Seat for a kid on the foot rest floor board

[Mattj2235]

Meet my son Evan. He's 2 1/2 and he is all boy! I've built him a custom chair for the foot rest floor board of my Hustler. I used two latch clamps on each side of the chair attached to eye bolts that I mounted on the foot rest. The seat can't come loose from the floor board because I designed it where the eye bolts have to be turned every time to attach and detach the seat. That chair is one with the tractor when those clamps are latched, but can also feel everything with that chair being between my legs. I stapled some tough fabric to the chair and stuffed with cushion. The only way he can get in or out is with my help. He may not fit for too much longer, and that's ok. We'll worry about that later. My name is Matt, I'm 33 and have only lived in the country for as long as he's been born. I grew up in the city and as of 3 years ago would have never been able to think of something like this, much less build. I've adapted. I've learned, and adapted. Things can be safe, even with scary things. All it takes is an open mind.

 

[primerbulb120]

Nice seat! I don't think he's going to fall out anytime soon! :smile::smile:

I'm not going to judge your idea. Just one thing you might want to consider: what happens if the mower catches fire while you two are on it? It's not common, but it's still something you need to consider. When a ZTR catches fire, you have about 5 to 25 seconds to get off before the fire gets to a fuel line or tank. Just be extra careful and make sure you can unbelt him and make a quick escape if need be. Again, I'm not bashing your idea, just want to make sure you can get him off quick in case of an emergency. :thumbsup:

 

[Tudorp]

I also let my sons (now grown w/ families of their own) ride with me sometimes mowing the grass. Mostly in a cart being pulled by the mower. I also had an old riding mower I took the deck off of it to let them drive it around pretending to mow with me. I did this, until a friend of mine that did the same thing had his 4 year old daughter in a wagon being pulled behind his mower. One day a rock (or some sort of debris) slung out from under the mower. It was a very weird freak thing because it slung out the rear of the deck, and pegged his daughter right in the face (cheek, very near her eye). He didn't even know it happened until he realized his daughter was crying holding her face. He stopped and realized what had happened. It happened very fast, and un-expected. He always thought that was the safest place to have her with him. Fortunately, she wasn't hurt bad, but it could have been very easily. He never let her ride back there again. And I also stopped letting my kids ride, or be anywhere near the mower when the deck was being used. We can't stop accidents from happening, but we can minimize the risks.

Are you right or wrong? I can't say, or judge. Only the parent can. But, On the side of safety, I would rather deal with a disappointed kid for not getting to play with Dad while doing yard work, than deal with an accident or hurting my kid because of something I did, or allowed. That's all I have to say on the subject.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Sorry to hear about your daughter.

There is a good reason why all the safety manuals that no one reads tell you not to have anyone in a radius of 25' to 30' from the mower.
A similar law here requires kerb side mowing to have warning signs and all the highway mowing has to be done with mulching decks.