of the tractors and use horses. Oh but wait, they pollute too since they fart.

PS most of the young emmigrants that left Ireland in the past and will soon be doing so again came from farming backgrounds, thus leaving their 80 year old dads on the farm.

Kerryman, if you think beef from Brazil or strawberries from SA is bad, I found onions from NZ in Dunnes last week.
Jeeze can't we find anywhere closer that grows onions :rolleyes:

il gatto

There should be a minimum percentage of the final sale price which go to the farmer. That way any price hikes because of fuel, inflation, banking interest also benefit the producer of the food. As it stands the middlemen and retailer jack up price because of the above, yet the farmer is locked into taking the lowest of the low.
Onion? They grow here like weeds. They're easy to produce (maybe not always huge early in the year). A disgraced dragging cheap veg from the far side of the world.

lanod2407

"Never borrow a tractor" .............. what a load of B******X - the real title should read "Don't speed like an idiot in a large machine"!

I continue to see guys in increasingly large 4WD machines racing on public roads and can but wonder (a) how long would it take that guy to stop in an emergency, and (b) what damage would he do to people if he loses control or does not stop on time? The answers invariably amount to (a) too long, and (b) horrific.

What is it that happens to a bloke's brain when he takes control of a massive machine and decides he's got to drive the ****e out of it to prove ..............what??!!

I guess I'll get a hammering for ranting from the mods - but it's too important to ignore, especially when people seem to think it's ok to speed down roads.

mukki

lanod2407 wrote: »

"Never borrow a tractor" .............. what a load of B******X - the real title should read "Don't speed like an idiot in a large machine"!

I continue to see guys in increasingly large 4WD machines racing on public roads and can but wonder (a) how long would it take that guy to stop in an emergency, and (b) what damage would he do to people if he loses control or does not stop on time? The answers invariably amount to (a) too long, and (b) horrific.

What is it that happens to a bloke's brain when he takes control of a massive machine and decides he's got to drive the ****e out of it to prove ..............what??!!

I guess I'll get a hammering for ranting from the mods - but it's too important to ignore, especially when people seem to think it's ok to speed down roads.

:rolleyes:

20mph in a 75hp john deere is not what i would call speeding in a massive machine!


its a tiny tractor

il gatto

Speeding? In a tractor? I drive them flat out sometimes too, but flat out is usually 20mph with a following wind. It's not to prove anything, but because flat out is still slow.

Trx

If in doubt Flat out....


Give her the full of da pipe !!!!