NOT A CRITTER HOLE BUT A BIG HOLE

[Brent]

We got alot of rain all at once here in So. California over the last couple of weeks. I was filling in a ditch carved by the rain for my neighbor with my 64 Ford Industrial 2000. Has a front end loader and a Gannon box scrapper. I had filled in the deep part with the bucket and was then filling in the narrow part of the ditch, about 4"wide, with the scrapper. All of a sudden the tractor just tipped to one side and almost laid on its side. Turns out that 4" wide ditch was about 3' deep and 2' wide. The water had undermined that area but all that was visable was the 4" groove. I learned a lesson. I'll look things over before I start filling any more ditches. Good thing I had my seat belt on! After alot of digging and jacking I hooked a chain to my truck and with my wife's help was able to get the thing out.

[Dan England]

That is scary as the tractor could easily roll over on you. I am glad it turned out well . Dan

[JackF]

Same thing almost happened to me on a Massey Ferguson Backhoe. My dad bought a farm in the Missouri Ozarks and I was helping him with some field work when I set up the Backhoe to do some digging. I didn’t realize I was sitting on top of a spring with quick sand in it. I got down off the tractor to do some elevation shots and notice the tractor was sinking. I tried to move the tractor and it went down on the transmission “belly”. I quickly extended the Backhoe out and lifted the rear end up but the loader was starting to sink. I jumped off the tractor and set the biggest rocks I could pick up, under the backhoe stabilizers. I got back up on the tractor and set the stabilizers to hold the back end up. I tried to lift the loader up, but the front end would just sink down because the bucket was half full with dirt and water. I twisted the bucket in and up at the same time which emptied the bucket, but the front was down on the oil pan. I shut the engine off because the vibration seemed to make it sink faster. I got off the tractor again and placed large rocks under were the flat part of the loader would go. I remounted the tractor, started the engine and used the loaders hydraulics and lifted the front up. I then pulled the backhoe stabilizers up and pulled the tractor with the backhoe. I did this three more times in a period of two long hours and finally the rear tires got enough traction to pull the tractor out.

After I move the tractor to a known secure site, I walked back to the area were I got stuck. It looked just like the rest of the field I was in, but under the thick grass there was a mixture of water and sand.

A year or so later my Father wanted to build a lake on his property and he had an Engineer from Missouri University to assist with the set up of the lake. I mentioned the mishap to the Engineer with the tractor the year before. It struck his interest and he had a Geological Survey done on the site. The site was primarily a spring with ground up sand about 15 feet deep in one spot.

The Backhoe I was on is considered a small Backhoe weighting 10,000 Lbs. If I was on something a little larger I don’t think I would have got it out.

This happen about ten years ago and to this day I still quiver every time I think about it.


Jack Fowler

[Ron L]

Brent & Jack. Very interesting stories with GOOD endings........

[beaconlight]

Scary isn't it???????

Bill