Anyone ever make their own buddy-seat? Made one for my Kioti.

[pmsmechanic]

In reply to above:

First of all if my grandkids ask for a tractor ride I am NOT saying no. I might say later or something like that but no is not an option. None of my grandkids have a rural lifestyle and I'm not going to cheat them out of some rural experiences.
They don't realize it but there are several rules though. I'll give kids a ride using the rototiller but not the mower. They always have to be touching me in some way. Either my arm around them or holding on to my arm or standing between my legs or something. There is always another adult supervising so that there are more than one set of eyes.

I realize than this doesn't cover every possible danger but I feel I've mitigated the risks to an acceptable level. If no one ever took any chances we wouldn't be driving motorcycles or cars. We wouldn't have climbed Mount Everest and we for sure wouldn't have gone to the moon among many other things.

 

[lilranch2001]

It is a difficult subject but…….
So is burying a child…..

 

[lilranch2001]

I wonder how many people have “ if only” to do over, what they would do…..

 

[dadohead]

First of all if my grandkids ask for a tractor ride I am NOT saying no. I might say later or something like that but no is not an option. None of my grandkids have a rural lifestyle and I'm not going to cheat them out of some rural experiences.

Nonsense. My young grandkids have their own pedal tractor w/ wagon to play with. They've climbed on my larger tractors in the shed; they have never seen the mowers. They aren't missing out on anything.

To those that have kids/grandkids that have had tractor rides... be  extra vigilant. Remember, the accident scenario is that the child follows the machine unbeknownst to the operator. It's not about "holding them tight" or "only during certain operations." I know this may ruffle some feathers but giving rides is not worth the risk.

 

[tacticalturnip]

You're not going to stop people from giving children tractor rides by being as abrasive as sandpaper on the internet; personally, I applaud the OP for looking for a relatively safe alternative to just setting his daughter on his lap.

Is it dangerous to mix children and equipment, yeah, and it's been that way since the creation of these machines. So, why not try to find a way to make mitigate the danger some? Things like, a buddy seat- with a seat belt, or not giving rides when performing work, and most of all- entrenching a sense of safety and responsibility into the children from a young age.

Or maybe you can just yell at people online; get off my lawn!

 

[lilranch2001]

And some grandparents feel the need to spoil their grandchildren to “death”….

 

[rgr33]

My first thought was child security, but you got that handled deezler.

Nice job on the seat.

 

[K5lwq]

There are good reasons tractors don't have buddy seats!!!

I was an engineer in the tractor industry for 30 years

There are plenty of tractors that had buddy seats and plenty of the new ones today still do.

 

[tacticalturnip]

And some grandparents feel the need to spoil their grandchildren to “death”….

Yeah, plenty still that will load them up with sugar and throw money at them too, all things that can lead down a deadly path. Drinking too much water will kill you as well.

It comes down to responsibility, with both the adult and the child, something that must be taught.

 

[oldnslo]

How do children learn about equipment by playing games on their phone or getting out in the real world and getting their hands dirty.

How many of our parents and grandparents were hurt by horses and horse drawn equipment.

I applaud parents who teach their children values and to respect equipment other peoples property etc.

 

[dadohead]

There are plenty of tractors that had buddy seats and plenty of the new ones today still do.

Those are cabbed ag tractors that operate in fields where toddlers won't be around to chase... I think you know this.

I don't mean to be abrasive but these accidents are more common than you think. They are just horrific. I'm sure the parents and grandparents had all the best intentions. When things go tragic though, they are also the same ones that get the lawyer: "we didnt know!" All manufactures can do is add devices like no-mow-in-reverse (the most hated, often bypassed, device there is) and warn users in the OM. Well, now you know.

 

[oldnslo]

Dado
I appreciate your concern about children and I suspect mist everyone on this forum have or children and don’t want to see them hurt and yes most equipment accidents are horrific. Bodies twisted around PTO shafts, hands caught in gathering chains or husking rollers, fingers cut off from belts, etc.

We lost a neighbor to a mean sow, all we found was pieces of his shoes and some bone scraps. Should we quit raising hogs?

Lost a grandpa and uncle to bull attack, survived one myself but the bull didn’t.
How many children are attacked by dogs? Killed by drunk drivers, or drugged drivers. End of the day all the well intentioned safety devices will never replace teaching someone to respect something Vs being ignorant to the dangers.

 

[dadohead]

I'm with you sir. It's just that toddlers can't be reasoned with. All I can do is explain the root cause of this scenario and hope that adults act accordingly. Accident investigators detail certain facts in these cases that are included in the reports:

• "The child had been given rides in the past" is often stated
• The machine functioned properly (so operator chose to reverse the machine without looking)...or
• The machine safety device(s) (no-mow-in-reverse) had been defeated (so owner chose this unsafe action).

All of this puts liability squarely on the operator; sobering for us standing on the sidelines. I hope none of us will ever have to face something like this!

 

[lilranch2001]

I think it’s a lost cause arguing one way or another….

Anyone who has strong feelings are not gonna change them because what someone says

 

[deezler]

I'm sorry but this is the mother of bad ideas. I was an engineer in the tractor industry for 30 years and monitored accident reports regularly. Giving children rides is the root cause of a particular accident scenario most don't realize: CHILD BACK OVERS.... often with MOWER BLADE CONTACT.

The "accident" goes like this: a child (often a toddler who has regularly been given tractor rides) escapes supervision momentarily and follows a tractor wanting a ride without the operator's knowledge. Upon reversing, contact is made. These accidents are especially hideous and often involve parents/grand-parents as the operator. This is exactly why most mowing machines are equipped with "no mow in reverse" devices. They don't prevent the accident but limit the liability in court.

DON'T GIVE CHILDREN TRACTOR RIDES! It teaches them that "tractors are fun"! This happens far more often than you can imagine. There are good reasons tractors don't have buddy seats!!!

My dude, this is not a riding mower. I do not have a mower deck on this tractor, and if you'd read my posts you'd see that this is for gentle cruising only.

Also, tractors ARE fun, and important tools to be treated with great respect.

But your point is still well taken, losing or maiming your child with an avoidable power equipment incident is incredibly tragic and unnecessary. My kids (and their friends) have been repeatedly told that NO ONE is to go near a running lawn mower, and they are NEVER to be behind an operating mower or tractor.

 

[deezler]

While these kind of child vs equipment accidents do happen with enough regularity to come across on the news/internet/word-of-mouth to keep them in mind, I think it's also important to look at the big picture. The vast, vast majority of kids coming near or on a tractor are having a blast, learning important lessons, and coming away with no injury whatsoever. Riding on a tractor or mower with my dad is one of the very best memories of my childhood, I'm damn sure not gonna make my own children miss out on awesome life experiences just because someone else kids are too dumb not to walk behind a running lawn mower, or no one is watching the toddlers and they wander away. We covered the safety lessons with our kids, and still do with great regularity, and I think thats the best you can do.

Whats the alternative though, really? Kids can never touch a machine? Just have to wait until they are 18 and then learn everything on their own? that actually sounds LESS safe to me.

But anyway. My daughter in the pics is now about to turn 5, and frankly she's growing like a weed. Not sure this buddy seat is going to be even useable for much longer! I'll let everyone know when it's removed if any other Kioti owners want to try it, haha.

 

[alexpops]

for seat belt ideas:

Amazon.com

 

[deezler]

I want to add one more distinction here: Babies and small toddlers have no place on running tractors, I do agree. My daughter was 4 years old, intelligent enough to reason with, and sturdy and agile enough to take car of her body and motions already by the time I felt it ok to make this buddy seat. I definitely do cringe when you see a weak old "grandpa" holding a baby while driving around a machine - that is just selfish behavoir IMO, because if the kid is too young to even remember it, all you are doing is endangering them.