# Has anyone ever died from doing this?



## pioneerMan (11 mo ago)

I would like to use my tractor's bucket, in the full position, to do some painting of a tall shed. It seems like that would work much better than using a 12 foot ladder. Has anyone ever done this and died or got hurt when their bucked suddenly lost pressure in the hydraulic hoses or something?

Thank you!


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## Ford5610II (Jun 11, 2020)

Regarding using a tractor bucket as a platform, it has been done before. It has also killed and injured people before. There are manlifts and certain forklifts that have check valves and locks to keep the bucket/forks/platform in place even if hydraulic pressure leaks off, or a hydraulic hose breaks. But thestandard tractor bucket doesn't have these features. I would recommend either using the ladder or renting the correct manlift. If you are unsure of ladders, google OSHA's ladder requirements. Ladders can also be a hazard if not properly maintained/situated/set-up, etc. Hope this helps.


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

I wouldn't do it. I lost a good friend who stacked ladders on top of scaffolding making a rickety mess. It took him about 6 weeks to die while in the hospital. It wasn't a nice way to die.


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## jim33 (Dec 31, 2021)

I have done it, I am still alive, had my daughter run the tractor one time I was trimming a tree, she didn't dump me, all depends on how comfortable you are doing sketchy things, I worked as a union ironworker 40 years, when I started everything was sketchy now with all the safety anyone can do it,


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I've done it many times. Not really a good idea. I'd look at renting a tow behind boom lift. pretty cheap and way better than a ladder!


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## pioneerMan (11 mo ago)

bontai Joe said:


> I wouldn't do it. I lost a good friend who stacked ladders on top of scaffolding making a rickety mess.


The situation with your friend is not the same thing as what I'm trying to do. I'm not stacking a ladder on top of a tractor's front loader bucket. I'm suggesting standing in the tractor's bucket, to achieve the needed height, instead of using a ladder.


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

It is done often, is it the safest way to go? No but it does work.
It works best with an operator in the seat so you don't have to use a ladder to in and out of the bucket.


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

I would do it.


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## thedukes (Jan 9, 2022)

lots of different options.

ladders with Proper ladder jacks and a Proper plank......yes

scaffolding can be had cheap or rented.

tractor would be my last choice

rent a lift......they are goofy but YOU are in controll

People doo stuff every day and survive.....you can get killed xing the street.
Your number can come up anytime but don't look for it like a winning lottery ticket.


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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

The proper way would be to have load holding valves right on the cylinders so bumping the lever or a hose failure wont send the works crashing down, but I suspect if you were willing to spend money to do things the safe way; this thread would not exist.


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## Skramer360 (6 mo ago)

When I worked at a rental yard, we had a tractor with a cylinder stop. When we needed to work under the loader bucket for maintenance on the tractor or such, the cylinder stop went on the ram and was held in place by a hitch clip. We would the lower the loader onto the stop and it couldn't come down any farther until the machine was started and the bucket raised. It was an easy thing to make if you're handy with a welder. I wouldn't be afraid to work in a bucket, if I had a cylinder stop on the two lift arms.


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## BigT (Sep 15, 2014)

If you are going to do a lot of this type work, here's the safer way. A work platform mounted on forks.


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## fuddy1952 (Mar 6, 2021)

I do it a lot. The safest way I read is to clamp 2 pieces of angle iron over the hydraulic cylinder so if a hose bursts it can't collapse.
I've never done it but should do it.

Sent from my SM-S205DL using Tapatalk


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

If you own a rear 3PT carry all that lifts with rear forks, then use the front forks to lift higher.

If you are good at welding, something like below would work nicely. Not just for painting, siding, cleaning gutters, but to also trim limbs.


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## BinVa (Sep 21, 2020)

As a novice to tractors, equipment and their basic use and operations. Personally I would advise against it. All it takes is 1 false move and the result can be catastrophic. Have I done it...yes...but I have also known people electrocuted, and killed by a fall. From personal experience my grandfather was left paralyzed from a fall from a loader bucket while chalking a 2nd story window. B.


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## unsquidly (Jul 13, 2021)

I use my front end loader for a ladder/lift a lot but when I do I almost always have someone in the seat at the controls.....Is this safe, nope, but I do a lot of things that most people would say is not safe. Have I gotten hurt and broke bones doing dumb sh*t like this, yeppers.....LOL Somehow, through it all I am still alive and able to do more dumb shi*t like this......LOL All kidding aside, probably not a good idea to use your FEL as a ladder of a lift but if you are then do it in the safest manner possible and don't complaint if it ends badly....


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## geegee (4 mo ago)

pioneerMan said:


> I would like to use my tractor's bucket, in the full position, to do some painting of a tall shed. It seems like that would work much better than using a 12 foot ladder. Has anyone ever done this and died or got hurt when their bucked suddenly lost pressure in the hydraulic hoses or something?
> 
> Thank you!


probably but not likely your only going to fall about 8 ft has your tractor been telling you it might fail


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## BinVa (Sep 21, 2020)

geegee said:


> probably but not likely your only going to fall about 8 ft has your tractor been telling you it might fail


The distance of the fall is irrelevant….it’s how and on what you may land. B.


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

I get a little weary of the safety nannys and fraidy cats on this board. 
What is wrong with working off a scaffold plank on ladder brackets which are made for that very purpose? I got those ladder brackets from my dad who was a home builder and spent Thousands of hours on those things. 
So I used only one ladder bracket. The other end of the certified scaffold plank is on a loader that is capable of lifting 1500 lbs? The loader had good cylinder seals, good hyd hoses and a good lift valve. It is less likely to sway and bounce than ladder brackets are.
What in the heck is wrong with it? 
People have been working off of scaffolds for thousands of years. It is how nations were built - untill things like OSHA got involved and taught men to be afraid and stole their confidence in themselves, dumbed them down and wrapped them in cocoons of safety devices.
For cripesakes fellas, if you are too afraid to do things hire it done but don't dennigrate men who CAN do things.
I wonder how some of you get out of bed in the morning. You could choke and die on a piece of toast. You could get killed walking across the street!
But one thing you likely won't die from is getting something done. Because you can't do anything anymore and you just scold and admonish those who can!


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## pioneerMan (11 mo ago)

Ultradog said:


> a scaffold plank on ladder brackets


What exactly is this? Got a photo?


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## bubbagoat (Nov 10, 2019)

Like this from lowes


Sent from my iPhone using Tractor Forum


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

pioneerMan said:


> What exactly is this? Got a photo?


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## dvcochran (Nov 23, 2010)

jim33 said:


> I have done it, I am still alive, had my daughter run the tractor one time I was trimming a tree, she didn't dump me, all depends on how comfortable you are doing sketchy things, I worked as a union ironworker 40 years, when I started everything was sketchy now with all the safety anyone can do it,


+1 
Working safely aside (since there will be no side rails), I would say it has more to do with the operator than anything else. My son dumped me out of the skid steer bucket once trimming a tree line. I was hurt bad but definitely bruised. Bent the shaft on the pole saw though.


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## Ianrm57 (5 mo ago)

pioneerMan said:


> I would like to use my tractor's bucket, in the full position, to do some painting of a tall shed. It seems like that would work much better than using a 12 foot ladder. Has anyone ever done this and died or got hurt when their bucked suddenly lost pressure in the hydraulic hoses or something?
> 
> Thank you!


I’ve used mine with bucket all the way up ( with gadget on ram that stops it from dropping) and climbed a ladder to get to it to prune high branches.I’m still around .


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## jrelkhunt (8 mo ago)

pioneerMan said:


> I would like to use my tractor's bucket, in the full position, to do some painting of a tall shed. It seems like that would work much better than using a 12 foot ladder. Has anyone ever done this and died or got hurt when their bucked suddenly lost pressure in the hydraulic hoses or something?
> 
> Thank you!


in a few words----YES...DONT DO THAT...


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## paul rissetto (Oct 27, 2020)

Have someone hold your beer.


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## Steve Bice (Jan 18, 2020)

pioneerMan said:


> I would like to use my tractor's bucket, in the full position, to do some painting of a tall shed. It seems like that would work much better than using a 12 foot ladder. Has anyone ever done this and died or got hurt when their bucked suddenly lost pressure in the hydraulic hoses or something?
> 
> Thank you!


Better safe than sorry. This could be your last chance. We cannot turn back time, although at my age I wish we could.


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## Fordholland (Mar 11, 2020)

Has someone lost their life? yes. Knew a gentleman that lost his balance while working out of the front end loader and hit his head on the bucket. He died of a skull fracture.


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## ck3510hb (Sep 12, 2016)

pioneerMan said:


> I would like to use my tractor's bucket, in the full position, to do some painting of a tall shed. It seems like that would work much better than using a 12 foot ladder. Has anyone ever done this and died or got hurt when their bucked suddenly lost pressure in the hydraulic hoses or something?
> 
> Thank you!


If you do it, use the lift lockout feature if it has one and the angle iron. An alternative to the cage shown is the frame which comes with the plastic containers ie liquid fertilizer. use forks and Strap it on securely and stay safe. Have a responsible operator and have them lower the cage before moving it.


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## walterramjet (Jun 2, 2013)

pioneerMan said:


> I would like to use my tractor's bucket, in the full position, to do some painting of a tall shed. It seems like that would work much better than using a 12 foot ladder. Has anyone ever done this and died or got hurt when their bucked suddenly lost pressure in the hydraulic hoses or something?
> 
> Thank you!


I almost died when I got hit by a car that ran a red light at a crosswalk. it can happen.


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## kelley1 (Jun 26, 2021)

pioneerMan said:


> I would like to use my tractor's bucket, in the full position, to do some painting of a tall shed. It seems like that would work much better than using a 12 foot ladder. Has anyone ever done this and died or got hurt when their bucked suddenly lost pressure in the hydraulic hoses or something?
> 
> Thank you!


I've been doing it since I was a kid. I'm 64. Nuff said.👍


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

Some of you really need to stay on the ground.
Better yet, in your Lay Z Boys in front of the tv and just watch someons do it.
There are risks to building and climbing, just as there are to eating toast. But if you are confident and careful you can do a lot.
Here is an addition I added onto our house 6 years ago.









I did use scaffolding but notice there aren't all sorts of safety rails on the scaffold.
Oh, The Horror...

Below is the garage I built 4 years ago.


















Aside from having my friend run the loader tractor to lift the trusses on the garage, I did both buildings 100% alone including the foundation on the addition. But not the concrete work for the garage.
Now I hope I don't cause some heart attacks when I show you this but I actually had to take some risks and do some climbing.










Oh, and the boom pole I put on the loader tractor probably didn't meet OSHA standards but worked great. I just hope none of you lose any sleep over it.


















And I lived through it - despite the safety nannies and fraidy cats.
Amazing what a guy can do when he isn't afraid.


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## Baja Mike (Sep 9, 2018)

Ultradog said:


> I get a little weary of the safety nannys and fraidy cats on this board.
> What is wrong with working off a scaffold plank on ladder brackets which are made for that very purpose? I got those ladder brackets from my dad who was a home builder and spent Thousands of hours on those things.
> So I used only one ladder bracket. The other end of the certified scaffold plank is on a loader that is capable of lifting 1500 lbs? The loader had good cylinder seals, good hyd hoses and a good lift valve. It is less likely to sway and bounce than ladder brackets are.
> What in the heck is wrong with it?
> ...





Ultradog said:


> I get a little weary of the safety nannys and fraidy cats on this board.
> What is wrong with working off a scaffold plank on ladder brackets which are made for that very purpose? I got those ladder brackets from my dad who was a home builder and spent Thousands of hours on those things.
> So I used only one ladder bracket. The other end of the certified scaffold plank is on a loader that is capable of lifting 1500 lbs? The loader had good cylinder seals, good hyd hoses and a good lift valve. It is less likely to sway and bounce than ladder brackets are.
> What in the heck is wrong with it?
> ...


I spent 15 years working on a 1'x24' Wagner plank with ladder jacks painting billboards all over Arizona and New Mexico.


Ultradog said:


> I would do it.
> View attachment 81945


I spent 15 years working off a 24' Wagner plank just like that using ladder jacks and hook ladders anywhere from 8' to 85' off the ground, painting billboards on location all over Arizona and New Mexico.


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## walterramjet (Jun 2, 2013)

Nice boom extension! 
Necessity is the mother of invention and fear is the mind-killer.


View attachment 82022


Aside from having my friend run the loader tractor to lift the trusses on the garage, I did both buildings 100% alone including the foundation on the addition. But not the concrete work for the garage.
Now I hope I don't cause some heart attacks when I show you this but I actually had to take some risks and do some climbing.



Oh, and the boom pole I put on the loader tractor probably didn't meet OSHA standards but worked great. I just hope none of you lose any sleep over it.




And I lived through it - despite the safety nannies and fraidy cats.
Amazing what a guy can do when he isn't afraid.
[/QUOTE]


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## Thomas F Sheridan (Sep 15, 2020)

pioneerMan said:


> I would like to use my tractor's bucket, in the full position, to do some painting of a tall shed. It seems like that would work much better than using a 12 foot ladder. Has anyone ever done this and died or got hurt when their bucked suddenly lost pressure in the hydraulic hoses or something?
> 
> Thank you!


I have used my tractor for all kinds of tall projects but never ever put a ladder in it. I always had my son or wife running the tractor while I worked on the project. I also used it to climb on a roof and a safety if I slid off a slippery metal roof.
Comes in handy but I never got to risky.


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## pblanton (Mar 17, 2015)

I do it all the time. I've also built a heavy-duty platform that connects to my quick-attach bracket in place of the bucket. It has a railing on it on two sides and eyes where you can clip in a harness if it makes you feel better.

My wife is a bit fearful on a ladder, but she is fine getting on the roof if I lift her up with the bucket.

We have also used the bucket and the platform to trim trees.

That said, I was using the bucket once to get up on the roof while working on the house, and when I stepped from the roof back onto the bucket I stepped onto a piece of wood that wasn't properly secured and slipped off the roof. I fell onto the bucket, bounced off the FEL arms, fell onto the patio and then slid backward down a concrete staircase to the basement door. I thought I had broken my arm, but apparently it was just time to to make my annual $1000 payment to the emergency room. Support your local doctors!

That incident wasn't the tractor's fault though. Just stupid me.

I also have used my FEL with forks to lift up a trailer that needed a new axle shackles, my garden tractor when it needed a new engine, a freezer when I wanted to mount casters on it, and many other things that I didn't want to crawl under. I am installing a two-post lift in my shop in a few weeks though so I suppose I'll be using that for much of this from now on.

My sister who's a lawyer, would be remiss not to remind me that I should tell you not to do any of that stuff because it's dangerous. Go spend a bunch of money renting the "proper" equipment, or better yet pay someone else to do the stuff that is too dangerous for you to do. I'm not going to though. I'm going to keep using my tractor, but you do you.


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## pblanton (Mar 17, 2015)

@Ultradog 
I love your post. Why is it that everybody on the internet thinks every-damned thing is too dangerous for anyone to do?? Why do those people post on tractor forums??

I once posted a question on a Ham Radio forum about which Ham radio was tough enough and had the features I wanted, to install on my tractor. The whole thread devolved into "You shouldn't be listening to, or talking on the radio while using your tractor!!! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS!!! OH THE HUMANITY!!!"


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## pblanton (Mar 17, 2015)

pblanton said:


> @Ultradog
> I love your post. Why is it that everybody on the internet thinks every-damned thing is too dangerous for anyone to do?? Why do those people post on tractor forums??
> 
> I once posted a question on a Ham Radio forum about which Ham radio was tough enough and had the features I wanted, to install on my tractor. The whole thread devolved into "You shouldn't be listening to, or talking on the radio while using your tractor!!! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS!!! OH THE HUMANITY!!!"


Needless to say, the safety knotsies shooed away anyone who could have actually answered the question.


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## BinVa (Sep 21, 2020)

pblanton said:


> Needless to say, the safety knotsies shooed away anyone who could have actually answered the question.


My point was not whether or not It could be done…..it was Whether the OP should attempt it!! Having followed his past posts I felt in this case the responsible answer to his question was to not attempt it… Sorry to ruffle so many feathers. B


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## seanwood (Jun 20, 2021)

oops.


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## pblanton (Mar 17, 2015)

BinVa said:


> My point was not whether or not It could be done…..it was Whether the OP should attempt it!! Having followed his past posts I felt in this case the responsible answer to his question was to not attempt it… Sorry to ruffle so many feathers. B


People getting a safety lecture for asking a simple question on a forum really is a pet peeve of mine. Why is the world so mamby-pamby online?

The answer was, _"Yes. It can be done. Lots of people do it all the time. Though it's not designed for that, it is a platform that can be lifted up and people will exploit that in order to get their work done where they otherwise could not."_

Period.

But then I'm not the kind of guy who watches gun videos on YouTube and then goes to the comments section to chastise the video, because the person in it wasn't wearing 'me-approved' hearing or eye protection.

When someone goes to a forum to ask a question, if you don't want to or can't answer the question, then don't. A corollary to this can be found in the Q&A section of Amazon where people ask questions like _"Does this work with a Mexican-style pinche chingadera"_ and someone will respond, "I don't know." 

Pardon me, but I am still angry about my Ham Radio forum question about a good radio to install in my tractor. I still don't know.


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

pblanton said:


> Pardon me, but I am still angry about my Ham Radio forum question about a good radio to install in my tractor. I still don't know.


A 2M radio or a 10M radio? A 5/8 length antenna works better all around. You could run a 2nd group 27 battery for the radio and some LED lighting if needed. This way the amp draw on higher power is not affecting the tractor. I'm running 2M on mine. Mounting requires good 40 durometer isolation bumpers to avoid harsh vibration to the radio.  A headset with boom mic works best, no fussing with a hand held mic in the open cab.


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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

pblanton said:


> People getting a safety lecture for asking a simple question on a forum really is a pet peeve of mine. Why is the world so mamby-pamby online?
> 
> The answer was, _"Yes. It can be done. Lots of people do it all the time. Though it's not designed for that, it is a platform that can be lifted up and people will exploit that in order to get their work done where they otherwise could not."_
> 
> ...


In all fairness, lawyers like to throw their nets wide when trying to assign guilt when someone dies of their own stupidity. 
To be further pedantic, the question was "has anyone ever died doing it?" Yes they have.
Farming is a very dangerous profession and hobby. Don't ever forget that, especially if you have children depending on you being there for them. I work with 1 part time farmer, missing a couple fingers. Life long aquintences with another that lost his foot to a farm accident. I don't know too many others I would call farmers. It is taking shortcuts that spills blood, usually because it doesn't look dangerous. The obvious dangers aren't really dangers. I've injured myself numerous times operating and maintaining a portable sawmill, but never cut myself with the blade.


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

I don't understand the anger why some folks don't like the safety messages being posted here. The original question was "Has anyone DIED from doing this?" The answer is yes, and there have been several suggestions on how to do it safer. I still miss my friend that died from taking bad shortcuts while painting a building. He died a miserable slow painful death over a period of weeks while in the hospital from his injuries. I am not insisting that anyone has to do it a different way, just that taking unnecessary risks sometimes results in needless tragedy. Sure you can do any task in a shaky way and get away with it a few times, maybe even many times, but the one time you don't can be terrible.


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

Groo said:


> Don't ever forget that, especially if you have children depending on you being there for them. I work with 1 part time farmer, missing a couple fingers. Life long aquintences with another that lost his foot to a farm accident.


Two thoughts Groo:
It is always for the children. We have lost many small liberties, had many irksome laws passed and had many taxes levied "for the sake of the children."
Has it helped grow strong, realistic, well adjusted, safe children? I think a strong argument can be made that it hasn't. All the "helicopter parenting" has done is raise a couple of generations of soft, weak willed, helpless, drug addled adults.
Secondly, people love to relate tragedies of people they knew who died or were injured doing something. Perhaps they think relating a personal story of someone they knew getting hurt gives more weight to their argument.
Why is that?
When I was a kid a local guy flew his plane into a power line and died. When I asked a pilot friend of my dad's if that would curtail his own flying he said: "No. Why should it? If that guy had died in an auto accident we would think nothing of driving to his funeral in our cars." 
We kill and maim tens of thousands of people on our highways each year. And you rarely hear of it on the news. We lose thousands of our children to drugs each year but rarely hear of it. But let a guy get killed in a farm accident and the news of it is spread far and wide - for years afterwards.





bontai Joe said:


> I don't understand the anger why some folks don't like the safety messages being posted here.


Joe I think you are one of the most vocal safety advocates here. Even your signature about pulling the spark plug wire in every one of your posts indicates that.
I wonder if you aren't a natural worrier and for some reason need to teach - not your experience but your fears to others - as many worriers do.
Has it ever occured to you that all your safety advice becomes just clutter one must wade through? Do you never wonder if people become so used to it that it goes in one ear and out the other?
Don't get me wrong, I understand that you mean well. 
But are you seen as a fountain of good safety advice or just an old worry wart that can safely be ignored?
I get angry at threads like this because I see all the shock, horror and worry about using a loader as a working platform, which I have done too many times to count. They want to ban it and pass laws against doing it. I say if you don't like it don't do it.
I see it as just more of the sissification of this country. 
I love women. 
But not so much that I want to turn our young men into them.
I say let them be men. 
Let them live and learn - the hard way if need be - like we did. 
And quit all the fear mongering that is so prevalent here.
P.S.
As to your signature, what if a guy has a diesel 😁


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## pblanton (Mar 17, 2015)

I was looking for a dual band radio that also received AM/FM broadcast so that I could listen to news / music while working near my tractor. I know I could just install a small AM/FM stereo, but I also wanted to have Ham capability because I am a weather nerd and like to take part in SkyWarn, tune into the nets, and chat with my friends.

440 is the least of my worries though so a simple 2M that ALSO receives AM/FM would be great. I still haven't found it though.

And for the safety knotsies, I don't plow or otherwise us my tractor in a field. I use it for snow removal with a quick attach snowplow. I use the FEL with the bucket / forks / receiver plate / boom / etc... And I use the backhoe mounted on the rear. I also have a box blade that I use sometimes to groom my driveway.

I have a welding table that I made that holds a 9KW generator underneath it along with an air compressor, plasma cutter and Mig/Tig/Stick welder, so often times I am working NEAR the tractor and not WITH the tractor. The tractor is just used to carry the equipment from my shop to the work-site. In those situations I'd like to be able to listen to the radio and chat on the amateur bands.


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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

Ultradog said:


> Two thoughts Groo:
> It is always for the children. We have lost many small liberties, had many irksome laws passed and had many taxes levied "for the sake of the children."
> Has it helped grow strong, realistic, well adjusted, safe children? I think a strong argument can be made that it hasn't. All the "helicopter parenting" has done is raise a couple of generations of soft, weak willed, helpless, drug addled adults.
> Secondly, people love to relate tragedies of people they knew who died or were injured doing something. Perhaps they think relating a personal story of someone they knew getting hurt gives more weight to their argument.
> ...


I never said wrap your kids up in bubble wrap. I said you have an obligation to limit unnecessary risks when you have children depending upon you. I'm a risk taker by nature. I have the scars to prove it. My youngest is 7, so I am obligated to not kill myself pointlessly for another 11 years. 12 years from now, I'll be in the market for power cruiser. In the nearer term, maybe a Rokon or side by side.


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## RandR10 (Sep 2, 2016)

I've ridden tractor buckets up before and used them to put building materials on roofing jobs dozens of times. Is this the safest way to do it? Maybe not. Is it quicker and save your back? You bet. I prefer to take my risks while mitigating them with care and skill in other areas. It helps to know the operator of the loader. I wouldn't let just anyone run it. 

Recently I didn't have access to a tall enough ladder to reattach some siding so I parked my pickup truck on some oil change ramps to level it and stuck my ladder in the bed, ratchet strapping the base to the floor so it wouldn't kick out. Seems sketch, but it worked really well and got the job done. Every single construction job I've worked on I've seen guys climbing on ladders that were less stable on uneven ground than my janky pickup bed setup, so I'm not losing any sleep over it.


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## fuddy1952 (Mar 6, 2021)

My father (rip) would clean gutters at my grandparents home next door up over 20ft with an extension ladder. Then at 64 he fell (7) seven feet! (I left this part out before) off of a shed roof onto his back. He was never the same after that.
A fellow down the street from my business was a painting contractor, had lots of equipment and years of experience but slipped and fell 5 stories to his death about 15 years ago.
Safety has nothing to to with being a wimp or sissy, it has everything to do with taking a few minutes reasoning things out, all the "what ifs".
Every injured or dead person from a fall never thought it would happen to them.
I worked with a contractor friend a few months ago on the horse stable roof. First thing he did was rope tie ladder near top which was a good idea. Inside I have scaffolding I bought. I bought a body harness. I don't vegitate in a recliner, I like doing things.
If someone ever said look at that sissy, I'd say yes, and I'm a LIVE sissy.

Sent from my SM-S205DL using Tapatalk


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

Ultradog said:


> Two thoughts Groo:
> It is always for the children. We have lost many small liberties, had many irksome laws passed and had many taxes levied "for the sake of the children."
> Has it helped grow strong, realistic, well adjusted, safe children? I think a strong argument can be made that it hasn't. All the "helicopter parenting" has done is raise a couple of generations of soft, weak willed, helpless, drug addled adults.
> Secondly, people love to relate tragedies of people they knew who died or were injured doing something. Perhaps they think relating a personal story of someone they knew getting hurt gives more weight to their argument.
> ...


 After reading this, I had a couple of thoughts. Did you teach your kids to wear seat belts, or did you figure they should learn the "hard way"? Do you use safety glasses? hearing protection? I have scars on my face, both hands, several fingers, one arm and one leg from doing stuff while stupidly ignoring my own safety. I've had metal fragments pulled out of both eyes with a magnet. I've broken fingers and toes. So yeah, maybe I preach safety a lot. My hope is that maybe others can learn from my mistakes, or the mistakes I have seen others make and avoid serious injury. I've been very fortunate at the ripe old age of 66, that I still have all 10 fingers and all 10 toes and both eyes work. I still have about half my hearing and my neck only turns to the right. I have two visible dents in my head from impact injuries. Frankly, I just don't want anyone to acquire the injuries and damage I've endured if a suggestion that there is a better, safer way to do something will save them a trip to the hospital. I now do my very best to work smarter and safer even if it takes longer. !. Because I don't heal nearly as quick as I used to. 2. Hospital visits are golly gee whiz expensive, even with my Joe Namath Insurance. 3. I want to be around a few more years to play with my 2 grandsons. 4. I don't want to scare my wife again like I did the day I walked up from our basement with blood streaming down my face and one eye swollen shut. That was 5 days in the hospital and 28 days of wearing a rigid neck brace 27/7 (even when I showered) winched up so tight that I ate mostly thru a straw. It took me about a year to mostly recover from that mistake.

Oh, if a fella has a diesel, then there is no spark plug wire to pull, right?


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

fuddy1952 said:


> My father (rip) would clean gutters at my grandparents home next door up over 20ft with an extension ladder. Then at 64 he fell off of a shed roof onto his back. He was never the same after that.
> A fellow down the street from my business was a painting contractor, had lots of equipment and years of experience but slipped and fell 5 stories to his death about 15 years ago.
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-S205DL using Tapatalk


Fuddy 1952,
Did you miss these parts of what I wrote above?

"Secondly, people love to relate tragedies of people they knew who died or were injured doing something. Perhaps they think relating a personal story of someone they knew getting hurt gives more weight to their argument.
Why is that?"

And...
"But let a guy get killed in a farm accident and the news of it is spread far and wide - for years afterwards."


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

bontai Joe said:


> After reading this, I had a couple of thoughts. Did you teach your kids to wear seat belts, or did you figure they should learn the "hard way"? Do you use safety glasses? hearing protection? I have scars on my face, both hands, several fingers, one arm and one leg from doing stuff while stupidly ignoring my own safety. I've had metal fragments pulled out of both eyes with a magnet. I've broken fingers and toes. So yeah, maybe I preach safety a lot. My hope is that maybe others can learn from my mistakes, or the mistakes I have seen others make and avoid serious injury. I've been very fortunate at the ripe old age of 66, that I still have all 10 fingers and all 10 toes and both eyes work. I still have about half my hearing and my neck only turns to the right. I have two visible dents in my head from impact injuries. Frankly, I just don't want anyone to acquire the injuries and damage I've endured if a suggestion that there is a better, safer way to do something will save them a trip to the hospital. I now do my very best to work smarter and safer even if it takes longer. !. Because I don't heal nearly as quick as I used to. 2. Hospital visits are golly gee whiz expensive, even with my Joe Namath Insurance. 3. I want to be around a few more years to play with my 2 grandsons. 4. I don't want to scare my wife again like I did the day I walked up from our basement with blood streaming down my face and one eye swollen shut. That was 5 days in the hospital and 28 days of wearing a rigid neck brace 27/7 (even when I showered) winched up so tight that I ate mostly thru a straw. It took me about a year to mostly recover from that mistake.
> 
> Oh, if a fella has a diesel, then there is no spark plug wire to pull, right?



Joe,
I don't go around telling people they should live and work in the ways that I do. It is not my business what they do.
I just wonder why the safey nannys make it Their business to go around and badger everyone about how to work and live.
Do they have special insights into human frailties?
Are they more experienced in dealing with hazards?
Are they more intelligent than everyone else?
Do they think they are the only ones with a sense of self preservation?
What makes them so smart and us so dumb that we need their constant advice?


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

I wasn't aware I was badgering anyone, I'm sorry if I came across that way. I don't have any answers to your questions and I will stop offering advice in this thread. I hope everyone has a good day.


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## fuddy1952 (Mar 6, 2021)




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## fuddy1952 (Mar 6, 2021)

Ultradog said:


> Fuddy 1952,
> Did you miss these parts of what I wrote above?
> 
> "Secondly, people love to relate tragedies of people they knew who died or were injured doing something. Perhaps they think relating a personal story of someone they knew getting hurt gives more weight to their argument.
> ...


I just read it, didn't before. That's how people learn, from other's mistakes. It has nothing to do with trying to appear more intelligent than another. "Has anyone ever died from doing this" is the OP. Yes is the answer.
When I (hopefully) recover from Covid I'll be back using power tools, ladders, tractor work, etc. Will I wear hearing & eye protection, probably not. But ask me and my advice is always!
Then I read Joe's and we had similar experiences. Two I had, a severe brain concussion and eating a poison mushroom in both instances my family was told I was going to die by the ER doctors. Every accident I've ever had and I bet 99% of others was being in too big of a hurry...save 5 minutes.
There's a happy medium to everything and there certainly isn't anything wrong with being careful, is it? Learning from other's mistakes?
Our family doctor grew up on a farm in SW Virginia, riding his bicycle home as a kid he saw a tractor roll over on a neighbor, nothing he could do to help, just watch him die. Maybe becoming a doctor he felt he may save lives?


Sent from my SM-S205DL using Tapatalk


Sent from my SM-S205DL using Tapatalk


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

fuddy1952 said:


> I
> There's a happy medium to everything and there certainly isn't anything wrong with being careful, is it? Learning from other's mistakes?


No there is nothing wrong with it.
We don't have a television. Haven't for 20 years.
But on the main tractor forum I hang out on I often see complaints from folks about the advertising.
The same ad over and over till it becomes an irritant and no one pays any attention or even shows hostility to the advertiser.
That is how I feel about the constant safety posts from several people here. Their message gets lost and the potential good is wasted by redundancy..


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## Jrstein89 (6 mo ago)

Anyone who has been a farmer has worked off a tractor bucket. As stated several times already, it comes with certain risks. Risk number one is operator error. Have someone you trust on the tractor seat if you're moving around a lot. When your working, have them keep their hands and feetbfar from the controls. When it's time to move, hold on like your life depends on it. We've all had our foot slip off a clutch at some point. The carefullest operator is subject to error.
In my lifetime I've never heard of a hose breaking and dropping somebody. That isn't to say it couldn't happen but the probability isn't great. Chances are much greater something else will kill you.
Is it OSHA approved...absolutely not. Can it be done, yes. Is it safe...well...that's up to you.


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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

Jrstein89 said:


> Anyone who has been a farmer has worked off a tractor bucket. As stated several times already, it comes with certain risks. Risk number one is operator error. Have someone you trust on the tractor seat if you're moving around a lot. When your working, have them keep their hands and feetbfar from the controls. When it's time to move, hold on like your life depends on it. We've all had our foot slip off a clutch at some point. The carefullest operator is subject to error.
> In my lifetime I've never heard of a hose breaking and dropping somebody. That isn't to say it couldn't happen but the probability isn't great. Chances are much greater something else will kill you.
> Is it OSHA approved...absolutely not. Can it be done, yes. Is it safe...well...that's up to you.


That is why I suggested a load holding valve. That lets the tractor bucket be lifted, then shut down, and when shut down, the pushing the lever won't cause the bucket to drop. You'd need counter pressure to lower the bucket. That takes some potential user error out of the equation. 
The 2 styles of load holding valves are P.O Check valves and Counterbalance valves. They work roughly the same way, but the PO check is "digital" and the counterbalance is "analog". For a loader bucket, you'd want a counterbalance valve. a PO Check wouldn't run smoothly with that much of a gravity load. It would open, then close and stop it until counterpressure built up enough, then re-open, when lowering


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

I'd say the original poster has gone ahead and done whatever he wanted. I suspect he may be alone doing the job, so if he does use the bucket on his Bobcat, he most likely would have used a ladder to get up into the bucket. That's what I would have done, and I'm a safety nanny or whatever. Once the hard to reach places are done, it's probably just as quick to use the ladder and park the tractor. Didn't sound like a very high building from the original description.


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## Ultradog (Feb 27, 2005)

Groo said:


> That is why I suggested a load holding valve. That lets the tractor bucket be lifted,


Groo,
There's lots of different loaders.
Some are relatively new and could hold 1000 lbs in the air for a week. Are you thinking he needs a holding valve for that?
I do not.
A a loader doesn't often just collapse. Pushing all that oil out of a hole isn't going to happen instantly and is going to slow the fall some. And the hydraulic system usually gives you plenty of warning that it needs attention.
If the loader is is old and the hydraulics leak down?
I'm going ask how fast.
What if it takes a couple of hours to leak down and I want to put up a Wren house?
A 1 hr painting job to do ? Just work from the top down 
Or reseal the loader valve and cylinders in the loader is what I would do.
How much would one of those holding valves and - the requisite plumbing cost? I bet it's more than some seals and hoses.
To me it is an interesting thing to think about but not practical.
To others it may be useful, practical and worth the time and $ to install.
Everyone thinks different.
But just bringing the idea up is a wee bit fraidy cat, safety nanny ish, overkilling. 
To me anyway.
If a guy were to actually buy one and install it so he can put up a basketball hoop for his son?
Well, I would likely honor him with being the first man here on my ignore list.


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## thedukes (Jan 9, 2022)

get over this

do it or don't

Sure they make work baskets/platforms ........designed for forklifts which don't have a CURL function.
Tractor can dump quick with the wrong operater.

Everyone has there happy place......I work on roofs /ladders or whatever daily.
No ropes no BS ..Not comfortable with it..I'm old school..10' or 100' I deal with it my way.

Still would skip the Bucket..my shortest ladders are taller than any compact bucket will reach.

No nanny shit here just truth.


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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

Found this on Facebook toady and thought of this thread.


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## Groo (Jan 17, 2020)

Ultradog said:


> Groo,
> There's lots of different loaders.
> Some are relatively new and could hold 1000 lbs in the air for a week. Are you thinking he needs a holding valve for that?
> I do not.
> ...


The load-holding valve is to prevent an unexpected drop because of a few different scenarios. Hose failure or bumping the lever when the machine is powered down, as I described previously. If has the added benefit of keeping it from drifting down, but not really a concern here. pilot operated valves (electric over hydraulic of a remote manually operated valve) have looser tolerances than direct manually operated valves, so they would benefit more from the anti-drift characteristics. I don't know of any CUTs this pilot operated loader valves. That is going to be more advanced tractors, skid steers, and the like. they might even have load holding valves from the factory, I don't really mess with that class of machine too much. The 1000lbs machine for a week might have one as well, that you are not aware of. They can be built right into the cylinders. You'll find load holding valves on anything that lifts a person, like a man-lift, for the reason I stated. You might even go back to my very first mention of the subject matter where I suggested that to do this the right way would be to use a cylinder mounted load holding valve, but if a person was willing to spend money doing things the right way, this thread would not exist. Do whatever you want. Its no skin off of my back, until enough pointlessly reckless stupidity causes insurance companies to not cover my somewhat less reckless stupidity as well, and my family ends up destitute because of it.


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

Groo said:


> View attachment 82088
> 
> Found this on Facebook toady and thought of this thread.


Very good nice dry hay will provide an insulating barrier to help avoid electrical shock as well as a comfortable working platform.


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## Ianrm57 (5 mo ago)

Groo said:


> The load-holding valve is to prevent an unexpected drop because of a few different scenarios. Hose failure or bumping the lever when the machine is powered down, as I described previously. If has the added benefit of keeping it from drifting down, but not really a concern here. pilot operated valves (electric over hydraulic of a remote manually operated valve) have looser tolerances than direct manually operated valves, so they would benefit more from the anti-drift characteristics. I don't know of any CUTs this pilot operated loader valves. That is going to be more advanced tractors, skid steers, and the like. they might even have load holding valves from the factory, I don't really mess with that class of machine too much. The 1000lbs machine for a week might have one as well, that you are not aware of. They can be built right into the cylinders. You'll find load holding valves on anything that lifts a person, like a man-lift, for the reason I stated. You might even go back to my very first mention of the subject matter where I suggested that to do this the right way would be to use a cylinder mounted load holding valve, but if a person was willing to spend money doing things the right way, this thread would not exist. Do whatever you want. Its no skin off of my back, until enough pointlessly reckless stupidity causes insurance companies to not cover my somewhat less reckless stupidity as well, and my family ends up destitute because of it.


I’m Australia those valves are referred to as crane valves, my old JCB backhoe doesn’t have them but a feller I know with a newer one has, they are required by law under certain circumstances, specially if a person is to be lifted in the bucket/basket


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## JGPenfield (Mar 10, 2016)

Being in a front end loader bucket up in the air is unlikely to kill you. What will kill you is having someone near the controls when you are in the bucket. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tractor Forum


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