Rolled my RTV today - sorry no pics!

FTG-05

Active member
Did the weekly tour of my farm this afternoon after doing some outdoors type work around the house.

Went down my hill in front of the house, usual route, no big deal. Got to the bottom and made my right turn and went about 50 feet and found my route blocked with a newly fallen tree limb. It was right in front of the many old tree stump piles that one of the previous owners left years ago.

Ok, went back and tried to go around it - yea, you guessed it - on the uphill side. Did ok until I hit hidden fallen tree log. The front wheel went over and I slowed way down, but not enough for the rear tire - over it went, in slow motion.

It was very much like this video of Buster Keaton at exactly the 1:25 mark: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J8XM1_rOTg[/ame]

Basically, it rolled so slow, I was able to get out the left side, watch it fall over and there I was standing in the cab of my RTV with the e-brake at my right foot, the steering wheel at my left knee and I'm looking directly at the gas tank fill cap and the left side of the RTV looking uphill. In other words, it could have been a lot worse.

Took about 20 minutes to walk back up my hill (I'm still feeling it), get my daughter to help and my tractor and back down we go.

Took about 5 minutes to get back down there, about 20 minutes to clear a recovery path then about 10 minutes to tow the RTV back up the hill - I had to go up my neighbor's hill about a 1/4 mile away since their hill is a lot less steep than my hill.

Sorry again, no pics - didn't even think about it until I had the RTV back in the shop.

Yea, cool story bro!!!

:pat:
 

squerly

Active member
Gold Site Supporter
I've got an 1100. On a level road it's OK but give it something to climb over or get it off road and it's not the most stable thing I've ever driven. Been in a tight spot a couple of times. Glad you weren't hurt. Guess the machines OK?
 

Doc

Admin
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
I'll 2nd that. Glad you are okay and you were able to recover your RTV without further issue. After being upside down I'm wondering what all once should checked before trying to start? I'm guessing fuel, oil and hydraulic fluids would get to places they were not supposed to, but where and what to check?

I'm also wondering, did you have on your seat belt, and if you didn't do you think you could have still gotten clear of the roll-over if you had to unsnap it first?
 

FTG-05

Active member
I've got an 1100. On a level road it's OK but give it something to climb over or get it off road and it's not the most stable thing I've ever driven. Been in a tight spot a couple of times. Glad you weren't hurt. Guess the machines OK?

Don't know yet. Nothing major broken that I could see (except for perhaps the rear view mirror). I parked it and left it yesterday evening and haven't been out there yet this morning.

And it almost didn't roll over at all. It took quite a while to lay over, I almost had time to get under it and attempt to stop it - and it might have worked - but better heads prevailed and I just got out the frigging way of it.
 

FTG-05

Active member
I'll 2nd that. Glad you are okay and you were able to recover your RTV without further issue. After being upside down I'm wondering what all once should checked before trying to start? I'm guessing fuel, oil and hydraulic fluids would get to places they were not supposed to, but where and what to check?

I'm also wondering, did you have on your seat belt, and if you didn't do you think you could have still gotten clear of the roll-over if you had to unsnap it first?

It never went upside down, just over on the driver's side.

I too, would like to hear suggestions of things to do before attempting to start it. Is there any way to get the dump bed up without the hydraulics (engine needs to be started)? I'm not planning to do anything with it until this afternoon at the earliest. I feel pretty beat up this morning as it is, probably the hike up the hill.

No seat belts, nothing to unsnap. If I had been belted, it probably would have been worse since my upper body would have been slammed against the ground covered in briars.
 

bczoom

Senior Member
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
To raise your bed without using the hydraulics, push your hydraulic lever all the way forward, then push it hard past that stop. It'll now be in (and lock there) in the "float" position and you can raise it manually. When done, pull it back to it's neutral position.
 

FTG-05

Active member
To raise your bed without using the hydraulics, push your hydraulic lever all the way forward, then push it hard past that stop. It'll now be in (and lock there) in the "float" position and you can raise it manually. When done, pull it back to it's neutral position.

Outstanding! Thanks, now I can check the engine oil etc. to make sure everything looks ok before I start it.

Thanks,
 

Doc

Admin
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Wondering about ya. Did you have any luck getting her going again?
 

FTG-05

Active member
Oh my bad, I forgot about this!

I went into the shop Monday AM with a big puddle of oil coming out of the air cleaner assembly. Since it rolled onto it's left side and the air cleaner is on the right side, I didn't think this was a good thing. So, other than lifting the bed like discussed above and checking fluids, I didn't try to start it.

Tried again after +48 hours on Tuesday PM. It turned a couple of times but didn't start on the first key on; then started right up with a little missing and blue smoke on the second try. Runs fine now.

Left front hood corner was bent a little bit, might be a new crack in the body near the left front as well, but I can't tell if that was already there or not. So bottom line: No major damage near as I can tell.

Thanks,
 

D&D Farm

Gold Site Supporter
Gold Site Supporter
Glad you came out just FINE.......My hired hand did the same basic roll as yours....slow, easy, and just on it's side........Pulled it over with the tractor, like you did, turned it over a couple of times, blue smoke, and now, after perhaps 500 hours later I say a little prayer over how blessed I am to have such a great machine........God bless US.....Dennis
 

FTG-05

Active member
Yea, it came from the engine, it was black as the ace of spades.

If you mean do I know how it got there: I can only assume that it came out of the crankcase and found it's way to the air passages and then to the air cleaner. Other than that, I'm in the dark as much as the oil was....
 

ovrszd

Well-known member
Yea, it came from the engine, it was black as the ace of spades.

If you mean do I know how it got there: I can only assume that it came out of the crankcase and found it's way to the air passages and then to the air cleaner. Other than that, I'm in the dark as much as the oil was....

Yeah, was just struggling to understand how it ran uphill?
 
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