My last day...almost

It was hay season and I was 16 years old. On a warm June morning, i was managing a 70 acre hay field with a 1969 John Deere 4020. This was  a tractor that came into production in 1964 and they continued to make until 1972. It literally came off the assembly line 2 years after I was born. This hydro static power shift model weighed approximately 9560 lbs. Graduating from a little snapper lawn mower from home, this machine was powerful and gave me the feeling of power! If you've worked with any powerful equipment, you know the feeling I'm talking about.

So, on this Saturday, my boss, friend and agricultural mentor, Carl Hicks, asked me to use the 4020, which had round bale forks, to pick up and organize the hay. I hopped on the  JD, cranked her up and went about my simple task.

Being in the foothills of North Carolina, the pasture that I was managing had hills with terraces.  Terraces were an idea of many agricultural departments in the 30s & 40s for the purpose of slowing down erosion. Not only did it slow down erosion, but it also required you to slow down and manage the crossing  with a tractor.  The round hay bailing would not discriminate where it would unload its bales and many of the 1100 lb bales would be above, in or around these terraces.

So to share the interesting details about this story, I must explain about the synchro-range nature of gears on the John Deere 4020. Synchro-Range requires the tractor to be stopped and clutch depressed to select one of four shift stations. Once a gear is selected the tractor can be shifted on the move between the two forward gears (and single reverse in stations 1 and 2) by using the clutch. If you know anything about most smaller /older tractors, to change to a higher gear, you have to stop, choose the higher gear and if its really high, you have to be sure you don't drop the clutch and cause a stall.

I was just about finished getting the bales up and saved the more difficult bales that were on a steep grade for last. This particular bale was just above a terrace. On an incline, I backed up to the bale, lowering the forks on the lift and secured the bale and raised the lift. I mistakenly took the tractor from reverse (while stopped) quickly into 4th gear. The incline I was on and the amount of throttle I used had a bad calculus. Ole green choked. Here I was on an incline, a 9560 lb tractor with an 1100 lb bale of hay. When the engine stops running, the brakes are useless. On this incline, the tractor began rolling backwards. I attempted to jam the tractor in to park. That wouldn't work as the speed began to pick up at a rapid pace. Then the tractor hit the terrace, the steering wheel turned violently and the next few seconds are a complete blur to me. Based on the picture, you can see that 10,000 lbs + rolled. I remember being underneath the tractor.  In shock from what had happened, I remember walking across the pasture to tell Carl what had happened. Scared of what he might say or do, I had compounded fright. But Carl didn't yell because frankly, it scared him almost as bad as it scared me.

I learned a number of lessons that day. Slow down for one! There are other lessons I could share but I'll keep those in a secret notebook.

So 34 years later I can honestly reflect and tell you that it was almost my last day. In true John Deere form, Carl hooked up a John Deere 1020 with a chain and pulled the 4020 over, allowed time for the oil to re-position in the engine....and yes, she cranked right up. It had a few nicks and scratches but it was running within hours.

The responsibility that I received working for Carl carried with me over all these years. I still have agriculture in my blood.  When I see him (which is not often), we still talk about that day on Williams Road in Davie County and how it could have been so much worse. I thank God it was not my time to go. Writing this I think about all the experiences I've had since that time.

I got back on the tractor. Carl made me. It was kinda like getting back on a horse that bucked you off. It was a day of lessons, but thank God it wasn't my last.