What age did you start driving tractors?

[Oldtractorfixer]

I was 6 driving a JAa or H (we had both) with a hand clutch while dad and the guys loaded bales. On my own at about 8. If there is equipment to be run (anything) I'm your guy. Only thing ever threw me the first time was an old bobcat with handlevers. It's kind of jerky and if you don't sit back in the seat throws you back which reverses which throw you forward which throws you back...... Quite a ride.

[AGGIE00]

Starting mowing grass at age 4 with deere 850. Graduated to raking hay at age 8 with Deere 4020 and Allis Chalmers 185. Graduated to cutting hay with Allis Chalmers 7020 and Hesston 1060 cutter at age 12. Those were the landmarks, but somewhere in there ran an Allis Chalmers 7080 and 7580 articulating pulling an offset and field cultivator.

[aczlan]

Only thing ever threw me the first time was an old bobcat with handlevers. It's kind of jerky and if you don't sit back in the seat throws you back which reverses which throw you forward which throws you back...... Quite a ride.

That reminds me of when I was 15 or 16. The neighbor tipped a (rented) Bobcat onto its nose when he tried to pickup a 25' long tie retaining wall that went from 3 ties high to 5 or 6 ties high. The bobcat was tilted down at about a 45 degree angle.
He wasn't belted in and couldn't run the foot controls to drop the bucket while driving forward.
I got in, strapped myself in as tightly as the belt would go, then started it up and was able to hang from the belt while driving forward with the sticks as I lowed the bucket with the foot pedals... Twas very entertaining.

Aaron Z

[pharmer phred]

I started at age 9 on a JD A pulling a disk. The hand clutch on that tractor was stiff enough that I couldn't pull it back. To stop the tractor, I just pulled back on the gas until it died. Then I sat and waited for one of the adults to come help me get started again.

[rambler]

Learned to drive on a Ford 960 when I was 7. Still have the tractor.

Dad let me plow a few hours at a time when I was 8 with the IHC 300 and a 2 bottom trip Oliver plow.

Been playing in the same dirt ever since.

--->Paul

[bigbull338]

i guess i was raking hay at 10 or 12 running a 6000 ford with a selectospeed.i ran that tractor till it was parked.then i quit running tractors as they was hard for my bad leg an foot to clutch.

[frontrowna]

I started driving our 806 Farmall baling hay and stuff when I was probably 7 or 8.

http://youtu.be/R1Z-SWlI1gM

[DMax2210]

My first was at age 5 on a John deere 56 riding mower. Then at age 13 I started working on a relative's potato harvester, then graduated to driving the truck under the boom from age 14-16. The problem with that is that I never had a break - I wasn't old enough to drive the trucks on the road so I was stuck in the fields all day!

My daughter first drove my 2210 when she was 6 around the yard and now can drive the 2520 like a pro at age 8. Of course, that is after putting about 50,000 miles on her battery powered JD from age 3-6!! Those things are great - I wish I had had one when I was 3

[tjwoody]

Sixty-one, when I bought six acres that I have to take care of. BX2360, 60" MMM, TaylorWay 48" tiller, LA243 FEL.

[Taylortractornut]

I was about 8 and dad had gone on a spree of buying and rebuilding B Allis Chalmers. He and a feild welder he worked with built a wide fron and 3 point for one B. I had ridden backhoes and dozer and scrapers and excavators with dad. Dad put me On the B riding around the yard. Dad had me out on the be one day and my grandparents on my Moms side were at te house. Broke grandmas heart seeing me on a tractor. She wanted me to be a doctor or lawyer.

The next year I was plowing and disking. Later came a finish mower and cultivating. I think I was 12 when I first started bushogging on the B414 IHC dad had. Also that year dad got me my own little B. I later traded it for a VW based rail job. Then we go the CUb I have now and I learned to really Cultivate and then later the 3000 Yanmar I also still have.

I will start Savannah out pretty early and try to keep her involved with hands on crafts and projects. After seeing dads step grandaughter and her boy friends I want my kid to learn like I did.