What Happened?
A farm staff member was feeding silage to stock and parked his tractor at a gateway. He engaged the Park gear then went to open the gate. The Park gear failed and the driver had to jump out of the way as the tractor rolled toward him and continued 1.2km through the farm before being stopped by hitting forestry.
Why did it happen?
- The Park gear mechanism failed, allowing the tractor to roll freely.
- The tractor was parked on a slope, which meant that once the Park gear failed, gravity took over and the tractor gained speed quickly.
- No additional safety measures, such as chocking the wheels or using the handbrake, were used as a backup to the Park gear.
How should we respond?
- Always engage the handbrake as well as Park gear when parking on any gradient.
- Chock the wheels if parking on a slope, particularly if leaving the vehicle unattended even briefly.
- Regularly check and maintain the Park gear and handbrake mechanisms on all farm vehicles.
- Be aware of your surroundings and have an escape route in mind if a vehicle starts to move unexpectedly.
