Henro
Super Member
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2003
- Messages
- 5,977
- Location
- Few miles north of Pgh, PA
- Tractor
- Kubota B2910, BX2200, KX41-2V mini EX
Hello to those who remember me from the past...
My eldest grandson is 6 now... and I have always stressed to my grandchildren and neighbor kids (only two of them, now teenagers) to stay well clear of my tractors when the engine is running, and never come nearby unless they catch my eye and I signal that I am aware of them.
But this summer, I did let the oldest stand between my legs and drive the smaller tractor as I worked the hydrostatic directional pedal.
I was just reading a closed thread where one post mentioned a sad event where a grandfather was mowing backwards and ran over and killed his grandchild. (edit: I just realize when reading my post that the reason the kid was behind the tractor could have been because the grandfather had given him rides before, but this is obviously speculation as I do not know the details).
So I wonder which is better...having a grandchild ON the tractor or ?
Maybe this is a clueless question as I would NOT have a child on my tractor when I was working with it. But I could not help but wonder if that particular grandfather might have been better off having the kid on his lap rather than experiencing what happened. After the fact we all probably could say it could not get worse than it did, so anything else would have been better...
I am sort of wanting to let my grandson ride my larger tractor between my legs while standing up, and giving him the opportunity to experience working the loader...but have not decided about doing that yet. I mean just working the functions, not doing anything other than that, on a level surface.
How big a mistake would this be? I think he is old enough to understand that he must stay away from a working tractor. Up to now he has kept his distance. I am wanting to believe that giving him the chance to operate the loader would give him a better understanding of what tractors are about and reinforce his understanding of the need to stay clear of mobile equipment if not operating it.
What do you guys think? I mean using common sense and not being radical one way or the other.
My eldest grandson is 6 now... and I have always stressed to my grandchildren and neighbor kids (only two of them, now teenagers) to stay well clear of my tractors when the engine is running, and never come nearby unless they catch my eye and I signal that I am aware of them.
But this summer, I did let the oldest stand between my legs and drive the smaller tractor as I worked the hydrostatic directional pedal.
I was just reading a closed thread where one post mentioned a sad event where a grandfather was mowing backwards and ran over and killed his grandchild. (edit: I just realize when reading my post that the reason the kid was behind the tractor could have been because the grandfather had given him rides before, but this is obviously speculation as I do not know the details).
So I wonder which is better...having a grandchild ON the tractor or ?
Maybe this is a clueless question as I would NOT have a child on my tractor when I was working with it. But I could not help but wonder if that particular grandfather might have been better off having the kid on his lap rather than experiencing what happened. After the fact we all probably could say it could not get worse than it did, so anything else would have been better...
I am sort of wanting to let my grandson ride my larger tractor between my legs while standing up, and giving him the opportunity to experience working the loader...but have not decided about doing that yet. I mean just working the functions, not doing anything other than that, on a level surface.
How big a mistake would this be? I think he is old enough to understand that he must stay away from a working tractor. Up to now he has kept his distance. I am wanting to believe that giving him the chance to operate the loader would give him a better understanding of what tractors are about and reinforce his understanding of the need to stay clear of mobile equipment if not operating it.
What do you guys think? I mean using common sense and not being radical one way or the other.
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