Mowing with a tractor is a great way to handle acreage mowing or lot mowing. Tractors are capable of mowing multiple acres in a single hour, making them a great time-saving piece of machinery.
But they are also dangerous, and in this article we will talk about the four major concerns for people who want to mow their property with a farm tractor.
We are Keith’s Tractor Mowing, serving the Greater Fort Worth area with quality and professional commercial mowing services. Call us for your acreage mowing needs.
The numbers
There are approximately 4.2 million farm tractors currently in service across the United States. Of that 4.2 million, 1.7 million do not have roll-over protection, or ROPS, which leads us to the four major areas of danger and accident associated with tractor mowing.
The four major areas of danger with tractor mowing
Accidents from tractor mowing equipment occur because of the following:
- Roll-over accidents
- Blind spots
- Traffic accidents
- Entanglements
Let’s look at each of these.
Roll-over
The average age of a farm tractor in the United States is 25 years. That means that many farm tractors currently in use do not have roll-over protection, or ROPS. Couple that with the fact that many people operating a farm tractor have little or no experience, and this is a recipe for a major accident about to happen.
If your tractor does not have roll-over protection, or if you do not have experience mowing with it, then don’t do it! Period!
Blind spots
Tractors are notorious for their blind spots. It is very hard to sit atop a farm tractor and see things like little kids, dogs, or obstacles buried in the tall grasses. You would most likely be shocked by the number of small children seriously injured each year by being run over by a tractor while it was operating on the farm.
Traffic accidents
Tractors do not belong on the road, and yet each year there are collisions between farm tractors and motor vehicles. This is such an easy accident to avoid, and yet each year it shows up on the statistics of serious farm accidents.
Entanglements
Long hair, clothing, arms, legs, any number of things can get caught in the mechanisms of a farm tractor. Usually these accidents occur when others try to “hitch a ride” on the side of the tractor alongside the tractor operator. It seems unbelievable that it should be necessary to warn people against doing this, but every single year entanglements claim lives and cause maiming injuries on tractors.
Bottom line
Tractor manufacturers will not be happy with this advice, but we say it from years of experience: amateurs and weekend warriors should not operate farm tractors for the purpose of mowing acreage. It is simply too dangerous. Hire the pros! Yes, it will cost you some money, but it may also save your life or the life of a loved one.
A word about Keith’s Tractor Mowing
For over two decades Keith’s Tractor Mowing has been a trusted name in tractor mowing services in the Fort Worth area. Call us for a quote on any commercial mowing job you might have. Keith’s also carries $1,000,000 general liability insurance for your peace of mind.