Hitching and Unhitching Farm Equipment – A Good Time to be Careful!

Kent McGuire of the Ohio State University Extension Ag Safety and Heath Program has put together a list of safety do’s and don’ts to pay attention to when hitching and unhitching farm equipment and trucks and trailers.  That list can be found online at http://agsafety.osu.edu/newsletter/ag-safety-stat/may-2016/injury-prevention/hitchingunhitching-safety-farm-equipment.  I’ll summarize some of the points he makes here.

Most farm safety concerns are a matter of common sense, and we all are cautious when first encountering or dealing with something unfamiliar.  However, if we repeat something over and over again, folks tend to ease up on being cautious and not be as safety conscious.  Also, at times we tend to get in a hurry, like when rain is threatening and we need to unhitch the hay rake and hitch up the baler quickly.  Corners will get cut now and then in order to save a few minutes of time.  Most of the time, this works out OK, but when it doesn’t, lets just say that farm equipment is not very forgiving and will cause serious injury.  Time saved doesn’t mean much in these cases.  Please review this list of safety items as a reminder that we all can practice safety and incorporate smooth thinking into our safety practices.  Remember the slogan: "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" and think about how to apply that in practicing safety on the horse farm.

As Mr. McGuire points out, hitching and unhitching equipment is one of the most common tasks on a farm.  The operator has to perform a lot of little tasks in order to get the tractor and equipment hooked together correctly to perform work.  Those little tasks include inserting hitch pins, adjusting a jack stand, attaching safety chains, connecting hydraulic lines, connecting a PTO shaft, and/or plugging in electrical components.  Common injuries sustained when hitching/unhitching are caused by pinch points, crush points, blunt trauma, and run-over.  Muscle strain can also be sustained by trying to move equipment to line up hitch points.  Cuts and scrapes are common when working to hitch or unhitch equipment.

Safety guidelines to follow include:

• Read the owners manual before use.
• Make sure the hitch category of the equipment matches the tractor hitch category.
• Use low gears and low engine RPMs to reduce sudden movements when approaching of pulling away from an implement.
• Tractor operators and ground assistants should keep visual contact and communicate at all times.
• Ground assistants should stay clear of wheels until the tractor and implement are lined up ready to be hitched.  Leave an escape route in case of unexpected movement of the tractor or implement.
• Use only approved hitch pins.  Replace hitch pins that are worn, bent, or broken.
• Lock or secure hitch pins with retainer clips.
• Shut off the engine, place transmission in park (if equipped), and set the parking brake on the tractor before connecting hydraulic lines, electrical lines, and/or PTO shafts.
• Make sure pressure is released before connecting/disconnecting hydraulic lines.
• Use proper lifting techniques to reduce sprains/ strains when moving or lifting the implement tongue.
• Use an approved size tongue jack that is attached to the implement to support the implement.  Temporary jacks can kick out or fail if the implement moves.
• Remove all connections before moving the tractor away from an implement after unhitching.
• Hitch/unhitch on level sites.  If a sloped area must be used, chock the wheels of wheeled implements to prevent movement.

Ohio State University Extension has more fact sheets and youtube videos on farm safety available at www.agsafety.osu.edu.