How Accidents Happen

[Buck]

Miklos,

That seat sensor is great for keeping children from taking off with the tractor too - They're too light. I don't know about you, but I've never taken my keys out of the ignition.

Buck

Buck

 

[Buck]

Miklos,

That seat sensor is great for keeping children from taking off with the tractor too - They're too light. I don't know about you, but I've never taken my keys out of the ignition.

Buck

 

[Miklos]

Even though my tractor is stored in a locked shop, I ALWAYS remove the keys. If I leave the tractor in the field for a little bit, I ALWAYS remove the keys.

Two reasons-

1- I don not want any joy-riding teenagers hurting themselves or my tractor and testing my home owners policy.

2- Theft deterrent. Compact tractors seem to sometimes have a habit of dissappearing.

 

[jinman]

<font color=blue>If it had one, I'd just disconnnect it.</font color=blue>

First modification I made to my new TC45D was to bypass the seat switch. I grew up standing up on a tractor when needed and I still do. I almost automatically set the brake and take it out of gear when I get off it, but I can't operate a tractor always sitting down. Go figure!/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[MChalkley]

Acutally, Miklos, I think leaving an HST-equipped tractor in gear is safer than taking it out as long as you don't step on the "go pedal" getting on or off, and there's no one else around to do so. When working by myself, I always left it in gear, because there was a lot less chance of it moving (much, anyway) accidentally with it in gear than not.

 

[Bird]

Interesting thought, Mark. Since my own place is pretty much flat and level and I rarely get off the tractor unless it's stopped in a place that it wouldn't roll anyway, I'm afraid I've been in a habit of leaving the HST in gear, and not even bothering with the parking brake. Can't say I'd recommend it, but I've been doing it. I've been trying to change that habit and start putting it in neutral when I get off; maybe 30-40% of the time./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[hayden]

I too like the breaking action of the HST (provided someone isn't hanging off the peddle).

This is all about tradeoffs to achieve acceptable risk. There are always accidents out there looking to happen. Each person needs to balance risk against cost/effort of deterents.

 

[hayden]

I'd go for an HST control interlock with seat activated switch. That would be useful and I can't see how it would get in the way. A seat activated engine kill is unacceptable to me since I am on and off the tractor frequently.

 

[MChalkley]

hayden - <font color=blue>an HST control interlock with seat activated switch</font color=blue>

I like that idea - a lot! And it would be so easy to do: A solenoid plunger that popped into a hole on the treadle and locked it. Brilliant! Only one downside: it's so easy, inexpensive, and effective that it can't be practical. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

I've had people slam to a stop and holler that my tractor is rolling when it was parked on a hill in gear and I had just jumped off to move a rock or a stick or something. The natural tendency, of course, is to assume that if it's started to move it's going to pick up speed - they don't realize it will never move any faster than it's going. I just thank them and keep doing what I'm doing.

 

[duanet]

Bird,
My JD4100 has a very short delay before killing the engine which I assume is to prevent killing the engine if shift my weight or bounce a little in the seat. So it's been no problem to me in my vast 30 hours seat time. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif But I know what you mean - my Wheel Horse lawn tractor backfires everytime I go over a bump! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif
Duane