Kids and Tractors

Start with the basic rules. No body parts near pinch points like the loader. Kids stay away from the machine while it's running/driving unless they are operating. There is only one seat so only one person on the machine. Stuff like that for safety.

I've started my kids on a lawn tractor driving around. Not mowing just learning to drive. Take the loader off ands do that first if they need. Then get into "tractor" stuff.


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ROPS up, seat belt on, wearing proper footware, MMM off the tractor, nothing on the 3-point, ground as level as you can find. Low range at idle. Put up a few traffic cones for steering practice. You walk along on the right side so you can reach the ignition switch easily. Switch off at the first hint of a problem, teach and correct, and go again.

Jester_2320 said:

Get a camera and capture the smiles.
my boys tried to operate my 2320 over the past few years but were not quite heavy enough for the seat sensor. Now with the 3046r, I can’t get my 11yo off it.

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I used to have to put a flat paver block on my seat for my niece to mow. Luckily it was a Duetz-Allis with hand directional controls, since she couldn’t reach pedals if it had them. She pointed out that she couldn’t reach the brake pedal. I told her that she didn’t need to stop anyway😂...she was 7. She made it through, she is 25 now

My little guy at about 16 months old a few months ago. He LOVES tractors.

When I was 3 or 4 my dad would put me on an old wheelhorse lawn tractor with no mower deck, put it in low and let me drive it around the yard until it ran out of gas, haha.

My dad told me when I was learning, if I ever panic and don't know what to do, turn it off. It's good for an inexperienced operator (especially one that hasn't developed their common sense yet) to think of turning the ignition off as their get out of jail free card. Plus even if it wasn't a dangerous situation or impending damage, it gives them time to assess what was going on and determine what steps they should have taken.

My sons learned on a L&G 420 with hand control for direction. When I got my first 1025R it was a real changer with the foot controls, for me and them. I think living on the edge of town with 4 acres to mow the kids just grew up on it. last three weekends the kids were one on the chainsaw and the other on the 2038R with grapple moving wood. Me sitting in my minivan watching and looking out for stupid moves and correcting them. We made it through with no one hurt so it was a successful three weekends. Next comes the fun in a couple of weeks grinding the stumps. Must be about 30 with two huge ones.

This was a year or two ago, She’s 13 now. She liked driving Johnny. I don’t let here drive with a load.

Shortly after getting the 1025 the word leaked out that we had a new "tractor".

With safety in mind I gave the new machine the eyeball in the garage.

How do you build a temporary "buddy" seat that can safely hold a child? By safely I mean belted and under the protection of the ROPS. (yeah, I know both side rollovers and backwards rollovers).

No "student/trainee" seats for SCUTs but boy oh boy would I love to design/build a safe "tyke" seat.

Highly unlikely in this litigious world any manufacturer would design one but in my world of charity I'd love to come up with something.

Because most of us kids remember our first tractor ride or our first motorcycle ride.

Rule292 said:

How do you build a temporary "buddy" seat that can safely hold a child? By safely I mean belted and under the protection of the ROPS. (yeah, I know both side rollovers and backwards rollovers).

No "student/trainee" seats for SCUTs but boy oh boy would I love to design/build a safe "tyke" seat.

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Row crop tractors and combines have buddy seats. They also have ROPS enclosed cabs. Our rule on the farm was that there were no riders on what are not called open station tractors (we were all adults, but if you have ever seen pictures of someone who has fallen off of a fender and under a tractor wheel (FFA films) you will never want to ride on a fender or tractor step again. Our tractors without cabs included a 2010, 4030, and 4020. Our larger tractors all had cabs, some with jump seats too.

Some years ago, I "had to purchase" a 430 L&G because my son could not reach the hydrostat control pedals on my 445....that and it was very low hour and priced right. My son is now studying Agricultural Engineering and has let it be know that he wants that tractor some day LOL.

Enjoy time with children and grandchildren as they grow up all too quickly.

ClydeLogan said:

ROPS up, seat belt on

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No better advise available!

ClydeLogan said:

Low range at idle

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I've been an avid DIY'r my whole life. We didn't have the money growing up to hire someone when things broke or needed to be replaced. So I took it upon myself to learn everything I could, anyway I could, from everyone I could and I shopped wisely, and over time, slowly acquired all the tools to do it.

I have 2 kids and I try to pass on what I've learned so that they can take pride and pleasure in fixing their own things around their own house someday. They know what the tools are and how to use them. But the very first lesson and the 1 I recommend everyone is taught is this. Tools are a privilege, they are both exciting and rewarding, but the second that you fail to respect them and their use, or are not focused on using them, you or someone else can be seriously hurt! And that can't ever be taken back! So as much fun as it is, if the kids are too young to grasp that 1st lesson, I'd probably consider just letting them sit on the tractor while it's not running and the loader is down all the way.

It may be overly cautious, but I was on an EMS squad for 20 years and 10 years working in the ED at a level 1 trauma center. Seen a lot... Good lord have fun.... but be careful!

Are they old enough to read well? I only ask because a GREAT summer reading list item: THE OPERATORS MANUAL! (I know, I've griped about its glaring errors but...) Who reads manuals ahead of time? nerdy people? wimpy people? how about safe people. There are also a ton of farm safety videos and info online (YouTube away!!). A good way to ease the excitement of those first rides is to DEMONSTRATE how you check all the fluids BEFORE you start out - develops a good set of habits and respect right outa da gate. Then its on to heavily supervised driving. WHEN it finally involves driving a fully-dressed tractor (implements on board), first there's a discussion of how to do that safely: PTOs not EVER possibly powered when connecting implements (fingers are handy!!) and ALWAYS put implements to bed (dropped to the ground) when you get off to impress your friends. Easy to forget tragedies can happen even with an UNPOWERED tractor if that's not done. Its how I was raised both for shop tools and ag stuff (I ALWAYS got cut by HAND tools, not power tools...) and how I've trained my girls. At 15 and 12 (hey, they're effectiveIy adults) I do trust them to be safe, think, ask first if you're ever not sure. You know when they come back at you (nicely) about how they want to know how what YOU'RE doing is safe or how the manual says this way... you can tell they're thinking. Have fun!!

I’ll never forget my first tractor driving experience. I was 10or 11 and my dad had gotten sick when he was getting ready to plant wheat. He looked me right in the eyes and said “I got to have you run the spring tooth for a couple of days. I know you can do this or I would not be telling you to do it.” 36 foot spring tooth behind our 5020. I remember that thing looking like it was a mile wide. I was terrified for the first 30 minutes and then that’s when it hit me. Dad trusted me! I was his substitute. I had my big boy britches on and all I wanted to do was make him proud and for him to not worry about me. After getting the rest of the ground prepped to plant dad helped set the planter and he showed me a few of the major things to watch on our Great Plains drill. Only ran out of seed wheat once and didn’t know exactly where it had happened. I felt like a dummy and told dad that we would know exactly where it was once the wheat came up. He never got to see that bare spot in that field. The entire weight of the world and our ranch got put on my shoulders that fall. I do miss that man.


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We always miss them and their guidance. Bet like mine yours forget more than either one of us will ever get to know! (meant with reverence). I was just replacing decking here in lakeville (before the heat spills east) and found I needed to put slots in solid Fiberon on one side (its not made that way). After struggling with rigging a jig for the table saw (not exactly safe for someone preserving fingers for surgeries) I remembered that nifty, neglected BISCUIT JOINER that sits in its box...and I could hear Dads laughter!