Ford fails FOPS test
- Thread starter ArtB
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It sure did. Talk about false security. That thing flattend like a pancake
So what was that, and how?
Is that the cab we see still intact?
Yeah, what's the whole story?
OK, since you asked for the 'story'.
This was about 9 years ago, just happened to see the photo in my files.
It is my own backhoe, Ford 4500. In my own backyard.
Black cottonwood, 160 ft tall, same tree as on the profile photo, but about 100 foot up from base is what hit the backhoe.
Pulled the tree over with 10,000# winch anchored to 400+ YO DFir stump with 3 blocks and 5/8" wire rope attached 70 ft up.
Was 200 ft away with switch controlling winch, grandkids on the switch. Pulled it vs felling as wanted to get the root ball out of the ground.
Had a 1/2" wire rope on the side attached to equipment trailer loaded to 20k# sideways to the tree - intended to provide positive limit of tree fall direction.
Root ball wanted to go sideways, dragged the trailer Sideways 8 feet. Should have moved the backhoe, but did not. Biggest surprise was that it dragged the trailer sideways, leaving a nice furrow in the ground.
No damage to backhoe besides the factory FOPs and the backhoe seat, except slightly bent a boom cylinder shaft. No axle or tire damage, but drove tires about 18" deep into soil.
Replaced FOPS with about a ton of DIY welded 8" by 1/2" thick steel channel and 1/4" steel plate, photo here (shown being used to move a 4200# mill)
Orange parts are new FOPS.
Big believer in good FOPs, spent 2 weeks in hospital in 1974 after near fatal encounter on old D2 and small alder tree when I'd not yet reinstalled the FOPs on the machine after replacing clutch.
This was about 9 years ago, just happened to see the photo in my files.
It is my own backhoe, Ford 4500. In my own backyard.
Black cottonwood, 160 ft tall, same tree as on the profile photo, but about 100 foot up from base is what hit the backhoe.
Pulled the tree over with 10,000# winch anchored to 400+ YO DFir stump with 3 blocks and 5/8" wire rope attached 70 ft up.
Was 200 ft away with switch controlling winch, grandkids on the switch. Pulled it vs felling as wanted to get the root ball out of the ground.
Had a 1/2" wire rope on the side attached to equipment trailer loaded to 20k# sideways to the tree - intended to provide positive limit of tree fall direction.
Root ball wanted to go sideways, dragged the trailer Sideways 8 feet. Should have moved the backhoe, but did not. Biggest surprise was that it dragged the trailer sideways, leaving a nice furrow in the ground.
No damage to backhoe besides the factory FOPs and the backhoe seat, except slightly bent a boom cylinder shaft. No axle or tire damage, but drove tires about 18" deep into soil.
Replaced FOPS with about a ton of DIY welded 8" by 1/2" thick steel channel and 1/4" steel plate, photo here (shown being used to move a 4200# mill)
Orange parts are new FOPS.
Big believer in good FOPs, spent 2 weeks in hospital in 1974 after near fatal encounter on old D2 and small alder tree when I'd not yet reinstalled the FOPs on the machine after replacing clutch.
Woos31
Addicted to ArboristSite
Guess the old thing just liked Ford's...........sounds like you were trying pretty hard for that not to happen but it was just not the backhoe's day, those are the days you head to the house twist off a cap and raise it and nod the passive 'okay' to ma nature
Looked a couple older Tree mills- turrent type - but parts were iffy to get.
It's always the freakin' cottonwoods, isn't it?
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