SanDucerro
Gold Member
I found myself wondering if I really needed 8" lace up heavy work boots with lug soles and steel toes when I'm on the tractor. There was no doubt in my mind that the CAT boots were safe - but they sure were uncomfortable. Alas, that happens a lot when safety is paramount. My wife and I are avid motorcyclist and we have all the gear - leather jackets and gloves, high end Sidi boots, full face helmets (Shoei or Arai $$$), and even padded pants. We were aggressive riders at one time and just didn't feel safe without all the gear, but now - not so much. We still wear padded jackets, wear full face helmets, never go anywhere without gloves, but the pants and boots don't always make the ride and the leather jackets are usually padded mesh now. The wife and I both switched to different bikes last year and for the most part we just cruise now. She's on a 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R that I've lowered for her - it's not a real powerful bike, but it's far more bike than her previous cruiser. As for me, I sold my Hayabusa last year and then went through several bikes before I finally settled on a 1997 Yamaha YZF1000R that I'm restoring.I think the original question was what do you wear while operating a tractor. I see guys climbing down out of tractors here all the time in a pair of shorts and tennis shoes.
The point of the original question was to determine what level of safety was needed from the CAB. I didn't see a need for my current boots and felt a safety downgrade wouldn't significantly decrease me longevity - just didn't know what would be deemed acceptable!