Mounting Tractor? RIGHT or LEFT

[polo1665]

Typically from the left, sometimes from the right, almost never Indian style. Tried it once and hit my head on the ROPS:laughing:

 

[Rancher Ed]

On the orange tractor always for the left because there is no step on the right side and the platform is ~3' above the ground. (The loader valve is mounted under the platform on the right, otherwise I would have made a step for there by now.)

On the blue tractor either side. Moreoften the left cause it is easier but if I am on the right side I don't walk around to get on.

Ed

 

[TripleR]

Typically from the left, sometimes from the right, almost never Indian style. Tried it once and hit my head on the ROPS:laughing:

You beat me too it, I could handle the ROPS, but not the rear glass.:laughing:

I mostly mount from the left, but prior to FEL tractors whichever side was closest.

 

[Jriffe108]

Most people will mount a tractor, horse, or motorcycle from the left side in North America for two main reasons.
One, most people are right handed and naturally lift their right leg first when climbing a ladder or stairs.
Two, North American cars are driven by entering the drivers seat from the left side of the vehicle.

Motorcycles lean to the left on a kickstand, making easier access from left side, tractors usually have more room on the left side floorboard, loader control, instrument clusters, cupholders, etc.

Some cabbed equipment only have a door access on the left side for this reason.

Is it possible to mount from the right, sure, but usually not practical and doesn't feel natural to most.

 

[Baby Grand]

From the left - "like with a horse" - 'cause that's how the fella that sold it to me said was the right and proper way. The one time I tried from the right I got my 14AAs all tangled up between the pedals and the FEL stick and almost fell off backwards. So I says to myself "I can read between the lines. You don't have to tell me every thing twice. That dealer knew something about tractors and horses".

Durn! When I was a younster my cowboy buddies always made fun of me for not knowing which side of a horse to mount. Most of the horses I was allowed to ride were to old and slow to care anyway. Now I find out there is a right and wrong on a tractor. Now I'll have to look to see if anyone is watching when I get on a tractor. I just always went for the easiest and closest.

I have discovered that, as I get older, all the horses seem to get younger and more high spirited.

-Jim

 

[wedge40]

For people who have lawn mowers with a side discharge, which side does it discharge on? Right or Left?

Wedge

 

[Chilly807]

Whichever side suits the occasion. Left is a little easier becasue of the step, but the L3400 isn't so tall I can't get up easily from the right side.

I deliberately cut 5 inches off the loader joystick so I could get on and off easily from the right side.

I don't like only one escape route, either.

Sean

 

[sailorman]

Left mostly . Right sometimes ( loader joy stick on right ) simply because I am a small dude, and I can when needed .

 

[JDGreenGrass]

Left Right Left Right Left Right Left Right....You know the drill.

I load up from the Left.

When I load from the right I have to bend my shin bone in half, therefore, I don't.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

If I am walking up behind the tractor I always mount from the left...if I am walking towards the front of the tractor I always mount from the right:thumbsup:

 

[Egon]

Young Fellar's again. Used to be one climbed on from the back and much of the time was spent standing while running the tractor.:thumbsup:

 

[TripleR]

Young Fellar's again. Used to be one climbed on from the back and much of the time was spent standing while running the tractor.:thumbsup:

Yep, pretty much how I grew up driving a tractor, flip the steel seat back and stand up about half the time and for sure if you were going very fast.

 

[kco]

Normally from the left but often from the right if it is easier or more convenient. The flat deck and step on each side was fairly high on the desirable features for a new tractor.

Much of my work is in the bush and often only one side is handy because of the trees.

 

[Jay4200]

There was a concern on another thread expressed about blocking the mounting access from the right side and I was just wondering.

Which side do you mount your tractor from? Do you ever mount from the right side? If so When and Why?

I regularly mount my tractor from the right side. I don't know why - I just end up there - i seems more often than on the left. Once on that side, it's WAY to far to walk around, so I just jump on from the right side. Of course, almost every time I climb on board, I get hung up on, or poked in the 'nads by the loader control lever. Then I cuss.

JayC

 

[LBrown59]

Left side except always get off on the high side on a cross slope.

 

[swizzle stick]

For people who have lawn mowers with a side discharge, which side does it discharge on? Right or Left?

Wedge

I've got two, one discharges on the left, the other on the right. I never could get used to that.

 

[grnspot110]

Young Fellar's again. Used to be one climbed on from the back and much of the time was spent standing while running the tractor.:thumbsup:

Same here! And if you did get on from the front, it was on the left (belt pulley was on the right). ~~ grnspot

 

[grsthegreat]

well, next time i climb thru the right hand side door, ill go in backwards. That way il be entering the left side...in a round about fashion.

Makes me wonder if the British enter on the wrong side like they drive :laughing: :laughing:

 

[Egon]

(belt pulley was on the right). ~~ /QUOTE]
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[JoeinTX]

"Young Fellar's again. Used to be one climbed on from the back and much of the time was spent standing while running the tractor..."

I was thinking the same thing reading through the thread. Spent many a year mounting the tractor from behind however, ironically, all were set up so as to climb up on the left side and sit on the right side. This set-up was so that the driver could keep an eye on the furrow as the implements of the time were all set up the same way. The one-way disc was a left leaning implement where the furrow wheel was on the right side and the disc axle trailed to the left. The pull-type combine was more often a right-leaning tool with the header immediately behind and to the right of the tractor driver. In both cases having the driver on the right side was the best place for them.

On more modern tractors, I don't really know the reason, but left-handed entrance has generally been the most common. I will get off the 8n in either direction, but, I always get back on from the left hand side. Lots of early cab tractors (MF, Case, J.D.) were designed with doors only on the left side. Prior to that J.D. built a lot of 30- and 40-series tractors with steps only on the left hand side. Most older dozers were simply easier to ingress/egress from the left side simply due to lever arrangement. J.D. and Dresser IH built cabbed dozers in the 1970/80s with doors only on the left side.

It could be the practice of mounting a horse from the natural left, which then got translated into the left-handed steering of modern North American vehicles, that simply translated over to the tractor out of habit. Don't know.

Darned good TBN conversational piece, however........