A Rude Awakening on the Way to Lunch This Afternoon

[projectnut]

We had a bit of a surprise this afternoon on our way to lunch in our Jeep TJ. We were traveling down a county road in Door County Wisconsin when we met an articulated JD pulling a quad axle liquid manure spreader. I believe the tractor was one of the 830 models, but I was a little too busy to concentrate on the tractor itself. The road was narrow, so we were both partially on the shoulders. When we were about 100 yards apart the manure spreader lost the rear wheel and tire on the right side. It passed the tractor at what I would guess to be about 30mph. It was about 100 feet from us when luckily it hit something and made a 45* turn off into the field.

Fortunately, no damage was done. The tractor and spreader continued on for about half a mile before the truck following him got the drivers attention to let him know what happened. It might take a while to find the wheel and tire. The last I saw the tire it was about a quarter of a mile out in the field, and still going. When they do find it, I'm guessing it will be a bit of a chore to reinstall it. The tire alone weighs 900 lbs., and I'm sure the wheel is in the 300lb. to 400 lb. range.

 

[MikeWi]

That's one thing I don't miss about living in WI. I've spent a lot of time sharing the road with farm equipment.

 

[IHinIN]

I grew up on a farm and still farm 18 acres and help my brother who farms 700 acres full time. If you think sharing the road with farm equipment is bad, imagine what it’s like being the guy driving the equipment and having to deal with some of the idiots on the road. I’ve had people stop in the middle of the road instead of pulling over when there’s nowhere for me to go. Trust me Karen, your Prius doesn’t intimidate me in the 16ft wide CaseIH combine I’m driving. Lol

 

[Gaffer]

Scary. I had a high school teacher with a deformed face/head. Many years earlier he and his wife took a wheel and tire through their windshield on the freeway. It came from the oncoming traffic side. She was killed.

 

[intrepid]

We were traveling down a county road in Door County Wisconsin when we met an articulated JD pulling a quad axle liquid manure spreader.

You know JD arguably makes some of the best farm equipment available. Yet their manure spreader is one piece of equipment their engineers refuse to stand behind!

 

[woodchucker]

I grew up on a farm and still farm 18 acres and help my brother who farms 700 acres full time. If you think sharing the road with farm equipment is bad, imagine what it’s like being the guy driving the equipment and having to deal with some of the idiots on the road. I’ve had people stop in the middle of the road instead of pulling over when there’s nowhere for me to go. Trust me Karen, your Prius doesn’t intimidate me in the 16ft wide CaseIH combine I’m driving. Lol

yep, today I went out with the misses, and we were coming out of the parking lot. single lane road with a middle section for turning. A pickup was waiting to come in to our lot, and a car was trying to get in lane from the middle going the opposite of the PU. She drove right up to the bumper and then threw her hands up to say what the hell... She had no clue she totally fubar'd it. she backs up into traffic, to give herself the ability to get into traffic and make the right to get away from the PU. I am saying what a feekin ejeet. 3 bad manuevers.. all her own stupidity.

 

[Martin W]

Glad everyone is okay! Could’ve been a terrible situation.

 

[MikeInOr]

Is this thread supposed to be the antithesis of the mandatory state car inspection thread? Somewhere there has to be a middle ground between people maimed and killed by tires flying off unsafe vehicles and being forced into unnecessary repairs by state sponsored auto mechanic goons?

 

[Gaffer]

Is this thread supposed to be the antithesis of the mandatory state car inspection thread? Somewhere there has to be a middle ground between people maimed and killed by tires flying off unsafe vehicles and being forced into unnecessary repairs by state sponsored auto mechanic goons?

It’s a standalone thread in the hangout forum with no reference to another thread. I took it as a member’s potentially disastrous experience and the posts have all been appropriate. Did I miss something?

 

[projectnut]

I had no intent to reference any other thread, but rather to relate what I would consider a highly unusual incident. As for mandatory car inspections, they aren't required by the state of Wisconsin. a few municipalities require emissions testing, but that's about as far as it goes.

Back in the 1970's the state was considering mandatory inspections. At the time I owned a couple service stations. A state DOT rep came to ask if I would be interested in performing inspections on a temporary basis. They were sending out letters with an inspection form to all owners of licensed vehicles under 8,500 lbs. The letter asked the owners to voluntarily have their vehicles inspected at no charge to them.

The state paid the inspection stations for the work done and asked that the forms be mailed to them in prepaid bulk mail. We performed several thousand inspections finding very few problems. With the information gathered the state decided mandatory inspections weren't necessary.