Buddy Seat

I know someone has done something similar so here is my question. Has anyone ever built a buddy seat for a cab tractor or know where to find one? Buying the parts from Deere to add one is over $900 (ouch) and that just isn't going to happen. I want to be able to take my son with me in the field sometimes but want a safe, comfy place for him in the cab.

I installed an actual John Deere buddy seat in a John Deere 8100 tractor when I worked in a shop, and let me tell you it was the biggest pain in the arse on the planet. There is just not enough room for the extra seat. I feel less cramped with two people on my old AC WD. At least it had a seatbelt, though.

$900 seems terribly steep, though, for just the seat parts. All it is, IIRC, is a seat bottom, then the back upper, and a little bracket that follows the curvature of the hub, and then a new fender foam piece, and a seat belt.

Might want to read the link below before you go ahead and do this. And remember, the farmer involved here ALSO thought this would never happen to him.

Probably won't change your mind, and I won't condemn you if you don't. Just want you to go into this with your eyes wide open.
Buddy Seat Tragedy

You're right; probably not gonna change anyone's mind..........I've let a child ride (and steer), big tractor, 1st gear, flat hay field...for a few minutes. Been operating tractors/construction equipment/harvesting equipment since 1952; except for time in military, never did anything but farm/ranch. I have NEVER let anyone ride when I was 'working'; the chances of an accident happening are probably minute, but I wasn't willing to take the chance.

Please don't.It brings tears to my eyes to think of the closecalls we all have had with small children and older children riding on or driving tractors.Life is too precious to take a chance of loseing it.

Just don't do it. Like thurlow says, maybe a turn around at slow speed once in a while, but never when working. Quit work a bit early and spend some time playing with him in the evening. Time well spent, instead of chasing the dollar.

what model tractor are you putting this in? $900 is auful high of a price

It is a 6430, prices were from johndeereparts.com -

The whole point is to keep him safe and he isn't allowed on anything without a cab. And only in the cab when I'm poking around on the lane between farms. So the thought was if he was buckled in he would be ok to ride a little more. I appreciate the concern - one benefit of a community is to watch out for each other. I'll reevaluate...

The CaseIH tractors at the Elkhart County 4-H fair (blatant plug for the 2nd largest county fair in the country)... had "buddy" seats in the cab from the factory. Seen newer combines like that too. I would never consider one with out a full, modern cab not even with a open ROPS. You can still get in trouble with a closed cab but the safety is much better. Not to mention the dust and noise aren't good for little lungs and ears (or for older ones either).

Nearly everything one does in life has some risk. Driving on the road is risky, so should we all stay home and/or walk? Should we never climb a tree because we might fall down? Benefit/reward vs risk is the issue. I believe the reward/benefit of teaching/educating my children/grandchildren to the farming life/experience, which sometimes includes controlled tractor rides, is substantial for a slight increase in risk.
If children are on the tractor/machine it is necessary to keep them in your vision or at least restrained. The guy backing the tractor wasn't watching the child, didn't have him adequately restrained and an unfortunate accident occured. This situation could be repeated many times before you would again have the circumstances that resulted in this tragedy.
So if you truly believe that life is too precious to take a chance, don't travel on the roads, don't fly in planes, don't climb trees, don't go skiing/sledding or any other activity that makes life worth living. As the story goes you might live a long time, but really never live. Sometime the old 60's phrase has some valid meaning, "It's better to burnout than fade away".

Cost about 300 bucks here. Have to be professionally installed and inspected yearly but plenty safe (not dummy proof, but combined with a little common sense....)




Dave

Been to fair several times and was impressed. Unfortunately it is a long drive or would go every year.

Call your local dealer and get a price, they offre a kit to add that seat to a 6430 ,I have installed a few of them pretty simple to put in ,but that price is about double what i came up with.

Most of your comparisons don't have anything to do with one of the most dangerous industries.
And to live life to the fullest is for adults not children that have to be watched.

James , you hit the nail square on the head and drove it home! Well said! No sense in getting up in the morning if you are afraid of what MIGHT happen. Use common sense in all areas of your life and enjoy it. Just remember - you can't protect stupid people from themselves. With that said I think dieselpup has the right idea. Don't exclude the kids just try and make it safer for them. The other ideas about "not while working" are very valid also. Take joy rides with the little ones. Teach them the hazards as they grow, just spend time with them. Risk is an inherent part of life, you will never eliminate it so work with it. If a child continually proves that they don't have any common safety sense, send them to band camp. ...Randy

I'm probably going to take some heat for this, but I have many fond memories of riding on the tool box on a D17, WD45, and on the left side lift arm hanging on to the seat of a 730 JD with no fenders. I have no problem with riders that show they have the wherewithal to know they need to hang on and pay attention to what is going on around them. I did, and never once had a close call.
It's all about each individual kid. Some have common sense enough to know that you don't stick your hand under a mower deck when the engine is running. Others are too dumb to come in out of the rain. Use your head. You'll know if your kid is responsible enough to safely ride.

We rode countless hours in the 70's.

Figured that's what those slot handles were for on the Massey Ferguson fenders.

Truth is, we had to be responsible for ourselves, and we knew that.

Today's kids wear bicycle helmets.

Check with Hy-Capacity in Humbolt Ia.They have them for the 8100 series,I don,t know about the 6400 series.

We took the entire family to the funeral home visitation last Wednesday. As well known and as large as the family is. Attendance was sparse as most friends and family said they just couldn't cope the sight.
The three year old Lucas was in a child's casket and appeared to be sleeping. He was surrounded by hundreds of pictures on himself & family when still alive. I haven't seen so many flowers at a funeral for some time either. Lucas was$ dressed in blue and holding a blue blanket and a toy.
The mortician has done a good job putting his face and body back together for an open casket. Closer examination reveled a very heavy application of makeup to cover the bruising. The left cheekbone was sunk lower that the right. The chevron bar tread could seen from the right side of his forehead and down over his right ear. Some scalp hair had been rubber/pulled out from friction.
The parents and family were operating like blank vacant machines on automatic mode. Just going through the motions while on emotional emergency bypass mode.

Somebody has eluded to the fact of capability and awareness of hazards. No child under the age 10 has a clue. And a majority of the population above the age of 10 doesn't have a clue either.
Foe those people who think they can sit on a fender and "hang on". Or stand somewhere on a machine and "hang on"? What makes them believe they possess super human speed, super human strength and super human brain power. And protection given by the Almighty to protect them from all harm because they are special? Not suspect to disaster like "other people"?
Statistics say otherwise with the number of drivers let alone riders who was tossed off machines and crippled or killed.
It's out tax dollars too that are spent scrapping up messes and paying for emergency services. And long term care for cripples.
The opinion of those people who have seen and cleaned up broken human bodies. Differs greatly from those who have never seen a mess and are still in denial.
The human body no matter what you have seen on tv, movies or in cartoons. The human body is not particularly robust or strong. It pulls apart, crushes easily and can be punctured with anything.

B&D, you have my sympathies for the loss of a loved one, especially so young.
I respectfully disagree with you on awareness and so on on kids under 10. I knew when I started riding a bicycle that if I fell off it would hurt, bleed, etc. Same with riding on the tractor. If I fell off I'd get hurt or even killed. I think some of it came from just wanting to see what's going on.
I had friends that were fearless and even broke bones on several occasions. They weren't getting me to do some of the crazy things they did no matter how much they called me chicken.
Some know early on. Others take a little longer. Some never do.

I know most of us that grew up with any experience driving tractors (or riding on them) know looking back how dangerous a lot of this stuff was. I have ridden in and driven a John Deere 6400, and I can't imagine the 6430 is much roomier in the cab. Is there actually enough room to cram a buddy seat in there, the seat is so close to the wall of the cab as it is? There's not enough room for two people in the cab anyway.

I can remember learning to drive a tractor when I was younger, sitting on someone's lap or riding on the tool box. However, never at any high rate of speed, and never while any work was being done. More of a "scenic drive" than anything. However, in my late teens/early 20s, I can remember hanging onto tractors in all sorts of ways and speeds that in retrospect would seem stupid or dangerous. All I can say is, if you want to take whomever for a little ride in your tractor, then a buddy seat may definitely be a safer way to go - just make sure it is properly secure, the seatbelt is secure, and that you always close the cab door.

Sadly, I've had several friends (and relatives) killed in tractor rollovers and others with missing body parts (mostly older folk from the corn picker years, granted). You have to pay attention and be extra careful around farm equipment.