Tractor Safety is no Accident

(Page 5 of 5)

April/May 2005
By George DeVault 
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“It’s like when I walk into my woodworking shop,” Coleman says. “Before I turn on the table saw, I say, ‘OK, Eliot, focus. Remember where you are.’ Especially if your work is interrupted, it’s easy to hop on the tractor and not remember where you left off. Take an extra second to say, ‘OK, what am I doing?’ That’s kept me out of a lot of trouble.”

RELATED CONTENT

Safety starts — and stops — with you. The best safety equipment in the world will not save us from ourselves. But combine a safety-conscious operator with safer equipment, and chances are that accidents will be fewer and any injuries less severe.

George DeVault is a Mother Earth News contributing editor who also wrote “A Perfect Homestead Tractor” in issue No. 191 (April/May 2002). You can read it at www.MotherEarthNews.com — search for “tractors” in Mother’s Amazin’ Archive

Tractor Safety Checklist

• Know the location and proper use of all controls
• Before starting a tractor, inspect for leaks (fuel, coolant, engine and hydraulic oil), flat tires and other hazards. Mount and dismount the tractor from the left-hand side
• Equip each tractor with a fire extinguisher and a first-aid kit
• Before dismounting, switch off the engine and wait for the tractor and PTO-powered implements to come to a complete stop
• Never carry riders, especially children
• Avoid bystanders, holes, depressions, bumps, stumps, steep slopes and other hidden hazards. Stay as far away from a ditch as the ditch is deep
• When turning on a slope, turn downhill. Keep side-mounted equipment on the uphill side
• Slow down when turning, crossing slopes or driving on slick surfaces
• Keep the front-end loader low to the ground
• On the highway, lock brake pedals together. Use headlights and a slow-moving vehicle emblem
• Wear hearing protection and seat belts, and remove the ignition key when you’re finished

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