Seat Belt ??

[GerardC]

<font color="blue"> And when you've been wearing them as long as I have, it just ain't comfortable without it. </font>

Ever get that "naked" feeling when you forget to put your watch on? That's how I feel without my seat belt on. It just feels uncomfortable. G

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue">I'd be interested in hearing how many of you actually use the seat belt...why you do or why you don't ... </font>

I think it comes down to whether you choose to do things that are likely to extend your life or shorten it.

If you tend to want to live the longest possible life your decisions will reflect that.

You will probably wear a helmet if you ride a motorcycle, wear a seat belt in a car, have a reserve parachute is you sky dive, etc.

If you research it, you will find that a great many tractor deaths could have been prevented if a seat belt/ROPS were used.

The recommendation is to use the seat belt if you have a ROPS.

I am not sure if statistics are available regarding loss of life with tractors that had ROPS, but whose operators were not using seat belts with the ROPS.

Common sense sure tells me that using a safety belt to keep me within the safety envelope defined by the ROPS and the tractor itself is sensible.

Myself, I guess I wear mine about 85% of the time. I don’t wear it when backing my tractor out of the shed, only to park it while it warms up. I don’t wear it when moving the tractor a couple feet when digging a ditch with my backhoe. I do wear it when cutting grass, even on the “flat” parts, because I have some banks and ditches that worst case the tractor could fall into.

The best advice anyone can give is to wear your seat belt as much as you can. Thereby maximizing your potential longevity.

 

[keeney]

I use mine EVERY time on and off the tractor. So much that the buckle on my seatbelt wore out.

I don't think there is a safe time to not wear it. Even just driving out of the garage could easily cause a fatal over-turn. For example, if your folding ROP's snags the header of the garage door because you forgot you put it up inside the garage, you could flip backwards in about 1/2 second - too quick to react.

If you think your tractor is too small to be dangerous, you are wrong. Even 500 lb riding lawn mowers have proven to be fatal in actual roll-over deaths.

In cars, its statistically not a matter of IF you will have an accident, but WHEN. So, every time I get in the car, I say to myself, "Prepare for impact!".

- Rick

 

[JoshJ]

Car/Road Vehicle: All the time.
Motorcycle: always a helmet
Tractor: I know I will get bashed for this, but no ROPS installed, therefore not wearing a seatbelt (does it have one? dunno) not that it makes a big difference, but it is a good size tractor, wider wheelbase=more stable. However I have run smaller, newer, ROPed/seatbelted tractors, and I used both then

 

[MikePA]

If a tractor doesn't have a ROPS, you shouldn't wear a seatbelt, even if the tractor has one.

 

[ByronBob]

Like most things in life it's all about choices we have to make. Some people wear them and some don't. When the law changed in NY to wear a seat belt in a car I refused due to the ignorance of my youth. A few seat belt tickets later I changed.
But with tractors there's no law to force you to do it. So it comes down to a choice you make when you turn the key. I would recommend you wear it (even though I may not) just because it's the right thing to tell you.

 

[PineRidge]

I put on the seat belt before starting the engine.

Reason: Common sense

 

[MrJoe]

100% of the time. Belt on before turning key.
When I look back on where I am today, one incident stands out. To make a long story short, if a friend had a ROPS and a seat belt he would not be "dead of irreparable massive internal injuries". I leave the scene to your imaganation. Joe

 

[KiotiJohn]

The rule of thumb is ROPS/Seatbelt, no ROPS/no seatbelt.
I wear my seatbelt nearly all of the time I'm on the tractor. There have been plenty of times that I've found situations that nearly turned me over. If it had happened without the seatbelt, I have little doubt that would have ended up UNDER the ROPS. John

 

[riptides]

I would not own a tractor without a ROPS and seat belt.

If I had that combination 10 years ago, I might have two eyes instead of one. Hard lesson to learn. Harder living with a reminder every day.

You have a seat belt and ROPS, I would think you should wear the belt.

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif