Did something dumb today.

[aigheadish]

Yeah, I remember those days and liked them better, entirely because I don't know exactly what my car will take to fill, so I don't like going in and saying "give me 30 bucks on 4" when it really only took 26 bucks. 

[caveman]

Those were simpler times-when you could pump and then pay.  Too many scumbags were taking what they did not pay for.  Prior to Covid, I always paid for gas with cash.  I'd look at my odometer and calculate how many gallons I needed to fill up.  That worked relatively well.

I've gotten used to paying with a card the last five years.

[Hilltop366]

It wasn't that many years ago you pumped your gas and then went in and paid for it here

We still do that here.

You can also pay at the pump with a credit card at most places.

[JD Guy]

I haven't paid with cash for over 40 years. It's nice to fuel and grab the receipt and off you go. I only go in to the store (after getting fuel) if I am running out of Copenhagen . But I move my truck to parking area first, can't hardly tolerate those who park at the pump blocking it and then go into the store for 15 minutes and THEN come out and pump their fuel . Or sit there and eat their lunch!!

[GRANITEstateMP]

Well, I had a dumb moment yesterday!

I had to take the bucket off my Kubota M6040 and put the grapple back on for cordwood duty.  Gave the bucket a couple shakes, then hopped off the tractor to put the quick change handle. One side popped easy (I greased everything last week), the othe side was a no go. Not a huge problem, it happens some times.  I just need the sledge and kinda use it like a slide hammer and pull/tap the arm up.

When I need to do this It's a bit awkward, so I figured I'd tip the bucket so I'm pulling straight. I relatched the other side, got on the tractor and rolled the bucket forward/down. This is where my "Did something dumb" kicked in.  For some reason, I unlatched the side I just rehooked! I grabbed the sledge and pulled back on the stuck arm. No go on try 1.  On try 2 I figured I'd put a bit more mustard on my pullback.  Well, about the time the head of the sledge hit the handle, multiple thoughts went through my pee brain: Why did I unlatch the other side?  Did I need to roll the bucket this far forward? Maybe it'll unlatch but the top will stay hooked on, AND, this might hurt!

Sure enough, the extra mustard got the latch open, one problem fixed.  New problem, bucket now unclipped from the bottom starts to swing forward. Chances of it staying on the upper hook in point continue to go down as its swings. My cat like reflexes have taken the day off so I'm moving at the speed of cold molasses. I start to jump back the same time the bucket comes off the tractor. The bucket caught my left foot right as I was jumping back.  Cutting edge caught the top of my foot, bottom of the bucket got the safety toe of my boot.  It hurt pretty bad.  I was hurting and angry.  I must have looked pretty foolish as I was spinning around hopping on one foot swinging the sledge (not sure why I didn't drop it before) like a discus.  Sledge went flying into a pile of rough cut, and I'm sure the neighbors learned a few new terms from my random yells...

My kid was dumping a wheelbarrow full on sawdust from the processor. He looked over when I stopped to lean on the tractor tire and asks; "Pop, did that hurt?". Ah, kids!  That snapped me out of it.  I told him Pop did something dumb, and yes it really hurts.  I got on the tractor and got the bucket swapped. The foot hurt, but I didn't think it was broken, just real angry!  Got the cord done and the pain was down to what I could handle, unless the top of the foot touched something, that was a bad idea.

I hobbled around the rest of the afternoon, wasn't making dinner so I picked up Mexican. I finally took my boot off around 8.  Swelled up and a bit of a bruise, but I think I'm good to go. A bit sore this am and trying not to touch the top of my foot. Gonna try and slip my boot on and get another cord done.  I think I'll leave the grapple on for a while!

Note to.self, net tractor, get hydraulic quick attach option 

[rusticretreater]

I am torn between clicking the I LIKE THIS button or not.  oh and I know the feeling!

[GRANITEstateMP]

it's ok to "Like", I know it was dumb, and biggest damage was to my pride!. Just did up another cord, then cleaned up the woodyard. It still hurts, but only slows me down a bit.

[Resonator]

I think anyone who runs a tractor or skid steer with quick attach long enough, will have one of those days. Constantly switching between the forks and bucket, I've dropped the bucket off at least once...  
In winter especially I have to make sure snow doesn't get packed in where the QA plate attaches.

[caveman]

The dumb things I do usually result in pain; either physical pain or financial pain or both.  I have a similar tractor, M7040, and rather than using grease on the quick connects, I keep a bottle of transmission fluid beside the seat to use on the mechanism.  It seems to collect less dirt and sawdust than the grease.  Also, I keep a 4' piece of DOM tubing in the brace tube on the loader frame for those times when it binds-this usually gives me enough leverage to get them engaged or disengaged.

I was using my homemade rack and my forks to uproot an oak stump from a 36-40" water oak when my fork rack came off of one of the upper mounts of the quick connect due to me making the rack with a bit too much clearance.  It bent and twisted the upper mount that was still engaged pretty badly when I tried to lift and break a big root of the stump (I did not realize it had fallen off one side).  A big blue flame and my handy DOM tubing on the end of a 3' pipe wrench bent it back into conformity.  That was the impetus for me to cut the lower mounts off of my fork rack and build it back better with tighter tolerances.

[Resonator]

X2 on the leverage pipe. I have a piece of thick wall metal conduit I use, that I pounded the end into an oval shape to slip over the QA handle. Also when hooking on, I'll scoop into the attachment, tilt back,  then give the curl a quick shake to seat it into the groove. Seems to help align it, and get it the pins to snap in easier.

[Machinebuilder]

"Pop did that hurt?"

I needed that laugh........

Something I have learned. When I can't pull the latch up it works to tap the bottom of the pin where it goes through the hole on the bucket.
My neighbors tractor had a pretty worn out latch mechanism and it would come apart pretty easily.

[Ljohnsaw]

My QA will let loose if I put too much down pressure on the bucket or forks. Can you guys shoot a picture from the side of your bottom pins? I want to see how far down they protrude. I think my Titan QA is not right. I modified my bucket plate and it works better but not perfect. Probably have to modify my fork plate, too.🫤

[GRANITEstateMP]

John,

My grapple used to pop off once in a while, a lot easier than I thought was right. I put a couple beads of weld on the bottom of the grapple and it sure did help

[Bert]

Quick Attach is sometimes Quick Attack. I've been close, but that hasnt got me yet. Sorry for the sore foot!

[Ljohnsaw]

John,

My grapple used to pop off once in a while, a lot easier than I thought was right. I put a couple beads of weld on the bottom of the grapple and it sure did help

Bottom of the grapple?? The pin?

I added an extra piece of 1/4" plate on the top side of the bottom slots on my bucket. That helped but still not as robust as I'd like. I also added "ears" on the sides of the bucket bracket to aid in hooking up.

[GRANITEstateMP]

John I added a bead on the grapple side, where the angled part of.the QA pin comes in contact. Basically built it up a little bit for tighter fit, ground it down to smooth out any imperfections. It helped a bunch

[Peter Drouin]

Too bad about the foot, I hope it gets better soon.
I like how JD is set up. Never lose an attachment

[doc henderson]

I welded quarter inch steel rod across the top of my forks so they would not pop off with down pressure.  still working well 15 years later.  they were not that worn, just not well made to begin well.

[doc henderson]

I had a few implements that tended to be harder to attach and un-attach, but they have worn in.  I did move a grapple once and thought I will latch it later.  even got the hydraulic lines hooked.  went on moving it and forgot.  Hydraulic lines are expensive and ruin your day when you got things to do but, now need a new line.    dropped the bucked from a height of about 6 feet.  

[YellowHammer]

Glad you were not hurt worse. 

QA will really hurt you if you, even if you are being very careful.  If the locking pin is stuck in the down position, and you can't open it with a quick pull of the handle, lift the bucket a foot off the ground, curl back to stabilize it, and just tap up the tips sticking through the bottom of the implemet from underneath with a hammer, and it'll break free, loose, easy and safe.  I keep a small hand sledge hammer on the tractor tool box just of this.  Tap, Tap, then unlock the lever as normal.  I have used the pipe cheater bar trick, but I don't like that, I have bent the lever and come up under the backstop and cut my hand.  It also forces me to be leaning over the "mousetrap" and that's a recipe for serious injury, and that whole area is a no fly zone for me.  Probably a couple of the worst potential injuries I've ever had were from hydraulic Quick Attach systems, as well as a friend who got trapped in there as his foot slipped, and kept screaming for help between passing out and his ankle being crushed to gravel.  I myself was pinned under one for maybe an hour, with my foot going numb and flat, before I got out.  Bad deal. 

To me, working with a manual QA is about a dangerous as working with a PTO shaft, I have heard almost about the same number of injures.

Funny story, I was using my many decades old QA pallet forks on my tractor to drop scrap metal into my dump trailer for a trip to the recycle center.  As I was dropping a load of scrap into the trailer and flipping the forks to clear them, the whole fork assembly "Quickly De Attached" and fell down into the trailer!  Boom!  Gone!  I made the executive decision that these were more than "too worn" and since it had dropped right into my metal recycle trailer, I just left them there and sold the whole mess!

     

   

[JD Guy]

Too bad about the foot, I hope it gets better soon.
I like how JD is set up. Never lose an attachment

I'm a big fan of the JD loader setup too and most implement manufacturers will supply their equipment with the JD configuration. Hook up is  easily done from the seat with exception of hydraulic hoses and just put in two snap pins and done!

Now, that said my one son has bobcat equipment and if I wanted to use any of that (I don't) I would have to get the BC setup..