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.
Kids and farm equipment, how old? -poll
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M-5
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Ive never operated a skid steer so I really don't know the functions. I've had my kids drive a tractor in low gear while I was working along side since they were about 7 , I drove the pipe wagons and water melon wagons around 5 or 7 to long ago to remember. My criteria on this is that if they are old enough to shoot a shotgun they are old enough to drive. that's around 7 depending on the kid.
Bright Raven
Well-known member
I said 10.
When I was growing up, a neighbor was hauling his pre-school son down a blacktop highway in an empty manure spreader. Somehow, no one ever said, it caught in gear. Father looked back to see his son went through the back. Fatal.
When I was growing up, a neighbor was hauling his pre-school son down a blacktop highway in an empty manure spreader. Somehow, no one ever said, it caught in gear. Father looked back to see his son went through the back. Fatal.
Every kid is different... every parent is different... every situation is different. Its this "we all need to do it the same way" attitude that is destroying our country. I see this all the time in the schools. The exceptional kids suffer because every one is pandering to the average and below average.
My brother and I did things at two completely different paces and we were raised in the same house, same environment, only a couple years apart. Our parents had to use their judgement day in and day out to decide what was acceptable on a individual basis.
Society has parents so scared to do any thing with their kids that we have a bunch of mindless 20 & 30 yr + kids running around who don't know how to do squat. How many headline say "more millennials than ever still living at home in their 30s".... ya because the law doesn't allow them to do any thing until they are in their 20s. At 30, they only have 10 years of real life experience under their belt, at best. It wasn't that long ago people had their own families, and farms, and all kinds of stuff at 30 years old. How could they do it but our kids cant?
I was just watching a video about the history of Texas ranching where one of the men said he would drive a team of horses like 6 miles back and forth a 5 or 8 years old delivering some thing from one place to another. So he could drive a team of horses with a wagon, 6 miles in that rough country, at that age, back then... but a boy now cant drive a skid steer in pasture. :roll:
Accidents happen... the sooner people understand they cant control every... single... thing... every... single... minute...of... every... single... day... we can all get back to being the great people our grandfathers were that built this country.
My brother and I did things at two completely different paces and we were raised in the same house, same environment, only a couple years apart. Our parents had to use their judgement day in and day out to decide what was acceptable on a individual basis.
Society has parents so scared to do any thing with their kids that we have a bunch of mindless 20 & 30 yr + kids running around who don't know how to do squat. How many headline say "more millennials than ever still living at home in their 30s".... ya because the law doesn't allow them to do any thing until they are in their 20s. At 30, they only have 10 years of real life experience under their belt, at best. It wasn't that long ago people had their own families, and farms, and all kinds of stuff at 30 years old. How could they do it but our kids cant?
I was just watching a video about the history of Texas ranching where one of the men said he would drive a team of horses like 6 miles back and forth a 5 or 8 years old delivering some thing from one place to another. So he could drive a team of horses with a wagon, 6 miles in that rough country, at that age, back then... but a boy now cant drive a skid steer in pasture. :roll:
Accidents happen... the sooner people understand they cant control every... single... thing... every... single... minute...of... every... single... day... we can all get back to being the great people our grandfathers were that built this country.
It's a simple question for the individual to answer, but I said "your average kid" in hopes it would help keep this out of the weeds for a little while. As you know many topics on CT get drug into the weeds and off track.
M-5
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Alan":3kxdos9v said:
do we use grazon or just plain ole 2 4,d on the weeds. I do have a 4wd tractor and that seems to help with the tracking
callmefence
Keyboard cowboy
Alan forbid using depends on the kid. So for actually doing work with a skidsteer I said 12.
Skidsteer is a touchy jumpy machine that Will turn over, rear up, and buck like he'll if you try to fight it. I've seen a 25year-old buck one through a fresh built fence with me yelling "just turn it loose!!!!" He couldn't stop fighting the thing.
Skidsteer is a touchy jumpy machine that Will turn over, rear up, and buck like he'll if you try to fight it. I've seen a 25year-old buck one through a fresh built fence with me yelling "just turn it loose!!!!" He couldn't stop fighting the thing.
M.Magis
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Not only are kids different, but all situations are different. Having a 5 year old drive a tractor down a straight dirt lane in flat country is entirely different than letting that 5 year old drive the same tractor around the steep hills we have around here.
callmefence
Keyboard cowboy
I want to add to my above post. I was speaking of my own kid's.
I don't believe the government or anyone else has any business in matters like this. I do not believe criminal charges should be bought against the woman in the other thread. I don't agree with her decision, but it was hers to make.
I don't believe the government or anyone else has any business in matters like this. I do not believe criminal charges should be bought against the woman in the other thread. I don't agree with her decision, but it was hers to make.
Craig Miller
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I would ave voted younger for a tractor but a skid steer is diffrent. 12+ based on my own kids abilities.
I started my kids too young. My 10 year old spent the afternoon raking hay yesterday. I was nervous, but it needed done, my guy was already there with a roller. I had a neighbor call me last year, and talked to me a little while about how much tractor work my kids do. His concerns were genuine, and his input didn't upset me.
I was involved in a tractor roll over, at age 9. It made a big impression on me. I try to weigh the danger against the good. A close family member has 2 girls. One is 21, and the other 19. Both finished high school, and one scored a31 on her ACT, and the other a 28. Neither went to college, and they live at home. Only only one works, and she has a part time dead end job. They were never made to do anything. I have gone to his house many times to help perform easy task, that he couldn't do by himself, while they lay on couches in the livingroom.
Mine may not turn out any better, but they'll have calluses on their hands, and not their butts.
I was involved in a tractor roll over, at age 9. It made a big impression on me. I try to weigh the danger against the good. A close family member has 2 girls. One is 21, and the other 19. Both finished high school, and one scored a31 on her ACT, and the other a 28. Neither went to college, and they live at home. Only only one works, and she has a part time dead end job. They were never made to do anything. I have gone to his house many times to help perform easy task, that he couldn't do by himself, while they lay on couches in the livingroom.
Mine may not turn out any better, but they'll have calluses on their hands, and not their butts.
greybeard
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12 or above, and then only under adult supervision.
Just because 'we' did it or were lucky enough not to kill ourselves or someone else doesn't mean the 'average' kid can or should.
(you did say "average child"---right? )
Just because 'we' did it or were lucky enough not to kill ourselves or someone else doesn't mean the 'average' kid can or should.
(you did say "average child"---right? )
greybeard":1xp86kmm said:
Well said GB! Just because it's the way we did it doesn't make it okay these days. They use to play football without face mask..... does anyone want to do that today? Oh! Yes it was stated the "average child", if we can get some folks to double, match, the pot someone will enjoy the win....lol. Just because it's how we did it isn't the right answer, we luck we have gotten smarter than then.....
JW IN VA
Well-known member
Average farm kid 12 or so
Average kid-I'd be a little worried at 18
Average kid-I'd be a little worried at 18
Bright Raven
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JW IN VA":60lkji82 said:
That made me laugh and I tend to agree.
greybeard
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keep in mind, that avg means 50% of them are dumber than you and I, assuming we were avg too.
