Farmer Dies In Barnyard
From Tractor Rollover

A 75-year-old farmer was killed while loading manure in his barnyard. He was using a tricycle-type tractor equipped with a front-end loader to scoop up manure from his cattle yard, then load it into a manure spreader which was located downhill from him. He had been living at this farm for the past 38 years, loading manure with the same tractor, in the same manner since it was bought in 1974. The slope was not severe, but while making a turn in reverse, with the loaded bucket in the raised position, the tractor straddled the right edge of the driveway, tilted slightly to the right side and to the front, and tipped over on the sloped ground. A heavy load in the raised bucket shifted the center of gravity of the tractor with most of the weight being on the narrow front wheels. There was significant centrifugal force created by finishing a turn at this hazardous point. The man may have also applied the brakes at the end of his reverse curve which would have further increased the lateral momentum of the bucket. Since the tractor had no ROPS (Roll Over Protective Structure), and was positioned perpendicular to the slope at this point, it rolled completely over, crushing the farmer. He was found dead at the scene a few hours later by his wife.

#1 Tractors used with front end loaders should be equipped with ROPS.

—Front end loaders raise the center of gravity and make all tractors less stable.

—Installation of a ROPS on this older tractor would have saved the operator’s life.

#2 Tricycle-type, narrow-front tractors should not be equipped with front end loaders.

—Tricycle-type tractors are significantly more prone to rollovers than wide-front tractors.

—On hilly terrain the operator must be aware of changing slopes, holes, bumps, and ruts which will shift the center of gravity--especially with a raised bucket.

#3 Loading areas should be designed to minimize the risk of tractor and loader overturns.

—Loading areas / livestock buildings should have level areas with adequate turn-around space.

#4 Operators of tractors with front-end loaders should drive with the loader bucket down, avoid unstable ground, go straight up and down hills with the load on the uphill side, use counter weights when appropriate, and avoid use of tricycle-type tractors with loaders.