Seat belt - use it?
- Thread starter Mith
- Start date
MtnViewRanch
Member
Why, you wanna race? Mine should be slower than yours, mine is heavier and yours has ag tires, so yours would be a little faster than mine. Manual says that yours goes 20mph at 2300rpm. Although I will say that mine almost feels like a sports car with the loader off.
Yeah, but mine wont go as slow as yours. First gear is too fast, even at lo idle, to be pushing trees over. Know what you mean about lightening it up. Mines real peppy since I drained the tires for the winter. Figure that lightened it near a ton.Why, you wanna race? Mine should be slower than yours, mine is heavier and yours has ag tires, so yours would be a little faster than mine. Manual says that yours goes 20mph at 2300rpm. Although I will say that mine almost feels like a sports car with the loader off.
I dont know how your quote got associated on that post.
I must have inadvertently done a multiple. Was referring to the person thru the windshield of a car as a questionably valid comparison to tractor situations.larry
civesnedfield
Member
There is a time when seat belts are NOT recommended.
While operating a tractor with the foldable ROPS in the folded position or on a tractor not equipped with a ROPS.
While operating a tractor with the foldable ROPS in the folded position or on a tractor not equipped with a ROPS.
irwin
Member
I'll be part of this and throw in my $0.02.
13 years ago I never wore a seatbelt (only car/truck no tractor then). My son was 9 years old and every adult but his dad wore the seatbelt, he asked me why. I listened to myself as I tried to reason it out to him...lame-lame-lame The real reason was I was not used to it and was too lazy or macho or stupid. I told him the story about the time I rolled my 1967 mustang, how when the car finished rolling I was in the passenger seat and the drivers side roof was crushed below the top of the steering wheel and if I was wearing the belt I'd be dead...but I knew in my heart that I was just lucky that day, and it had no bearing on my actions today..it was a fluke, just a fluke.
There was no good reason for not wearing the belt, since that day I've worn my seatbelt in the car always.
The one time I used the tractor without the belt I was taking the ballast box off my truck and moving it 50 feet or so. The tractor hit a low spot and one rear wheel left the ground, the weight box was 2 feet off the ground hanging from the FEL off a chain, slowly the rear went back down, no harm done. I remember that feeling, I stiffened, ready to jump. I've been in several, "oops" type positions since but always with my belt on, just feel better knowing I'm doing what will give me the best survival odds.
13 years ago I never wore a seatbelt (only car/truck no tractor then). My son was 9 years old and every adult but his dad wore the seatbelt, he asked me why. I listened to myself as I tried to reason it out to him...lame-lame-lame The real reason was I was not used to it and was too lazy or macho or stupid. I told him the story about the time I rolled my 1967 mustang, how when the car finished rolling I was in the passenger seat and the drivers side roof was crushed below the top of the steering wheel and if I was wearing the belt I'd be dead...but I knew in my heart that I was just lucky that day, and it had no bearing on my actions today..it was a fluke, just a fluke.
There was no good reason for not wearing the belt, since that day I've worn my seatbelt in the car always.
The one time I used the tractor without the belt I was taking the ballast box off my truck and moving it 50 feet or so. The tractor hit a low spot and one rear wheel left the ground, the weight box was 2 feet off the ground hanging from the FEL off a chain, slowly the rear went back down, no harm done. I remember that feeling, I stiffened, ready to jump. I've been in several, "oops" type positions since but always with my belt on, just feel better knowing I'm doing what will give me the best survival odds.
The idea is to not jump but hold on tight.
larry
xlr82v2
Member
Like I've stated elsewhere...IT IS NO SKIN OFF MY NOSE if anyone dies or is seriously injured using their tractor...Actually, it is, because my insurance premium for my farm will go up because of claims by people who operated in an unsafe manner and then were injured...similar to my home owners insurance going up, because people continue to build along the coastlines of the south and the canyons of CA...USAA has got to get those DOLLARS back from somewhere...
I'm a believer in safety just because I've seen PLENTY of people killed and injured in my lifetime...and the real story isn't them...its their family and friends who actually seem to suffer MORE...
What frustrates me is when people try to JUSTIFY unsafe actions...
If you want to run a ROP-equiped tractor without a seatbelt...THEN JUST DON'T ADVERTISE IT...
Could you imagine your insurance company refusing your injury claim, because during the DISCOVERY phase of your case...that it turned up a message where you advocated improper operation of your equipment!!!!
So,my question is, are the seatbelts really there for idiots who operate their tractors/equipment in an unsafe manner, or are they there to protect in case of an actual, honest to goodness accident?
Are we all such unstable people that we can't be trusted to operate our equipment in a safe manner, even on flat, level ground?
When people are pushing everyone to ALWAYS wear their seatbelt and put up their ROPS, even on flat ground, where there's about a 0.000000144% chance of a rollover, then obviously they must think that we're all going to spontaneously do something stupid like pop it into high gear with the loader all the way up and try to turn a donut out in the driveway or something like that. Or, drive across the face of a 50 degree incline with a hump on it and then cut the wheels hard to turn uphill just as the tractor goes over the hump. Or, my favorite, tie a short chain to a ground anchor just under the drawbar, and connect the other end to the toplink attachment point, and then sit and stare in astonishment as the tractor flips over, just like in the stupid videos that the Safety Patrol loves to plaster all over TBN. And then all the City Farmers oooh and aaaahhh over it and say "Yes, these tractors are soooo dangerous... we must have more safety equipment to protect us from these dastardly dangerous machines that we have purchased! And we must make sure that EVERYBODY follows our SAFETY PROCEDURES that we have developed so that we can all be SAFE."
That's the problem I have with the Safety Patrol... it's mostly knee-jerk reactionaries with no real world experience that give absolutely no attention to how an accident happened, and what could have been done to prevent it in the first place. Instead, they assume that EVERYONE is an idiot or operates in a careless and wreckless manner, and that ANY accident is simply UNAVIODABLE, and thus concentrate all their effort into "band-aid" blanket solutions for protecting everyone from every possible bit of risk, no matter how remote. And then they want to force everyone into their jilted "THINK SAFETY" frame of mind. Like buckling up just to pull your tractor out of the shed, "just in case".... "you never know...." "accidents can happen soooo fast!!"
I guess it's an easy position to take up these days... it absolves you from any obligation to use your head BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING. Then, if (when) something bad happens, you can blame it on the equipment manufacturer for not adequately protecting you, or the terrain, or anything else other than the one who was really responsible.
Now, don't take that to mean that I don't believe that safety equipment is not necessary, and that I don't use it. That's not the case at all. I think Mobilus hit the nail on the head with respect to safety equipment and how/when it should be used.
The best safety equipment that any of us has, is that lump of mush between our ears. If you choose to use it, and use it wisely, you'll be OK. If you don't, then buckle up before you pull out of the shed.
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Archdean
Member
I not only have worn a seatbelt but shoulder harness's as well for over 50 years in aircraft but in all honesty It took the law to get me used to use them in road vehicles (now generally 1 or 2 miles down my rural road I do put it on)!!
Now about the subject at hand, Do I use it on my Tractor or RTV and I have to say, no I don't and this is why:
I also believe in knowing full well the risks involved and how to minimize them will be your friend and a short piece of nylon with a buckle will never be a substitute for COMMON SENSE!!
Now about the subject at hand, Do I use it on my Tractor or RTV and I have to say, no I don't and this is why:
- I am a cautious person and feel fairly confident about being around machines and their limitations as well as my own! In other words I pay attention to what the machine is telling me (goes equally for wrenches/screwdrivers/wheelbarrows or tractors)!!
- I Normally work around water (lake front) and the last thing I need is a seat belt or ROPS for that matter (think about it) to be fair I usually mount the back hoe to use as balance as needed boom/bucket and outriggers! Saved my butt many times but it really is just knowing about using the tools one has available!!
I also believe in knowing full well the risks involved and how to minimize them will be your friend and a short piece of nylon with a buckle will never be a substitute for COMMON SENSE!!