First time driving a tractor

JWalker · Jan 20, 2011

I had my 7 year old helping me on the farm this past Saturday. He has ridden with me on the tractor and steered while I drove many times. On a whim, I asked him if he would like to drive the tractor by himself. Of course his answer was yes. After making sure he could push the clutch in all the way I put the tractor into a medium walking speed and let him go. I walked along beside and bedhind him, just in case he had any problems. He drove to the hay row with no problem. I helped him line up and spear a roll of hay with the front loader. He then turned around and drove to the cow pasture like he had done it 100's of times. Needless to say he was grinning from ear to ear.
Today while thinking about this, it made me rember the first time I drove a tractor solo(some 35+ years ago). What fond memories.

NYEthan · Jan 20, 2011

My first time drivein was on a 15-30 john deere hooked to a flat roundbale wagon. Took out my granddads mail box. so not to long after was my first time usesing a post hole digger to put his mail box back up.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 20, 2011

I remember my first time driving a tractor, a Farmall Cub, I was about 8 or 10.

Kow Farmer · Jan 20, 2011

Reading your story reminded me of letting my daughter who is 11 drive my WD45 AC last summer for the 1st time in her life also. She had a smile a mile wide when I let her sit in the seat and drive to the neighbor's farm 3/4 mile away and back again. I let her steer while I ran the clutch and throttle. She made sure she told mom and other family members she got to drive her 1st tractor. My 1st tractor drive was a 49' JD A on my grandpa's farm. I sat on his lap and he let me drive. That is almost 40 years ago. Still a lasting memory forever. What great fun!
Kow Farmer

Anonymous-0 · Jan 20, 2011

you guys done good , and safe guarded your loved one just as i was coached and safeguarded on a sc case when i was 4 -5 dad and cuzins were pikin hay bales many years ago ,,. wonderful sense of pride that i can recall 50 yrs later,,. sadly accidents have happened too many times enuf to where some l!berol would call child protection services on pop in todays politically b/s coRECtum world

greenmech · Jan 20, 2011

First time was with my brother on Dad"s new H in 49. Wasn"t very old then but I still remember sitting in the spring for the seat. Ron Mn.

BarryfromIA · Jan 20, 2011

I do not remember learning how to drive a tractor. We learned early enough that it seems like we always did it, kinda like walking do you remember your first steps.

Larry62 · Jan 20, 2011

Here is a laugh on me for you. I got this 1949 John Deer model A. Got showed one time and drove off with this big grin on my face. But that did not last long. For as I come around by the chicken house. I could not hardly turn the corner cause it was stiff. ....So I grabbed with my foot the clutch????????? shessss for got it was by hand to clutch. Anyway the chicken house did not get out of my way. I hit that corner of it like a big tree fallon to the ground. Like to jerk me off that tractor and sure warped my chicken house. This was no more then 4 years ago. Chicken house still looks the same. Could not straighten it out for nothing. But still works for chicken house with some readjustments to the foundation.
Sold that old tractor right after that. Won't get another with handle shifter for a clutch. lol now but not then. *S

chucksoliver77 · Jan 20, 2011

i can remember the day we got our new 1952 oliver 77,i was 10 at tthe time and got to drive it soon after. i can't hardly believe that 59 years later i still have that tractor and enjoy plow days with it and tractor pulling with it. chuck

wijim · Jan 20, 2011

My first time was on this tractor a 46A 42 years ago I was 7. I was driving while my dad and brothers picked up bales. One step above letting the tractor go on its own.Jim

Chris(WA) · Jan 20, 2011

I have a dim memory of the first time I drove tractor by myself. I cannot remember how old I was. My dad way pickin rock with me along on our John Deere "A". He put it in 1st and set the throttle. It was my job to move forward a bit as he picked. What I DO remember is that I was not big enough to push the clutch lever over center, all I could do was make it move as I pushed the clutch forward.I could not have been very old but that memory will be with me always!

Anonymous-0 · Jan 20, 2011

My first time was on Dad's old John Deere 40, I must have been about 10 years old, was a pro at it very soon and remember him letting me keep the drive graded with it up until I moved away at age 22.

TonyIN · Jan 20, 2011

Not my first time, but my wifes... (dyed in the wool city girl). We were clearing to build about a dozen years ago and I was running the chain saw. Set her up for dragging the logs (not real big ones) over some flat trail to a clearing. She really didn"t want to, but also really wanted nothing to do with the chain saw.
So... showed her the controls on my old Ford 641 and sent her off to drop one off and return. Well, cut up a couple logs and she wasn"t back yet. Walked over the ridge to find her doing donuts in the field, hollering, trying to stop the tractor - yup, one foot on the left brake and none on the clutch.
I still get a chuckle out of that one, and she hasn"t climbed back on it yet (but wish she would).

Fred Martin · Jan 20, 2011

I was down at the Martin homeplace at about 6 or 7 years old inspecting a Ford 9-N. Uncle Leonard was talking to his brother when he apparently noticed me. He opened the pasture gate, started it up drove over to the gateway, hopped off and told me to get on. I went through all the gears but third was too fast, tried reverse and took it back and thanked him and told him I thought I could handle it okay...he seemed to agree. That was about 1947 or 48. My first tractor was a 9-N. His brother, uncle Floyd had a Ferguson TO-20. I liked it better. I have a 20, 30 and a 35. ohfred

Anonymous-0 · Jan 21, 2011

Not what I would have done. To each his own.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 21, 2011

(quoted from post at 00:39:58 01/21/11) Not what I would have done. To each his own.

You prolly set alone at the coffee shop don't ya?

Have a good day.

CLTX · Jan 21, 2011

I'll bet it wasn't a tractor mounted posthole digger either!

Nebraska Cowman · Jan 21, 2011

I don't really remember the [i:654c4848f0]first[/i:654c4848f0] time. Like your kid I was always riding along, and sometimes dad would have me steer. As dad was blind in one eye it was my job to watch whatever machine we were pulling. It was only natural when dad quit going along. I know I was baling hay when I was 8.

mkirsch · Jan 21, 2011

I think I was 2 or 3 years old for my first "solo."

It was the Super M with a loader bucket moving along in 1st gear at an idle while Dad picked stones. Technically, I just held on to the steering wheel and the tractor went straight ahead. I was there to kick the kill switch at the end of the row.

rrlund · Jan 21, 2011

I don't even remember what the first time was.
I rememebr having morning kindergarten and coming home hauling manure out by myself in the afternoon with an 8N Ford. Remember too,Dad bolting a wood block to the clutch pedal of a Massey Harris Pony so I could plow snow with it by myself,but I don't remember how old I was at the time. Not very,probably. Same thing for plowing with the Oliver 66. Dad was riding along and got off to move a stone and told me to go on down to the end and turn around and bring it back without him.

Don-Wi · Jan 21, 2011

I musta been 5 or 6. Dad was chopping corn with the 285 on the chopper (1 row fox) and had the 1600 out there also. Needed to get both home, so he put the 1600 in 1st gear, low idle, and let me crawl home while he went home with the 285 and chopper. Can't remember if I had the old Rex chopper rack bhehind me or not though....

I do know I was hauling manure, raking hay, and baling it by the time I was 7 though.

Only decent picture I have of it before fixing it up...

karl f · Jan 21, 2011

wijim, a local older lady had her older john deere A or B painted like the one in your photo. I saw it when I was a teen in the 1990s. Did you grow up in MN?

karl f

spacechem · Jan 21, 2011

My first time was on a MM Jet Star with loader. Doing fine until time to turn in at a gate- hit the far post with the loader. Dad wasn't happy. "Can't put a 6-foot tractor through a 20-foot gate!" Patience doesn't run strong in the men of my family- why I don't have kids...

Anonymous-0 · Jan 21, 2011

First tractor driving experience I was about 6 years old. Driving an H John Deere with a wagon behind and Dad was loading cane bundles. That was 64 years ago but remember it very well. I remember when I was able to crank start it. Thought I was a man then. Still have the H and plan to restore it soon. First job away from home was driving an old Ford, probably a 9N, disking. It had dual rear wheels. Probably was 7 or 8. Shortly after that drove an H Farmall pulling a pto baler that was hand wire tied. Lots of good memories. Most kids of today will never have those opportunities. That could be good and bad!

Fudpucker · Jan 22, 2011

I was six years old and got to drive the little Ford 4000 at a crawl while dad threw square hay off the wagon to the cows. 39 years later it was still a great day!

First time driving a tractor

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