Near death experience
Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 8:33 pm
The following was posted by EricB on the Farmall forum of YTMAG. Needles ti say he got a lot of replies and advice, most of which was a little late.
Like many Farmalls my W4 has the choke and starter button mounted in the lower left. It is very awkward to reach both at the same time. For the last 30 years(about 5000 starts)I have stood just behind the tractor and started it from the standing position. May 20th at 4:33 PM after a busy day I need to get it out of the shed. Its a small shed and I park them close together.
Yep! It started. It was in reverse! It instantly crushed my chest into the tire of the next tractor behind me. I struggled to hit the kill switch and waited for the last four turns of the engine. I placed the tractor in 1st and moved it ahead on the starter to free myself. Only then did I notice my leg moved ahead with the tractor. The draw bar had gone through my boot, through my leg and out the other side. I removed my leg from the bar,got a clean rag from the lambing box in the barn and used my belt over the missing section of my leg to control bleeding then hobbled 100 yards to the phone in the house.
A month in hospital but I was real lucky. My leg looks weird but it works Ok!
I learned ALWAYS BE SITTING INFRONT OF THE CONTROLS BEFORE STARTING THE TRACTOR.
Have a Happy and Safe New Year!
Like many Farmalls my W4 has the choke and starter button mounted in the lower left. It is very awkward to reach both at the same time. For the last 30 years(about 5000 starts)I have stood just behind the tractor and started it from the standing position. May 20th at 4:33 PM after a busy day I need to get it out of the shed. Its a small shed and I park them close together.
Yep! It started. It was in reverse! It instantly crushed my chest into the tire of the next tractor behind me. I struggled to hit the kill switch and waited for the last four turns of the engine. I placed the tractor in 1st and moved it ahead on the starter to free myself. Only then did I notice my leg moved ahead with the tractor. The draw bar had gone through my boot, through my leg and out the other side. I removed my leg from the bar,got a clean rag from the lambing box in the barn and used my belt over the missing section of my leg to control bleeding then hobbled 100 yards to the phone in the house.
A month in hospital but I was real lucky. My leg looks weird but it works Ok!
I learned ALWAYS BE SITTING INFRONT OF THE CONTROLS BEFORE STARTING THE TRACTOR.
Have a Happy and Safe New Year!