Market Farming

["Rainbow's End Farms & Orchards" <rainbowsend AT swva.net>]

If I tried to bail there is no way to avoid the
wide spread of the rear wheels. After hearing from
several of the locals about how their father was
crushed and killed on a tractor I decided this was
NOT the hill I choose to die on! In all
seriousity, I choose to recognize my limits. The
same is true with a 4 wheeler (not a 4 wheel drive
tractor, but a 4 wheeler) so far this season one
came over backwards and flipped as it then rolled
across my back, the next week a local minister was
killed trying to climb a hill, then I endured an
agonizing month after losing all of the skin on
the side of my foot when climbing a relatively
small hill resulted in a dethatcher sandwiching my
foot firmly against the engine. After much time
talking with the local tractor pros I learned that
the only really safe way to handle the steeper
hill is pointing up and the going forward and
backward...remember I now have 800 pounds
additional front weight...yet even now I let the
pros handle the truly challenging hills...and even
they have a huge amount of respect for what they
can and cannot do.
Larry
Rainbows End Farms and Orchards
880 Central Academy Road
Stuart, Virginia  24171
276-694-4324
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Malor" <rmalor AT bigpond.com>
To: "Market Farming"
<market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Monday, October 14, 2002 1:54 PM
Subject: [market-farming] Re: smorgasbord


I couldn't agree more with this. Turning downhill
is safer but the best advise that I ever had was
just to bail out ON THE UPHILL SIDE immediately
you felt that something was about to go. Haven't
had to do it on a tractor but have have had to
part company very rapidly from an ATV dragging a
smudger which got caught on a hidden rock. Forget
the machinery. It's easier (and probably cheaper)
to repair than you. Just my $AUD0.02 worth.

Regards,
Ron...

At 07:07 14/10/2002 -0500, you wrote:

  >
  > More important to me, 'casue I really do not
know (and quite seriously need
  > to know).........when running along a hill,
ditch, etc. and you start to
  > tip, just which way do you turn, up hill or
down hill?

  I hope everyone here realizes that operating a
tractor on un-even
  ground is VERY dangerous business.  Statistics
are not at hand, but I
  believe that farm work in general and tractor
driving specifically is
  one of the most dangerous activities one might
engage in.  I will
  contend that it far exceeds the dangers of
pesticide exposure.

  In answer to the question, by the time you
realize you are going over, I
  believe it is too late; though going down hill
is much safer than going
  up hill, due to the drive torque lifting the
front end.

  --
  Willie  ONWARD!  Through the fog.
  Are YOU an html abuser?
http://www.expita.com/nomime.html
  Linux system uptime  154 days 21 hours 20
minutes

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Ron Malor

'Roslyn Lea'
Scotts Road
South Mole Creek
Northern Tasmania
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