safety

KUBOTA TRACTOR SAFETY

Kubota Tractor Safety

​Whilst there are a significant number of Kubota tractors available to buy, ranging in size and hp significantly, there are a number of very sound principles concerning the safety of a Kubota tractor that apply equally to whichever make and model you might buy.

The most important thing is to understand and know your Kubota tractor inside out before you actually start using it. This applies to the internal workings, the control panel, the instrument panel and any safety tips or advice that are detailed in the owner’s manual.

The owners manual of the Kubota tractor that you buy should be looked at carefully prior to using the Kubota tractor at all. Many people might consider this unnecessary, there seems to be a natural aversion at times to looking at instruction manuals for machinery.

However knowing, how your Kubota tractor works and how to control it is a hugely important safety issue.

Aside from the knowledge, it will give you a felt sense and a confidence as to how best to drive and use your Kubota tractor in all conditions. It will give you a sense of how to stop your Kubota tractor safely if you need to, without worrying about which control does what and where it is situated on your Kubota tractor.

It is commonly excepted that there are three main types of hazard and incident that affect all types of tractors, and therefore relevant to the safety of your Kubota tractor. The first is known as a turnover. This is where your Kubota tractor tips on its side, which can happen for a number of reasons.

The most common one is where the Kubota tractor is used to close to the edge or the verge of a piece of land and becomes unstable and turns over. This can cause serious, potentially fatal damage to the operator of the Kubota tractor.

By far the best solution to this is careful driving and not driving too close to the edge of a precipice of any piece of land where the Kubota tractor could become unstable. The best piece of safety advice for a Kubota tractor is to have what is known as a Roll Over Protective System (ROPS) on your tractor, along with a seatbelt, which should be worn at all times.

Most modern Kubota tractors will come with an ROPS fitted as standard, as well as a seatbelt. If one is not fitted, they can normally be fitted at minimal cost. This often applies to older tractors.

The second common type of hazard is what is known as a runover. This is where the operator of the tractor inadvertently runs over or hits a person or an animal, because they have not seen them.

When driving or using a Kubota tractor it is crucially important to secure the environment and make sure it is safe and free from any other people or animals that could be damaged.

It is also important as far as possible, to clear away any debris over the land where the Kubota tractor is to be used. Such debris or objects could damage the workings of the Kubota tractor, and could also be inadvertently thrown up at great speed towards any person or animal in the area.

The other potential hazard is where the driver or operator of the Kubota tractor stepped off the machine without having turned the engine off properly or secured it in its proper parking mode.

The obvious danger is that the tractor will run off on its own, potentially causing significant damage to the operator/driver of the Kubota tractor, anyone in the vicinity or any building or infrastructure that happens to be nearby.

The operator manual for your Kubota tractor will give specific advice as to how best to secure it in its parking mode and from a safety point of view this should be followed at all times.

 

Kubota Tractor – Clutch or Brake?

When using or operating a Kubota tractor, it is important to familiarise yourself with the layout of the instrument or control panel and know what the various colour controls indicate and what the various mechanisms operating the tractor actually do.

There are a number of controls of the Kubota tractor that determines how to start and stop and drive the tractor, and the operator or driver should be aware of these prior to commencement of the use of the Kubota tractor.

This is important from a safety point of view, because in the event of the driver operator of the Kubota tractor having to make judgements in a fast moving or hazardous situation, they need to be able to react by instinct to an extent. To be able to do this they need to know what the various instruments on the Kubota tractor actually do.

Controls on the Kubota tractor will be colour-coded if the tractor is relatively new. Older models of a Kubota tractor may not be colour-coded in which case the operator will need to familiarise themselves more carefully with what they actually do.

It is also helpful to talk in a general way about the direction in which the controls move when operating a Kubota tractor.

As a general rule, similar to most automobiles, when engaging a break in the Kubota tractor there are two options. When engaging a foot break, the pedal is pushed down. When engaging a handbrake, the lever is pulled.

If there is a foot clutch, this may be unfamiliar to people who are used to driving an automobile or other type of vehicle which will be automatic. As such special care they need to be taken of a Kubota tractor. A clutch is disengaged when it is pushed down, and engaged when the foot is released and the pedal let up.

The other important area of direction of controls on a Kubota tractor concerns the various controls that operate any attachment or implement that may be part of the tractors operating mechanism. In this event it is important to refer to the specific model of Kubota tractor, as well as the type of attachment or implement that is to be used.

The driver or operator of the Kubota tractor should be fully aware of the direction the control needed in order to lift or lower a particular attachment, as well as the direction needed to pull up or push away any movement of the implement.

An understanding of the direction needed for the controls on a Kubota tractor is important, as much of it will be done by instinct wanted becomes established in the mind of the driver or operator of the Kubota tractor.

Kubota run overs – safety

News report of an accident in Murphy’s California highlights the dangers of tractor run overs.

The incident involves a seventy five year man who was driving a Kubota tractor, parked it without engaging the break properly, got out of the tractor and was run over by it.

Apparently the tractor rolled over his legs stomach and chest before coming to a stop.

The news report says he was airlifted with moderate injuries, which must be a God send if that turned out to be the case. A sober warning for all of us.

Full story – The Union Democrat

Kubota lawn tractor safety 8

Kubota lawn tractor

 

The Kubota lawn tractor will have a number of buttons and levers and various control mechanisms vacated on the dashboard and the cabin area of the tractor with the operator sits and handles the various functions that are needed to make the Kubota lawn tractor work.

 

It is a good idea for the driver of the Kubota lawn tractor to familiarise themselves with these various buttons and levers to understand what they do prior to using the tractor for the first time, not least to be aware of what they do.

 

Knowing what a button or a lever does is important both in terms of what it does and what it does not do. You do not want to press it to have to find out.

 

Somewhere on the control panel of the Kubota lawn tractor will be a mechanism for starting and stopping the blades of the Kubota lawn tractor whilst the tractor is in use.

 

It is important to remember that if you are driving the Kubota lawn tractor over any type of land that could damage the blades, such as a gravel path or a concrete patio or similar’s, then the blades should be switched off prior to driving over that type of land.

 

The blades of the Kubota lawn tractor can then be re-engaged when the tractor is back on land such as grass where the blades can be turned back on.

 

There are a number of residential settings where the Kubota lawn tractor will be used which involve moving from one piece of land to another, often crossing paths or public highways or similar in the process.

 

It is important to be especially aware when moving from one piece of land to another of potential risks or hazards, such as pedestrians or other motor vehicles that may be in the facility.

 

It is important to remember that the Kubota lawn tractor is not designed to be used on roads or public highways. It is also important to remember that other people whatever they are doing, are not expecting to see or encounter a tractor and as such will be unprepared.

 

It is important for the driver or operator of the Kubota lawn tractor to take the initiative in making sure that there are no safety issues, and that an awareness of the environment is paramount when moving from any type of land to another, especially public highways.

Kubota lawn tractor safety 7

Kubota lawn tractor

 

This a lot of the factors concerning safety around driving or operating a Kubota lawn tractor in many ways simply common sense, but often need restating or clarifying in the context of a particular situation where they may either be lost or simply not thought about.

 

When using a Kubota lawn tractor as a mechanism for mowing lawns, which is its primary function although there are other potential uses, one of the main considerations will be the discharge of grass, i.e. where it is to go.

 

So long as this is thought of before using or driving the Kubota lawn tractor, it need not be a dangerous hazard. An awareness of the fact that grass is to be discharged, and an awareness of the land on which the Kubota lawn tractor is to be used will give the operator a sense of the best way of disposing of the discharge of grass from the tractor.

 

It is always important when using the Kubota lawn tractor to make sure that the discharge cover or grass catcher if one is being used, is in its proper place and fitted and working properly. This is one of a number of safety checks should be carried out prior to the Kubota lawn tractor being started and being used.

 

The most dangerous element of a Kubota lawn tractor is also its most important feature in terms of its function as a tractor, that of the blades that are used to cut the grass.

 

It is important that neither the operator or anyone else ever put their hands or any other part of their body underneath the tractor where the blades are located, whether the Kubota lawn tractor is switched on or off. Even when the tractor has been switched off and is stationary, there is always a danger of someone harming themselves into some way.

 

The dangers of this are more apparent with snowblowers, which can include a Kubota lawn tractor which is adapted as such by way of an accessory. Many people will put their hands into the area of the blades when a snowblower has been turned off, in the mistaken belief that there is no power and therefore it is safe to do it.

 

With snow blowers particularly there is a buildup of energy that still remains even once the tractor or snowblower has been turned off. This means the blades can still go round and cause serious damage to someone’s hand or foot.

 

The same principle applies to a Kubota lawn tractor, whatever it is being used for.

 

 

 

Kubota lawn tractor safety 6

Kubota lawn tractor

 

One of the most important but underrated safety features of driving a Kubota lawn tractor is the clothing or apparel that the operator or the driver of the tractor is wearing. This may seem slightly odd in one sense.

 

This is a very practical but important safety issue. Whatever clothes the operator is wearing they must be such that there is no risk of any part of them getting caught in any of the operating machinery, especially the blades, of the Kubota lawn tractor.

 

Ideally, overalls or similar types of clothes would be worn, but given that the Kubota lawn tractor will primarily be used in a residential or semi-residential typesetting, it is much more likely that the operator or driver of the tractor will wear every day’s household or leisure clothes.

 

As such, perhaps it is worth mentioning a couple of specific items. Loosefitting clothes and jewellery and similar unattached clothing items such as scarves can easily get caught in things and should be avoided.

 

It is important to wear sturdy solid shoes or boots’s when driving or operating a Kubota lawn tractor. The Kubota lawn tractor should never be used by someone who is not wearing any shoes i.e. is barefoot, or wearing sandals or slippers.

 

It is always important for the operator or driver of the Kubota lawn tractor to wear protective eye goggles or eye glasses. There is always a danger, however careful the operator is, that the operator or driver of the Kubota lawn tractor can be hit in the face by an object in someway discharged by the motion or action of the tractor.

 

This is an inherent risk when using any type of garden tractor or non-tractor and should be allowed for by doing whatever it is possible to minimise the risk.

 

Protective eye goggles can literally help prevent real damage being done by an obstacle being thrown up by the blades of the Kubota lawn tractor.

 

There is also a danger of grass being inadvertently discharged incorrectly in some way this, and this ending up in a very forceful manner being directed towards some part of the operators face or eyes. Obviously protective eye goggles again could be an important factor in preventing serious damageto someone’s face or eyesight, whilst driving the Kubota lawn tractor.

 

 

Kubota lawn tractor safety 5

Kubota lawn tractor

 

A Kubota lawn tractor will primarily be bought to cut grass and mow lawns, although certain models can also be adapted so they have other functions and other uses, such as being turned into a snow blower.

 

When primarily being used as a Kubota lawn tractor, one of the most important safety considerations is, is to be aware of the discharge of the grass or the snow if it is being used as a snow blower, as to where the grass is going to go.

 

There are many different options as to what to do with the grass that is being cut or ejected from underneath the mainframe of the Kubota lawn tractor, but there is an important consideration concerning discharge.

 

This is to be aware, especially if using the Kubota lawn tractor anywhere near any pedestrians or public highways all roads, that any discharge or ejection of grass from the Kubota lawn tractor should not get anywhere near anywhere where it could cause a hazard either directly or indirectly to other people or traffic or any vehicle that might come into contact with such a discharge.

 

In this regard it is also important to be careful when using a Kubota lawn tractor anywhere near a building of any description.

 

This in part is because people could suddenly emerge from a building unexpectedly, and potentially pose a hazard or a risk to the safety operation of a Kubota lawn tractor. The other reason is simply that any building will have walls and windows of some description.

 

If there is a discharge of anything by the Kubota lawn tractor, it could either damage the walls or the windows of such a building.

 

Equally there is a danger that any object or discharge by the Kubota contract could bounce back off the walls or windows of a building and potentially hit or become an obstruction for the driver or the operator of a Kubota lawn tractor.

 

In this regard it is worth mentioning that it is often advised that the driver/operator of a Kubota lawn tractor should always wear protective goggles, or some type of protective eyewear when using the Kubota lawn tractor.

 

There are a number of good reasons for this. Perhaps the most important one is that with the amount of discharge of mown grass that’s going to be resulting from the work of the Kubota lawn tractor, there is always a risk of some of this grass blowing into the face and/or the eyes of the operator of the tractor.

 

Obviously this can be a real danger, and careful thought should be given to this, and protective eyeglasses or eyewear always used when anyone is using or driving the Kubota lawn tractor.

 

 

 

 

Kubota lawn tractor safety 4

Kubota lawn tractor

 

The word environment is perhaps a bit of a clumsy word at times to use when referring to the type of land that a Kubota lawn tractor can be used on.

 

There are however an important number of considerations concerning the land itself that can potentially cause damage both to the Kubota lawn tractor and to any pedestriansor bystanders who may be in the vicinity of the area where the Kubota lawn tractor is being used.

 

It is important when using a Kubota lawn tarctor to clear away as much rubbish or debris general household clutter that may be covering the land or the area of land where the Kubota lawn tractor is to be used.

 

It is inevitable and almost a common part of most residential settings that there is a lot of stuff left lying around outside, and at times this can pose a danger.

 

When using a Kubota lawn tractor it is a really good idea to make the area of land that is to be driven over as clear and as clean as possible from any type of object that might be left upon it.

 

This can include stones, rocks, old watering cans etc.

 

There are a number of good practical reasons why this area should be cleared of any debris or objects, when about to use a Kubota lawn tractor.

 

Any of these objects that get hit or come into contact with the blades of the Kubota lawn tractor can be rejected forcibly by the speed of the blades in a number of different directions as ejected missiles.

 

This can be extremely dangerous to anyone in the vicinity, as if they get hit by one of these objects that are being ejected by the Kubota lawn tractors blades’s, it can cause serious even potentially fatal damage to the person.

 

There can also be a real risk of damage to the Kubota lawn tractor itself, both in terms of damaging the blades and potentially other mechanical industrial damage to the workings of the Kubota lawn tractor.

 

If the blades do get damaged, it is obviously quite a major repair job to get them renewed or replaced and can involve a number of complications.

 

If the blades are damaged in any way, then it is important not to use the Kubota lawn tractor until they are repaired or replaced. This can be a dangerous job and should really only be done by a qualified Kubota trained mechanic, ideally at a Kubota dealership.

 

Obviously if this needs to be done it will be expensive, and it also means that the Kubota lawn tractor. will not be able to be used whilst this repair or replacement work is being carried out.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

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