Accident

[NOXJohn]

I have have let my grandchildren ride on my tractor with me but never again.

http://www.wgal.com/news/child-struck-killed-in-accident-on-lancaster-county-farm/36009952

 

[JimNC]

It's sad that common sense has gone way of the dinosaur. Children and equipment don't mix. Like everything "its all fun and games til someone gets an eye out".

 

[Gary Mitchell]

As a child abuse/neglect investigator in a rural county for several years I don't recall ever getting a report regarding farm people with farm equipment in an incident. On the other hand I DID get numerous reports involving garden tractors or riding lawn mowers, 4 wheelers, etc. Is it just me or do others of you get a sense that when people lose a connection to the land they also lose some of their common sense? gm

 

[duey]

If that is how you feel, it is HIGH TIME you sold that dangerous TRACTOR and don't forget your CAR and any other transportation you own. Put your head in the sand and THEN you'll be safe. Horses kill people too....

 

[Caryc]

(quoted from post at 12:19:04 10/24/15) If that is how you feel, it is HIGH TIME you sold that dangerous TRACTOR and don't forget your CAR and any other transportation you own. Put your head in the sand and THEN you'll be safe. Horses kill people too....

Most adults on a tractor have some common sense and do think about safety on the other hand a 4 year old kid on a tractor has no concerns about safety or any danger.

AS stated, little kids have no business on a tractor. Sure tractors are inherently dangerous machines but an adult is more equipped to deal with them than a child.

No kids will be on my tractor. Use yours they way you want.

 

[Ultradog MN]

Well said Duey.
More people die each year from stroke and high blood pressure due to needless worry about tractor accidents than from tractor accidents.
From reading this board and noting the extreme caution some people exhibit I'm convinced worry is the No 1 killer on this board.

 

[Bob]

You got that RIGHT, Duey, a quick 'net search shows horses kit about 20 people a year in the US.

Doesn't say how may kids, but I know of one locally who was kicked in the head by a horse while real young and, now, as a teenager still has lingering effects.

LOTS of things besides tractors can hurt, maim, or kill.

 

[Caryc]

(quoted from post at 15:35:15 10/24/15) You got that RIGHT, Duey, a quick 'net search shows horses kit about 20 people a year in the US.

Doesn't say how may kids, but I know of one locally who was kicked in the head by a horse while real young and, now, as a teenager still has lingering effects.

LOTS of things besides tractors can hurt, maim, or kill.

Sure, lots of thing besides tractors can hurt maim or kill. But there is one big difference with tractors. There is just no reason for a kid to be on one.

They make tractors for kids that are pedal powered. I'm sure the father of the child that got killed didn't think there was anything wrong with giving the kid a ride on the tractor either. Kind of looks like he used poor judgement didn't he?

Bottom line...your kids, your choice.

 

[John in Mich]

Interesting thought.

 

[Ultradog MN]

No reason for kids to be on horses anymore
CaryC. Nor on 4 wheelers, downhill skis,
bicycles, or motor boats. No reason for
kids to hunt or fish anymore either as
kids drown in the lake or die in the woods
and we all know it is much safer to buy
your meat and fish at the supermarket.
No reason for them to swim or play contact
sports either because kids get or hurt or
die doing those things.
It's just so much better to have them stay
in the house where it's safe and play
video games and watch TV.
So they can grow up to be afraid of
everything like their parents were.
And have no clue about the hazards or
mechanics of the world around them.
People let their kids do all kinds of
things that are potentially dangerous
because those things are fun. Because they
are instructive, because they build boys
into men who can do things, build things,
operate things, fix things - without being
afraid.
You give the impression that you are
terrified of your tractor. But you weigh
the odds of useful work vs the hazards
that accompany operating it. And you run
your tractor. Regularly.
If you see no benefit to letting your kids
or grand kids ride on a tractor don't do
it.
But understand that other people who love
their kids just as much as you do think
differently than you do. And they might
let their kids ride tractors in spite of
your dour, dire warnings because of the
reasons listed above but most of all
because it's fun.

 

[Royse]

(quoted from post at 21:57:18 10/24/15) No reason for kids to be on horses anymore
CaryC. Nor on 4 wheelers, downhill skis,
bicycles, or motor boats. No reason for
kids to hunt or fish anymore either as
kids drown in the lake or die in the woods
and we all know it is much safer to buy
your meat and fish at the supermarket.
No reason for them to swim or play contact
sports either because kids get or hurt or
die doing those things.
It's just so much better to have them stay
in the house where it's safe and play
video games and watch TV.
So they can grow up to be afraid of
everything like their parents were.
And have no clue about the hazards or
mechanics of the world around them.
People let their kids do all kinds of
things that are potentially dangerous
because those things are fun. Because they
are instructive, because they build boys
into men who can do things, build things,
operate things, fix things - without being
afraid.
You give the impression that you are
terrified of your tractor. But you weigh
the odds of useful work vs the hazards
that accompany operating it. And you run
your tractor. Regularly.
If you see no benefit to letting your kids
or grand kids ride on a tractor don't do
it.
But understand that other people who love
their kids just as much as you do think
differently than you do. And they might
let their kids ride tractors in spite of
your dour, dire warnings because of the
reasons listed above but most of all
because it's fun.

Jerry, might I add one? How else do you teach them?
I would have never known how to run a tractor if I hadn't rode.

Accidents happen; they are tragic when they do.
My condolences to the family.

My grandchildren will still ride but as my father did, special
exceptions are made for running PTO driven equipment, etc.

There's no guarantee against tractor accidents but there aren't
any in a car/bus/school/parade either. Live and teach to live.

 

[Caryc]

(quoted from post at 18:57:18 10/24/15) [b:126e22dca8][color=red:126e22dca8]No reason for kids to be on horses anymore
CaryC. Nor on 4 wheelers, downhill skis,
bicycles, or motor boats. No reason for
kids to hunt or fish anymore either as
kids drown in the lake or die in the woods[/color:126e22dca8] [/b:126e22dca8]
and we all know it is much safer to buy
your meat and fish at the supermarket.
No reason for them to swim or play contact
sports either because kids get or hurt or
die doing those things.
It's just so much better to have them stay
in the house where it's safe and play
video games and watch TV.
So they can grow up to be afraid of
everything like their parents were.
And have no clue about the hazards or
mechanics of the world around them.
People let their kids do all kinds of
things that are potentially dangerous
because those things are fun. Because they
are instructive, because they build boys
into men who can do things, build things,
operate things, fix things - without being
afraid.
You give the impression that you are
terrified of your tractor. But you weigh
the odds of useful work vs the hazards
that accompany operating it. And you run
your tractor. Regularly.
If you see no benefit to letting your kids
or grand kids ride on a tractor don't do
it.
But understand that other people who love
their kids just as much as you do think
differently than you do. And they might
let their kids ride tractors in spite of
your dour, dire warnings because of the
reasons listed above but most of all
because it's fun.

You list all those things above which have nothing to do with a tractor. A tractor isn't a toy that is ridden for fun and a tractor has [color=red:126e22dca8]no safe seat for a passenger[/color:126e22dca8], the "N" series tractors were made for one driver / operator. Putting a second person on a tractor is just against all safety rules.

 

[David G]

I let my kids ride on tractor, except when using PTO or on road.

 

[howdy1960]

After having been kicked a few times by horses and having one fall on me plus having fallen off a couple times getting a couple broke ribs and a concusion not to mention having had 2 heart attacks you can bet I feel pretty darn safe on my old tractor.

 

[ScoutB]

I'm a tech geek by nature and I love messing with new computers, programs, and tools. But I also have a reverence for 75 year old technology that still serves its original purpose. How do you instill that same reverence in a kid if you don't let them experience it? My grandkids will never experience clutches or points or carburetors unless I show them and teach them the old school ways. A ride around the yard reinforces the notion that the old stuff worked pretty well and the present is built from the past.

 

[Dave Salway]

First my prayers for this family .
That said there is a huge differance of oppion on this subject .
From my memory I can only recall one case of a child killed by
riding on tractor and that case was sensless there were sevaral
incedences of children hurt , mamed or killed by the equipment
used by tractors though . These tragedys happen to ALL AGES at
any time . My younger brother and my daughter in law would never
be alowed on our equipment but I can not recall when I started
and I do remember my son drove a Farmall A at 10 years old and to
this day is very safty and mechanically inclined so there is no
correct answer except extreme prejudes.

 

[Deere Mark]

The local paper said that it was a tractor with a cab. They might have gotten that wrong. But if it was a tractor with a cab and the doors and windows were closed, how could the child have fallen out?
Seems to be very common for small children to be riding in the cabs of modern tractors and combines (with Dad or Mom).


the following copied from the local online report:
The girl was riding along with her father when the incident occurred, said Robert Fulton Fire Chief Tracy Tomlinson. The man was raking corn fodder, presumably so it could later be baled.

?Farming is still one of the highest-risk occupations? in the country, said Kay Moyer, a Lancaster-based Penn State Extension educator. ?It is second to mining, or sometimes above mining.?

The three most common ways children are seriously injured or killed on farms are falling down a hay hole, falling off equipment, and being struck by a large animal, she said. That is according to statistics from Hershey Medical Center and Lancaster General Hospital.

Children often want to ride on tractors or other equipment, but Moyer said it is never safe to be an extra rider on any farm equipment.

?There?s just too much chance of going over a bump or rock that causes a person to fall,? she said. ?One seat, one rider? is the rule she cites at the 80 rural schools in the region she visits each year to teach kids how to be safe.

State police are investigating the Little Britain Township incident.

The girl is at least the 16th person accidentally killed on Lancaster County farms since the start of 2011, newspaper records show. Ten were children.

A 63-year-old man was killed when a tree he was moving with a tractor fell on him Wednesday evening on his Kirkwood farm, authorities reported.

An 89-year-old man was killed when he was run over by a truck Oct. 14 at a farm in East Hempfield Township.

A 5-year-old died when a skid loader ran over him in Sadsbury Township Oct. 13.

 

[Greg (2N) TX]

4 years old, man that is tough!
My condolences to the family.
Greg

 

[Caryc]

Someone here made the remark that I seem like I'm terrified of my own tractor, which is completely stupid. If I was terrified of it, I simply would not use it. I just have a lot of respect for the machine and what it can and cannot do.

I don't see anything wrong with teaching a youngster to drive an old Ford tractor as long as he or she can safely reach and use the pedals. On level ground and in first gear a child can be taught safely.

People in this thread seem to be making fun of my attitude towards this subject but they don't seem to understand that I"m talking about a tractor with one seat for the driver / operator. It was not designed to carry a passenger. If you want to be safe with a piece of equipment, you use it the way it was designed to be used.

There is no doubt that if the 4 year old child had not been on that tractor, she would have been alive today. Once again, tractors are not toys or amusement park rides.

 

[Benj R]

First of all my heart goes out for all who lose family members to farm accidents but it doesn't have to be that way. I was born in the early '50's to a small mixed farm family of 6 we always had a 2N in my time, this tractor was the center of my life for many years. We did not have motorcycles, quads & I didn't even have a bicycle till age 15, not only was this tractor used for farming but it was also used for entertainment, I would drive this tractor every chance I got, starting at about age 7. This tractor often had a lot of riders, we were taught from an early age to be careful & if you were a rider to hang on, we only had a 3 pth. plow & cultivator the rest of the implements were all trailing so when the 3 pth. was not used we had the tripod drawbar on it with a 1x6 resting on the lift arms for riders. (the tractor always had running boards) I remember riding on the tractor many times with dad driving & me grasping onto the fender. Our neighbors had a large family of crazy teenagers & tractors were how they got around many times on the weekend until they could afford a car. I can remember they also had a '47 2N for a number of years with the sherman stepup on it. This tractor often had a lot of riders & would always be going as fast as conditions allowed. It was not uncommon for these boys to have a string attached to the governor to over speed the engine & get even more ground speed. My sister was born in Sept. 1950, when Mom went into labor (after feeding a threshing crew all day), she got a ride to the local hospital 3 plus miles from home on the Ford, she got to sit on the seat & dad sat on the housing behind her, with his arms on each side of her to make sure she was safe. Mom & baby sister were both fine the next day. Times have sure changed.

 

[Ultradog MN]

CarryC,
I'm sure you mean well.
But I don't see you advancing your argument to
any extent. People have enough agencies and
laws and other people telling them how they
should run their lives and the lives of their
children - whom I'm sure they love very much.
We aren't smarter than our neighbors though we
often think we are. It does no good for me to
insist that others live as I do. It makes me
look like a busy body, or worse.
Lastly, you wrote "if the 4 year old had not
been on that tractor..."
I don't buy into those hypothetical if things
any more.
What if Babe Ruth hadn't been traded to the
Yankees? What if Admiral Kimmel had been paying
better attention? Or if Karl Marks had worse
skin boils maybe he couldn't write Das Kapital?
Or if Columbus had sailed east? Or if Kennedy
hadn't been shot?
Here's a song I've always liked.
And no you wont believe in if any more either.

<iframe width="420" height="315"
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Lx8c3-djc8"
frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Caryc]

(quoted from post at 16:01:16 10/25/15) CarryC,
I'm sure you mean well.
But I don't see you advancing your argument to
any extent. People have enough agencies and
laws and other people telling them how they
should run their lives and the lives of their
children - whom I'm sure they love very much.
We aren't smarter than our neighbors though we
often think we are. It does no good for me to
insist that others live as I do. It makes me
look like a busy body, or worse.
Lastly, you wrote "if the 4 year old had not
been on that tractor..."
I don't buy into those hypothetical if things
any more.
What if Babe Ruth hadn't been traded to the
Yankees? What if Admiral Kimmel had been paying
better attention? Or if Karl Marks had worse
skin boils maybe he couldn't write Das Kapital?
Or if Columbus had sailed east? Or if Kennedy
hadn't been shot?
Here's a song I've always liked.
And no you wont believe in if any more either.

You're actually telling me that if the child hadn't been on that tractor she wouldn't have died? That just doesn't make any sense.

I'm not trying to make any rules for anyone. I'm just voicing my opinion. Your "what ifs" have nothing to do with that kid getting killed. No matter how you try to spin it, if the kid hadn't been on that tractor she wouldn't have fallen off it and gotten killed.

I stated earlier in my post that it's up to you guys if you want little kids on your tractors or not. Just be prepared for the consequences if something goes terribly wrong. We already know it can happen. I guess there's always that old thought...it always happens to the other guy.