Farmer Crushed Under Planter
While Changing Tire

A 55-year-old farmer died while changing a tire on an 8-row planter, which was 18 years old. The man had been planting earlier that day, then when transporting the planter to another field, he noticed the second road tire on the inside right side of the planter was flat. He stopped in a pasture and began to change the tire. He did not brace up the planter, nor use the hydraulic cylinder safety stops adjacent to the hydraulic cylinder, which were designed to keep the cylinder extended during maintenance.

He crawled under the planter and loosened the bolts on the wheel, but could not get it off. Then he tried to relieve ground pressure on the flat wheel by loosening the hydraulic fitting connected to the wheel hydraulic cylinder. He was obviously not aware that the hydraulic lines to both wheel cylinders were connected. He expected the outside wheel cylinder of the planter to hold the machine up while he relieved ground pressure on the inside wheel. However when the hydraulic fitting was off, hydraulic fluid immediately gushed out and the entire right side of the planter fell on the man causing a fatal head injury. The farmer was discovered the next day by an employee of his farm.

1. Equipment supported by hydraulic systems must be blocked against motion during maintenance.

--Hydraulic lines may be under great pressure when machines are turned off and at rest.

--Mechanical safety stops on the cylinder, or other blocking, must be used to prevent injury.

--Disconnecting a hydraulic line may lead to rapid loss of hydraulic fluid, rapid collapse of machine components, and injury or death to anyone nearby.

2. Hydraulic pressure must be relieved before working on any part of a hydraulic system.

--Shut off the engine and lower the hydraulic implement to the ground or solid support.

--Move the hydraulic control levers back and forth several times to relieve any pressure.

--Hydraulic equipment that has been idle for months, or years, may still contain pressurized lines.

--Always be prepared for high pressure spray of oil (hot) and movement of machine parts.