Teaching a 14 year old to drive the tractor...

[sparrowhawk1]

First post, but longtime reader. Lots of wisdom conveyed through these forums and I would much rather learn from other's mistakes than my own.

I'm a rookie and I just bought our first tractor, a nicely broken in Ford 3600. We'll use it mostly for bush hogging our 20 acres and other fun things as we acquire more attachments. After teaching myself to operate it safely (I've never owned a tractor), I want to teach my 14 year old son. Unlike a car, I can't sit in the passenger seat and grab the wheel when he's headed toward a cliff. I'm usually an advocate of the school of hard knocks as a great way to get an education, but too many stories of serious tractor injuries and my very tolerant wife will skin me alive if our boy gets anything more than a scratch while operating it. Any advice?

Thanks

 

[RaydaKub]

My dad taught me to drive on our JD Model A and then on our "big" tractor (67hp); I was doing primary tillage when I was 8. I rode along with him for a long time before that though. Aptitude has a lot to do with it. When it was finally my time (tough to use that word for that age), he drove at least one round in the field to show me what to do. Then he had me drive 3 more rounds and gently made suggestions to what I could do to do it better or easier. We had some very large head lands in those days. But when doing the 3rd round, he didn't say a word and let me do it. Then we stopped and he jumped off and it was my show. I still am in awe at the trust he had in me.

I don't know anything about the Ford 3600, but there's nothing like riding along to see how things work. A cab that makes sure you can't fall off is great peace of mind. Maybe try it w/o any implement behind first so if there's a fall (backwards), there's little consequence.

 

[creekbend]

Just my thoughts. If it were me, I would have your Son read the Operator's Manual up and down. The same principle as when one studies the DOT manual before testing for their Driver's License. Then stand beside him while he shows you all the steps in starting the tractor. Have him explain all the necessary levers that are used in operating the tractor and implements. After you are relatively sure of his confidence and YOURS, have him start the tractor, and after putting it in low gear, walk beside him in a level field and let him demonstrate his ability to you. Then, it will be only a matter of time before he will be experienced. BTW, if the ROPS are up, make sure that he has the seat belt fastened. We all had to learn in steps, and many of us are still learning. Best wishes to both of you.

 

[CobyRupert]

Problem is, when things go wrong the results aren't usually just a scatch. But as long as you/he goes slow and use patience. Good thing with tractors is that in low gear (and in wide open spaces) there's usually time to stop before something goes very wrong, easy to learn clutching, shifting, without damage, etc....
-I'd start out w/ short tasks, like moving tractor from point A to B, long before moving onto running power equipment.
-Be careful on hills or situations where one has to rely on brakes. The one thing scarier than pushing in the clutch and having the tractor take off is having that happen going backwards, hitched to a haywagon (I was about 13, little case Case VAC, no brakes).
-Of course, be careful on side hills, especially when mowing. That unseen groundhog hole or rock/stump can change the pitch drastically.
-Don't place yourself under or between pinchpoints where your safety relys on the hydraulics and 3 point hitches not failing.
-Beware of loose clothing around spinning shafts, best to turn off PTO as a policy before dismounting. Also, those brush hogs stay spinning for a long time after pto is off.
-Rule #1: Stop & think things through before proceding.

 

[bigtiller]

The progression form bicycle to riding lawn mower to AC WD45 pulling a spreader, plow or disk seemed all natural to me when I was 12. I bet your kid will be fine, just outlaw high gear to him for a while.

 

[landedakioti]

I was 5yrs old when my grandfather hand me the key to the international 445 he stool on the three point hitch and told me what to do. He started me moving the tractors for him and parking them at the age 10 was when he let me work a hay field by myself . That was with a lot of tractor time. I have never rolled a tractor but my cousin did gathering sap. Into the river lucky he jump off the tractor before it went down a 40ft drop into the river . I would start him out in a flat field for a few years before you throw hills and a brush hog. I know my uncle'a arms where rip out of his sockets by the bailer because the hay got stuck and i heard the screaming from the other side of the field. Nothing worse they seeing a family member bleed to death.

 

[EE_Bota]

I started out as best I remember going to the barn to get the tractor and hooking up the implement Dad wanted to use. That is probably not wise, since backing up to an implement is sort of an advanced skill in many ways. I shouldn't say that maybe since I was doing it at an early age, but I swear I was better at it then than now.

Anyway, if it has a ROPS, that would be a load off my mind, so I would make sure he knows the importance of a seat belt, and about all the ways a tractor can turn over. Just because a ROPS is there, that doesn't mean an overturned tractor is not to be avoided obviously, so explaining how to avoid it is important. My Dad didn't tell me any of that stuff, and we didn't have a ROPS.

I'd take him out into a field and I'd put something in front of the tractor like a stick, and ask him to drive forward until he just touches it. Same for the rear. I find that many folks are calm as can be until they get near something else, and if they are headed toward it, they panic.

Lots of times folks just want to know how to get going. When I am on a new tractor or any other vehicle, the first thing I try to learn is how to stop. I am also highly interested in how certain that action is to actually stop the piece. So I'd spend a descent amount of time on how to surely stop the tractor, the engine, the equipment. If a man can stop a piece of equipment, lots of the bad stuff that could happen won't.

 

[94BULLITT]

I have driven tractor since could reach the pedals. I would not let someone inezperince run a tractor with a rotary cutter. I would teach him how to work all the controls and check the oil antifreeze etc. I would start your son out with letting him run the tractor in 2 or 3rd gear on level ground and get used to how to take off and stop with it. I do recommend that you make him shut it off before he gets off of it so he won't knock it in gear and get hurt.

 

[pat32rf]

What experience has he had driving other vehicles/equipment? Dad taught me how to use a clutch when I was about 10 (back roads, station wagon).
The next year he wound up driving 50miles (one way)to work each day. After supper it was my job to get the car of the day beside the 500gallon gasoline tank and crank until full, then put the car in the garage without any scratches. After a year of this, I got to be a pretty good judge of how much space it took to maneuver. Few years later we moved to the stix and bought a 9n with a snow blade. About this time I mastered backing up with both a trailer and wagon. By the time I was 15 I was plowing used car lots with our new MHF 30. It was just a case of seat time with my mind in gear.
Take it easy, don't rush him and let him master the basics one at a time.

 

[vwnotrunning]

Be sure to let him truly become comfortable with operating the tractor by itself without implements before you have him do any actual work. I remember the stress (fortunately no catastrophic accidents) when starting off too soom with production. It needs to be enjoyable during the early learning - not under a time table.

 

[Johndeere3720]

I started out around age 8 on a JD riding mower w/ a hydrostatic tranny. Then i slowly moved up to a new John Deere 2210 at age 10, soon after up to a new John Deere 3720. In my case, everything at first was hydrostatic, however I got my share of many different gear tractors. What I learned from all this seat time not only allows me to be able to operate most any tractor, it also made my driving experience on the road much better since I already had an idea of how to drive. In your case, I defiantly encourage that you have your son read the operators manual (if available), that will give him a good idea of the tractors main functions. Then give him a field trial, remove any implements from the tractor and show him how to operate the tractor in an open field. Show him all of the safety mechanisms on the tractor so he is aware of how they function as well as the dangers of operating a tractor. Give instructions on how to stop immediately if need be as well as how to change gears, use the clutch, etc. Eventually introduce him to the 3 point hitch, PTO, and other components as he becomes more experienced. Just my :2cents:

 

[BIG DOOLEY]

Be sure to let him truly become comfortable with operating the tractor by itself without implements before you have him do any actual work. I remember the stress (fortunately no catastrophic accidents) when starting off too soom with production. It needs to be enjoyable during the early learning - not under a time table.

I remember the first time working up a field with a disc.
A whole different ballgame than just driving the tractor.
I was 11 or 12 years old and pretty nervous the first 1/2 hour.
Learned a whole new respect for the power and danger of the equipment.
What a blast though!

 

[case245]

at 14 it should take him a few min to get the hang of itjust make sure before he exit the mach he stops all moving attaments mowers tillers etc i was 7 fellow the old man in the dump i was on the cat crawler loader 12 ton of steel under me

 

[MBTRAC]

I'm hoping your son has used a ride on mower or ATV , even better if he has used a motor bike or spent some time in a car round your paddocks so at least he has some idea of steering & throttle control - good motor bike riders tend also to be easier to teach to operate a tractor because they have a good idea of balancing the throttle, controlling the clutch & the inherent dangers of "wheel standing"....

IMO the first steps in teaching anyone to operate a tractor is having run them through the steps to start & more importantly stop (including the engine ) the tractor until it is almost second nature......then & only then should they be allowed to actually start/operate the machine.

As for riding "pillion" whilst someone else is operating the tractor, unless there is a second pasenger seat & seat belt forget it - if in doubt research the fatalities/injuries statistics resulting from this crazy practice....

Yes, I too can quote "I've been driving tractors all my life" & "I started out when I was a boy sitting next to my Dad & Grandfather.....", the fact is that was the way most of todays farmers learnt when they were younger & that doesn't actually make it a good teaching practice- unfortunately I also recalled too many of my young friends being injured or worse from this learning "experience" helping out on the farm operating tractors from way too early an age...tractors aren't toys & are far from forgiving, make a mistake & it could be your last.....

OK,now comes the first "solo":-
- Remove all implements from the tractor including if practical the FEL
- Operate only on flat ground, have an agreement on 1 simple hand signal to stop the machine & a planned route of where the tractor will be traveling - use your hand signal early as possible to have your son prove he can stop the engine of the tractor (it's way too late if he's in a situation beyond your/his control & finds he can't then stop the machine)
- Use lowest gear in high range only, if the tractor is in low range it's too difficult to stall & will crawl over anything if it all goes wrong

Once he becomes sufficent competent in "driving", the next step is learning how to hook the implements up safely & under no circumstances allow him to connect a PTO shaft to anything but a tractor with the engine stopped ....& when he masters this then ask the question how to teach him to operate a tractor with an implement- as we all know this is a whole different ball game.....

 

[pokerboy57]

2 years ago I purchased a JD 3320. My previous yard tool was a 19" 3 1/2 hp lawn mower.... I learned by trial and error. My daughter asked to learn to drive it. I started by showing her how to go forward and backward..... Then to use the FEL... Then to park it in the shed.... She learned very quickly But most importantly I didn't advance her until she mastered the previous task.... It seemed to work.

 

[KennyG]

Lots of good advice here, but remember, he's not going to do what you tell him to do, he's going to do what he sees you doing. Set a good example.

 

[nomad]

I was 10 when I started to use Massey Harris 44 to plow the field. Most difficult part of the work for me was turning the corners, controlling steering wheel was above my power. I was hating to turn the corners then. But, it had no hydraulic steering. Later, when I started to use a newer tractor with hydraulic steering, it was like cadillac. As far as I know, original Ford 3600 has no hydraulic steering. But, it can be added. (if yours doesn't have it, I can send from here.) Anyway, as one said above, using tractor on the road and in the field with attachment are two different things.

 

[suzy]

I know our provincial 4-H put out a safety video for ATV use, does your 4-H have any tractor safety materials? Or local farmer's institutes? Ag offices?
Every child is different when it comes to listening to instructions and being respectful of machinery. Hopefully your son has shown interest in the tractor and has helped with maintence like oil changes and greasing it already. I remember just learning to operate the loader first when I was a child...

 

[skylarkguy]

Lots of good advice so far, I'd only add that it may be a function of his relative maturity. He may decide that is is way too much. If so respect that and let him decide when it is time. Having patience will also be key, i remember some really hard learning with my dad when he was upset/impatient (but generally he was a fine instructor, thanks Dad).

 

[TerryR]

I was "taught" to drive a tractor at about age 8 or 10. My dad was spraying weeds along the road with a 300-gal. sprayer behind a Farmall H, using a hose and hand boom. When he got to the end of the hose he told me to get on the tractor and move it forward. He may have offered directions, but they would have been difficult to hear above the din of the engine on the sprayer rig. It seemed quite natural, but I'd grown up on a farm with equipment around all the time, and was naturally inclined to learn how things work. A different kid, with a different background, maybe not.

Terry