How do you feel about children in a CAB tractor with buddy seat and seatbelt?

[texasjohn]

+1, this says it all.

As you describe it I see no problem with it and have done it myself, we had a buddy seat in our Case CX80 that my son installed for his kids. Our renters have had kids in his Ag tractors since they were small and they now work on the farm with their own kids. I really like the John Deere buddy seats and took some pictures of them not long ago, but can't find them now.

Our L5740 and M8540 don't have room in the cabs, so when working now the kids stay home.

I will add that whether a child belongs in the cab is dependent on the child and operator as well as the seat and other safety issues. I have grandchildren who can behave properly in a confined space and some that can't. Some operators handle distractions better than others as well.

Just my opinion and am open to suggestions and counterpoints.

 

[kiotiken]

I do it all the time. I've picked up all three kids from daycare in the tractor a couple times this year. After the last snow, I finished our driveway and I figured I might as well drive over and do hers since I had to pick up the kids anyway. We all managed to squeeze in there and had a nice drive home. It's not as if any of us put seat belts on when I pick them up in the car, and the tractor is a lot bigger and heavier than my car, so it's can't be any worse than that.

There's no jump seat in my tractor, but my 2 year old sits up on the side. I put down a pillow or big gloves and he's comfy as can be. He loves blowing snow or just riding around, in fact, he gets pretty mad if I get on the tractor without him. The only problem I have is he can never stay awake for more than 20 minutes. Here he is helping me clean the rink in Jan or Feb.



I imagine many won't agree with my approach and that's OK. I find parenting has changed for many people, and that's their choice. I still remember being pushed off from the dock in a canoe at the cottage when I was 4 and driving the boats around the lake for hours by the time I was 7 or 8. I walked to school every day (except for a few weeks after I broke my leg in kindergarten) and climbed trees constantly in the forest behind my house. Times have changed, no doubt, but there has to be a balance and we learn by experience.

 

[busy dad]

My kids sat on my lap when mowing with a small tractor . That or they were in the house or at a friends..I would rather them be where i can see them than be one of those who have to go to a premature funeral..I loved the idea of a "buddy" seat in the larger equipment , far safer there.

 

[Gator6x4]

There are some pretty entertaining reply's on here I like the comments about my avatar the most :laughing:

I think "buddy" seat might be more of a TBN thing??? Not sure, however, it's not actually called a "trainer" seat either, according to the manufacturers it's an "instructor" seat, as if that makes any difference :laughing:

I always think of it as a "buddy" seat because I want to use it to take my little buddy around with me, meaning my son. :thumbsup:

Also, the whole idea of not having a kid on a tractor without a cab due to the danger of falling off, combined with the fact that children seem to LOVE heavy equipment, is a pretty easy sell on convincing the wife it's almost time for a cab tractor

From a safety stand point a small child secured in a trainer seat would pose no more of a safety liability than a secured adult. The point being, cabbed tractor with a manufacture designed trainer seat positioned at a manufacture designated position. Now some backyard fabricated seat attached somewhere on a tractor would be for another discussion. (I really loved the response about standing on the PTO cover to adjust the top link) Young minds are huge sponges. You could use the time together to provide information on the tractor, controls, etc, and stress safety and how dangerous farm machinery is. Then as the small child matures he will have some fond memories and a working knowledge of the tractor.

You seem to be concerned with safety. You also appear to have thought through the consequences of having another person in the cab with you and how to safety accomplish this during operation of the machine. A large number in society fail to factor in the end result consequences, good or bad of their actions prior to doing something.

 

[Piston]

I don't actually remember it, but from what my parents have told me, they used to get me to take naps by taking me out on the riding lawn mower, my dad would drive me around while mowing the lawn and I'd be out like a light, then he'd hand me off to my mom and my dad would continue on. I bet our grass never got too tall :laughing:

That's a cute pic kiotiken. Thats the stuff I'm talking about, that's what I want my kid to do. :thumbsup:

 

[kiotiken]

That's a cute pic kiotiken. Thats the stuff I'm talking about, that's what I want my kid to do. :thumbsup:

Thanks. On flat ground doing light work or just going for a ride, I don't see there's much risk involved. I do occasionally hop off to do something like release the SSQA and that make me a little nervous. My tractor has a FEL lock that I use, it also has a HST pedal lock that I engage. I put the 3pt down, put the tractor in N and drop the RPMs to idle. It's probably not nearly enough, but he's a good boy, doesn't move and I'm as aware and careful as possible. Those are the kind of things that add some risk. You probably swear you'd never do it, but when it's -20 and you're both in a Tee shirt (eat your heart out open station guys ) and you just need to reach the lever, it happens!

 

[caps]

Last year I welded a couple hooks on the top of my bucket. My wife came out and was watching while I wire brushed them before painting and asked "Are those handles to hold onto when riding in the bucket?".

 

[RaydaKub]

Im 53 years old born in October, and i have been on a tractor with my dad since i was 2 months old. Dad had an old 39 Farmall H and a Farmall C, both with narrow front ends. I went everywhere and did everything with dad. Nothing ever happened to me because i had a dad who had Common Sense. As Roush9799 said, "If eveyone would just use some common sense, there should be no problem with a passenger.The problem with todays society, there are a lot of people out there that don't think things thru before acting on it. If it's not written in black and white, they can't think it up on themselves"
As years went on dad and i rode together all the time and as tractors got newer, fenders and buckets made better seats as we worked the fields. If i had to do all over again i would want it just the same, and because of my dad's actions with me, i am the way i am, a tractor lover, with way over 200,000 hours of safe operation under my belt. Thanks Dad, i sure do miss you!

I am not a farmer, so I can't claim 200,000 hours. But the rest of this could be my story. Huge LIKE button needed.
My first memory of riding with dad was standing in between his legs on the old Model A John Deere planting soybeans. There was no cab, no seatbelt, heck, no seat (for me). But I loved it and I learned what to do and when and what not to do and why. I have no doubt even for a moment that I was as safe there as in my recliner today.

Let there be no mistake, farming is dangerous. But it doesn't take a lot of forethought to stay safer.

 

[duroc]

As years went on dad and i rode together all the time and as tractors got newer, fenders and buckets made better seats as we worked the fields. If i had to do all over again i would want it just the same, and because of my dad's actions with me, i am the way i am, a tractor lover, with way over 200,000 hours of safe operation under my belt. Thanks Dad, i sure do miss you!

Sounds like you two had a real good father/son relationship. In that nice picture of him he has that look that says... hmm, that tree could use a little trimming or, maybe I should just take it down. Whatever it was, you can see the wheels turning in his mind. Good memories, I'm sure. Thanks for taking us back in-time with you!

 

[D7E]

I grew up being dumped 20 miles from home at aged 9-10 on a fordson major on a drum mower or on cabless combine and given a lunch box and told "i'l see you in a few hours" . Any of the tractors that we run today that are new enough to have a passenger seat and a "proper cab" i have no problem taking my 3 year old along with me and knowing exactly where they are . when we are combining on a weekend i take a demotion to the trucks , Grandpa stays in his old combine and chases my 12 year old who gets my combine and truth be known he's possibly more in tune with the computers and GPS etc than i am , He has both CB and a 2-way if he needs to talk to us . Most tractor related death i've ever personally been involved with or known has been a part time / Hobby...weekend warrior type "farmer" with an unsuitable machine for the job or a basic lack of knowledge of how to use it.
Before anyone bites my head off i have lost many friends to accidents outside the cab (getting limbs caught in pto's etc) We were talking about riding in the cab !