Kids on Tractors

[JimMorrissey]

I was moving some rocks the other day and my young son really wanted to "up-a tator".....seemed like it would be OK. We were moving some rocks that I had loaded in the bucket and had in the hoe. I shut the machine down, hauled him up, buckled us in, and off we crept. Got to the pile and put down the loader and dumped the rock in the bucket, then I turned the seat around to dump the rock in the hoe bucket. I gently lowered the boomed and just as I tapped the bucket to dump it the rock rolled out and smashed against another rock, in that slit second a shard of sharp rock split off and came wizzing by my son's face, just missing his eye...another piece hit me in the lip and cut it slightly so that a small drop of blood was on the back of my hand after I wiped my mouth from the impact. Did anything severe happen....no....could it have, yes. I'm pretty lucky Andrew didn't get a razor sharp piece of blue stone in his eye ball. Kids and tractors just don't mix no matter how safe you try to be. I'm thinking a slow cruise around the back field is about all he'll get going forward.

 

[beenthere]

Very glad to hear it was a 'near miss' and you are both ok.

Somehow I don't relate that incident to "kids and tractors" don't mix.

Has more to do with safety glasses, of which if this were an industrial situation, overseen by the OSHA rules, you would have had safety glasses and hardhat on.

I don't think kids should be on tractors when doing work such as you were doing. But for a ride when just 'riding' and not working where one likely needs all hands and feet attentive to the task, I see no problem with "kids and tractors". I grew up longing to be on a tractor, and was fortunate to be able to enjoy that experience, albeit in a more dangerous sitation than tractors of today. We had no fenders and rode standing on the axle, one hand on the head light and the other on the seat back. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif If there was mud or dirt on the rear wheels, it would rub off on your britches.

 

[Soundguy]

I agree with Beenthere. When i was a kid, we would drive the tractor around the field to feed the cows.. had a small trailer and a couple kids rode int he back, and one drove.. whould throw out hay clumps grain or cattle bars.

When it came time to go to the jiffy store to get candy, and the adults were busy doing adult stuff, they would throw us the keys and 4-5 kids would pile on the tractor and head a couple miles out down some paved and some dirt roads to hit a candy store... thought nothing of it.

Nowadays.. I guess that would be illegal and unsafe /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif..

Soundguy

 

[3RRL]

Jim,
I don't disagree that kids shouldn't be around operating equipment, but personally, I don't think you did anything wrong there. With you guys strapped in and all...
That could've happened no matter what and nothing you did caused it other than operating the tractor. I know you might think if it did hurt your boy..If I wouldn't have him on there that wouldn't have happend. But in reality, you can apply infinite regression and say well, if I wouldn't have lowered the bucket... wouldn't have gotten on the tractor...wouldn't have bought it..??? Where do you stop. Accidents happen and some are out of our control. It's sorta like blaming yourself if you get into a car accident and your kid gets hurt, even though nothing you did was your fault. IMO, what you did was not UNSAFE and you were not operating the tractor recklessly. (FWIW) I'm sure there are plenty who will disagree with me, but that's how I feel about it.

 

[hudr]

Let me relate a little story.
I was swapping out the 7.5X16 tires on my Mahindra for some 10x16s to handle the FEL better. My then 4 year old son sees Grandpa BD and me rolling these tires around. Now, the stock 7.5s that came on my Mahindra are HEAVY, heavier than the 10x16s believe it or not. Anyway, little man gets one that is leaning on the P/U bumper. It falls on him and pins him to the ground. Not hurt, just frightened. I rush over and get it off of him and no harm done. Dad makes the observation: Y'know, as long as he doesn't get hurt, a little of that is good for him.
That is what you and your son got w/ the rock: a little of that.
Hopefully it will make BOTH of you more observant and give Jr. a taste of what CAN happen no matter what you are doing. Lets say you were putting together a puzzle and a piece gets dropped on the floor. Jr. crawls under the table to get it and bashes his head on the table while getting up. Do you ban him from the puzzle table? No, you make sure he learned to watch out for the table edge while getting up.
I think there would be fewer bad accidents if more people were exposed to things such as this.

 

[5030]

Where I live, kids and I mean kids run tractors everyday and not CUT's either. Real 100+ horsepower row crop tractors helping the family plant and harvest crops. They run skid steers too. Every kid over the age of 10 in our community that lives on a farm knows and understands tractors and their uses. Around here, kids learn to drive on the family tractors. Whether it's right or wrong, it's necessary to a farming operation.

Farmers have lots of kids to ease the farm chores. I wish I had about 5 or 6 too. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[turnkey4099]

IMO, kids do not belong on tractors as a passenger in any situation. Actually, no-one of any age should be a passenger.

One of my worst experiences as a county sheriff's dispatcher was the night that 'daddy' called to report that he had run over and killed his son. Yep, riding as a passenger going from the barn to house, hit bump and kid fell under wheel.

Kids operating tractors?? Yes, did it myself and it is a great way for learning responsibility as well as work ethic. But a kid on a tractor with other kids around - no way!! Will they do stupid things while on a tractor? Assuredly so, all you can do is warn them and give them safety talks. Kids manage to do stupid things no matter what they are occupied with at the time - that's life.

Harry K

 

[JDNineNinety]

My second wife had a 6-year old child. They took it to grandpa's one Sunday to see his new tractor. While taking the little girl for a ride she fell off and was crushed. My wife and her father were both on valium quite a while.

 

[bdog]

I have a 2 year old. He always wants on the tractor. It really scared me on my open top branson as it was so easy for him to fall off and get crushed. Now with my JD with a cab he rides around with me all the time.

 

[BIGDOGG]

Almost all of us who grew up on a farm learned how to drive and work a tractor at a young age.

But tractors aren't a toy they are a tool, nothing more. And there is a good reason why they come with one seat.