Seat for a kid on the foot rest floor board

[Boobala]

Hey Chuck... First & foremost I consider you as a respected "friend on the forum" I DO-NOT seek an argument ...!!!
I DO-NOT believe in "participation trophies" , safe spaces with toys, or being un-armed ! 1 word I mentioned earlier in this posting
puts me in the "spring-loaded position" of " PI**** OFF " .. I am glad to know I most likely won't be around to see the fall of our great country if things don"t change . YES I sure as hell did a million stupid things , yes I detest people telling how to live... but I grew up in a different world
we HAD to fight and EARN for everything .. we won & we lost many things and accepted it as a life-lesson . I know I was harsh on this fellow
and I will admit it was WRONG for me to label him as stupid, I have also wanted to share many things with my own son, and I did ... but I have seen children injured by nothing more than their innocent curiosity. I was only speaking out in the fear of a child being injured or killed
and I don't want ANY person ..parent or not ... to have to live a lifetime of regret for a brief moment of self-gratifcation .

With that said if mattj2235 is on the forum and sees this ..I apologize .. but I retain my position of the seat you are thinking of is
a stupid idea .. could you face your family or YOURSELF if there was a tragedy out of this ??

 

[Rivets]

As a retired instructor there where two things I would constantly remind my students of two things. There are no stupid questions. You learn from both positive and negative feedback. Second, if you don't like the answer, why did you ask the question? Many ask questions to reinforce their own thinking and when the feedback is not positive they take offense. We have all done things that were highly questionable in the past, but because we made it through with no ill effects does not mean that it is something we should pass on.

 

[stevestd]

My father in law insisted on wiring up a side discharge chute on his 12.5hp John Deere. It was only luck that he didn't cut off his foot. I also play golf at a course where a memorial is next to a hole where a mower tipped and killed the driver. Mowers are very dangerous and should never be underestimated.

 

[reynoldston]

I know its hard, but your 2 1/2 year old child has to learn the word NO. As a child living on a farm I was driving a farm tractor around the age of 10 back in the year 1950 and still living. It was all about living and working on the family farm back in them years.

 

[BlazNT]

Ok so now that my head has cleared. LOL. I want to put this up because I was not really thinking correctly before. Some things just piss me off and I do not think well when that happens. Not one single post did it is was all of them combined that started me thinking of how soft the US has become.

So here goes nothing. What I always wanted on my mower was a wider seat so I could have him with me and be safe as well. I first read this post as the OP being level head person trying to include his son in Dad stuff. I did not think he was a stupid person for it. As a matter of fact I thought he was really smart for trying to get ideas on how to do it. I was going to tell him a wider seat was a much better idea if he had to have him with him on the mower. Being that close to all the moving parts and blow back from the deck is not a good idea. Also to let everyone know this does not include everyone in the world to set up something like this. There are STUPID people in this world that can not be fixed and being STUPID means you should not even try it. I know such a person on my street that is this kind of stupid. I saw him allowing some boys to follow him around his yard while he was mowing. This is about the fastest way to hurt someone I know. I put a very quick stop to it.

So my way over the top previous rant is over and the more level headed person is back.

 

[Boobala]

Ok so now that my head has cleared. LOL. I want to put this up because I was not really thinking correctly before. Some things just piss me off and I do not think well when that happens. Not one single post did it is was all of them combined that started me thinking of how soft the US has become.

So here goes nothing. What I always wanted on my mower was a wider seat so I could have him with me and be safe as well. I first read this post as the OP being level head person trying to include his son in Dad stuff. I did not think he was a stupid person for it. As a matter of fact I thought he was really smart for trying to get ideas on how to do it. I was going to tell him a wider seat was a much better idea if he had to have him with him on the mower. Being that close to all the moving parts and blow back from the deck is not a good idea. Also to let everyone know this does not include everyone in the world to set up something like this. There are STUPID people in this world that can not be fixed and being STUPID means you should not even try it. I know such a person on my street that is this kind of stupid. I saw him allowing some boys to follow him around his yard while he was mowing. This is about the fastest way to hurt someone I know. I put a very quick stop to it.

So my way over the top previous rant is over and the more level headed person is back.

I posted an apology to the post ORIGINATER a few posts back ..I can't stand LIARS and the 1 word ..."BENGHAZI" .. sends me over to the BALLISTIC side ...Boobala

 

[bertsmobile1]

Geez, I've meant no political backlash. All I'm saying is, I can not be the only person to ever thing of the idea of adding a seat for their child on a mower. I will post my badassery at a later date. Thank you all for your concern. My kid will be your kids boss one day. Assuming he survives...:confused2:

Not if they are on anti depressants because the tinitus in their ears are driving them mad.
Not if they can not be taught that they can not have their own way all the time.

And no I do not believe in the nanny state, I ride old motorcycles with next to no brakes and all my kids ride motorcycles and so do the grand kids.
But they all wear helmets , gloves & boots and the young kids wear ear plugs under their helmets.
Thus they learn about appropriate safety while having fun and I can assure you they do have fun.

If the kid whining really annoys you then sit them on the front , with the blades off , find a grassy spot , throw the mower hard in reverse so they get tossed off the explain that is why "daddy can't have yo on the mower "
just likie teaching your kids not to touch the iron, bu turning it down low and walking away so the touch it and get a minor burn.
Thus they learn that when you tell them they can not do or touch something it is for their own good. A very valuable lesson that will pay for itself in absence of nagging 100 times over.

 

[bertsmobile1]

My grandson rode with me about 6 hours a week with me on my zero turn from age 1 to 6. I wish I could have built a seat for him. We never ever had a single problem. I never ran the mower as hard with him on it either. When I was growing up I was driving a tractor at age 4 bailing hay. This world has gone soft. So much so I worry for it. Not for me just all the softies. Like I tell my wife if the world ever has a problem and we as a whole loose power she would be one of the first to die. Mostly of starvation. We need to toughen up our population not wimp them out.

Not soft at all but not stupid either.
There is molly coddleing and there is unnecessary & unacceptable risk.
Some where between the two is intelligence.
My kids rode on my motorcycle , on the road in front of me on the edge of the tank til they were tall enough to ride on the back after I fitted higher foot pegs for them. This is something that is not allowed any more .
However they wore protective head gear, leather gloves & leather shoes and I rode in an appropriate mannar.

 

[Mattj2235]

Well this has been interesting. Like I've stated before, my sons safety is priority number one. If I felt that he could not handle riding, he would not be riding. I make him wear ear muffs, safety glasses, and our seat belt when we ride. As well as when we shoot the .22 pistol (minus the safety belt), and shred the pastures. You see, as much as I hate to admit it, my wife has the last say when it comes to the safety of our son. Trust me, If she felt anything was unsafe, it wouldn't happen. Yes, things happen in the blink of an eye, I am more than aware of that having a toddler. My initial question was if anyone had every done or seen anything like that. I have a 54' Hustler Fastrak that has a pretty large floor board, with enough room to add a seat with handrails and a seat belt and cushions. Thank y'all for the entertainment.

 

[cruzenmike]

Before I put in my 2 cents, I will give you a little background. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Safety and Health from one of only eleven accredited colleges/universities in the nation. I have worked on high-risk, billion dollar construction projects as well as in the general industry (automotive specific). My entire career has revolved around hazard recognition and mitigation, employee training and implementation and management of safety programs that help ensure that people go home at the end of the day in the same condition that they arrived in. That being said, consider this: Having your child on your mower ADDS risk to a situation where no risk (to him) exists if he is not riding on it. Outdoor power equipment is simply NOT for children to use or to be in close proximity while in operation. Manufacturers place all kinds of warnings on consumer goods not only to protect themselves, but the people who use their products.

Now, while you may be thinking that I am of the opinion that children should be in a bubble to keep them safe, that is not the case. Kids get hurt playing on the playground or riding a bike; that is normal. Here is question for you . . . When you son shows his future wife a scar on his leg from falling off of his bike when he was five, will she think anything of it? How about when he shows her a scar on his leg from where your lawn mower ran his leg over and broke his tibia. What will she think then?

Plain and simple, the risk of injury in your proposed situation is too great for any parent to be comfortable with. While it may hurt to watch your son cry for 2 hours while you cut the grass, I promise you it will hurt much less than if he was injured while riding with you.

Do the right thing and keep him safe, where he is safest; in the house!

Mike