Child Safety Seats on a Kubota?

[RichNJ]

I've been thinking how to mount 2 child safety seats on my Kubota. Maybe one on each fender? The seat tether could be attached to the ROPS bar.
Just joking but I think of these things when I've got tractor stuff to do and 2 kids that love tractors. But the rule is no kids on tractors.

 

[Rick Jay]

RichNJ,

Good rule. I have the same. My 5 y.o. daughter loves my tractor, but she only gets to sit on it when it's shut-off and safely parked.

I do have a small lawn tractor (about 600 lbs.) that I let her ride on (she sits on my lap), but it's so low to the ground and light weight that I don't believe a serious injury could result.

Interestingly enough, she has become very good at steering it. It was fun to watch her at the amusement park last week as she "steered" the cars on the track (no other kids were) and the attendant was very surprised when she had already fastened her safety belt before the ride started (she gets that from sitting on the Kubota).

She has a very good understanding of safety (for her age) and realized that the Honda tractor is "hers", but the Kubota can be "dangerous" and that she must stay away when it's running. She respects the power of the larger equipment without fearing it, which I think is a good thing for someone of her age.

As I always tell her "Safety First!". Now I find she is telling me the same thing. The attached pic is her on it last summer (she was about 4 1/2). If you look close enough, you can probably see that she had the seat belt all buckled up.

~Rick

 

[TerryinMD]

No more than one person on the compact!! That is the rule. No sense in tempting fate.

My youngest daughter started to learn how to drive on our old JD 240. She was about 9 at the time. She just loved to run around on that thing. She is now 13 and hops onto the JD 4100 and has a ball mowing the yard. She has a major pucker factor on the hills (can't blame her). Just yesterday, her and her older sister complained to me that I wasn't "teaching" them how to use the rest of the implements (I'm still learning!!). That policy has now changed. They will be learning how dig, plow, bushhog, and any other chore they wish to learn and do.

Encourage and make it fun!! Explain the safety aspects and rules. It teaches the kids to be responsible for its safe usage.

Terry

 

[keeney]

NO EXTRA RIDERS, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN!

I hate to be a spoil sport, but when I worked at Toro, I heard way too many stories of how many children are killed or injured while riding on "small lawn tractors (about 600 lbs)".

I seem to also remember some obscure statistic that the majority of all riding mower injuries happen to children.

Most people think its the mower that is dangerous on a riding mower and the machine is "safe" when the mower is disengaged. However, the 600lbs (more like 800lbs total with an adult rider) can easily crush a child's skull or other important body parts.

Even if it doesn't kill them, its still a very sad thing to hear about broken ribs, arms, legs, ankles, etc when a child jumps, squirms, or falls off of the machine and gets run over or wedged between the machine and the pavement, etc.

Also, there are many stories of children who after having ridden on the machine with their parent decide that they are qualified to drive it themselves. Later, without supervision, perhaps to show off to their friends, they start the machine by themselves and get hurt. PLEASE ALWAYS REMEMBER TO REMOVE THE KEYS!

Whenever I see an adult with a child on a riding mower, I relate to them some of the stories and encourage people to think of these machines as seriously dangerous tools and not toys.

NO EXTRA RIDERS, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN!

- Rick

 

[cowboydoc]

I have to weigh in on the opposite of this. I learned to drive a pickup, tractor, motorcycle etc. before I was five years old as did most kids that grew up on a farm or a ranch. I knew the rules and I never broke them. I grew up with a respect for machinery and knew everything that it could do. My six year old drives the pickup or the tractor when we feed. She has a go-cart, 4 wheeler, and mini-bike all of which she is very adept at. I don't see anything wrong with teaching kids on machinery as long as it is supervised and they know the rules. Heck she can already ride and train horses and ropes better than most of the guys and gals at the roping we go to. I'd trust my six year old driving more than I would most of the older guys that come out to help now and then, she's a far better driver. Children are amazing and from what I can see about kids they are only limited by the limits that we as adults impose on them. There are dangers everywhere a child goes. Everyday we put our kids in the way of the #1 killer of small children with regard to accidents and don't think twice about it, automobiles. I'm not saying every kid should learn to run equipment but it's not a bad thing if they do if they are taught the proper way.

 

[Thomas]

Not being a parnet I can only reflect from past also when my little nephew became interested.
We really didn't have any books on tractor safety,just strong words and how to from the parnets also common sense<-- like when in doubt don't pull out.
When my little nephew became interested in tractors I will admit I was somewhat /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.giffor the last thing I want was anything bad to happen.
A coaching hand..positive words goes along way far as tractor safety w/children.
I feel the child should be a certain age before attemping solo drive,and only a parnet should decide...example cowboys daughter...it does start at home. Ahhh..before you know it one day you shall hear the diesel come to life as you are drinking your coffee,and moments later your child will be puttering by in which you shall feel a warm deep proud feeling w/in you.
Have a Merry Chirstmas and a peaceful day.

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

 

[Egon]

Cowboydoc:
Well said.
Egon

 

[beenthere]

Re: Child Safety amd experiences

I would weigh in with CowboyDoc on this one too. I would suggest that all children are not candidates for early driving, and are not adept at thinking about all the things that can go wrong, or what to do about them if they do go wrong. At an early age (5 and up), my children could drive the 8hp wheel horse around the acreage in low gear and no mower running. The girls didn't very often want to do it, but the boys used it as one of their toys. I was always within hearing distance, and kept track of where they were at, generally. They found out what they could do, and what they could not do. And we were lucky that no one was injured in the few incidents that were bound to happen. There is some risk, and I try to minimize that risk and still give them the experience I think they should have growing up. I would have felt very bad if one of them was injured, but also would have felt bad if they were injured in a car accident that was a result of not knowing what the car would or wouldn't do (maybe as a result of my not sharing my toys when they were young). No one knows for sure what is right, but we all have to make our own choices, and live with the consequences. I now share my toys with my grand children, as they mature to those various levels and desires. Merry Christmas

 

[MChalkley]

Richard - Well said. I treasure my memories of operating equipment on the farm. There has to be a balance there somewhere. Please teach the children to use the equipment - don't deprive them of that time with you, that knowledge, the bond they will always have with you and mechanical things because of it. But, as always, Safety First!

MarkC

 

[cowboydoc]

I treasure my memories of operating equipment on the farm

Same here Mark. I wanted a ranch more than ever when my girls got old enough to know what was going on. My most treasured moments are those when I was young on the ranch and having my Grandpa teach me to drive machinery and work a horse. Those are moments that are priceless. To him it was just work but to me it was the best time I could spend. I couldn't wait to get up at five in the morning to go and do chores or to get home from school and work horses. I think too much these days families go in so many different directions and there isn't that family time. I don't think there's any better cure for staying out of trouble than growing up on a farm or a ranch, learning life's lessons early, learning to work as a family and having respect for the things that made this country what it is.