hurleyjd
Well-known member
Several years ago I read about a family that had a landscaping business they were trimming trees one of the small children was putting some brush in a chipper got tangled in the brush and went through the chipper.
Last summer a local 18 yr old who grew up in town got a warehouse job driving fork lift, passed company safetyBright Raven":3nljnbsq said:That made me laugh and I tend to agree.JW IN VA":3nljnbsq said:Average farm kid 12 or so
Average kid-I'd be a little worried at 18
and just how are they going to get that experience if they are never allowed to do it???? i would trust a 7 year old with hours of experience more then a 20 year old with no experience on a skid steer!!herofan":1ohig2q5 said:This may not be as cut and dried as it seems, but I can't see a kid under 10 being "in charge" of the operation of equipment. It's one thing to have a young child on a tractor with it in first gear in a level, open field to give him a feel for it. It's another to watch him disappear down the road to the field to perform a major task that he is "in charge" of, or to even have him doing something that may seem vanilla while the adults are distracted by something else.
I've noticed that my dad's idea of being safe was a lot different that what some adults idea of safe is these days.
I, or any other normal adult, could teach a kid the basic functions of a tractor, for example, and I'm sure the child could understand and do ok in a controlled situation, but there are at least two issues.
One is strength. It actually takes some physical strength to push the brakes, clutches, work levers, etc on equipment. I remember seeing how easily my dad could mash that brake and clutch, but it took a little more effort for me. If a person struggles to work the equipment, they shouldn't be in charge.
Another is decision making skills and experience. As I stated before, any normal kid could learn the basic functions of a tractor, but there are often decisions that have to be made if things do not go according to plan. Younger kids don't have the experience to draw from.
I'm sure we all let our kids do things that could be dangerous, and if they make it to 30 with no issues, we can all brag about how they have been mowing hay since they were in diapers and how they had to stop and take a bottle and get burped before they finished the last couple of acres. Yep, we raised them right.
On the other hand, if I had a young child who had to leave this world at the hands of a piece of farm equipment, I'm sure I would reflect on what happened and my role in it. If I found myself to be negligent or ignorant in any way, that would not be good.
I'd also have to wonder if I'd rather be sitting by my child at age 30 and he is perhaps a little more ignorant in the ways of equipment than my neighbors kids who were driving equipment at a much younger age, or would having him in the ground before age 10 be worth anything that might be considered a positive from what he was doing on equipment at a delicate age.
And before anyone else mentions it, I realize that just because one doesn't drive farm equipment at a tender age doesn't mean he won't die before age 10, but I trust everyone understands what I'm saying.
ez14.":1nqph0vr said:and just how are they going to get that experience if they are never allowed to do it???? i would trust a 7 year old with hours of experience more then a 20 year old with no experience on a skid steer!!herofan":1nqph0vr said:This may not be as cut and dried as it seems, but I can't see a kid under 10 being "in charge" of the operation of equipment. It's one thing to have a young child on a tractor with it in first gear in a level, open field to give him a feel for it. It's another to watch him disappear down the road to the field to perform a major task that he is "in charge" of, or to even have him doing something that may seem vanilla while the adults are distracted by something else.
I've noticed that my dad's idea of being safe was a lot different that what some adults idea of safe is these days.
I, or any other normal adult, could teach a kid the basic functions of a tractor, for example, and I'm sure the child could understand and do ok in a controlled situation, but there are at least two issues.
One is strength. It actually takes some physical strength to push the brakes, clutches, work levers, etc on equipment. I remember seeing how easily my dad could mash that brake and clutch, but it took a little more effort for me. If a person struggles to work the equipment, they shouldn't be in charge.
Another is decision making skills and experience. As I stated before, any normal kid could learn the basic functions of a tractor, but there are often decisions that have to be made if things do not go according to plan. Younger kids don't have the experience to draw from.
I'm sure we all let our kids do things that could be dangerous, and if they make it to 30 with no issues, we can all brag about how they have been mowing hay since they were in diapers and how they had to stop and take a bottle and get burped before they finished the last couple of acres. Yep, we raised them right.
On the other hand, if I had a young child who had to leave this world at the hands of a piece of farm equipment, I'm sure I would reflect on what happened and my role in it. If I found myself to be negligent or ignorant in any way, that would not be good.
I'd also have to wonder if I'd rather be sitting by my child at age 30 and he is perhaps a little more ignorant in the ways of equipment than my neighbors kids who were driving equipment at a much younger age, or would having him in the ground before age 10 be worth anything that might be considered a positive from what he was doing on equipment at a delicate age.
And before anyone else mentions it, I realize that just because one doesn't drive farm equipment at a tender age doesn't mean he won't die before age 10, but I trust everyone understands what I'm saying.
Merriam-webster dictionary definition of Experience
knowledge gained by actually doing or living through something (copy and paste)
it was my understanding that the mother was right there! if not and they just sent a 5 year old a 3 year old and a skid steer out into a field with no supervision well that is a completely different story and someone should definitely get in trouble!Craig Miller":38kfazdl said:ez14.":38kfazdl said:and just how are they going to get that experience if they are never allowed to do it???? i would trust a 7 year old with hours of experience more then a 20 year old with no experience on a skid steer!!herofan":38kfazdl said:This may not be as cut and dried as it seems, but I can't see a kid under 10 being "in charge" of the operation of equipment. It's one thing to have a young child on a tractor with it in first gear in a level, open field to give him a feel for it. It's another to watch him disappear down the road to the field to perform a major task that he is "in charge" of, or to even have him doing something that may seem vanilla while the adults are distracted by something else.
I've noticed that my dad's idea of being safe was a lot different that what some adults idea of safe is these days.
I, or any other normal adult, could teach a kid the basic functions of a tractor, for example, and I'm sure the child could understand and do ok in a controlled situation, but there are at least two issues.
One is strength. It actually takes some physical strength to push the brakes, clutches, work levers, etc on equipment. I remember seeing how easily my dad could mash that brake and clutch, but it took a little more effort for me. If a person struggles to work the equipment, they shouldn't be in charge.
Another is decision making skills and experience. As I stated before, any normal kid could learn the basic functions of a tractor, but there are often decisions that have to be made if things do not go according to plan. Younger kids don't have the experience to draw from.
I'm sure we all let our kids do things that could be dangerous, and if they make it to 30 with no issues, we can all brag about how they have been mowing hay since they were in diapers and how they had to stop and take a bottle and get burped before they finished the last couple of acres. Yep, we raised them right.
On the other hand, if I had a young child who had to leave this world at the hands of a piece of farm equipment, I'm sure I would reflect on what happened and my role in it. If I found myself to be negligent or ignorant in any way, that would not be good.
I'd also have to wonder if I'd rather be sitting by my child at age 30 and he is perhaps a little more ignorant in the ways of equipment than my neighbors kids who were driving equipment at a much younger age, or would having him in the ground before age 10 be worth anything that might be considered a positive from what he was doing on equipment at a delicate age.
And before anyone else mentions it, I realize that just because one doesn't drive farm equipment at a tender age doesn't mean he won't die before age 10, but I trust everyone understands what I'm saying.
Merriam-webster dictionary definition of Experience
knowledge gained by actually doing or living through something (copy and paste)
They gain it by an adult riding along. Not by being turned loose on it. The big difference in a tractor or truck even in low gear and a skid steer is the kid has control over the speed in a skid steer and a kid that age is not ready to make decisions that need to be made when something goes wrong.
I prefer the real life definition.ez14.":11vhbown said:Merriam-webster dictionary definition of Experience
knowledge gained by actually doing or living through something (copy and paste)
ez14.":mz10fmle said:and just how are they going to get that experience if they are never allowed to do it???? i would trust a 7 year old with hours of experience more then a 20 year old with no experience on a skid steer!!herofan":mz10fmle said:This may not be as cut and dried as it seems, but I can't see a kid under 10 being "in charge" of the operation of equipment. It's one thing to have a young child on a tractor with it in first gear in a level, open field to give him a feel for it. It's another to watch him disappear down the road to the field to perform a major task that he is "in charge" of, or to even have him doing something that may seem vanilla while the adults are distracted by something else.
I've noticed that my dad's idea of being safe was a lot different that what some adults idea of safe is these days.
I, or any other normal adult, could teach a kid the basic functions of a tractor, for example, and I'm sure the child could understand and do ok in a controlled situation, but there are at least two issues.
One is strength. It actually takes some physical strength to push the brakes, clutches, work levers, etc on equipment. I remember seeing how easily my dad could mash that brake and clutch, but it took a little more effort for me. If a person struggles to work the equipment, they shouldn't be in charge.
Another is decision making skills and experience. As I stated before, any normal kid could learn the basic functions of a tractor, but there are often decisions that have to be made if things do not go according to plan. Younger kids don't have the experience to draw from.
I'm sure we all let our kids do things that could be dangerous, and if they make it to 30 with no issues, we can all brag about how they have been mowing hay since they were in diapers and how they had to stop and take a bottle and get burped before they finished the last couple of acres. Yep, we raised them right.
On the other hand, if I had a young child who had to leave this world at the hands of a piece of farm equipment, I'm sure I would reflect on what happened and my role in it. If I found myself to be negligent or ignorant in any way, that would not be good.
I'd also have to wonder if I'd rather be sitting by my child at age 30 and he is perhaps a little more ignorant in the ways of equipment than my neighbors kids who were driving equipment at a much younger age, or would having him in the ground before age 10 be worth anything that might be considered a positive from what he was doing on equipment at a delicate age.
And before anyone else mentions it, I realize that just because one doesn't drive farm equipment at a tender age doesn't mean he won't die before age 10, but I trust everyone understands what I'm saying.
Merriam-webster dictionary definition of Experience
knowledge gained by actually doing or living through something (copy and paste)
either way they got to do it to gain the experience!dun":33hcwd86 said:I prefer the real life definition.ez14.":33hcwd86 said:Merriam-webster dictionary definition of Experience
knowledge gained by actually doing or living through something (copy and paste)
Experience = The ability to recognize a mistake the second time you make it.
Alan":9pd6z96l said:How old is old enough for a child to start operating farm equipment? For sake of argument let's say a skid steer......... and I know "every kid is different". So please don't play that card, just your average kid.
sim.-ang.king":9e6fhu8c said:I won't say every kid is different, but it really depends on if they can reach the clutch or not. ;-) :cowboy:
herofan":e69s3100 said:One thing to remember on the work ethic portion of this is that not everyone's adult livelihood will depend on a skid steer and a tractor. Just because a kid isn't rolling out of bed at 4:00 every morning at age 5 and going to the fields doesn't mean he will be a failure in life. There are other things.
a good work ethic carries over to anything! Even if he is going to sit at a computer all day to make a livingBrute 23":3ad7wazh said:herofan":3ad7wazh said:One thing to remember on the work ethic portion of this is that not everyone's adult livelihood will depend on a skid steer and a tractor. Just because a kid isn't rolling out of bed at 4:00 every morning at age 5 and going to the fields doesn't mean he will be a failure in life. There are other things.
I doubt any one here will ever say you should force a kid on a piece of equipment.
To this day my brother does not drive tractors, manual shift vehicles, motorcycles, or any thing of that nature. His equipment skills end with a lawn mower and weed eater... But he knows how to work... and he knows how to be useful. My parents never forced him to operate any thing he didn't want to but they did force him to get out there and do some thing. He puts his suite on and walks in to do asset management mon-fri. He can walk out and dig post holes with the best of them on the weekend.