If you’ve just recently purchased a tractor or are looking to operate a tractor for the first time, you might be feeling both nervous and excited about the prospect of operating this piece of machinery. And while a tractor can make a lot of work easier to complete, if you’re not operating a machine like this in a safe way, it can also be very hazardous.
To help ensure that you’re able to stay safe and avoid any major issues, here are three tips for driving a tractor for the first time.
Know How To Safety Check The Tractor
Before you even set foot on a tractor for the first time, there are a few things that you should know how to check on the machine to make sure that it’s safe for you to be operating. Otherwise, you could wind up trying to use the machine when something outside of your control goes wrong.
When doing your safety check of the tractor prior to driving it, you’ll want to walk around the entire machine to make sure there are no hazards around it or that there’s nothing or no one in the way. Additionally, you’ll also want to ensure that all of the tires are properly inflated and look in good working order, that there doesn’t appear to be anything broken on the machine, and that all the lights and guards are working where they should be.
Practice With Balancing
If you’re going to be using the tractor to help you move items around some property or do things like digging or filling in holes, you’ll want to do some practicing with balancing before you get started with the bulk of your project.
It’s easy to get off balance on a tractor and wind up hurting yourself or the machine. So to help you get a feel for things, start with small loads that are well under the maximum weight load that your machine can bear.
Be Careful When Going On Roads
In some instances, you might need to move your tractor from one location to another using a main road. And while this is usually legal, there are a few things that you should keep in mind if you’re going to be taking your tractor on the road.
First of all, you should always use the right signs and lights to indicate that you’re a slow-moving vehicle. And if you’re going more than a very short distance, it’s wise to have a pilot car to help clear the way for you and ensure that other drivers notice that there’s something new and different taking place on the road around them.
If you’re about to use a tractor for the first time, consider using the tips mentioned above as you prepare to operate this machine.
Photo by ollie mitchell on Unsplash
