Safety Tips on your Tractor Ride

Safety tips for Tractor Rides

This morning I was reading a tractor safety report put out by the State of Iowa department of education. The report discussed general tractor safety. Although the rules apply to a tractor ride there also some additional situations that apply on the rides you would not normally encounter. With the large number of Antique tractor rides taking place in the upcoming summer months, I thought now would be a good time to remind readers to think safety while on the ride. Below are some that came to my mind right away.

Common sense and a cool head are your best friends.

Spotting hazards before they become a risk to you is the first rule everyone needs to follow.

The impatient or inconsiderate driver who is not part of the ride, can you spot them?

They are the ones that dart in and out between the tractors, as you drive down the road. They see you as an annoyance to be reckoned with. Often blowing their horn further indicating their impatience. Since you won’t likely change this person by ignoring them, the best thing you can do is give them room, and motion them around you to get them on down the road so they aren’t likely to be a risk to you any longer.

In town traffic, both on wheels and afoot are a dangerous situation.

When you are on a tractor ride you are there for your personal pleasure. However you are also an attraction. Remember as you come into a town the large number of antique tractors is a treat to the eyes of onlookers. Like a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting, children and pets will run or ride along side the tractors to get a better look. A risk you might not normally think of is a camera, not necessarily the camera but the person behind it. Often they are so involved in getting a good shot that they put themselves and you into a situation that may mean you have to make a quick maneuver to avoid an incident. This can cause other drives to also make a quick move to avoid you. There is also the bobble head, the car or truck driver trying to drive and look at the tractor at the same time. His best course of action would be to park and watch but the odds of that happening are small at best.

Leaving your tractor unattended during a rest stop, how big a problem can that be?

With the large number of fellow riders in an event, theft is not your main concern when leaving your tractor unattended while you visit or eat your lunch, someone is generally watching out. But you still need to shut off your tractor and remove the start key. Children are especially inquisitive and move quickly, they will not always ask your permission before they climb on your tractor. If both the child and tractor are left unattended, and combined with an ignition key or idling tractor, it could become a lethal combination.

These tips are just the tip of the iceberg and I am sure while you are reading them many more will come to mind. So share them and these with your friends. Have a fun safe tractor ride. I will try not to be one of those “gawkers” you have to dodge on your next ride.