Recently a small utility tractor rollover fatality in Southeast Nebraska is a wake-up call to the dangers involved in operating older tractors, without rollover protection. The danger exists on farms and acreages, no matter what your age and experience.
It is so tragic to the family members, the first responders, and the rural community. It’s an image that is really hard to forget. Today, older tractors that do not have rollover protection are a major safety issue in agriculture settings.
Beginning in 1986, American tractor manufacturers began voluntarily adding Roll Over Protection Structure on all farm tractors sold in the United States over 20 horsepower. Before that, ROPS was an option and many farmers due to economics didn’t choose to add them.
It only takes one second for a tractor to tip over backwards when trying to pull out a heavy object or stump hitched or chained too high on a tractor. No one can act that fast to avoid a tractor accident in a tip over sidewise or backwards incident.
Because of their high center of gravity, tractors are more susceptible to rolling or turning over. Always hitch loads at the drawbar, never higher. Use front weights to increase tractor stability.
According to the The Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health at the University of Iowa:
- Tractor overturns are the leading cause of fatal injuries on US farms, resulting in an average of about 130 deaths each year
- 1 in 10 operators overturns a tractor in his or her lifetime
- 80% of deaths caused by tractor overturns involve experienced operators
- 1 in 7 farmers involved in tractor overturns is permanently disabled
- 7 of 10 farms will go out of business within 5 years following a tractor-related fatality
Many tractors manufactured before 1986 are still widely used on farms and are unlikely to have been retrofitted with ROPS. And often youth on farms are operating them putting them at risk. It could be moving hay bales, hauling irrigation pipe or many other farm tasks.
Extension Educators in Nebraska are teaching teens to be safe with tractors every year. Randy Saner, a University of Nebraska Extension educator, reports that a common cause of agricultural-related injuries and deaths in Nebraska is overturned tractors and ATVs.
He emphasized that Extension classes are designed to train students how to avoid these incidents as well as many other hazards on the farm and ranch.
»Related: Helping farmers survive rollovers on older tractors
