Kids driving tractors

I was reading Ky's post about when we all started driving tractors, and I'm one of those that started at about 8 or 9 years old. Now my problem is, my grandson who's lived with us for the past 5 years and drives everything I put him on, the dozer, backhoe and tractors, and does really well with me on there with him. I'm sure he could handle a tractor and rake by himself BUT IT SCARES THE H OUT OF ME thinking what if he got hurt and I let him do it. Just wondering if any of you have those same feelings. Keith

A couple of years ago a local farmer had his 6 year old grandson sitting on the fender while he bush hogged.

The youngster fell off without the grand dad knowing it and went under the bush hog. The grandfather continued to bush hog and found the kid on the next round of cutting. The child was dead.

Perhaps for most of us, operating farm equipment at a young age was a matter of need.

Today may be different.

And yes, it is scary because powerful farm equipment can be deadly.

I can remember hearing a news story of a 10 yr old that got killed by a tractor just last year, but he loved ag and wanted to be a farmer.

With today"s legal environment, if a child gets killed by a piece of farm equipment, the parent or legal guardian just might get charged with child endangerment.

Reading what Nancy just posted I'm thinking you could even be charged with manslaughter or some type of worse than endangerment charge. When I have a stupid idea like letting a kid drive a tractor I try to picture the worst case event that could happen . Then I tell the kid to go ride the 80cc ATV.

Im 15 years old now. I drive tractors every day. Had a best friend who was chopping silage and the chopper got cloged and he got off and tried to uncloge it with the chopper running and it sucked him in there. Killed him.

Does he actually drive and operate those implements or does he just steer while you're there with him. If the latter, that's a no-brainer. If he's as good as you indicate, then you gotta cut the skirt strings and let him go. He won't EVER learn if not given a chance. I know, you ask "well is it the right time"? Only you can answer that.
I"ve been teaching my 8 year old grandson how to "operate" the skid steer. I make him use the hand throttle and at slow rpm's he is using all the controls to handle different objects, picking them up and moving them to other locations and setting them down. He can't just slide them off either. I make him balance boards on top of other boards so he learns how to run the controls precisely. I"m amazed at how good he is.

I learned to fly airplanes years ago. 90% of that was spent learning what to do if something went wrong. Make sure you've taught your grandson what to do when something goes wrong. You'll sleep better then.

My mom is the same way Keith. She always calls and checks on me if im bushhogging or combineing or cutting hay.

My sons drove tractors by themselves when they were 8 or 10 years old but they were my children, I would never do the same with someone elses child, especially a grandchild, if something did happen how would you face the parents. I know a man that shot and killed his grandson deer hunting 10 years ago, he said the only reason he did not shoot himself as soon as he realized what he had done is because he had to tell his son what he had done and then be there to take whatever might come. I don"t know what ever happened in that family but I sure as he!! would never want to find out the hard way.

Your concern is a valid one considering the results that could happen, and the fact that you "let him do it" then having to live with that on your conscience.

On the other hand, after proper instruction, safety instruction and demonstrated ability of the kid to be safe, maintain control at all times, and know/practice operating well within the safe limits of the tractor/equipment, many many of us were able to do that, like Nancy said, out of need or what have you and we're all here today, and still have those skills. Not all kids are alike, not all adults are alike either, so the adult needs to be comfortable with what he sees, the attitude of the kid, the kids ability to operate said equipment. The person instructing a youngster needs to recognize whether a kid or untrained person, after instruction and demonstrated seat time, that they are in fact capable and understand the cosequences of not practicing/operating said equipment safely.

Would I allow it, maybe, I would still lean towards letting kids be kids and keep em off and away from equipment, unless there was a serious interest and over time I could properly instruct and have the kid demonstrate that he/she fully understands what is involved and what could happen. Some kids do well with these things, take it seriously and want to learn, respect and what have you to get the opportunity to do this kind of work. However in all honesty, those are just some thoughts, if one loves their kids, don't ever take chances period, there will be plenty of time as they mature to learn if they want, start too early and be to aggressive about it, is a mistake, kids attention spans are short, not all, but most.

Some of the things I did as a kid with my dad, I would absolutely not ever practice, like riding the fender while using a rotary mower, a mower conditioner, baler or nothing attached. I rode the fender all the time, I knew what would happen if I fell off, I was comfortable doing it, so were most kids in those days, but hit that bump, slip, fall, get caught........ absolutely not, never, no way at all, its just plain stupid, even if it seems ok at the time, don't do it.

I do know what the results of a 640 ford tractor with a rotary mower can do to a person, it happened just over the hill from me, the gruesome remains at the scene, will always remind a person on how to respect equipment, he got bumped off the seat, under the tire and through the mower at full throttle, mower was also set low.


My first experience with a tractor was when I was a real young pre-school kid, with parents that were actually kind of ignorant and new to parenting, I did not have the benefit of detail orientated, communicative parents, in fact I have a low opinion of many things they did in those days after growing up, many of my friends had the same situation, so its more of a generational thing. Point is, I climbed up on our JD 2010, started fooling with the console shift lever and knocked 'er into neutral and went for a short ride. Someone was nearby, but the fact I got that far was ridiculous, well that was not the only thing that did not get me. They sprayed the barn for flies, and right around the time I could walk, I touched the stall boards, and that stuff went through my skin and it narrowly missed killing me, things like that, parents in those days were busy, working, not much time for kids, you had to figure it out on your own.

Later on we owned a ford tractor dealership, and that is where I learned quite a bit. My first experience was with a 64' 4000 S-O-S, easy tractor to learn on, slow gears on the low end, and I was probably 8 or so. I learned to run the baler, keep it straight on the windrow so my dad could toss the heavy bales, I could not pick em up that well, so it worked out. Learned to rake, and then spent a lot of time with that tractor and a rotary mower. By the time I was 12, I learned quite a bit, but by no means was I an experienced operator, I never pushed my luck, though there are a few times mowing with a 2010 that I experienced the "pucker" factor, side hills, though nothing drastic, nor actually too steep, that gut wrenching feeling took over and I learned by doing that I did not like hills with those taller kinds of tractors, that ford was a LCG or center of gravity was so much lower, I never worried. These kinds of situations are where a kid without the experience can make on bad decision and something bad happens, adults with years of experience too, as we have all seen.

It was helpful to have learned early, we had the dealership, the nearby dairy farmer, planted most of our ground, so you learned a lot by watching. He used to bale for us sometimes, and I'd ride in the cab, watching, learning, great guy and we've been friends all these years, things I learned then from him, my dad and so on, were very helpful when this farmer needed some help due to health reasons, in the recent past.

Your question/discussion topic plagues a lot of people due to the risk, I would always lean towards never taking risks with kids and equipment. Dozer & backhoe which I am very familiar with, thinking about a kid operating these things as well as you say, he must have a good teacher, I would not rush things, being in a cab strapped in by a seatbelt would make things a lot less risky, that and safe terrain. It really is a rock and a hard place as he can't learn unless he gets some seat time, but at what age, ability, maturity can you safely recognize he is ready ? By the same token you could have a myriad of other things happen in life that could cause injury or death, so at what point does a parent or responsible person allow a kid to operate equipment on their own ? I think its just as bad to shelter kids, they need to "weather" a few things here and there, best teacher there is; experience. I think its great discussion material, great to see kids learn, pat em on the back for a job well done, as well as becoming a productive person in the workplace operating equipment. Some of the modern equipment today is so much easier to learn on, in contrast, there are some tractors I'd never let a novice on or near, much better to start with something easy to learn and take it from there.

It probably has a lot to do with how I was taught or raised but anything under 12 is a no-no as far as I am concerned. Beyond mental capacity, there are usually physical issues (unless you have a hoss for a kid) like the ability to reach everything.

Looking back it went kind of like this. Under 5-6 you stay at the house and played like a normal kid (yea we had chores too). You could assist in feeding animals and such, but generally only the small stuff on your own (chickens, turkeys, and such). Pigs and cows you could tag along but you were watched. Somewhere around 8-9 you got a little less supervision but one of the men usually followed up to be sure you got your job done. Later on, if you showed responsibility, you were introduced to machinery and allowed limited operation under close supervision. Around 13 you were considered part of the work force and was expected to carry your weight.

I can recall running a JD4020 and sand plow at 12 (with supervision). But all I had to do was keep the wheels off the cotton. At 13 I could do just about any tractor work (unsupervised) and drove a 5 ton grain truck around the farm. About the time I turned 14 was taking it to the elevator on my own (unsupervised). I think 14 was the legal age limit then for driving AG equipment on the road.

I have a friend who lost his arms and half his face in a farming accident, and that's always there as a constant reminder of what can happen (and that's if you're lucky enough to live).

As somebody pointed out - it's one thing if you're have a NEED for extra hands. But for most of us, it's merely a desire to have the kids learn early.

You really need to balance that with some common sense.

There's nothing safe about driving any tractor in any condition. But there are obviously varying degrees of how dangerous a sitaution is.

To me, if the tractor is pulling something that WILL kill or maime the child if they fell off, like a brush hog or other powered implement) that's an instant red flag. Easy decision. NO.

Another red flag is if there are any hills/ruts/holes. If a tractor CAN flip if driven at the wrong angle or whatever, my kid isn't going to sit on it.

I judge any hill by considering what would happen if the clutch went out and the kid couldn't hit the brakes. (travelling down the hill, or up). Assume that WILL happen, and it makes the decision easy.

I've had my 10 year old pull hay wagons in flat fields while others collected hay. With hindsight - it may have been relatively safe for him, but not for those collecting the hay. I wouldn't do that again.

For anybody who has a love for old tractors, there's a desire to share that interest and instill some of the appreciation with our kids. I share that desire myself, and always want my kids to do everything.

Let's be honest, we want our kids to have the bragging rights of saying "oh I've been plowing fields since I was two".

But sometimes you have to remind yourself that a kid who learns to drive a tractor at 16 isn't really any worse off than a kid who's been on one since 6 years old.

Let's face it, driving a tractor doesn't require superhuman skills that benefit heavily from early development.

And as for appreciation, a young kid's going to gain just as much appreciation for the equipment by watching you as they will for actually using it. Sometimes more.

In fact, I'd say a young kid that's mowing fields at 10 is very likely to take his safety for granted in his future years.

Contrast that with a kid who's watched the process till he's sixteen - being told all the time that it's too dangerous for him and that he can only do it once he's a "man".

That kid will have a well formed respect for the machinery that will never go away. Not to mention give him a real sense of pride when he comes of age.

(sorry - him or HER)

Remember, any kid/person who doesn't have a little natural fear of a tractor is one that doesn't fully understand the dangers. There's no upside to eliminating that fear/respect.

Especially with the older equipment that most people on this forum deal with!

well it depends, like for me i started driving when i was 6 but i was driving the tractor while we were picking rock. i was 7 when i drove on the road for the first time, which went bad i went in the ditch but nothing bad happened. the first real farm work i did was run the chisel plow when i was 11. everyone has those first time jitters with farm work.

There was a guy on this site (several years ago) that read about a grandkid that was bushhogging and the kid fell off and run over by the cutter and died. Terrible.

Years ago in most cases it was a necessity to get the kids on tractors, dads worried then as they do now, but in a lot of cases it had to be done. not so much now so lots of dads let their feeling show and can't stand to let a 6 or 8 year old out of their sight. There are several pieces of equipment thats pulled behind an open station tractor that I'd never let a kid pull, the one that brings chills up my spine is a mower.

Kids on tractors scare me too. I started driving a tractor at 8 years old. A IHC B275 pulling a war surplus 2-wheel trailer following a dynamite man who was blowing stumps out of a ditch bank through our land between two soybean fields. He blew his way along and I walked the bean rows picking up roots and dirt balls and whatnot and loaded the trailer so it was crank up, pull forward 100 feet, shut off and work, slow and straight. Later I had a hoe clipped to the fender of the tractor and chopped the same fields. Slow boring work but it was that or dad's belt so work I did. Later on I was discing and other field work by 12-13 and so on. My friend lost his right hand when a field hand turned on the pto auger when his hand was in a grain cart. He was a junior in high school. 4H safety helped I believe. Be careful. Paul in Mississippi

A neighbor of ours thought his 13 year old son was ready to go out on his own with a 4020 and an 18 foot disc.

The kid wasn't. He's forever 13.

I think a lot of it is parents are just in too darned big a hurry to see their kids grow up. Kids aren't given a chance to be kids anymore.

A bit off topic, but when I was Buildings and Grounds Supervisor for a local public school district, they had a Saturday morning basketball session for elementary school kids. It was heartbreaking to see a little girl in tears because both the coach and her father were yelling at her to make baskets and she didn't even have the strength to get the ball near the basket.

A persons frontal lobes are not developed until they are in their 20s. This means the child will not have a strong understanding of cause and effect. I was driving most equipment by the time I was 12, but do not know if my kids are that mature.

Big thing today centers on a kid getting hurt. Heck take a kid here in with a leg or arm injury from taking a fall off a bike. First thing they are going to ask is were you wearing a bike helmet, if you say know they call social services. I can just guess if a kid were to tell em he was runnaing a piece of farm equipment. I bet if you were allowing a 12 or 13 YO on a tractor and they died you would be looking at negligent homicide, reckless and child endangerment and anything else they could tack on. Plus the fact that you were responsible for putting that kid on the tractor yourself. You may beat the charges but having to live with that............

Rick

I started driving tractors at age 7 by my self, started combing and windrowing oats and packing and hauling silage at 10 and have been ever since, there is noting wrong with starting kids off early, by giving kids responsibility early it teaches them a good work ethic, when i have kids i will start them off early on the same tractor i started on my grandpas 730lp and my grandkids too, i rode on the fender of that tractor if there wasnt anything for me to do either i'm not sure how many hours I spend on that tractor

Alot of that disision depends on the kid. I have 2 grandsons about 10 years old. The first one can operate a tractor very will. The other one - I wouldn't let push a wheel barrel.
That being said, Times have changed over the years. When I started to drive it was on a John Deere L. Today most tractors have a lot more power and are easier to brake something or get hurt on.

Keith,
It is the same on the other end as well. I have had several wonderful people working with me and it gets hard to say no to somebody when they get into their later years and still want to take a big tractor out on a busy highway. If I can get through my farming career without anyone getting hurt I will feel that it has been a success. This is a place for extreme use of good judgement.

Its all about education. My kids handle machinery better than most adults.

I started driving somewhere in the 5 to 7 range. Started raking hay, then driving the baler so Dad could stack, etc... At 14 I was running the chopper and Dad was hauling and unloading wagons.

I also hauled A LOT of manure, and quite a bit down the road. Dad would be gone to work(off the farm job), so he'd have me chip away at the manure pile. I even learned to replace drive chains and shear bolts early on.

I rode the fender all the time, espescially for cutting hay and green chopping. I always rode the left fender and the machines were offset to the right, so wasn't nearly as bad as a direct pull green chopper or mower. I always liked to ride in the green feed wagon too.

I look at my 7 year old nephew, and he's not nearly mature enough to take on that kind of responsibilty. He was starting to help in the barn, but his attention to detail, or even the job at all, goes away after the first couple days to a week. I started to give him and his younger brothers a ride here & there on the fender if I was hauling manure where I could keep an eye on them. I'll probably let the younger one drive before the older one.

Donovan from Wisconsin

So sorry about your friend Ky. Please honor the memory of your friend by making sure that you are always being really careful.

Our 17 year old son operates our tractors, mowers and pushes snow with the loader... but even with careful instruction from my husband, I still worry about him - moms just do.

i learned to drive at about 13 or 14 years of age. but i had 3 older brothers.