seat belt - always -

[shu]

-except for short trips on level ground, right?

Like just to haul some sections of mesquite limbs (4-6inch diam) in the TC-30 fel bucket a hundred yards over level ground. I was at moderate speed and decently balanced with the box blade on back.

Then for seeming no reason the right wheels and my butt went airborne. Wow! I've hit dirt moguls before, but that was a near killer!

Cause: one of the logs had rolled off the fel.

So, now it's seat belt - always.

 

[Dave___in___CT]

Great reminder !

Accidents do happen when they are NOT expected...

For now... I'm staying conscious of buckling up EVERY time... ...even for goin' 30' on the level with no loads... so it becomes automatic... just like when I get in a motor vehicle...

Thanks...


Dave...

 

[Lazy]

Hi
It would appear to me the cause would be that the logs were not secured to the fel so they couldn't fall off. I like to stand up on my tractor every now and then and the seat belt is too restrictive if I need to look behind the tractor. I only have one tractor with a seatbelt and rop.

 

[RoyJackson]

"It would appear to me the cause would be that the logs were not secured to the fel so they couldn't fall off. I like to stand up on my tractor every now and then and the seat belt is too restrictive if I need to look behind the tractor. I only have one tractor with a seatbelt and rop."


Well, if you do roll, it'll probably be the ROPS that crushes you. If you're not going to use your belt, remove the ROPS.

 

[PineRidge]

Guys, guys, guys, seat belts, ROPS, PTO guards, seat switches and the like were put on tractors at an added cost to protect your lives. If you place a value on your life and your families well being then you should at least give the safety devices a chance to do their job. Anyone that bypasses a safety feature or doesn't use one to it's full advantage may be mentioned in this safety forum at a later date as a statistic. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Lazy]

Ok what are we going to have to use next, a helmet and enclosed cage? An operator has to know their limitations and the limits of the equipment they are using. Accidents don’t happen they are caused by the operators actions or the lack there of 99% of the time. The last 2 years I worked before retiring I worked with the safety department and investigated over a 100 so called accidents and we found in every case it was operator error. You can have so many safety devices in place you would never get any work done.

Charlie.

 

[PineRidge]

Charlie I'm not talking about enclosed cages I'm talking about the most basic safety equipment, seat belts, ROPS, PTO guards, and seat switches.

I'm just betting that the majority of those removing or bypassing these same safety devices might also be the very same to point a finger at the manufacturer and blame them for the accident that might be caused as a result of their removal. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I'm not the type to remove rollover protection, or bypass safety switches and I use my seat belt when I drive. It's not rocket science that these devices do in fact save lives, so why ignore them on your tractor? Maybe Russian Roulette would be more exciting. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Hambone]

<font color="red">Maybe Russian Roulette would be more exciting. </font>

I bet even the gun has a safety!! Bet you don't remove it!!

 

[JDgreen227]

I agree with you 100% on this issue, the safety features on a tractor are there for a purpose. When I was young and stupid I would bush hog bumpy fields with my NAA, which had no seat belt, ROPS, or safety switch to shut down the tractor or PTO if I fell off. To make matters worse, I liked to fold the seat and stand up while driving. More comfortable, yes, but dumb. There is a reason farming is the most dangerous occupation, and there is also no reason to become another statistic by being careless.

 

[PineRidge]

Just a few posts down from this one on this safety forum is an example of a poor fellow that was killed while loading his tractor on a trailer or truck. It slipped off crushing him to death in the process. Seat belts and ROPS help to prevent this sort of accident from being a fatal one. I would much rather come through an accident with bruises and a damaged tractor then to "meet the maker early."

PS Yes I do have a couple of 9mm Smith & Wesson pistols and yes the safety's work just fine on them.