Do You Have A Cold Adult Beverage While Operating The Tractor?

[JoeinTX]

Yo comprende, BigD.


Some might call us a "drag" or a "downer" but the alcohol is for when the work is done, tools are put away, and the evening is well upon.

Others are different and I don't disparage them out if hand.



As an aside, the same goes for hunting. Never, ever drink while handling firearms but know some who do as a part of the overall "hunting trip" experience. I don't go hunting with them, politely.



Other posters above made the point that it is hard enough to keep your head and pay attention while sober, so, why add alcohol to the mix and compound the situation when there's plenty of time later to enjoy the drink..........????

 

[mjncad]

I won't begrudge anyone who partakes of the beer while on the tractor but it's not my thing. I've worked with plenty of people who do and one old fella I worked for for years started on the beer as soon as breakfast was done but I never saw him drunk to my knowledge.

I do enjoy the drink, beer or liquor, but not while working and rarely during the day. It's a "time and place" kind of thing for me.

I worked with a guy like the old fella you describe. This co-worker could/would drink a case a day, and a six-pack during a 1/2-hour lunch was normal for him. Fortunately the only equipment he was running was a computer; but I shudder to think about him on the road commuting to and from the office. When he exceeded his normal daily intake, he became a belligerent drunk; otherwise he was what I call a functional drunk.

I like my booze and I did my share of stupid stuff when I was younger; but now I try and use common sense as to when to have a beer and when not to.

 

[GaryCrowell]

I usually have a beer in my hand while bush hogging the 10 acres around my house. It's pretty even ground and doesn't require a whole lot of maneuvering of the tractor so I don't spill too much. Unlike Canada, the U.S. generally doesn't have any laws restricting drinking and driving on your own property, only on public roads, so the law doesn't have anything to say about it. I'm in the camp that doesn't see a problem with the 13 year old having a beer every now and then. Legality doesn't equate to right or wrong. Drinking alcohol wasn't "wrong" under prohibition then suddenly okay the day it was repealed. I lived in Italy for a while and it's normal over there to see 12 year olds sitting in a restaurant with a glass of wine in their hand. They don't have the "alcohol is evil" culture fostered on them and they have much less trouble with youth binge drinking than we do. I think our 21 year old drinking laws have created a forbidden fruit image of alcohol in the minds of youngsters which leads them to excess when they finally do get hold of it. If we didn't treat alcohol as such a taboo and allowed them to drink in a responsible manner instead of making them sneak around to get alcohol then we'd probably have a lot fewer knee slapping drunks later in life.

 

[Renze]

I know some people who say they can drive "better" after having a couple.

I -used to- have a friend who said that...






...No he didnt kill himself drunk driving, if thats what you were thinking....
But he's no longer a friend of mine, because he didnt accept my opinion on his drink and drive habits.
He would miss 3 of his friends rather than his beer....

 

[Renze]

To put this one down, please do not blame my parents or anyone but me. And it has probably been 3 occasions only once with 2 beers, and with few people around to injure or be stupid. I am 5' 10" and weigh 190. Please, I wouldn't drink any other time than a day when there's nothing that needs to be done or doing something that could cause serious injury if not done correctly. You are right, it isn't a good thing to do at all, and I do not recommend it in any way shape of form. Again, I apologize.
Kyle

I've never apologised for a little overspeeding, unless against the offiver when i thought it might be helpfull for getting a lower fine


Drink and drive, I wont tell "I do, but i know my limits" because people that sat behind the wheel with 10 beers, told me that they knew their limits and werent even close to that limit and assured that it was absolutely safe...

I wont argue about personal limits with anyone. My guests simply dont get anymore if they have to drive, i'll be the judge of that. As a rule of thumb, a person can drink 2 beers before the police breath-a-lizer makes trouble here in Holland, i have one friend who gets funny after 2 beers so we dont let him, some others will take 3 without problems.

The issue with people with a drinking problem is, that they have proven that they dont know their limit, so a personal limit cant be a common guideline for what is safe.


Drinking and working, I dont drink when working on my knees, physical heavy work, or welding. When driving a tractor, with my head up in the air, i do drink one, but only a 2nd when i had something to eat too.

I certainly dont drink before baling !! the beer gets out of the fridge when the bales are on the loft, nothing cuts the labor productivity more than tossing hay bales in hot summer weather with beer in the belly !!



I do know a guy who killed a bicyclist when driving the forage wagon, after 2 beers on an empty stomach on a hot day, when he was age 16. He only started drinking again untill his mid 30's.
Since then, i know he should have stayed with his non-drinking principle, because he still cant draw the line..

 

[Gizmo2]

I have no beverages at all. The cup holder is by my right elbow and I've knocked my sports bottle onto the ground too many times.

Same here now the cup holder is for my tape measure.
Too bad we did not live closer we could have shared implements and saved a lot of money.

 

[patrick_g]

Consumption of alcohol negatively impacts your ability to reason, your inhibitions, your judgement and your reflexes. More alcohol = more impact.

How important that is depends on what you are doing and how you are doing it at the time. A routine job with little or no heavy thinking or problem solving and not demanding of precise motor skills is probably not something the average drinker would have a problem with. There are lots of jobs that fit in the above "not a problem" category and I don't only mean sitting on the couch watching TV.

At some point as you progress through the spectrum of job difficulty even the most experienced and skilled among us will encounter jobs best approached sober and fully alert. Since judgement is one of the first casualties of alcohol the person drinking is the least suited to decide when the job should be deferred to a sober time. This is a real gotcha and can lead to big time trouble.

Unfortunately too many people wrongfully equate manliness to the ability to "function" while under the influence of alcohol. This idea is perpetuated through ignorance and stupidity. Many drinkers believe (or delude themselves and try to fool others) that they are somehow different and that they unlike the "girlie men" can drink without suffering any reduction in their abilities.

IMHO operating dangerous equipment or tools that require good reflexes, a sharp mind, or other responsive mental attributes while under the influence of alcohol increases the likelihood of accident and injury. Does this mean you can't operate a riding mower or other "tool" in a simple repetitive manner while enjoying a cold beer? No! If your mowing task is second nature to you like tying your shoe laces you will PROBABLY be just fine if nothing new, unusual, or demanding suddenly arises.

How many beers in what period of time, how difficult or demanding the task, level of risk that is acceptable (to you when sober), and similar issues rightfully require an assessment to be made on a case by case basis when the assessor is sober. Unfortunatley your ability to decide what should or should not be attempted while under the influence of alcohol is negatively influenced by the effects of alcohol, a prescription for failure.

I am not a teetotaler, but I choose very carefully the circumstances under which I imbibe. When driving anything or operating potentially dangerous equipment or tools I do not consume alcohol. My personal rules, not necessarily to be imposed on others. I have enough trouble when cold sober to risk dulling my brain and slowing my reflexes when I may need all (or more) that I have.

Drink and shoot? Not a really good idea. Perhaps tolerable with just a little drinking in a safe target shooting venue with well defined rules. Your performance will deteriorate. Absolutely incredibly stupid in a hunting situation where you need to be alert and able to use sound judgement and will be able to no neither under the influence of alcohol.

Pat

 

[Bird]

I used to drink quite a bit of beer, but now it's usually just a glass or two of red wine before supper. However, there's been a more or less forgotten 6 pack of Natural Light in the shop refrigerator for a year or more. So after cleaning out rain gutters, up and down the ladder a dozen times, and mowing the yard with a walk behind mower with grass catcher, in this Texas heat yesterday, I sat in the shade on the patio and had a cold beer. Sure tasted good, too. But the most dangerous thing I did afterwards was to take a shower.

 

[cowboy357]

I used to drink quite a bit of beer, but now it's usually just a glass or two of red wine before supper. However, there's been a more or less forgotten 6 pack of Natural Light in the shop refrigerator for a year or more. So after cleaning out rain gutters, up and down the ladder a dozen times, and mowing the yard with a walk behind mower with grass catcher, in this Texas heat yesterday, I sat in the shade on the patio and had a cold beer. Sure tasted good, too. But the most dangerous thing I did afterwards was to take a shower.

Actually taking a shower is far more dangerous then most Realise . This was sent to Me by a Friend. Not sure I beleive it or not but found it interesting , Bob


Statistics show bathrooms can be the most dangerous room in your house. 70% of home accidents occur in the bathroom. The combination of water and smooth surfaces makes taking a bath or shower a risky proposition. Slip and falls account for over 20,000 fatalities per year in North America. It is the second leading cause of accidental death and disability after automobile accidents. Over 75% of slip-fall deaths occur to people 65 years of age or older.

 

[Bird]

Over 75% of slip-fall deaths occur to people 65 years of age or older.

Yep, and my wife and I are in that age group. She won't take a bath unless I'm at home, just in case, she should have an accident, which so far, she has not. But I still go ahead with a shower when I'm through working, whether she's at home or not.