Mowing 2 years to get the wife on the B2650...

[CobyRupert]

We all have our "pucker threshold". My wifes is much much lower than mine. Things I think are perfectly safe she is greatly worried about. Hard to get her on the tractor in anything less than nearly flat ground. Part of it she mentions is sitting up "so high". She wants to be snugged down between the fenders. It is all psychological. Many parts of the yard she won't mow on the little JD lawn mower. "just too scary". I am sure mine is lower than some of you. It is all relative.

So true!
If the seat is lower, or the fenders are higher, it's not as tippy!
I have wheel width set to widest position and it would take one h*ll of a hill to tip over, but reality goes out the window and "pucker factor" (not based on reality) takes over. I chicken out way before my tractor would.
Just yesterday, I mowed a bank that I always chicken out at the top on, just because the top of the hill is probably 200' above the valley below (a top of the world feeling), whereas I have no problem at the bottom, which is WAY steeper, but shielded from the 'top-o-world' view by a hedgerow.
Conversely when mowing a ditch, I'll tip the tractor almost to it's max with confidence knowing it can only roll 30 degrees into the opposite bank, plus one "feels snug" down in the ditch.

 

[k0ua]

So true!
If the seat is lower, or the fenders are higher, it's not as tippy!
I have wheel width set to widest position and it would take one h*ll of a hill to tip over, but reality goes out the window and "pucker factor" (not based on reality) takes over. I chicken out way before my tractor would.
Just yesterday, I mowed a bank that I always chicken out at the top on, just because the top of the hill is probably 200' above the valley below (a top of the world feeling), whereas I have no problem at the bottom, which is WAY steeper, but shielded from the 'top-o-world' view by a hedgerow.
Conversely when mowing a ditch, I'll tip the tractor almost to it's max with confidence knowing it can only roll 30 degrees into the opposite bank, plus one "feels snug" down in the ditch.

Hard to argue with your own fears and anxiety's isn't it?. Much less your wife's.

 

[Jim Nelson]

One of my neighbors and very good friend is half my age and in the Navy,he and his wife and kids come over nearly every afternoon in their golf cart to have a beer and visit. Our driveway is 850 ft.long and steep with a couple of pretty sharp curves and a steep drop off on one side.Last year he was on deployment so just the wife and kids came over one evening and just as they got to the top of the drive the cart died. I think she just took her foot off the gas, but any way, the cart started to roll back and her first reaction was to jump out and run around back to try to hold it.I got off the porch and started hobbling over there as fast as I could and hollered to the son to step on the brake, which he was in the process of doing.He got it stopped just before she got run over and the kids got into a heck of a wreck.

She is one of those people with a very low pucker factor and she has always been afraid of our driveway. After it was all over we all had a good laugh, you have to imagine me in my best high speed "Grandpa McCoy" hobble and her behind this big old 2 seat golf cart about to get flattened with a 2 year old and 5 year old in the cart about to get killed and the little 5 yr. old boy saved the day.Pucker factors do vary.

 

[BRMyers]

She looks like she is doing a nice job mowing. I got my wife on the tractor for a few minutes a couple of weeks ago cause she wanted to try out using the bucket. Hope to get her more interested, but as it was stated, baby steps.

 

[k0ua]

One of my neighbors and very good friend is half my age and in the Navy,he and his wife and kids come over nearly every afternoon in their golf cart to have a beer and visit. Our driveway is 850 ft.long and steep with a couple of pretty sharp curves and a steep drop off on one side.Last year he was on deployment so just the wife and kids came over one evening and just as they got to the top of the drive the cart died. I think she just took her foot off the gas, but any way, the cart started to roll back and her first reaction was to jump out and run around back to try to hold it.I got off the porch and started hobbling over there as fast as I could and hollered to the son to step on the brake, which he was in the process of doing.He got it stopped just before she got run over and the kids got into a heck of a wreck.

She is one of those people with a very low pucker factor and she has always been afraid of our driveway. After it was all over we all had a good laugh, you have to imagine me in my best high speed "Grandpa McCoy" hobble and her behind this big old 2 seat golf cart about to get flattened with a 2 year old and 5 year old in the cart about to get killed and the little 5 yr. old boy saved the day.Pucker factors do vary.

At least the 5 year old had some brains.

 

[Industrial Toys]

To me, a person getting comfortable with equipment without understanding gravity, center of gravity, momentum, inertia, mass and all those other good things is disturbing. I think, it's why tractor and such mishaps will continue to happen. Being comfortable doesn't mean you understand the forces, or potential forces at work.

 

[CobyRupert]

Hard to argue with your own fears and anxiety's isn't it?. ....

To me, a person getting comfortable with equipment without understanding gravity, center of gravity, momentum, inertia, mass and all those other good things is disturbing. I think, it's why tractor and such mishaps will continue to happen. Being comfortable doesn't mean you understand the forces, or potential forces at work.

^ ...and that IS the essence of the (self) argument: Am I being unnecessarily frightened, or not frightened enough!?

"....that path is for your steps alone...."

 

[hawkeye08]

My wife would and could drive the tractor, mow or whatever is needed, but she also knows that I get pleasure from doing tractor work. She was raised on farm, had a CDL and drove semi truck with long trailer. It didn't have power steering and she handled it well.. She also drove tractors and combines.

 

[Gary Fowler]

You guys that have wives that use equipment are lucky. I had a little lawn tractor mower once and got the wife on it one time and she was screaming all the time about the "slope" and she was practically on flat ground, at least as flat as it gets here. She mowed one pass and has never tried again. No use in trying to get her on the zero turn or tractors. The closest she gets to tractors is to get me to dig her a hole with the backhoe so she can plant something - usually roses.

 

[TBone]

I'm not on Facebook for that very reason....

ME TOO.