10 Causes Of Tractor Rollovers You Need To Know

[@hiddenacresoutdoors]

I grew up flying helicopters and we learned early on about "dynamic rollover". There is a critical rollover angle when sitting still on level ground. It's like taking a set of fork lifts and tilting an object that is sitting still until it rolls over. There's also the dynamic rollover angle that is what gets folks in trouble. That angle is influenced HEAVILY by momentum. That's why going slow is so very very important. Most helicopters have a critical rollover angle of between 6 to 10 degrees. That doesn't mean you can operate up to 10 degrees every time and not roll over. It simply means that if you go beyond that you will most definitely roll over and there's nothing you can do but hold on at that point. My butt has been calibrated to get nervous anytime it tilts more than 6 degrees. It sucks up the seat cushion beginning at about the 8 degree mark. I won't tell you what happens when it appears to be exceeding the 10 degree mark. It amazes me to watch the guys on a bulldozer pack in a pond dam with a 30+ degree slope. No sir. Not me. Great vid and please stress in your next video that just because you didn't roll over at X number of degrees today it doesn't mean that you won't roll over at less than X number of degrees tomorrow. The key term is "dynamic".

[@jimmyyounger618]

Timely topic! I thought I was going over 2 days ago. I was on a safe and fairly nominal degree of slope while brush hogging along the bottom edge of a field when my downhill wheels abruptly dropped out from under the tractor. What stopped me from going over was the right side of my front end loader catching higher ground on the other side of an animal made ditch that had a den opening in the bottom center of it. Not only was there a ditch from their digging and travel, but the abrupt drop was made worse by the front of the den collapsing under the weight of the tractor. I've been over that ground countless times in the last 25 years and that ditch under the cover of grass and weeds was not there. I've never experienced anything like it. Because of the size of the den opening in this dug out ditch, I can only guess it was a coyote den.

[@markproulx1472]

Videos like this are why I follow and rely on Tractor Mike.

[@Brad26843]

Appreciate that you keep on so much about safety and tractor up keep. Too many dont take it seriously. Then you have folks like my son who get tired of hearing me preach safety and all the checks you do before you even get on a machine and point out as many possible situations as i can think of so he can be thinking about safety and what to do if something happens.

[@EvelynLogan-od7zc]

Brad

[@MusicandMachines]

Another problem that I’ve had when mowing terraces is not just the slopes but the washouts that they invariably have in them. If you are going along sideways (at the pucker limit) and the low side hits a hole or washout, it is downright terrifying. I finally gave up and only go straight up and straight down even if it takes twice as long.

[@tsl7881]

Try that with a creek at the bottom. More pucker.

[@markproulx1472]

I’m glad that you emphasized the need to slow down.

[@twc9000]

I have some hills on my property and a big ravine. I am very careful around the ravine and take it super slow on the hills. But, I've been flying EMS helicopters for about 6 years and I haven't responded to any tractor rollovers. I have responded to several ATV and side by side rollovers, probably because they tend to drive faster.

[@EvelynLogan-od7zc]

Thomas

[@lakeinit]

Another great video, Thanks Mike. Most of my work is done on a slope. I agree the holes or a tire dropping into anything is definitely bad news. For me pucker time comes when I have to turn and I find that making small back and forth turns until I get pointed in the right direction helps.

[@Noah_E]

An uncle had the centrifugal force from a bushhog shove his Ford 8N up a fence post and onto its side. I had a fawn run out of a thicket in front of me while heading down one of the steepest parts of my property. I instinctively jerked the wheel to the right and over it went. My uncle seriously hurt his shoulder and traded the 8N for a modern tractor, but an overrun clutch would have prevented that accident. I walked away with minor cuts on my arm. Keep your ROPS up as much as possible folks. It works. Also, my father was a fire chief and worked several fatal tractor calls, including one across the street from my shop. A young guy attached a stump to a draw bar below the rear axle and flipped the tractor, popping his head like a water balloon. Left behind a kid still in diapers. Another was an older guy that got off the tractor to open a gate and was run over. My grandfather having his ankles crushed in a childhood farming accident kept him out of WWII.

[@jphickory522]

Below the rear axel is where you should be attached to pull. Maybe you meant to write that he was attached above.

[@leokelly359]

I have an inclinometer for my land but, I usually go by the pucker factor 1st. but I also am running 2 inch wheel spacers too.

[@johnhelbig7110]

The wide R4 tires put less pounds per square inch (psi) on the ground, by design, than the R1 standard farm tire. In wet conditions, or muddy conditions, or sometimes just on grass on a slope, these tires tend to slide easier. This is per my own observation and observations my customers have shared with me. I can’t tell you how many customers I have told to stay off their pond banks, because some of those slopes approach up to 45 degrees. Most manufacturers operator manuals list a 15 degree slope as the maximum for operating the machine on. I’m located in the Ozark foothills south of St. Louis.

[@EvelynLogan-od7zc]

John

[@theElderberryFarmer]

Great presentation, Mike! It's important that we all think about these things from time to time - especially if we've been running tractors for a while. It's easy to get complacent, and that's when problems arise. Take care and God Bless.

[@markchoate9021]

Good video and good topic, Mike. One more item to add that can cause rollovers.... Check the condition and tightness of your wheel lugs. I was once on level ground, in sand, using my front end loader. I failed to check that my left front wheel lugs were loose. Backing and turning in the sand, with a load in the bucket, put strain on the lugs and after a while my left front wheel fell off and had I had my bucket load of sand up high, it would have flipped me. As it was, the bucket was low and it hit the ground and held me up. Scary.........

[@EvelynLogan-od7zc]

Mark

[@michaellloyd5737]

Excellent info! Thanks!

[@bobdavis6103]

Great video Mike. In North Florida I find the ruts between planted pines can be a concern for roll over and that tilting sensation can happen quickly!

[@earlyriser8998]

I am a newbie and have already found your top ten to be pretty true. I always (?) carry a 3 pt box or land plane that I lower until they are brushing the ground. Almost rolled the cab tractor (high CG) when I got too close to a soft ditch .....I slammed the loader down and stopped the roll over. But it was a challenge to get out of that bind, with some help. Fluid in the tires probably saved me from the full experience. The bank collapsed on me and I never knew it was that soft until too late. One minute OK next minute climbing up out the door.

[@johnburk9157]

I installed an inclinometer on my tractor a few years ago. I look at it frequently.

[@charlesperry1051]

I have a subcompact Massey. I always wear my seat belt. I am in East TN and level land is paved! Everything else slopes.

[@EvelynLogan-od7zc]

Charles

[@williamorton7600]

Good video Mike. Also consider tire type. My dad's NH TT-75 has the R-1 tires...I really dislike those tall narrow AG tires. All my stuff has R-4s, and while it mashes the grass down more, it is more stable.

[@EvelynLogan-od7zc]

William

[@olfart7902]

My grandpa was plowing a neighbors garden with a tricycle front end type tractor on a hill and caught a root and over he went, thank goodness he survived.

[@SouthernGround]

I have extremely steep hills all over my property, the guy (owner) of the dealership I got my MF from looked around and said to me " You seem like a smart guy but PLEASE be careful when you are on those hills and wear your seat belt 100% of the time, I don't want to read about you in the papers" You are absolutely correct on all ten point's, when hogging on a hill it's drive straight down and back back up and repeat, it might be slower but much safer.

[@eddiebaughman2809]

Mike, I love your channel. You give a lot of good sound advice.

[@tractortyme]

Great points on tractor ownership and how to avoid rollovers Mike, thanks for a great channel. Still enjoying the Pat's quick attach hits system I bought from your website.

[@fhuber7507]

I magnet mounted a light bar on my tractor. It came off and dropped into the shredder. My field is not really rough. I wasn't going all that fast. The front loader wasn't bouncing (which is a good indication to slow down...) Just shredding a pasture that hasn't been plowed in 30 years.

[@tsl7881]

What's a shredder? Yeah, I stuck a magnetic flashlight on the ROPS as a temporary backup light. Worked great till it fell off.

[@EvelynLogan-od7zc]

Hello 👋

[@aussiefarmer8741]

Hidden rocks and stumps can be an issue also.

[@peacefieldfarm_mn]

Excellent topic, Mike, thank you!

[@stevemartinez6757]

I would add one more category to what you covered with three sub-categories. 1. The Operator 1a. Ignorance - Not knowing how to operate safely. 1b. Carelessness - Not caring about your equipment or safety. 1c. Operating under the influence of some kind of substance. - After working out in the hot sun, I do enjoy having a couple of cold adult beverages. After having a couple of beers, I will not get back onto my tractor or other equipment. Even after just a couple of beers it will affect a person's judgement, reaction time and ability.

[@Mike-r2x1g]

Excellent video

[@jakeschisler7525]

Mike i live in long lane Missouri where can i have my back tires get the fluid put in?

[@TractorMike]

Try these guys: Pomp's Tire Service Strafford, MO · [phone].

[@7viewerlogic670]

Great info.

[@RobertBrothersJr-dc7nr]

Very informative video Mike. Thanks

[@mikeharbert5086]

Good stuff as always. How do you feel about wheel spaces?

[@TractorMike]

I've never had them, but anything to get the wheels wider will help. It does stress the wheel bearings a bit.

[@rickbyfield2190]

Excellent points.

[@rickybeck1178]

If you feel like your rolling over always turn down the hill if you can . On steep terrain back up with brush hog up lower it and come down. With loader work straight up. Imo

[@EvelynLogan-od7zc]

Ricky

[@comlbbeau]

I think you pretty much covered all the potential pitfalls of hillside operations. I have a lot of angst when I have to mow along my pond water's edge. Following the advice of keeping my loader almost touching the ground and going extremely slowly, I also split my brake pedals to give me the ability to brake the uphill rear wheel if I sense losing any steering control toward the water. You've mentioned before that if your ROPS isn't up, don't use that seat belt. You might have the chance to bail out to the upslope side.

[@anthonyroberts9034]

Excellent info - kinda wish you could have posted the two videos back to back - I'm curious to see what your opinion is on the inclinometer, my pucker factor starts to kick in about 17°

[@redneck5356]

Î usally walk a hillside before I get on it. Holes pop up every now and then. Rather know it’s there than a surprise

[@jphickory522]

When cutting horizontally on a cross slope…. always ready to sharply steer down the slope if feel the high side getting too light.

[@dancopp5607]

Mike, the reason going slower has a more fundamental cause/effect. Speed is directly proportional to reaction time/distance traveled. (RxT=D) Assuming you know the proper corrective action, your available time to both recognize the need and perform the correct counter-measure(s) is negatively inverted against you. I call it the "Evil Kenevil" factor.😂

[@DrWes1962]

only roll I ever experienced was using a sickle bar on the side of my pond and it caught on a hidden stump and before I could respond I was leaping as hard as I could into the pond to leave the 1/4 rolled tractor behind. I actually heard my dead father's voice calling out instructions to me -- something he'd actually said about ladders. He said "If you start to fall...jump" and boy did that advice come in handy. I jumped. Luckily all I got was wet.

[@FormulaXFD]

It's second hand, but an EMT peer did a transfer for a guy who had a rollover w/o ROPS and somehow survived getting crushed; every rib was broken.

[@m16ty]

I personally know of that exact thing happening a couple times. If the ground is soft enough is can cushion the body enough to survive it. I also know of several that didn't survive it.

[@jimg8218]

If In rollover, hold on to steering wheel

[@jphickory522]

…. only if you have ROPS

[@m16ty]

​@@jphickory522 True. Your best chances with a non-ROPS tractor is to try to jump clear. Your chances aren't very good whatever you do, but I have known people that bailed and got away unscathed.

[@m16ty]

Unless you run off in a hole, a tractor will almost always slide down a slope before it turns over. The problem is though, when is starts to slide and hits something that stops the slide, that's when it will turn over. As far as types of tractors, things like high mounted fuel tanks and such do make a difference, but I'm not so sure a platform tractor is necessarily more dangerous than straddle seating. Unless you're a really big guy on a small tractor, your seating position isn't going to affect the center of gravity by any at all. It's just seems more unstable because you are sitting higher on a platform tractor, but the height of your seat alone isn't going to make a difference. That being said, I think it can give a false sense of security on a tractor with a low mounted seat.

[@vincentmartineau232]

Please be very careful around a pond. When I was a kid i was bush hogging around a pond and the tractor wheels touched the mud and the tractor slid into the pond with the driver. Tractor was never the same after this event. Just lucky this did not become a real accident.

[@billloffler8637]

I’ve got a half of a scoop of dirt in a bucket and put it on the high side of the hill and keep it as as possible.low

[@rooster3019]

VENTRAC

[@kurtanderson1463]

Speed in turns is yet another way you can kill yourself on a tractor. How much speed? You won't know until you roll over due to the points you just mentioned. So, be damn careful about complacency and letting young kids drive that tractor. I sweat it out anytime I allow my grandson to run my tractor simply because he has shown some ignorance and lack of respect for machinery. He needs to learn, but not by getting hurt or killed. Tractors should be slow moving machines and never pushed up to do things faster. Slow and steady wins the race, and keeps you alive. By the book, or buy the farm! Operate according to the manual or common sense and never beyond the capabilities of the machine or operator.

[@timburton9514]

Wear the seat belt!!!

[@JonathanSilva-hm3yn]

Puckerometer > Inclinometer

[@m16ty]

Yeah, I don't think having some sort of meter on your tractor is going to be very helpful. You've got a inclinometer between your ears, better to rely on that than some meter.

[@tsl7881]

@m16ty The only thing I could see is it would give you a reference. If you learn your land then you will know the limits. Drop off holes, a big rock or log in the weeds on a slope are are.the real worries. And think what will happen if you slide. Much like driving a big rig, there are many things to watch for and plan ahead.

[@JohnScott-c4q]

Worked ground for dad with a WD Allis back in the day with rear mounted plows.. i was 7 years old and could do tricks with it ... Yep.. i learned by experience lucky i didn't kill myself... 🤔🤔🫣