45 Our Advertisers Appreciate Your Business Better Farming | April 2024 Having owned and operated vehicles and farm machinery for over 55 years, I’ve caused many disasters either by my ignorance, laziness, or a combination of the two. I’ve heard of many other disasters that were either minor or fatal. Read on for tips on how to avoid these disasters happening to you. Measure twice I was going down the road last fall and spotted this unique twist on an irrigation pivot they had just installed. On its first circle it met a solid object – a power pole. It has since been repaired and seems to work fine now. Unfortunately, instead of happening in the far corner of the field, this happened right by a junction of two highways where everyone had a good view of it. It reminded me of a story a neighbour told me years ago. His Quonset doors needed replacement, so he built a couple of new sliding ones. He called several of the neighbours over to help him hang them as they were about 12 feet tall. All went well until he closed the doors and found he had a two-foot vertical gap that the doors didn’t cover. He told me that the old doors were made of a single horizontal sheet of plywood wide, so he bought several sheets of 4x8 plywood to make the new ones. But the old doors were made with sheets of plywood that were 4x9. You could get longer plywood easily in those days. He said he got quite a ribbing from the neighbours in attendance. Being a good sport, he shared the story with me years later with a smile on his face. Remember to measure twice, or maybe three times if you are forgetful like me. Be aware of liquid manure and nasty gases About 20 years ago, we had a nasty accident in our area. At that time, there were several pig farms around and they had the liquid manure pumped out in large trucks to spread on the fields. One of the workers went into the tank on the truck to repair a plugged valve and was overcome by the gas and passed out. Another worker was sent in to see what the problem was. Then another person was sent in. Unfortunately, all three of them were killed by the toxic manure gases in the tank. Manure pits and transport vehicles can contain nasty gases. It is also dangerous to be around large concentrations of liquid manure when it is being agitated or pumped. Make sure you know the safety procedures if you are working in those environments. Never enter an unsafe area without the correct equipment and don’t try to Tractors, Trucks & Growing Grain VARIOUS WRECKS & DISASTERS Please don't do it like this! By Ron Settler Keep an eye on your surroundings: This irrigation pivot was impeded by the power pole. Ron Settler photo FARMERS LOVE MAGAZINES 92% of farmers use ag magazines monthly, compared to 44% for websites, 43% for radio and 10% for farm shows. (Verified Readex Research study)
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