Children's Rumbleseat / backseat construction

[TheKid]

Re: Children\'s Rumbleseat / backseat construction

Have you given any thought to adding some padding to the inside of the ROPS? Maybe some type of pad from the same vinyl and foam that was attached with some velcro straps so they would be easy to remove if you ever needed to fold the ROPS.

 

[Chechnya]

Re: Children\'s Rumbleseat / backseat construction

Ill be the first to say this. Your tractor was meant for 1-(one) person. What your doing is very dangerous and you are endangering the life of your child(ren).

 

[Henro]

Re: Children\'s Rumbleseat / backseat construction

<font color="blue"> Ill be the first to say this. Your tractor was meant for 1-(one) person. What your doing is very dangerous and you are endangering the life of your child(ren). </font>

While a similar thought went through my mind too...common sense tells me "Not really..."

Granted, there are risks in whatever we do. Should any tractor be used without a ROPS? Probably not... but lots are. Should a motorcycle carry a passenger? Probably not, but most do. Should we be driving our cars without a full roll cage and crash helmet? Probably not...but we all do.

Do I have a screw loose for thinking this way? Probably so...

It is so easy to make a blanket statement...personally I am not convinced...would it be safer for Larry to leave his kids unattended by the pond while he ran the tractor, rather than belt them in the seat behind him...

Well...somehow I can't help but think...probably not...

 

[Larry_Van_Horn]

Re: Children\'s Rumbleseat / backseat construction

I acknowledged as much in my initial post. Everything is relative. The safest thing is to never let my kids outside. When my dad gave me my first shotgun at age 10 that was very dangerous. When I spent my childhood riding on the side step or carryall that was dangerous.

It is a matter of degrees and everything is relative. In my opinion it is safer to have my son seatbelted under the ROPS rather than running around the tractor or riding on my lap. It is clearly less safe than not having him around at all. That is not an option he would appreciate nor would I.

You are entitled to your own opinion.

 

[GregJ]

Re: Children\'s Rumbleseat / backseat construction

This evening a local radio broadcaster (Ken Schram) did a segment titled " We are raising a generation of WHIMPS". He blasted the local school districts that were legislating rules about "snowball throwing". Some school districts were making very black and white rules regarding the "dangerous" activity of "playfully" throwing snow at schoolmates.

His main point was that we are becoming a culture that will allow NO risk in our everyday lives and the end result will be a culture living in a "safety" bubble.

Personally I agree with him wholeheartedly. If I were Larry, I would love to have my kids with me (strapped into the rumble seat) when operating my tractor in a safe environment. I am sure that he won't have them back there when he is pushing his tractor, like we all do from time to time.

Life is a calculated risk and if we try to protect ourselves too much, we stop living life to the fullest. I posted earlier about my grandfather turning me loose on his tractor when I couldn't reach the pedals. I would never have done that with my kids. I think we are becoming more conservative every generation.

I probably sound like a reckless rebel, but the reality is I have been one of the most conservative, cautious parents while my kids were growing up.

I guess this is just a long winded.... Larry... Great idea.... Go for it, be careful and have fun!

Greg

 

[Larry_Van_Horn]

Re: Children\'s Rumbleseat / backseat construction

Greg& Bill,
Nicely put. I think long and hard about how I conduct myself with my kids around my equipment, I presume more so than my pop ever did. I want my kids to grow up respectful, knowledgeable, and appreciative of the power of our equipment ....... but not fearful. The last thing I want to be doing is yelling at my kids to stay away from that or don't do that etc. I am always trying to stay two steps ahead of them, forecasting and guiding their conduct in such a way that they learn and do not become disenchanted with their experiences. Having them secured and party to the activity is much more predictable than a 4 year old running around the tractor.

Now if the **** temperature would just get above zero so we could spend some time outside that would be good too! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

PS - Bill nice call on the pond concerns. What I did there was to get a couple of these infrared beam detectors and direct them around the perimeter closest to the house. Break the beam and an alarm goes off in the house. The current use appears to be to let us know the herd of deer are getting a drink /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MossRoad]

Re: Children\'s Rumbleseat / backseat construction

Speaking to the pond concerns, I grew up with a 90' escarpment 50' from the back door. At the bottom was a lake. No kids from the neighborhood ever went near the lake without a lifejacket until they passed intermediate level swimmer classes from the Red Cross. So, most kids were very good swimmers by the time they were 8 or 9. I highly recommend swimming classes for your youngsters. Its fun, makes them confidant and they know how to swim back to shore if they fall in. Surprisingly, people drown in water that they could have stood up in. Anyway, back to your rumble seat...

You recognize the dangers of riding on the tractor and are doing something to address it. I admire that. However, in all reality, you'll probably void any insurance claims that could arise should you or one of your children be injured. You'll probably also void any warranty (if there is any left) on your tractor, but the children issue comes first. As you mentioned, you had a shotgun when you were a boy. I had a rifle. Same affect. I'm going to teach my 11 year old to shoot this summer. You use to ride on the tractor as a boy. I took my kids on 3 hay rides last fall and they went on a few without us. They could have fallen out of the wagons and be run over by the tires and killed. But they weren't. I use to climb trees as a kid. I fell out, but am OK. The neighbor kid fell out and wasn't OK. He broke something, but recovered. Our neighbor kid rode his bike down the street, stood up on his seat, put his arms out like he was flying and promptly crashed into our mailbox. He broke his neck. His parents threatened to sue us. He recovered completely and they never sued...... we all could go on and on all day about things like this.

The point I'm trying to make is we all try to do the best to enjoy our lives with our children in the safest manner that we can without putting them in a foam rubber bubble filled with antibiotics. Where you draw the safety line might be different from where I draw the line. Best wishes to you and yours. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[tdenny]

Re: Children\'s Rumbleseat / backseat construction

Larry,

Please post more pictures of your seat when you can. I would love to make something similar. My 3 kids all love to ride with daddy and I can honestly say that I let them sit between my legs (one at a time of course) when I'm driving around on flat areas. my 2.5 year old son would absolutely love to ride around with me all the time. While in some areas around the house I woudn't allow that because of the steepness I see no real danger in toting them around on flat ground. Sure your tractor was meant for one person but most likely every one of us has used our tractor in some situation that wasn't recommended or considered a little unsafe. Remember back in the days kids didn't even ride in child seats in the car........I applaud your ingenuity Larry and think your idea is terrific.

Be safe and keep on tractoring!!!