[AT] Hydraulic hoses & Safety Practices.

[Mike Sloane]

Every loader manual I have ever seen stresses, on the front page in bold 
print, that you carry the bucket down and only raise it as you are 
approaching the dump point (straight on). I bought a wrecked Farmall 140 
with an IH 1000 loader several years ago, and the seller told me that 
the reason that the seat, steering wheel, hood, and control valve 
handles were seriously damaged was because the operator had a load of 
gravel in the raised bucket and tried to turn a corner. He said that the 
operator was badly injured. 
<http://public.fotki.com/mikesloane/farmall_140/140-1.html> When I 
worked at a tractor dealership, we had a Ford compact diesel in similar 
condition because the operator had tried to turn a corner with a load of 
snow in the raised bucket. The tractor was written off, but the operator 
was luckier and escaped with only minor injuries. As Steve, Cecil, and 
others have related, if you make safety a habit, it takes no effort at 
all and can save your (or someone else's) life.

Mike

Cecil Bearden wrote:
> This makes me think of another practice that really just gets me.  We 
> have folks driving tractors around here that always have the loader 
> bucket raised fully while mowing, raking, or going down the road.
>    I learned 4 things as a kid.  Keep the bucket a foot off the ground, 
> (lower and you can go over the front on rough ground).  Check the 
> gearshift for neutral before you ever touch the key.  Leave the tractor 
> in gear or park. ( did not lock brakes because they used to freeze to 
> the drums) And Lower all implements to the ground.  This was because we 
> had livestock and they were always rubbing on the equipment.
> 
> To this day, it still happens around here..
> 
> Cecil in OKla
>