Seat Belt Survey

[LazyK]

Do you-all in tractor-land strap yourselves into your 'compact' each time you fire the workhorse ? I'm not trying to be cute by asking this question, but, I do not strap in. The only time I came close to a roll-over or other horizon altering situation was loading onto a trailer. Cleats on the ramp(not my trailer) scuffed off leaving my rig to pitch almost over completely. Being able to jump clear of the whole potential disaster was the only bright spot in this fubar....Do operators, other than field plowers, really buckle up in routine on-off-on-off real world operations. Sure, the belts and ROPS are built into our machines but are you using the belts?

Chip Kelly-LazyK

 

[Harv]

LazyK -

Better step back from your computer 'cuz you're about to get a torrent of replies from this board.

There have been several threads discussing seatbelts, ROPS and general safety, and you should definitely look them up. I am so totally convinced of the importance of using the seatbelt that I buckle up just to back the tractor out the door. It's not that I'm worried about flipping over during such a simple maneuver, it's that I want to establish a truly solid habit of being buckled in at all times. If you only buckle in when you think things might get hairy, you may eventually get caught with your pants down (which very likely will be up by the time you realize it).

The horror stories are endless about drivers and kids unexpectantly getting bounced out of the seat with tragic conseqences. Just in the last couple of days we discussed the 4-year old boy who nearly lost his legs when his daddy made a sharp turn and the boy fell out in front of the mower.

The only time it is recommended that you not wear a seat belt is if your tractor has no ROPS, in which case you'd at least have a fighting chance to get away from it when it rolls.

If you have sized me up as a sissy, just make sure you research the issue thoroughly before jumping to conclusions.

 

[PaulB]

I use my belt 100% of the time, no exceptions, no questions. One reason is on my lap right now having his bottle (forcing me to type 1 handed), the other 2 are still upstairs in bed. Thats reason enough for me.

 

[Roy]

If you do Harv's search, you'll find that I had a problem with the belt tension (or my tractor loving me to much, as Del put it /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif). Resolved that one with a simple device, so I personally find no discomfort in using one.

Now, I will admit that there are exceptions (as to all rules) when I haven't. (And yes, I would of given that girl a ride too, even if there were liability lawyers hiding in the bushes /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif). When I haven't:

Very quick and short on-off movements (e.g. moving it from the driveway into the garage).

Plowing snow in reverse. I just can't turn around with that belt on.

For all other operations that I have performed, yes, they are on.

 

[TomG]

I don't know yet. After talking about it for most of the summer, I finally installed a set on my old Ford 1710 two days ago. Yesterday, I was swapping implements etc. preparing to load them into my truck and trailer, and didn't use the belt. I would be sort of a pain, moving 5' at a time; hopping on and off etc. I imagine I will use the belts for everything else, except maybe greasing.

Guess you know the reason for wanting to stay with the tractor in a roll over is so you don't get caught under the ROPS.

 

[Thomas]

Chip,
I would say I use my seat belt +80% of the times.
Growing up on a Farmall H & A which had no seat belt,than going to tractor w/ a seatbelt it was hard to get use to also being young.

ROPS are a great safety device,but I wish someone could reshape them so they don't block one vision when turning around to view.


Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[DVerbarg]

I use the seat belt whenever I am using implements or moving at a faster rate of speed. Have had a few close calls of being "bucked off" when transporting from one location to another.

DaveV

 

[MChalkley]

This should prove to be an interesting discussion. When I had the GST, I used my seat-belt very close to 100% of the time. Now that I have my HST, I use it closer to 80% of the time. When I'm working in a flat area I know extremely well, doing things at low speeds that are inherently safe, I often don't. The reason for the difference between my habits with the GST and the HST boils down to one thing: the HST won't run over me if I fall off, because it stops all by itself when you take your foot off the pedal. I still think that, with any other kind of transmission, the seat-belt should be worn 100% of the time the tractor is moving. Harv has an excellent point, though: Seat-belt usage should be a habit, so it's on in case of unexpected situations. I won't argue with that one. For that reason, I'm sort of a double-standard kinda guy: I tell others they should wear their seat belt 100% of the time, even though I don't do it myself. One reason my conscience doesn't bother me too much over this is that I've trained myself to think about the seat-belt (I put my hand on it, in fact) every time I sit down on the tractor. This way, if I'm not wearing it, it's not because I forgot, but because I made a conscious decision that it wasn't necessary. I hope I never make that decision incorrectly, of course...

MarkC

 

[Bird]

Seat belts have been such a habit with me in cars since 1962 that it just doesn't feel right to get in a car or truck, or on the tractor, without buckling up. When I get off to open a gate, drive through, get off to close the gate, and get back on, I have to make a conscious effort to NOT buckle the belt just to drive through the gate. And my wife, my youngest daughter, and I have all had at least one experience in a car in which the seat belt prevented death or serious injury.

Bird

 

[Jag]

Good question... I have rolled a car with seat belt on. One time all the way over back on to the wheels, and can remember every little detail of it as if it happen in slow motion. That was thirty years ago when not very many people wore a seat belt. The one thing amazed me was that my shoulder did not even touch the door panel. Tractor seat belt, you bet. But not all the time. Most likely 60%. I have a set of stantards that I use. If not in a my field, if in the top 3 gears, on any new land, any place not level.