Tractor Safety

[WHX?? 51,691]

So this year I have been asked again to give a safety lesson to the younguns at the Portage, WI show. Past years I have just plagiarized safety handouts & rules from other shows which worked fairly well.    

Getting them to attend is another matter. Trying to make attendance mandatory or can't operate a tractor. I have used little tractor stickers that the kids are supposed to put on their shirt to prove they attended and to try and make things fun for them. 

 

Any ideas or improvements appreciated. 

[Ed Kennell 41,775]

6 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

Any ideas

You could use Kev to demonstrate the consequences of unsafe practices.

 

 

[SylvanLakeWH 28,311]

Maybe a Raffle tractor - attendees each get a ticket? Parents of course would "get it" for the kid. Seriously... I bet between you, @Achto, and other Cool Kids could come up with one...

 

Or, event T-shirt raffle for all attendees... maybe 3 shirts...

 

Attendance lanyard that they can wear for the day. Souvenir to take home.

 

I like your idea of using prepared safety materials...

 

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,242]

I'm taking notes here because I have to go to a meeting with a local club here who is shutting down being able to ride garden tractors around the show. I'm sure it's for insurance reasons, but maybe if I can rip curriculum from @WHX?? I could volunteer to teach a safety class too and not lose the ability to ride my horses around that show.

 

Jim, maybe you could do a wristband that they keep on through the whole show that identifies they took the safety course? Something bright orange or yellow that easily identifiable?

[kpinnc 14,571]

3 hours ago, Ed Kennell said:

You could use Kev to demonstrate the consequences of unsafe practices.

 

So many of us "Kevs" this applies to.... 

 

...I have no comment on which one more than others!

 

@WHX?? Personally my hat is off to you for placing safety training of any kind a priority.  It fosters safe operation as a mindset and leads to accountability in one's thoughts process as well. 

 

Shirts and raffle stuff is fun, but ice cream for attending the entire briefing might work well too...

Edited July 3 by kpinnc

[Pullstart 66,596]

2 hours ago, Mike'sHorseBarn said:

Jim, maybe you could do a wristband that they keep on through the whole show that identifies they took the safety course? Something bright orange or yellow that easily identifiable?

a sticker is a cool memento to bring home.  A wristband is a great way for the kiddos to prove their attendance no matter if they are on mom’s, dad’s or their ride.

[squonk 43,714]

52 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

a sticker is a cool memento to bring home.  A wristband is a great way for the kiddos to prove their attendance no matter if they are on mom’s, dad’s or their ride.

How many do you have?   

[Handy Don 13,972]

I can hear it now: “Who are you to tell me my kid can’t drive the tractor without taking your ___ course? He mows the lawn at home all the time!"

 

Probably a party pooper, but I live in a litigious world. To me, rules that apply to everyone are easier to accept and enforce:

- safety session is mandatory (driving is a privilege, not a right)

- liability waiver is mandatory (hold organizers harmless and accept personal responsibility for your child and self)

- no wristband, no driving

- shared wristbands get confiscated

- non-compliance gets you an escort out of the show

Edited July 3 by Handy Don

[lynnmor 7,788]

39 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

 

Probably a party pooper, but I live in a litigious world. To me, rules that apply to everyone are easier to accept and enforce:

 

It must feel like a breath of fresh air when you get at least 200 miles from that place.  

[Handy Don 13,972]

29 minutes ago, lynnmor said:

It must feel like a breath of fresh air when you get at least 200 miles from that place.  

It often does. but ill-mannered folks can appear anywhere, right?

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,242]

1 hour ago, Handy Don said:

It often does. but ill-mannered folks can appear anywhere, right?

 

That's very true and it only takes one accident to end a show for good.

[953 nut 59,746]

5 hours ago, Handy Don said:

Probably a party pooper, but I live in a litigious world

That was my thought also, kid passes the safety class and injures someone while driving and the ambulance chasers have a field day seeing who can be held liable. Hold the class for safety sake  but stay away from driving privileges for those who attend. Let Mom and Dad bear that responsibility.         

[wallfish 18,054]

13 hours ago, WHX?? said:

Getting them to attend is another matter. Trying to make attendance mandatory or can't operate a tractor.

Maybe try and make it fun with tractor games, prizes or something like that so they will WANT to attend. A kid sitting through a lecture about safety is like trying to sell them life insurance! LOL 

 

[Handy Don 13,972]

16 hours ago, 953 nut said:

Let Mom and Dad bear that responsibility. 

Hence the liability waiver from EVERYONE who drives--no exceptions. 

[953 nut 59,746]

21 hours ago, Handy Don said:

Hence the liability waiver from EVERYONE who drives--no exceptions. 

Waivers are not worth the paper they are printed on.     If the group that is putting on an event knowingly allows unlicensed drivers to operate a vehicle they are negligent in their responsibility to maintain a safe environment.

On 7/3/2025 at 3:32 PM, Mike'sHorseBarn said:

 

That's very true and it only takes one accident to end a show for good.

[WHX?? 51,691]

On 7/3/2025 at 2:32 PM, Mike'sHorseBarn said:

 

That's very true and it only takes one accident to end a show for good.

 

Not true Mike ... idiot flipped one of them high speed s x s at a show and went to the 

Show went on and the sad part is they just let the rest of the idiots keep on ram rodding. 

 

Thanks for the comments fellas 

 

On 7/3/2025 at 8:41 AM, Mike'sHorseBarn said:

local club here who is shutting down being able to ride garden tractors around the show.

Really ... Wonder if their is away to become a certified instructor like hunter's or snow mobile or boating safety. Have to look into that. 

[Lane Ranger 11,391]

There is an interesting history to tractor safety that invokes the FORD and FORDSON tractors in the 1920’s.   
 

The first FORD tractors were not made by Henry Ford and his company.  They were made by

 

Becau the FORD tractor name was used legally Henry Ford had to use a new name , hence FORDSON came on the market.  
 

Farmers in Nebraska were concerned about the safety of the FORD tractor and convinced a Nebraska legislator to create a safety test field program/project at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln .  

 

 

The Larsen Lab at University of Nebraska in Lincoln has a lab and museum which houses old tractors that were part of the testing process.

 

https://tractormuseum.unl.edu

 

 

 

Edited July 5 by Lane Ranger

[953 nut 59,746]

 

11 minutes ago, Lane Ranger said:

There is an interesting history to tractor safety that invokes the FORD and FORDSON tractors in the 1920’s.   
 

The first FORD tractors were not made by Henry Ford and his company.  They were made by

 

Becau the FORD tractor name was used legally Henry Ford had to use a new name , hence FORDSON came on the market.  
 

Farmers in Nebraska were concerned about the safety of the FORD tractor and convinced a Nebraska legislator to create a safety test field program/project at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln .  

 

 

 

 

 

Lane, I had not heard of Becau, but there was a Ford Tractor that was built by W. B. Ewing that ultimately lead to the Nebraska Tractor Testing Laboratory.

 

[Handy Don 13,972]

4 hours ago, 953 nut said:

 

On 7/4/2025 at 11:16 AM, Handy Don said:

Hence the liability waiver from EVERYONE who drives--no exceptions. 

Waivers are not worth the paper they are printed on.     If the group that is putting on an event knowingly allows unlicensed drivers to operate a vehicle they are negligent in their responsibility to maintain a safe environment.

 

Yep, it’s a litigious world.

Yep, it can be tedious for an organization to protect itself

Yep, insurers are very able to give excellent guidance on the best steps for protection (waivers plus enforcement are the key)

Yep, it’s sad when carelessness causes harm and ruins positive experiences for many other considerate folks

Yep, it’s sadder when a lawyer sees an opportunity for an undeserved (or outsized) liability settlement 

Nope, it isn’t my job to put a lid on the wild, in the dark, no lights antics of the Big Show racetrack. I make sure I am off the premises before that starts. 

 

Descending from soapbox.

Edited July 5 by Handy Don

[Pullstart 66,596]

I’m the father of a young experienced driver, who had an accident at the big show.  Luckily, it was between a tractor hood and a camper owned by one of the board members.  Luckily also, my daughter was uninjured.  When I approached the owner of the camper, his first reaction saved the day.  He asked how she was.  He asked if she would be willing to get back on the tractor and drive safely.  He never wavered about his wrinkled camper side skirt.  Her experience grew that day.  I’m glad I never make a mistake I don’t learn something from… 

 

 

[rmaynard 16,289]

1 hour ago, Handy Don said:

Nope, it isn’t my job to put a lid on the wild, in the dark, no lights antics of the Big Show racetrack. I make sure off the premises before that starts. 

Don, it's a shame that you are not there to watch, much less participate. Somehow, the event has managed to happen at least 25 times without serious incident. I have seen minor things and near misses, but what tractor driver hasn't had a few of them in the normal course of day to day tractoring? Violaters of safety rules are warned, then asked to leave. Things seem to go smoothly. 

As Charlie Culley says at the start of the day on Friday, "your first accident will be our last". 

Now if they can just get the music to play!!!!

 

[Handy Don 13,972]

3 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

your first accident will be our last

I’ve not been there to see anyone warned, or to observe its outcome, so I’ll take your word on it.

I can only point out that there’ve been lots of situations that have been great, until they weren’t. “Past performance is not indicative of future results."

[953 nut 59,746]

6 hours ago, rmaynard said:

Now if they can just get the music to play!!!!

Bob, all you had to do is go out to the parking lot to hear the music.           There were so many Wheel Horses cruising around that the music couldn't be heard on the field.       

[Lane Ranger 11,391]

On 7/5/2025 at 9:35 AM, 953 nut said:

 

Lane, I had not heard of Becau, but there was a Ford Tractor that was built by W. B. Ewing that ultimately lead to the Nebraska Tractor Testing Laboratory.

 

 

Richard I left off the information by mistake!

[WHX?? 51,691]

On 7/5/2025 at 11:55 AM, rmaynard said:

As Charlie Culley says at the start of the day on Friday, "your first accident will be our last".

I'm sure Charlie won't mind if I use that one.