Not a fun ride a hard landing Warning

[rweaver]

last Thursday we were unloading the 1861 we bought and I was backing the shop mule up the wood ramps when I was just about onto the trailer the left ramp broke sending the 1210 and me onto the ground and I don't land softly like I did at one time. I smacked my shoulder on the ground pretty hard the tractor was still running and fire was a concern of mine so I told Rose Mary to shut it off. then I was able to crawl from under the 1210. so here is the warning to you that use wood ramps. don't do as I did wait till they break to check them that way hurts the most. as for me man it takes long for us older guys to get back in the swing of things. its now 1 week and I still hurt but not bad I did not break any bones but I was so sore I did not sleep well. my left shoulder today has a black and blue area 8in x10in. I am even thinking of getting a tilt trailer 20 footer so we don't have to use ramps

[Jlaws]

Wow Ray , sorry to hear that , but glad to hear your only bruised ....We don't bounce very well when you get to our age .

You should know better than to go against a 1210 , its got a few hundred pounds on ya .

Heal fast , Jess

[vince_o]

Why not a ramp, although I flipped my Wheel Horse on the ramp. If done perment damage to my lower back from that day. I felt so stupid, MAD, and lucky as no one was around to get it off me. Had a heck of a time reaching the points cover to kill the eng. The nut roaster is bad enough, but the exaust was on my leg and the wheel was running on my ankle.

Glad your ok.

[ReicheP]

Vince, looking at photos the other day there is a photo of you unloading some sort of ugly green tractor off of the back of a pickup. It's with the tail gate down and with wire straps holding your tail gate. If you read your owners manual closely you'll find a warning about not even standing of the tail gate as those wire straps can break. I used to do accident and safety inspections for the big 3 and saw a fair number of strap failures.

I know guys have been unloading tractors with ramps on the tail gates for years an never have had a strap break.........I have.

Glad you two guys are Ok and only sore!

[l palma]

I have had a few fall ,I never stand behind,or to the side below it,but when they fall,it takes a licking and keep on ticking.
Ray I hope you get plenty of rest.Did you see a doctor?

[dag1450]

Sorry we could not chat the other day when i was out. She did say u were feeling better though. U and Rose Mary are getting pretty good on those smart phones. Dave

[rweaver]

Dave I wanted to come out but my phone just kept me busy in the house I was feeling much better today was not bad at all may want to look at a new trailer in the am have to see how it holds out

[Klapatta]

I told this story once before on the old forum but it bears worth repeating
Years back, I was at a local garden tractor pull, stock class. There was a guy there who was having clutch trouble with his Cub inside the bed of his pickup- I think it was a 122 or something like that and a pretty crappy looking one at that. Anyway, he decided to get his buddy to back up his truck in back of his and both those trucks looked like rolling wrecks with the tail gates all bent to hell to boot. They had their vise grips and carpenter hammers with them. They managed to find a couple of 2 by 8 planks that looked like they had been laying in the woods for at least five years and placed them between those two tail gates and rolled that thing onto the planks to work under it. He got underneath and had at it. There was at least a ten inch bow in the middle of those planks. They were Pine, I looked- make that pine with a bunch of splits in them My Son was with me and we stood there in amazement watching those guys go at it.
We had to walk away- I did not to be witness to suicide by stupid

[stevet]

Ray glad you're ok! i've stopped using wooden ramps since i bought my new trailer. i'm so glad i ordered it with heavy duty duty steel ramps that hook onto the back of the trailer. there's waaaay too many of these stories and at some point the luck will run out, i just hope and pray it doesn't happen. be careful guys!

[SWilliams]

I got fed up with bare wood ramps a while back. Went to HF and looked at the ones they had (#69646), read the reviews on the similar ones and decided they would work as a start for a better ramp. Brought them home. Did some measuring and visited a local saw mill. Picked out a couple nice oak planks. Cut the bottom of the HF ramps at an angle and matched that on the planks. Modified the top plates using better steel and welding them in place. Also welded some straps across the open back side. Coated the wood with some good water sealer. Slid them in and used some screws through the straps to hold them tight. Tested them by bridging a couple 4X4s and drove my blazer onto them. Figure if the held the front of my blazer a lawn tractor should be fine. Thinking about buying another set to use as fodder to build a set of service ramps.