Tractor Safety

[Cub Cadet 123]

I hate to hear about your injuries Frank, but when you look at what happened, then you realize just how lucky you are. I'm glad that you were not injured any worse than that and that you were able to get help quickly. The outcome could have been so much different. My trailer is only 6 inches off of the ground and I purchased it for that reason alone. Now, I have a cub that will not fit on my trailer, so I am faced with buying another trailer to haul it, but not wanting one that is high up. Your winch you installed was a wise move. You might even consider getting one with a remote control to it.

Thank you for sharing your story that will help others in the future who heed your warning! The Lord was certainly looking after you, while giving all of us a lesson in life. I try ask myself in those situations, what is the worst thing that could happen? That doesn't mean that I am always 100 % safe on everything, because I am not, but it has helped me become more proactive rather than reactive to those situations. SAFETY FIRST is always the page that stands out the most to me when I am looking at those older IH cub cadet manuals.

Wishing you a speedy recovery and hoping that many people read your warning, remembering to always be safe including wearing safety glasses when mowing to prevent ricocheting rocks, disengaging the blades when leaving the tractor, making sure family and pets are inside when mowing, etc.

Perhaps we need a "SAFETY FIRST" page in this forum for people to look over on occasion to remind them of such pitfalls.

Cub Cadet 123

[ACecil]

Glad you are ok, Frank! Thoughts and prayers for you!

[dodge trucker]

I don't see these in the hardware store much any but I bought a set of those aluminum ends for a 2- by plank and have busted a few. If I have a not too steep ditch near me I back my truck into it and reduce the angle as much as possible, but I've had to drive a GT up those ramps at times, have had the 2x10s snap on me about 1/2 way up before, wasn't fun. The last one that I snapped I was using the ramp as a bead breaker on a tractor rear (13.6-28) in the parking lot at a tractor show, we took the tire off, put it in the back of my son's flatbed and hauled it out to the parking lot to change the tube in it. We set the tire on a curb and set the plank on the tire Next to the bead and I drove my Dakota up on to the plank, and yeah it busted pretty easy. Set the 2 busted halves on the ground and the unbroken one on top of them, and drove the truck up there again and this time I broke the bead like I wanted to. Had to run to the lumber yard for a replacement so I could load my new Holland up and bring it home the next day from the show

[cooperino]

Truly sorry to hear about your misfortune. Glad to hear you will seemingly recover to 100% in a short amount of time..

I do hope I waited long enough to ask the question that I think many others may have wanted to ask but didnt want to ask so close in time to the incident..

Where can we see the video of this???

JK, But really, a video is worth a million words and for the sake of tractor safety education I think we all need to see it..


Glad your okay.

[sawdustdad]

Originally Posted by cooperino

Truly sorry to hear about your misfortune. Glad to hear you will seemingly recover to 100% in a short amount of time..

I do hope I waited long enough to ask the question that I think many others may have wanted to ask but didnt want to ask so close in time to the incident..

Where can we see the video of this???

JK, But really, a video is worth a million words and for the sake of tractor safety education I think we all need to see it..


Glad your okay.

No video, thank goodness. But I keep replaying the event in my mind and shudder at the possible alternate outcomes.

After the tractor came to rest, I reached up and turned off the ignition, got my foot unstuck, walked 150 feet into the house, got a towel for my profusely bleeding face and a set of car keys. My wife was down the lane taking a walk, so I squeaked by the truck, grazing the telephone pedestal with the car, and went up the lane and met her. Jumped out and asked her to drive me to the emergency room about 3 miles away.

I walked into the emergency room, all on the broken ankle and they took me immediately. One look at my face and they called for a helicopter to med flight me to Richmond where they had begun to line up a facial plastic surgeon to put my eyelids back together. Lots of xrays and a CT scan of the head, and they splinted the ankle. Several hours of sewing got my eyeball covered.

The next day the eye trauma surgeon looked at me and scheduled me for immediate surgery to place an implant under the eye to replace the broken bone there and repair the severed tear duct on the lower eyelid.

Here's a picture of my eye about 12 hours after the eye surgery and today. Eyesight is back to normal except for some irritation due to the stent they put in my tear ducts to keep them open while everything heals. Will probably need additional surgery at some point to fix the asymmetry in the eyelids. (upper lid doesn't open as much as the other eye).

Shoulder surgery is scheduled for June 14. By that time I'll be out of this ankle cast.

[cooperino]

Wow.. Your face is healing nicely. Easy to imagine how much worse it really could have been. I was ribbin ya about the video of course.

Glad to know your on the mend!

[sawdustdad]

Originally Posted by cooperino

Wow.. Your face is healing nicely. Easy to imagine how much worse it really could have been. I was ribbin ya about the video of course.

Glad to know your on the mend!

Yeah, I'm damn lucky. Had a super eye surgeon. Today is three weeks since the surgery.

I know you were just kidding about the video. I do have several CCTV cameras around the property, but none positioned to capture that stupid maneuver.

[Jeff in Pa]

You're healing well, what a difference. Your surgeon did a great job.

Hope you keep healing well and have success when the shoulder surgery too.

Jeff