parade safety

[Soundguy]

Just saw a story in the paper about a child that was setting on a parade float... Wheels on the trailer caught his feet and he was drug off and run over.

It's the season for many of us to be doing parades and hay rides, so lets keep safety in mind and be careful.

Soundguy

 

[MikeD74T]

Here's some of the fall out from that tragic accident. Hampton is just south of Portsmouth, NH
Seacoastonline.com: Residents want Christmas parade

the new law: Section 265:108-a Parade Vehicles.
MikeD74T

 

[TC29-dude]

My 19 year old daughter was marching with her sorority in Mizzou's homecoming parade this year. She got too close to their float (decorated trailer) and the tire ran up the back of her foot.

She felt it happening, recognized what was happening and was able to pull her foot free and lurch to the side before it completely ran her over.

She was lucky, she only had some pulled tendons and had to wear an air cast for 2 weeks. She is now known as the girl who can stop a parade!

 

[shvl73]

I got volunteered to drive a truck decorated for high school homecoming, never again. They kept jumping on and off constantly. No thought at all what could happen. I do understand the mind-set, it was only 25 years ago, invincibility. Scared the crap outa me, though.

 

[RobertN]

I took Cub Scouts in the local parade Sunday. Have done this a few times in the past few years(twice we wone 1st place!). I have towed with my Farmall-A, and my 16' flatbed trailer.

First, the tractor/float does not move unless all children are seated on the float. If they are not seated, the float stops, and they go march with the Cub Master. Th Placerville parade is about 3 miles; we stop and let the kids on the float switch out with the marchers. Again, we do not move unless they are seated.

The kids sit on hay bales. All hands/feet/arms/legs are inside the edge of the trailer.

All the trailers we have used when we have more than one flat, have fenders over the tires.

We have an adult walking near the front and back of the float on each side. The float does not move unless they give the all clear.

Although there are no brakes from the tractor to the trailer, I take the cable from the trailer break-away switch and add some strong string to it; I have it next to my shifter and throttle. If I have to panic stop, I can stop both the tractor and trailer quickly(The trailer will push the tractor in a panic stop; 1800lb 2wd tractor vs probably 3000lbs of trailer/hay bales/people/decorations)

We're very strict with safety. No issues in the 7 or 8 times we have done this.

Probably the hardest part, is me driving; the clutch on the Farmall wants to grab. Even though we only go about 1mph, if the clutch grabs it will lurch...

That said, we had a blast at the parade. Took about 20 kids this time around.


The marchers are out in front with the color gaurd. The tractor and float stays behind, with buffer room to emergency stop.

 

[Soundguy]

An idea for you.

On my hay rides, I usually string xmas tree lamps on the trailer, and put a couple low watt ac lamps up there for illumination. I add SMV plaques, and run the lmaps and blinker on the tractor.. I also made up a special wire harness that plugs into the trailers wire harness, and it lets me run the running lamps and the 'hazard' blinkers on the trailer. I ratchet strap a car battery tot he tounge of the trailer, and then interconnect a power/ground cord from the tractor electrical system to the battery so the genny ont he tractor will keep it from flattening out. I run a low-medium wattage inverter for ac power for the lamps and xmas lamps. Also in that harness is a cheap electric brake controller from TSC... Since I have no brake switch on my tractor, i simple velcrow it to my tool box, and the controller has a sliding 'variable' panic button on it.. in an emergency, if the tractor brakes couldn't stop.. or went out.. i have access to the brakes on the tandem trailer. Was real easy to wire up using a 4$ blinker module, and some wire, and a four gator clips, and the (then) 34$ controller.. which i think is now 49$ for TSC's cheap controller..

Soundguy