I have done it, too, but never while working, and, therefore, never with the PTO engaged or an implement on the ground. And, for that matter, in the last few years, almost never, period. And definitely never without taking some form of safety precautions.
A month or so ago, a woman who lived near a job I was working on and her daughter (5 or 6 years old, I'd guess) stood at a safe distance for the last hour or so I was there, just watching. I think I saw them earlier in the day, just briefly. I thought it was a little unusual, since I don't usually see females showing that much interest in tractors. (I know there are lots of exceptions, and I don't mean any gender insults by this. My mother-in-law is a tractor lover and has one of her very own which she relied on me to purchase for her.) Anyway, I waved to them several times and they both waved back, especially the little girl. I was tickled at having the audience - you know how it is. So, when I was done and getting ready to load up, I went over to say hello. The little girl hid behind her mother and she said "You wanted to ask him, so go ahead", but the girl remained hidden and didn't say anything. So the mother said "She wants to know if you will take her for a ride on the tractor." I had pretty much decided to say no, so I said, to the little girl "Have you ever ridden a tractor before?" At that point, she came out from behind her mother and walked over to me, apparently assuming my question or tone of voice meant she could. When she did, I could see she was handicapped because she walked with quite a limp, with the sole of one shoe quite a bit thicker than the other. So, what could I do? I didn't know how I could say no, and I wasn't sure how to say yes. I could just see the headlines "Well-meaning Contractor Runs Over Disabled Little Girl". In the end, I told the mother that I would have to take the blade off the back first and she could only ride if she could sit on my lap and if the seat belt would fit around both of us. And that's what we did. I stayed in low range, and rode her around a minute or so, very slowly, then we stopped and I showed her how to operate the loader, which I think was a bigger thrill to her than riding around. So, maybe, that's an idea for next time. Just maybe, to a kid, operating the loader while sitting still is as much fun as riding around, and a lot less dangerous.
Just curious, though: Would any of you guys have done it any differently?
MarkC