Kids gotta play too.

[hosejockey2002]

I decided to let my little ones try their hands with my new machine. My 13 year old boy did fine, although I tease him that he was a better operator when he was five, the age that I let him try out a mini excavator. My 8 year old girl was the big surprise. Not only did she have the hand strength to operate the rather stiff new Woods controls, but she had better feel and hand memory than my 13 year old. After the pic was taken dad got off the operator's seat and let her take the controls on her own. In a few years looks like I've got the makings of a couple of good operators. The pic quality could be better, I'm getting a new camera soon....

 

[DaryleD]

It's funny that you posted this. I have been tempted to let my 11 and 9 year old boys have a hand with mine as well. I think that it is a good thing to get them on it early, and let them go solo, as long as they can prove that they are good, and safe enough with it. I have cousins that were driving their fathers full size bucket loaders at a really early age. I think that it depends on the kids, but I think it is definately to their advantage to learn early in life. Kids learn really fast, but don't have any fear either, so it's a delicate balance on how far that we let them go with things. By the way, they look like a couple of professionals sitting up there. Be safe and enjoy!
Daryle.

 

[daTeacha]

Yeah, my grandson loves to sit on the tractor and sits on every possible machine when we go to the county fair. Just make sure they know to only run it when you're there to help them avoid dumb mistakes that might get them hurt. Every once in while around here someone's kid is seriously hurt while running some piece of power machinery. It's not uncommon to see a kid who has no driver's license driving several thousand pounds of tractor and trailer down the road.

 

[sandman2234]

I may be using my JD as a way to get around for a while myself!
Mom worried about us, but Daddy would take us out to the end of the pasture and turn us loose with a pretty good sized chainsaw.(age 11) I never thought there was anything wrong with it, as I grew up with it in my hand. Only thing I would have changed was using a glass jug to put our mixed fuel in. That probably wasn't the safest thing around. Kids will be ok as long as they have been properly instructed and raised right.
No way am I going to put a butter knife in my daughter's hand, much less something with a motor on it!
David from jax

 

[VABlue]

I've often seen kids too young for a drivers license at the helm of a combine running down gravel roads to pick corn. No adults in sight... When growing up on a farm, what else is there to do?

 

[Kendall69]

Because of the games and computers kids play on a daily basis it seems operating equipment comes a lot easier for them. Even the military is finding out that "kids" entering the military can work complex equipment with joy sticks quickly.

I has my daughter (10 years old) sit on my lap and drive a large CAT dozer with ease because it operated with the two joy sticks for all the controls. She drove straight, made turns, manipulated the bucket etc, right off the bat - amazed me. Heck if she had some seat time in it, who knows what she could do with that thing?

 

[MikeD74T]

When my son was 12 I allowed him to operate my Case 580 loader backhoe solo in a designated area. Two rules -he was not allowed to start the machine & he was not allowed to dismount a running machine. He's now a very capable operator of large excavators. MikeD74T