PULLING A HAYWAGON

[Tinkertoy]

Now that I have had some time to think about things, I've come to respect most of you fellows' wishes...and not take it on the road and up/down slight grades...I rediscovered what is important to me....family, close friend (s) and loved ones' support alike...nothing else matters....don't try to live to please others- if I have to, they're not worth it...live for today....2ndly, "Life is like proper dress codes...Proper dress is NOT always comfortable- but it IS about showing your best side...3rdly, I apoligize if I worried you guys and thank you for bringing me to my senses....it's about the get-together with the people I love..> I am ending the evening with a bonfire and cook up a little sausage and suck down a few beers....that will wait till I run Moxie up and down the dirt road next to my house...it is not going onto the street and it IS all FLAT...it is a driveway...that should pacify my craving for the hayride as well as my guests...Once the alcohol breaks out , Moxie is put into the garage...happy day !! This is a celebration of people for the Harvest Moon, not my tractor.
If by chance something happens like a bigger tractor or F150 come into the picture maybe the ride will be extended , but not with my CUB...thanks guys

[g19605]

I think that your decision is a good one.

Slopes and angles are hard to visualize, so here are several simple examples:

Figure on an 8 foot board, now put a 6 or 7 inch block under the far end -- this is real close to a 7% slope. (It is about 4 degrees).

Remove the small block and put an 11 or 12 inch block under the far end -- this is real close to 7 degrees. (It is about 12% slope).

If we figure on a total load behind the cub of 6000 pounds, the force pushing the tractor will be around 400 pounds for the 7% slope and 700 pounds for the 7 degree slope.

A dusty or wet road would spell trouble for both cases.

Use a big tractor then when the ride is complete -- down a sixer and be happy.
George

[Bob Perry]

Degrees and % are not very different. A 100% slope would be a 90 degree angle, so 7% x 90 = 6.3 degrees. I guess if the load's pushing you down the hill, it ain't gonna matter whether it's 6.3 or 7.0 degrees.

[Eugene]

Actually, on percentage of slope, there are a number of ways to figure the percentage. Some methods uses a run, rise percentage in which a 45 degree angle equals 100%. Other methods use 90 degrees as 100% slope.

Any way, Tinkertoy, I personally do not like to put myself at risk of "losing the farm" over an incident/accident that is not my fault. I think you made a good choice.

Long short story. I use to teach High School Shop. Never had an accident until I had two students injured in one year, nothing major. Called it quits, retired. Any way, I maintained liability insurance until the last student I taught reached 18 1/2 years of age. Just in case one of them wanted to sue me for an incident/accident.

[ricky racer]

In my opinion, 20 people is too many due to the weight. Your Cub will pull it but heaven forbid should your tractor quit running while climbing any grade. If you're lucky the engine will hold you but the brakes won't. If she starts rolling backwards, we'll be reading about your hayride in the news papers. It would be a disaster. If the weight pushes you down the grade due to your tires loosing traction ( tractor tires don't get great traction on pavement) we will be reading about your hayride in the news papers then too. Something heavier with good brakes would be much safer.

[Gary Dotson]

Tinkertoy, I applaud your decision! At our campground, we have a hay-ride wagon very similar to the one pictured. I've pulled many rides with it, generally using my Cockshutt 20. there are a few gentle slopes around the grounds and one very short slope that's a bit steeper. The cockshutt handled the wagon quite well but one week-end I decided to use Cubota. I had plenty power for climbing that slope, but there was some serious pucker decending it. I didn't use Cubota anymore! Although the camp ground has appropriate insurance, I've stopped pulling those rides. I feel there is still considerable liability on my part and I just don't want to go there.

[danovercash]

Here's some good reading, a book edited by Michael Dregni, titled "This Old Tractor". A story by Bill Vossler tells of a 17 year old's first experience driving a tractor while at the same time hauling hay. Should be required reading for all new tractor drivers. Roger Welsch wrote the forward and had some very good advice in his story "Roger's Rules for Collecting Old Iron and Living with Your Wife".

[JMCHRISTIAN]

I had no idea pulling a hay wagon was this technical or difficult, had I known I would'nt have done it all these years.

[lazyuniondriver]

I had no idea pulling a hay wagon was this technical or difficult

The technical data and information one can glean from a pool of hundreds of years of combined experience brought together on the Farmallcub.com forums is priceless, isn't it?

[Matt Kirsch]

I had no idea pulling a hay wagon was this technical or difficult, had I known I would'nt have done it all these years.

It's one thing to haul a wagon load of hay/corn/wood when you've been properly trained and have done it 1000's of times.

We're talking about a load of PEOPLE and a presumably inexperienced driver here.

Personally I would want at least an H in front of this load, if not an M or something more modern with power brakes. This is coming from a farm boy who used to haul 8 ton wagon loads of hay with a Farmall 560 with iffy brakes down some pretty nasty hills. I've hauled 1000's of loads for my Dad in the last 26 years with various tractors. You might be able to keep the load on the road, but God help you if you have to stop if you don't have enough tractor.

With the pictured wagon, you're looking at anywhere from 4500-6000lbs. If it was all level it would be one thing, but it could easily outrun the Cub on much of a downhill slope.

[Tinkertoy]

Tinkertoy here...I am not completely what you would call 'inexperienced' in the matter...I've been around tractors since I was a kid..I am now 58 and I plan to see my way to 59...please, people enough...wait for someone else to write in with a problem that needs solving...this one is done !!

[Barnyard]

please, people enough...wait for someone else to write in with a problem that needs solving...this one is done !!

I agree! Folks, Tinkertoy has already come to terms with the fact that his plan won't work. He asked a question and recieved plenty of answers he needed to make a decision. I think we have covered just about every safety aspect there is about the dangers of pulling a wagon full of people, hay or what have you with a Cub. It's time to move on to another subject and solve other problems.

[Tinkertoy]

With all your good sense of what Moxie was capable of, I came to MY senses....to realize I am no slouch when it comes to equipment like Moxie...I did the hayride and I'm SSSOOOO glad I did...With all your warnings were taken and kept in mind all night....We had such a great time...since taking stock in all that you guys wrote in about , I changed my route to no hills and took in 2 dirt roads...Moxie ran like a champ...at one time, there were 20 on board (yesterday afternoon) however, the night before, I took on 12 as my limit.. we came back to our bonfire, good music and a few pops...and a lot of munchies....the high school football team came by to rake my yard yesterday, so I took them for a ride for payment...they loved it too..I have nothing but respect for your guidance and concerns for my welfare and safety as well as my passengers...I would not have been as vigilant if I hadn't consulted this website first...again, thank you so much...I called it Bob's 1) Harvest Full Moon 2) Octoberfest 3) Halloween 4) Pre-Hurricane Sandy...HAYRIDE !!
Muchas gracias everyone !!!

[Barnyard]

I'm glad it went well and everyone had fun.

[Chris D]

Glad you all had a fun time