[AT] Ramble: I broke a MF 255 into 2 pieces

[Jeff Pilbeam]

Any pics of this tractor? 

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of David Holcombe
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 2:32 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Cc: Dlholcombe at una.edu
Subject: [AT] Ramble: I broke a MF 255 into 2 pieces

It's been almost 6 months since posting anything to ATIS. I retired from my
"public job"  July 1 2004. I guess I'm crazy at 47, but I had to get back
outside.

The day after Thanksgiving my son and I were hanging a Xmas wreath on the
front of my house. I got the MF 255 so he could lift me up using the
front-end loader. After getting it on the house I discovered that my
extension cord was not long enough. He proceeded to lower me to the ground
and turned the tractor off. I went into the basement, he got off the tractor
to unchain the dogs. Coming back into the front yard I noticed the tractor
was slowly inching it's way backward out of our yard toward the road in
front of my house. My yard is about 10' above the road with about a 40
degree slope down to the road, then across the road is a 4 strand barb wire
fence then another 40  degree slope of about 200' before if levels off into
the pasture.
I ran as hard as I could, didn't catch it. It rolled out of the yard across
the road into the barb wire fence just missing 2 big "electric pole" posts
that would would have probably stopped it.  The barb wire almost stopped it.
You know how wire sounds when it is being stretched and the ping it makes
when it breaks. When it finally broke and the tractor went through it and
out of sight I guess it was going 25-30 mph down the hill, through bushes,
then nothing.
When I got to where I could see, it hadn't made all the way to the level
pasture, but is was still sitting on all 4 wheels with the front-end looking
right at me or so I thought. The left rear wheel had broadsided a cedar tree
and snapped it completely into two pieces just behind where the rear-end
bolts together at the gear shifters. The bolts just sheared off the
running(foot rests) boards on the front part of the tractor and were still
attached the rear fenders.
The only thing still connecting the two pieces together was the wire to the
tail light(I cut it with my pocket knife).
It took my dad, myself, my 2 sons about 3 hours to get the two pieces off
the hill. We chained each piece, took the chain around a tree above it and
then down the hill to another tractor. I took another tractor with a hay
spear then lifted  the chained piece and backed it off the hill while the
tractor it was chained to backed up the hill. We had to lift the front end
loader off with another loader tractor.  It fired right up when I turned the
key over, it just had no rear wheels to take it any where. We loaded the
front end on one trailer, the rear end on another trailer and carried it to
a farmer friend that does a lot of tractor work in the off season. Needless
to say, we were the talk of the community when everyone saw our convoy of
two tailers carrying one tractor.
He delivered it back in one piece Xmas eve. All he had to replace was the
rear chunk, a few hydraulic hoses and clamps. He used our hydraulic pump and
gears. The left rear rim is warped a little, but not enough to replace.

Cost: $1800.00

Why did it roll off the hill?   It has a high/low range shifter on the dash 
on top of the high/low range gear shifter. When the dash shifter is in low
range the tractor is free wheeling, the transmission will not hold it back
going down hill. I think we left it in low range.

Very thankful I didn't catch up to the tractor, I probably would have been
ran over.
Very thankful the tractor didn't hit a car in the road.
Very thankful my boys were not hurt.

I have always counted myself as being a very careful person, but accidents
still do happen.

Everybody be careful, I know I am trying to be.


David Holcombe in extreme NW AL

BTW, I didn't put all my Xmas lights out this year.








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