Run Away Hay feeder

I was reading the thread about run away round bales of hay and it reminded me of the time I had a round hay feeder take off on me on a Hill. The hill was only moderate where it started but it picked up speed as the hill got steeper and it must have rolled at least 1000 yds before it landed near my barn. What was funny about it was how it scared the cattle which were on their way up to eat when they saw it coming. The thing was bouncing 10 feet in the air and must have reached 20 miles per hour when they saw it coming. They all scattered in the other direction with their tails in the air except for a big 1800 lb. Limosine bull which stayed calm and just stood there and watched. Finally as it got closer and closer to him he decided to high tail it but it was too late. On a bounce it clipped him across the back and brought him to the ground. After I saw him get back on his feet and run I must have sat there and laughed for 5 minutes. It was not funny until it was all over and all was safe. Are there any other of you hill and mountain farmers who have had objects get away from you?

Stopped my quad one morning to throw some hay in to the horses. Was in a hurry so just left it idle. Carb wasn't the best and was a little possessed, so it idled up and when I turned around the quad was gone. Had my helmet on so didn't hear it, but found it at the bottom of the hill in a creek releived of all loose items and my redneck utility box.

Dave

The only time I had one run away, I was in it. I had to work late at my public job at the time. A 6" snow slows down chicken catch'n and put in 15 or so hours on what should have been a short day. Knew I needed to feed when I got home, had to do it in the dark on a fresh snow. The snow was drifted enough and I was tired enough the easyest way for me to move the rings was stand them up and walk in them. I guess a few old cows thought the hampster wasn't running fast enough and two of them go to pushing me. They turned it going down hill and every time I tried to get out I would just fall over on the slick snow covered thing. I got it stopped before I got to the bottom of the hill but it was far enough down and I was tired and cold enough I finished putting out bales and then went and got a chain and pulled the rings to where they needed to be.

Dave

I wouldn't tell that story to anyone that I had to look at.................
I enjoyed it though :roll:

Dave

had a whole wagon load of round bales get away once i was about 12 helpin my grandpa we lost 2 bales so we stopped to reload wagon was on a very very slight grade and it was starting to rain he had me hop off to pull pin wouldnt budge i told him its not gonna sit here he scolded me dumped the cluthch told me pull the dang pin i did wagon with 9 bales on it goes down the hill straight towards the ritsy neighbors brand new house i thought ugh oh just then the wagon hit a chuck hole which sterred the tounge and flipped the wagon we reloaded and grandpa never said a word to me i wanted to say i told you so

Now that's funny as long as it is someone else.

I lost a car once. I lived at the top of a big hill in town and streets were covered with ice. I cam home from work and made it up the hill but lost all momentum when I turned into the driveway. Car lacked 6" of having all wheels on the flat part of my driveway. I thought there is no way I'm backing clear back down hill to try again since I was lucky to make it that far. Left the car running in park while I walked to garage to get ice melter and a shovel to chip ice. I came back out of the garage and the car was gone, I ran to the street and saw it sliding down the hill sideways. It glanced off a retaining wall a few houses down which lined it back up with the street. It came to a stop while the tires rubbed the curb. It was still in park, warm tires don't hold on ice.

was pulling a 16 foot trailer loaded with flat field stone up a mountain once. Was delivering to a house way up on side of mountain for masons to build a fireplace in a home. The 2 inch ball broke off the bumper of the truck. The safety chain was just a chain that looped over the ball so it was no help. I heard the crack, felt the truck lighten up and looked into the rear view to see the trailer going back down and right into the front of the bosses nice new Dorf F150 with rocks flying everywhere. He was p155ed...then I pointed out the safety chain and he kinda laughed and said "yeah I built that...guess it worked as good as it was designed... Spent a good while with a backhoe throwing those rocks in bucket by hand, and the boss helped.

lotsa times .. one comes to mind ,, nephew came over to help unload hay at barn one evening . pitch black nite when we got done , his old dorf truck was missing .. showed us where he parked it,, must not have put shifter all way in park , ... as it turned ot it rolled between motorboat and hay rake barely 10ft apart , went along ruts down lane , picked up speed , jumped curve went thru electric fence and barely missed edge of pond before going out other end of fence and coming to a stop in amongest serveral round bales that were still left in field..... a good 1500ft away from where originally parked ... TOOK us a little while to find that truck in the dark.. But we knew no one in their right mind would steal THAT truck ...

I was pulling a flat trailer with electric brakes home one day when the brakes on the trailer locked up. I dragged the trailer across the front yard and went to check it. I decided to unplug the wire connection.... that should free it up. The truck was still in drive and took off. I ran, jumped in through the open door and slammed on the brakes. Not before running over the pine trees in the front yard and sinking the truck axle deep into the mud.

One occasion custom combining, I was parked outside the farm’s shop, grinding rivets off to change a knife section on the header. They had parked an old Ford 5000 (with bad parking brake) and loaded wagon about 100 yards up the hill from me. I caught sight of it as it rolled down the hill into the back of the sideways on combine…just managed to jump out of the way, as it hit the combine in the straw chopper area, lifted the back end and spun it around a quarter turn. That did a bit of damage!

Also saw a few runaways at one place where we dropped semi trailers. The trailers were lined up on a loading bank with a slight down hill grade away from it. Saw a few drivers back under trailers, pull on the pin to make sure they were hooked, then jump out without applying the park brake. Then up on the catwalk, as soon as they hooked the red line and opened the tap, the whole thing would start to roll away. It was amusing to watch the shock on their faces, as they’d jump down and run for the cab beside their now rolling tractor trailer, to get the brakes on. Fastest those overweight guys ever moved. For some reason, panic probably, most never thought to just drop the red air line back off, which would have instantly locked the trailer brakes back on.

Chris

It's funny now looking back on it, at the time I was too tired, mad, nasty, and cold to find any humor in it at all.

Dave

Just earlier this summer, my brother had an empty hay wagon hooked behind his f150. For some reason, the pin holding the receiver in the truck was missing, but it was rusted so tight he managed to pull other stuff no problems. Well, the wagon jerks a bit more than whatever he was pulling, so ab out 1 1/2 mile away from the farm the receiver broke loose from the truck.

The wagon almost took out a walker (she soon became a sprinter) and went down into the ditch, back u the other side and came to a gentl stop in a neighbors hay feild. It ever damaged the wagon at all, the lady who was walking was ok (but for sure awake after that) and he managed to put the reciever back in his truck and go on his way.

Donovan from Wisconsin