Monthly Archives: May 2013
Kubota lawn tractor safety 3
Kubota lawn tractor
Many people, when thinking about safety with regard to a Kubota lawn tractor, will think in terms of how the tractor operates, keeping it mechanically sound and in a well-run manner.
They will also think in terms of the potential dangers or hazards that may occur whilst driving or using the Kubota lawn tractor. One of the most important things to consider, is the environment in which or on which the Kubota lawn tractor is to be used.
A Kubota lawn tractor will normally be used in a residential setting. It may be used either in a residential or a commercial sense, depending on the type of land.
There is a tendency to assume that because it is referred to as a Kubota lawn tractor, there is a mental picture of what a lawn looks like which is often very different to the reality of the type of land that a Kubota lawn tractor can be used upon.
A Kubota lawn tractor is ideal for most types of smallholding, very small farms and areas of land that are both residential and commercial in nature.
Perhaps one of the most important safety recognition features in terms of environment when using a Kubota lawn tractor, is an awareness that the environment is much more than the land Kubota lawn tractor is being used on.
The environment in this sense, refers to people, animals, pets, children, non-related traffic and bystanders as well as any type of object or debris that may be left lying on the ground that could potentially be hit by the blades of the Kubota tractor as it moves over them.
When a Kubota lawn tractor is being used in a residential home setting particularly, there is often a real sense of excitement amongst small children and pets, partly at the sense of novelty of a tractor being used at home.
Many people get excited about tractors generally, in particular children and young adolescents love to look at them and play with them.
The operator of a Kubota lawn tractor needs to be aware that this excitement exists, and that any children or pets or young adolescents who happened to be in the facility or area where Kubota lawn tractor is being used are at risk.
The environment in the sense needs to be kept clear. This means that the area where the Kubota lawn tractor is to be used must really be a cut-off area when there are other people or pets can be allowed to be whilst the tractor is in use.
There is often a real danger that children or young adolescents can wander into the area where the Kubota lawn tractor is being used, and simply not be seen by the operator of the tractor.
As such there is a real danger of them being run over or hit or injured in some other fashion. While thankfully this type of accident is not common, it does happen and is a tragedy when it does. A bit of forethought can make a huge difference.
Kubota lawn tractor safety 2
Kubota lawn tractor
Whether or not you are familiar with a Kubota lawn tractor, or whether or not you have experience with another manufacturer of garden or lawn tractors, there are a number of important safety considerations that you should take into account when using your Kubota lawn tractor, both for the first time and on subsequent occasions.
It is worth spending some time familiarising yourself with the Kubota lawn tractor after you have bought it and before you actually start using it.
There will be a number of important controls and levers that will make a significant difference to how you can operate the tractor. Understanding the layout of the operators cabin or control unit of your Kubota lawn tractor will give you an ease of use and familiarity that will make operating your Kubota much easier and much safer to use .
If you are aware of the different functions of the various pieces of the Kubota lawn tractor’s control mechanisms before you actually start using the tractor, then you are more likely to be able to respond to any type of situation or emergency quickly.
Unfamiliarity with a part of your Kubota lawn tractor will mean a slower response time and a slower reaction to situations that might demand a sense of urgency.
It is important to never let children play with or use the Kubota lawn tractor. Because a Kubota lawn tractor is used often in a residential setting or environment, there is a tendency not to fully appreciate that the Kubota lawn tractor is an industrial/agricultural machine, and needs to be used with a considerable amount of care and attention .
It is first and foremost a tractor, and all safety considerations that would normally be applied to driving or using a tractor should similarly be applied to a Kubota lawn tractor.
This means in practice not letting any children or young people use of drive the tractor at any point.
The Kubota lawn tractor should only ever be driven or used by someone who could be deemed to be a responsible adult, or a responsible adolescent of an age that can fully appreciate and understand the various safety concerns and considerations that apply to such usage.
The age at which someone is deemed to be an appropriate adult or adolescent’s in the sense of being capable of driving a Kubota responsibly is a consideration that the owner or operative of the Kubota lawn tractor will have to make .
If an adolescent of any age is deemed to be suitable and responsible enough to drive and use the Kubota lawn tractor, then all the controls and safety protocols should be explained to them and come through with them prior to using or driving the Kubota lawn tractor.
Also there should always be an adult present or in the vicinity whilst the adolescent or young person is driving or using the Kubota lawn tractor, in the event there is an emergency or something goes wrong or there is a need for a responsible adult to be present.
Kubota lawn tractor – safety 1
Kubota Lawn Tractor Safety
When you buy a Kubota lawn tractor, if you buy a new one you should receive an operator’s manual with the tractor. If you buy a used or second-hand one there is a chance you will not receive one.
There are many practical reasons why it is important to have access to a manual for your Kubota lawn tractor. It will give you detailed guidance about how best to maintain and service the tractor, as well as a number of valuable safety and operating guides and tips.
Even if you do not have a manual for your Kubota lawn tractor, it is a good idea to find out your model number and make a note of it somewhere where it can easily be found.
In addition it is worth having the telephone numbers of your local Kubota dealer, as well as a national number for a Kubota customer care customer support team. If you need practical advice regarding your Kubota lawn tractor, those numbers will be invaluable.
There is also a significant amount of support available online. Kubota will have its own corporate website for the country where you live, which will give you a significant amount of relevant information, both for your specific make of Kubota lawn tractor, and information regarding maintenance and servicing and parts.
There is also a significant amount of information available on discussion forums and latest boards online. These can be discussion forums relating specifically to tractors, and also discussion forums relating to garden tractors. There will normally be sub discussion forums relation to specific manufacturers such as Kubota.
There are also sites available such as eBay, which are not only useful if you wish to purchase a used Kubota lawn tractor, but also are incredibly useful for buying spare parts for Kubota lawn tractors.
Whilst these can be considerably cheaper than new parts for Kubota tractors there are obviously risks. The main risk perhaps is that if you buy a used part of your Kubota lawn tractor it may potentially invalidate your warranty depending on the terms and conditions of the warranty as it applied when you bought a Kubota lawn tractor.
The terms and conditions of the warranty will depend on whether the Kubota lawn tractor you bought was a new or a used one, and whether or not you bought it from an authorised Kubota dealer.
There may have been terma and conditions of a national warranty that Kubota authorised, and in addition there may have been specific terms and conditions that your local Kubota dealer authorised.
Rebuild a Kubota engine
Repairing or rebuilding a kubota engine can be a major decision, and an expensive one, whether you get it right or not.
This site gives calot of really useful info about new engines, rebuild and kubota parts.
Rebuilt kubota engines can be used with some other manufacturers, so worth checking out.
County Sales and Service – click here
Kubota equipment – the farm as a work place
Kubota make a wide range of tractors, from their Kubota BX series, of which they call their estate tractors through to their TLB tractors, their tractor loader backhoe series.
In addition they make a number of other tractors and agricultural machinery that can be used on farms of any size as well as residential land, smallholdings and small businesses such as garden centres etc.
The Kubota BX Series, The BX 2660, the BX 2360 and the BX 1860 range from 18hp to 25.5hp, and all come with a number of safety features, including a category 3.1 hitch, and a ROPS as standard
The term farm can be misleading in some ways. This is partly because many people have a preconceived idea of what a farm is. From a point of view of looking at Kubota tractor safety, the same principles apply to thinking of the farm as a workplace, whether the land is one or two acres or several thousand.
Running a farm, whatever its size is a highly intensive business experience.
There are many factors that make running a farm unique and different to any other type of business, although these are often not recognised as such. Some of these factors are environmental ones, such as the weather meaning that work must be carried out in all types of conditions, both outside and inside buildings.
Often work must be carried out on land where there is poor visibility, either in daylight or early morning or late night. There is likely to be an overlap between the workplace and a home life, both in terms of physical environment, and work practices and boundaries.
It is much more likely that their will be children and teenagers and young adults in places where they could potentially be at risk from certain types of hazards. Some of these young people may be family members or employed on a farm or doing seasonal work.
It is also likely that people working on a farm will be physically isolated both from other people and from any emergency services that may be needed on any occasion.
This is not to say that farming is inherently dangerous, simply that there are unique and specialist types of hazards that need to be anticipated and catered for when planning what type of equipment to use on a farm.
One of the most common types of accident involves tractor overturns and run overs. Most modern day Kubota tractors have an ROPS fitted as standard, and if the operative has a seatbelt fitted as well, then that is the best safety protection available.
It is also very common for young children and teenagers to want to look at tractors whilst they are working, which means there are often up close or in an environment where the tractor driver may not see them.
Accidents like this to happen fairly regularly on farms and small holdings, but with a number of preventative and commonsense measures the majority of them can be avoided.
Kubota tractors, such as the L series tractors, are on the whole designed with a huge amount of safety features built into them. This is in part to ensure a high degree of safety for the tractor and the operator, but also with a very clear sense of the nature of the environment, the type of land that the tractor is most likely to be used on.
It is important always to remember that a tractor is a piece of agricultural machinery not a toy, whatever its size and whatever type of land it is being used on. The risk of injury on a farm is as likely as in any type of business in one sense, and it is important to recognise the need for health and safety implementation and structures.
These health and safety rules need to be applied both to personnel and machinery all types, such as tractors, garden tractors, atv’s and all types of industrial or agricultural machinery.
Kubota garden tractors – Mulching
When driving or using a Kubota garden tractor, it is important to think about the discharge of the grass that is being mown, and where that grass is going to go.
How the discharge of grass is handled will have been a consideration when buying either the Kubota garden tractor or some type of accessory such as a mulcher to fit into the tractor.
Whatever type of solution has been decided upon to deal with the discharge of grass from the Kubota garden tractor, make sure that the appropriate cover or fitting is securely in place, and working effectively.
If it is not then grass that has been discharged from the Kubota garden tractor could inadvertently be discharged in the wrong place and in the wrong manner.
Perhaps the most important piece of safety advice concerning a Kubota garden tractor, is to never put your hands or any other part of your body anywhere near the blades that are an integral part of the Kubota garden tractor.
This piece of advice applies even if the Kubota garden tractor is switched off and you think there is no possibility of the blades moving.
With certain types of snowblowers there is a residual energy buildup within the blades meaning that the blades can still move even though the machine is turned off.
With a Kubota garden tractor this is a principle that is worth adhering to, irrespective of whether the Kubota garden tractor is being used on lawn or has been adapted to be used as a snow blower.
In terms of environment, it is important to turn off the blades and stop them functioning when going over land that could damage them.
This primarily applies to times when the Kubota garden tractor could be crossing a gravel path a road or at any time when it is not actually cutting grass.
Be aware of any point where you might need to cross a public highway for any reason. It may be that if you’re using a Kubota garden tractor on a piece of land that has a highway running through it, you need to cross a public raid to continue your work.
A Kubota garden tractor is not designed to be used on public highways, and such usage where it is essential should be kept to a minimum.
In the event that you need to be in the vicinity of any public path, highway or intersection whilst using the Kubota garden tractor, make sure you are fully aware of any potential obstacle or person or vehicle that might come into contact with you.
Bear in mind it is unlikely that they will be expecting a Kubota garden tractor to be on the road, and thereby it’s unlikely they will have anticipated having to manoeuvre such an obstacle.
Kubota garden tractors – environment
Prior to using the Kubota garden tractor, it is important to give some thought to the environment that the tractor is to be used on .
This primarily applies to understanding that there may well be a number of objects scattered around the ground, that could well be a potential hazard whilst operating the Kubota garden tractor.
As a safety precaution, it is a good idea to make sure that all objects that are visible or moved from all the areas of land where the Kubota garden tractor is to be used. This involves items such as stones, sticks, wire, bones, toys, general household debris etc.
These are normal household items found both in the home and in residential settings, and are quite likely to be scattered around land or ground where the Kubota garden tractor is to be used.
These objects if not removed can be swept up by the operation of the blades of the Kubota garden tractor and directed towards anyone or any thing within a significant radius, causing potentially lethal or fatal damage if it would hit someone.
It is important to be aware of the parameters of the land where the Kubota garden tractor is being used. If there are any public highways or any lanes or roads where there are likely to be either people or vehicles that can appear suddenly, then the operator of the Kubota garden tractor needs to be especially aware of these areas, and slowdown operational use of the Kubota garden tractor at these points .
The operator or driver of the Kubota garden tractor also needs to be aware of any walls or buildings adjacent to the land where the tractor is to be used.
This is because of any discharge of an object by the blades towards a building that could potentially damage or break windows or other parts of the building. Objects thrown at speed towards a wall by the blades of the Kubota garden tractor could rebound back off the wall and possibly hit and injure the driver or operator of the Kubota garden tractor.
It is a good idea to always wear safety glasses or safety goggles when driving or using the Kubota garden tractor. This means simply that in the event of any object ricocheting back towards the operator, they would be afforded some protection by way of wearing such goggles.
A word about clothing. This is a subject that people may not think about as being important or significant when using or driving a Kubota garden tractor. However it is important for the operator to wear clothing that could not get caught in any part of the tractor’s operating machinery.
To this end it is a good idea to wear something like overalls, or clothes that can be sure not to be at risk of being loose and getting caught in any part of the Kubota garden tractors inner workings.
The operator of the Kubota garden tractor should always wear sturdy work boots or shoes when driving the tractor. They should never operate the tractor whilst wearing sandals or in bare feet.
Kubota garden tractors – pet hazards
One of the important thing to realise when using a Kubota garden tractor is that it has extremely sharp and fast blades that are used to cut the grass underneath the tractor.
As such there are a number of hazards that can be identified purely as a result of the nature of the tractor.
These hazards if anticipated can be dealt with and the risk factor can be reduced to a minimum.
It is a crucial safety factor when using a Kubota garden tractor that there are no other people in the vicinity where the tractor is to be used.
This includes pets and animals, other members of the family, or any bystanders or pedestrians who could be in proximity to where the Kubota garden tractor is being used.
There are two particular risks that can be identified and dealt with.
Firstly is the risk of a person or animal or pet coming too close to where the tractor is not been seen by the operator of the tractor for a number of reasons.
This could result in the person or animal being seriously injured or hurt either by the blades of the Kubota garden tractor, or by some inadvertent contact with the Kubota garden tractor itself.
The Kubota garden tractor can be quite noisy when in use, and it is quite easy for the driver or operator to be distracted and not be fully aware of what is going on around them.
If a child or young teenager or animal or pet gets too close to where the Kubota garden tractor is being used, then it is quite possible for some type of accident to happen.
To prevent this it is the responsibility of the driver of the Kubota garden tractor to make sure that all people and animals are well clear of any area where the Kubota garden tractor is to be used.
If anyone strays into the area at any point, then it is the responsibility of the driver of the Kubota garden tractor to immediately stop the tractor, make sure it is in a safe and neutral position and not running, and then to make sure that any people or animals who have strayed into the vicinity are removed to a safe distance.
The other danger concerning the use of the Kubota garden tractor relates to when the blades could inadvertently hit some type of objects on the ground, and the subject is then effectively thrown out at some speed into the surrounding environment.
If other people or animals are present in that environment, then it is highly likely that they could be injured by this flying object.
Such an object could be something as simple as a stone, or some piece of discarded debris that is not seen beforehand.
It is a good idea whenever, using the Kubota garden tractor to check the land that the tractor is to be used upon beforehand, and make sure that any objects that are visible and could be dangerous if thrown up in such a manner are removed to a safe place.
Kubota garden tractors – driving age
It is important to remember that a Kubota garden tractor is a piece of industrial/agricultural machinery that people drive in the same way that you would drive a car/automobile van/truck etc.
It is vitally important that whoever drives the Kubota garden tractor is of an age that is appropriate to the use of such a machine.
Because the Kubota garden tractor will often be used in a residential setting, there is a tendency to assume that age appropriate driving might not necessarily apply.
This is incorrect and could be extremely dangerous.
A Kubota garden tractor has potential to be dangerous, indeed fatal, if driven in an unsafe or haphazard manner. As such the Kubota tractor should only be used by a responsible adult, who is fully aware of both the machine and any issues concerning the environment on which the Kubota garden tractor is to be used.
Some manufacturers may put an age specific requirement in the manual, which can serve as a guide, but should not be taken as an absolute rule. How responsible a teenager can be varies widely, and it is a determination that only a responsible adult can make.
The issue of age appropriateness in terms of driving the Kubota garden tractor should in many ways refer or relates to the ability of said person to read and understand the operations manual that comes with the Kubota garden tractor.
Also to be in a position to fully comprehend how the controls work, and the potential hazards and dangers that could be encountered.
If the person is age-appropriate, and has enough awareness to comprehend these issues, that is normally a sufficient requirement for someone to undertake the use of a Kubota garden tractor.
In the event that a parent deems an adolescent to be age-appropriate to drive or use the Kubota garden tractor, then that adolescent should be guided and trained and supervised by a parent at all times.
Such parental supervision is advised as a safety requirement, purely because however responsible the adolescent may be, they may encounter hazards or problems whilst using the Kubota garden tractor that only an adult would be able to fully understand and deal with.
In many ways this applies to a responsible adult as well. Whoever operates the Kubota garden tractor should have read the instruction manual and be fully aware of how to use the tractor, and what to do in the event of there being a problem or an emergency.
Whoever uses the Kubota garden tractor on a regular basis will probably undertake these duties.
In the event that another responsible adult is entrusted to use the Kubota garden tractor, it should be established that they have a similar understanding of the safety protocols and operations that are clearly defined in the manual that comes with the Kubota garden tractor.
Kubota garden tractors – Instructions
Operational safety of a Kubota garden tractor begins with understanding and following the instructions that come with the Kubota garden tractor.
This should come by way of an instruction manual, that will be either in a hardcopy or by way of an electronic download document normally a PDF document.
There is likely to be a tendency to dismiss the manual as a bit irrelevant.
This would probably be a mistake. The manual for a Kubota garden tractor will give a number of general safety and operational alerts and a general guide as to how best to use the Kubota garden tractor in the most productive manner possible.
The operating manual for a Kubota garden tractor will contain information about the operation of the tractor, information about how to assemble the Kubota garden tractor, if that is appropriate, and information concerning the servicing, maintenance and parts replacement process.
As such the manual may be something you need to refer to at different times of your usage of the Kubota garden tractor, rather than something to read through upon acquiring the tractor.
If you are buying a Kubota garden tractor that is used or second-hand, there is a fair chance that either you do not get a manual with it, or depending on the age of the Kubota garden tractor, the manual is relatively old and out of date.
In any event is a good idea to contact Kubota directly or a Kubota dealer, and make sure that you acquire a manual for the latest model of the Kubota garden tractor you have.
One of the advantages of a manual is that there should be a number of clear diagrams and possibly pictures showing the controls and various mechanisms that work the Kubota garden tractor.
This can be especially useful if you have not had a Kubota Garden tractor before, or you are switching from another manufacturer to a Kubota tractor.
It is especially important to know whether various controls are in the context of the operators environment before beginning to use the Kubota garden tractor.
It is especially important to know both how to start the tractor, and how to turn it off quickly, in the event of an emergency. It is important to know this in advance of having to actually do it.
If the diagrams or pictures in your Kubota manual do not match the actual layout of such controls on your Kubota tractor itself, then it is vital that you check if possible with a Kubota dealer exactly which controls mean what and how best to work them.
This is a very important safety protocol when beginning to operate or use a Kubota garden tractor, in any type of garden or land based environment.