Women Talk Tractors

In this episode Kendall and Rebecca discuss all things tractors... our own involvement with equipment, our own experiences with tractors, how they are involved in our lives now, and what they represent in the context of women in agriculture.   


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The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. UNH, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and New Hampshire counties cooperating. Our programs and policies are consistent with pertinent Federal and State laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, familial/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. To file a UNH or UNHCE discriminatory harassment complaint, use the Incident Report Form or call 603-862-2930. To file a USDA program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form or call 866-632-9992.

Creators & Guests

Host

Kendall Kunelius

Kendall joined Extension as an Agriculture Business Management Field Specialist in 2022. She earned a BS in Equine Studies: Industry and Management from UNH and has a diverse background in the agriculture industry including horticulture, forestry, livestock, and agricultural business retail management.

Host

Rebecca Dube

What is Shared Soil?

A podcast by University of New Hampshire Extension dedicated to creating community, honoring challenges, and encouraging personal and professional growth for all women in agriculture. Hosts Kendall Kunelius and Rebecca Dube create a relatable and welcoming space to learn and celebrate, that aligns with UNH Extension's commitment to expanding access, strengthening connections, and enhancing well-being for all.

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The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. UNH, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and New Hampshire counties cooperating. Direct inquiries to [e-mail].

Kendall Kunelius: Welcome to
this episode of Shared Soil, a

podcast dedicated to creating
community, honoring challenges,

and encouraging personal and
professional growth for all

people in agriculture. My name
is Kendall Kunelius, and I'm a

field specialist working in the
area of agricultural business

management.

Rebecca Dube: My name is Rebecca
Dube and I provide program

support and technology to the
various specialists of UNH

Cooperative Extension. How are
you today, Kendall?

Kendall Kunelius: I'm beyond
excited to be recording this

episode. How are you?

Rebecca Dube: I'm great. I'm
looking forward to this episode.

I think today's topic on
tractors is going to be really

exciting to talk about. I know
it's one of your favorite

subjects. So tell me Kendall,
what is your first memory of a

tractor? I know that mine
started when I was young, and

it's not quite a tractor per se,
mine's a little different, in

that mine was on a ride-on
mower. Which learning to do as a

child, I promptly drove into an
apple tree, and tended the

front. So certainly, knowledge
of tractor safety and correct

uses of it is a very important
topic for every young woman to

learn. How about you?

Kendall Kunelius: Yes, I also
have some disastrous memories

driving a lawn tractor, thank
goodness no injuries were

involved. I would say though,
that probably my very first and

maybe favorite memory of driving
a tractor; when I was four years

old, we moved to a town called
Barnett, Vermont - very, very

rural. My father decided to
build our house, he cut the

timber off the land, and then
milled it there and then built a

beautiful post and beam house.
But obviously, there's a lot of

site work involved in that. And
so I have a very special picture

of this moment, when I was
sitting on my father's lap in

the back. He's on a backhoe, not
a tractor, but you can just see

this huge grin on my face. And
I'm sitting there with my dad

and he's operating the backhoe.
I think that's really a perfect

illustration of how I feel every
time I get on a piece of

equipment or a tractor. That's
my very favorite memory, sitting

there and spending so much time
driving tractors when I was a

little kid.

Rebecca Dube: That's great
Kendall. That brings me to

another question. In that, we
talked about the ride-on mower

and the backhoe versus a
tractor. What really constitutes

a tractor? What makes a tractor
not an ATV or some other piece

of equipment?

Kendall Kunelius: That's a great
question. There actually is a

pretty formal answer for that in
the sense that a tractor is

considered - it's not considered
a driving vehicle. I'm gonna say

that and there's obviously some
caveats to that. But it's a

piece of farm equipment. It is
meant to be operated and used in

an agricultural setting. There's
a reason why on highways and

some roadways, there's a sign
that says no tractors. That's

because it's not a car, it's a
different kind of vehicle. So

tractors are, I mean, they could
be two-wheel drive or four-wheel

drive, but they're really
designed to be the workhorse of

your farm. They could have a
loader, they could have

different attachments on the
back. They could be very, very

big, like a 100-115 horsepower
tractor, which is like a

production ag-type vehicle. And
then you could even have

something down to 10 horsepower,
like a teeny-tiny little ride-on

lawn mower or subcontract track
subcompact tractor, which is

maybe 20 horsepower. They come
in all different shapes and

sizes. But most importantly,
they're not really a road-worthy

vehicle. They're not
instructables driven on the road

by your everyday driver.

Rebecca Dube: So this isn't a
podcast about cars, then, it's

about tractors.

Kendall Kunelius: No, yeah,
today we're specifically talking

about a tractor.

Rebecca Dube: So why do we want
to talk about tractors?

Kendall Kunelius: Well, I mean,
I don't have an excuse to never

talk, not not talk about a
tractor! I will always talk

about tractors! You know, I
think because, like everything

on a farm, there's an inherent
sense of danger. I mean,

obviously, you need to be very
aware when you're operating this

kind of vehicle, that it takes a
lot of practice. But my

grandmother always used to say
(my family owns a farm in

Connecticut), she said if
everything on the farm could be

accomplished from the seat of a
tractor, there will be nothing

left to do. And that's because
driving a tractor is just a lot

of fun. They're so useful.
They're so handy when you have

the right piece of equipment at
the right time. We all know that

in farming, time is money. So
they really help in terms of

farm efficiencies. And of
course, they have their own

costs associated with them. But
more than anything, I think a

tractor gives the operator a
sense of ability to accomplish.

It gives you an avenue to use
your your brain, your critical

thinking skills, and it saves
your - I don't want to say sweat

equity, because it's still work
driving around on your farm

accomplishing things - but it
gives you the ability to

accomplish something greater
than just hand labor would

accomplish. So I think there's a
lot of things about why we would

want to talk about a tractor,
and I think approaching the

topic of women talking tractors
is a really interesting thing to

talk about. Because it's not
necessarily about the tractor

itself, the equipment itself,
it's this sense of why is it so

taboo for a woman to be
operating a piece of equipment?

I think that could go for
anything, right? This may be the

one moment where we'll expand
this to all vehicles. How many

bad jokes do we hear like, "Oh,
she's a woman driver, watch out

for her," or, "Oh, of course,
she can't back up because she's

a woman." There's a lot of
really pretty hurtful side

comments and jokes that everyone
makes. We joke about ourselves

as women all the time, too. But
I think that it's a stereotype

that shouldn't be perpetuated.
And I think it's something that

the more we talk about it, the
more we realize how much more we

could be accomplishing, or how
much we've been held back

because we maybe have an
inherent fear of operating

something or we just feel like
we can't drive a tractor because

it's not our place.

Rebecca Dube: Yeah, and then
speaking to that, I think the

image in your mind a lot of
times about women operating

tractors is that they're not
going to have the strength for

it, or it's such a large piece
of equipment, they're not going

to be able to handle that. Can
you talk a little bit about, is

that really ever the case? Or
how much strength or how much is

really involved to operating a
tractor?

Kendall Kunelius: I think the
way I want to answer that

question, is this. It's entirely
about the situation you're in

and the piece of equipment
you're operating. It's not so

much about physical strength.
Yes, you have to climb up and

down to get into vehicle. And
some, obviously, smaller

tractors are easier to enter
than a really huge, 100

horsepower, ag-type tractor. But
ultimately, it's all about this.

You wouldn't want to be driving
a huge tractor on a one acre

farm, right? So that's going to
be a really uncomfortable

situation. But I think the point
I'm trying to make is that many

tractors are built to be
ergonomically friendly and easy

to operate. So there's literally
no reason as to why a woman

would not be capable of
operating a tractor. I say that

also saying, in terms of
capability, physical

disabilities aside as well,
because there are some ag

manufacturers that do cater to
and they can accommodate

physical disabilities in design
of tractors. Agrability and Agri

Safe have some excellent
resources as to where folks can

access that. So in terms of
overcoming this stereotype, or

this myth that women aren't
able, it's simply not true. You

can turn a steering wheel just
like anyone, gender and identity

identity aside. There's a glass
ceiling I think we all face

there or a glass wall that we
run into sometimes thinking,

"oh, I've been told I shouldn't
do this for so much of my life,"

but then when you stop and
really start to think about

like, why, why? What is the
actual pinpointed reason as to

why I would be incapable of
pushing in a clutch or shifting

into gear or turning the tractor
around or raising or lowering

the scoop? And you really start
to reassess.

Rebecca Dube: And perhaps
they're just not taught, as is

so often the case, that they
weren't taught at an early age

or at any age in how to operate
it and once they know, it

becomes much easier. Are there
any safety protocols specific to

a tractor?

Kendall Kunelius: So many. So,
so many. Yeah, it's interesting

because I think the best tool a
woman can use as her brain. I

think we're built to be critical
thinkers, excellent problem

solvers and critical thinkers.
And what I think is really

helpful about that is we can
assess the situation a little

bit more easily. So if you're
thinking about safety protocols

or just anything with a tractor,
using your best judgment.

Obviously, knowledge is power.
You want to be well aware of

what you're getting yourself
into when you get on tractor, or

work around a tractor or hook up
a piece of equipment. But the

more you know about the safety
pieces about operating tractor,

the better. There's actually a
lot of great curriculums out

there that are designed to take
you through step-by-step all the

safety considerations. Purdue
University has Gearing Up for

Safety. It's a free online
curriculum that you can access

and print and download. If you
want to learn about teaching

tractor safety, or just anything
to do with tractor safety,

there's a lot of great YouTube
videos available online. Or you

can always call your local
county ag agent and say, "Hey, I

want to learn how to drive a
tractor. Can you send me some

great resources?" And we'll be
happy to do that. In terms of

safety, also thinking about
situational awareness, that

comes to mind, knowing where
you're going to be driving, when

you're going to be driving, are
there pets and/or small children

around? What's the kind of
ground and the surface you're

driving on? Large animals,
fences, what kind of equipment

are you towing behind you? All
that kind of stuff. Safety is

one of those subjective terms,
right? Because it's safety for

you and safety for everyone
around you, and safety for your

equipment. It's expensive. So
making good decisions, that

means that you're not going to
be beating up too badly on your

brand new tractor that cost you
$50,000 is also probably a great

way to stay safe.

Rebecca Dube: Right. And
certainly in New England soil,

which is so rife with stones and
rocks. That's an issue that

people really need to think
about as they're working their

tractor through the soil, the
possibility of encountering a

rock so soon.

Kendall Kunelius: My answer to
that would be there's great

attachments that go on the front
of your tractor, like a root

rake or something that can help
you pick those stones out. I

think that every farm is unique
in terms of their terrain and

their challenges. And to that, I
would say also, we're pretty

hilly, there's not a lot of
really flat land in New

Hampshire. So a great practice,
or a great option that you can

take advantage of is making sure
that your tires are what's

called loaded or weighted. And
that's something you can ask

your dealership or the place you
purchased your tractor from for

a reference. Oftentimes, there
are services that will come out

and fill your back tractor tires
with beet juice, it's sugar beet

juice, because of it's high
sugar content, so it won't

freeze in the winter, and then
it won't throw your tires off

balance. They used to use
calcium chloride. They don't. I

say "they". The tractor
manufacturers or the people who

service tractors do not use
calcium chloride anymore,

because it can corrode the inner
surface of the tire and it will

cause it to explode.

Rebecca Dube: Well, I'd always
rather have sugar beet juice in

my tires anyway. Something sweet
like that, that's always good,

right? Hey, when you were
talking about the dealerships?

Can you talk a little bit about
how does a woman even start with

with tractor shopping? What's
the best way to go about that?

Kendall Kunelius: Well, that's a
great question. So I've gone to

a lot of dealerships. I've done
a lot of observation to see how

my husband was treated when
shopping versus how I was

treated with shopping. And
that's not because I am

suspicious of something, it's
truly just because it's an

interesting experience to see
how the salespeople have been

trained. Because it's no secret
that when you go car shopping,

the salesman always shakes my
husband's hand first and that I

just think is really
interesting. Right? The

handshake, the greeting is
always directed towards the man

first. So I always say when
you're going tractor shopping, I

would go by myself or take a
female friend with me, because I

want that salesperson's
attention. I want to be very

clear that I'm the one here
purchasing the tractor or I'm

interested in driving and seeing
the tractors and the equipment

that's available. Now having
said that, let's just talk about

basic human decency. And just
say, if you're a paying customer

and your money is green, then
you should be expecting service,

the appropriate customer service
for the type of tractor that

you're purchasing, or the type
of equipment that you're

purchasing. And I don't care
what you're purchasing, it's

anything. Everyone should be a
good human being if you're in

that line of work. But more than
that. I often do my research

ahead of time, because I want to
know what I want. And that's a

great question to back up and
think, what do I need for my

farm? Let's just say that you've
determined that you are looking

specifically for a 50 horsepower
tractor. You'd really like to

have a cab on that tractor,
because you might be working in

inclement weather, or you might
be spraying pesticides or

herbicides, and that's gonna
help keep you safer. And you

want a front end loader, because
you plan to be using that front

end loader to be moving manure
or rotating compost. You also

want to make sure that you get -
you want a three point hitch

mower for the back so that you
can maintain your pastures. So

we have our checklist, our wish
list, to say this is what I

really want out of my tractor,
because it matches my needs on

my farm. So when you have that,
and you approach a dealership,

and you say this is what I'm
looking for, what do you have

that gets me the closest to
this? And stick to your guns.

Most dealerships really do have
the best intention in mind, they

do want to get you into the
right piece of equipment. And

that goes back to what I was
saying with the safety thing,

too. You don't want to be using
a piece of equipment that's not

designed for what you're trying
to use it for. You wouldn't be

using a huge tractor on a three
acre farm, it's just doesn't

make sense for you. But what you
have on your list really does

make sense.

Rebecca Dube: So keeping that
list with you really helps you

keep on target, as they may try
to upsell something. You can

stick to what your actual needs
are.

Kendall Kunelius: Right. And I
would also say don't feel like

you have to get a sales person
involved right away. I often

like going in and just walking
around exploring the options,

looking at the tractors from
first glance. Because that also

emulates what's going to happen
with any potential farm

employees if you have employees
on your farm. They're gonna want

a tractor that's easy to use,
too, and easy to encounter. So

think about this from the
perspective that everyone who

would be using that piece of
equipment. That's just general

knowledge about what you want to
purchase, but I like to go and

look at the tractors instead on
the tractors myself. And then I

can ask the salesperson for
specifics. Like, how much does

this tractor cost? Does it fit
my budget? Also, does it come

with a cab? Or what other
attachments are available for

the front or the back of the
tractor? Tell me a little bit

about the maintenance on the
tractor. That's the other

question that I always ask the
dealership. Is this tractor easy

to get parts for? Is it easy to
maintenance? Is it something I

can change the oil by myself? Or
what kind of service does the

dealership offer if there's
something that is

catastrophically wrong with with
the tractor itself? What if you

get it home and it doesn't work?

Rebecca Dube: True, those are
all great points. I know that it

helps me to have stuff written
down. It's like going to the

doctor's office, you want your
questions written, or else they

get forgotten in the excitement
of what you're talking about or

looking at, and certainly a
tractor could could derive that

excitement as you're looking to
get something new.

Kendall Kunelius: I would also
say stick to your list, but be

open-minded also to the other
features and functions that you

might find. There's a lot of
different options for the

transmission in the tractor. If
you think "Well, I really just

want a gear tractor, high-low
range, very, very simple,

clutch, etc, etc." But you want
it for mowing, and you go to the

dealership, and the salesperson
says, "Well, you know, you

really might consider a
hydrostatic clutch because that

is going to make going forward
and then quickly transitioning

to going backward a little bit
easier. It's going to be much

better to just drive around
straightforward. If you really

only want it for one or two
purposes, that may be the best

way to go." So also trusting
that if they're a knowledgeable

person, and they're a
salesperson who's worth their

salt, they should also help you
improve on the idea that you

have and get you the right type
of vehicle for what you're

looking for. It is their job to
know that stock inside and out.

Rebecca Dube: Do you recommend
going to more than one

dealership and trying out
different models of different

brands for your tractor?

Kendall Kunelius: That's a great
question. I laugh because there

are so many people who are
brand-loyal, right? People are

like "Oh, I bleed blue, I'm such
a Ford New Holland person." Or

someone's like, "I would never
have anything except for a green

John Deere sitting in my yard."
So I personally would say yes,

check out your other options.
Different tractor manufacturers

make things different,
especially ergonomic

considerations. I think it's,
more important than the color of

the tractor. I'm gonna say that.
That could be controversial, but

I'll say it. So if this is a
tractor, you're going to be

spending a lot of hours sitting
in and you're going to need this

for a lot of work, then buy
something that's comfortable. Or

buy something that you could
replace the seat or customize in

a certain way to fit your body
size and position. The other

thing we talk about a lot with
our Women in Ag programming is

the different shapes and sizes
of our bodies - of everyone's

bodies. But it is a known fact
that actually agricultural

equipment is designed for men.
It's not really designed with

women's body proportions in
mind. So it's very important

when you go shopping to pick a
tractor that feels really great

to you and is adjustable for the
size and shape of your body.

That's very, very important. So
color aside, you may be really

loyal to one particular brand or
another and that's fine, but I

would still say just shop
around. Absolutely. The other

consideration when you're
purchasing a tractor is at what

point should you purchase the
tractor? Right? So in our last

episode, Kelly McAdam talked a
lot about how women farmers are

a very prevalent group and how
are we helping them understand

the value of their farm? I talk
about value, but I mean in the

business aspect. At what
capacity is your farm viable?

What revenue streams do you
have? I think the idea of

mechanization is not always
something that comes to the

forefront of our mind right
away. So for me, though, if I

was to be running my own farm,
I'm saying, I would really have

a hard time finding labor. I
think that's a very common theme

with every farmer, women or
otherwise. Every farmer is

saying "I just cannot find
labor." It may be time to

mechanize. If you have enough
income on your farm, and if you

can justify the cost, then this
may be the time. So when you're

purchasing a tractor, thinking
about the functions that you

need it for. If you just don't
have enough people to go out and

weed then you can get a
cultivator, a tow-behind

cultivator for your tractor. If
you have a farm that is very

scenic, very beautiful, and
maybe you have a lot of parking

space, and it lends itself well
to agri tourism, what does it

look like to get a tractor that
can safely pull a hay wagon? If

you could do tractor-drawn wagon
rides, that's an excellent

revenue source. And of course,
you need all the insurances and

stuff to go with it. But that
could replace a different

revenue stream on your farm that
required a lot more human labor.

For example, this year, instead
of growing carrots, you're going

to do tractor-drawn wagon rides.
And you're going to bring in

more money, and it only requires
one person. Maybe you're

offering this five or six weeks
out of the year, rather than

needing to employ someone all
season long. So thinking about

how that tractor is going to
actively give back to you in a

revenue sense is important and
also how it's going to limit the

amount of physical labor that
you're going to need on your

farm. Not because you don't want
to hire people, but because

you're really having a hard time
finding people to hire. So a

tractor is something that could
change the structure of your

business for the better or,
potentially for worse, if you

are not well set up or if you
aren't set up perfectly to

accommodate the tractor that you
have. That's the other thing.

You could purchase a tractor
that's not appropriate for your

farm. I also want to throw in
here too. I personally am a fan

of purchasing used tractors. I
think if you find a really good

one, tractors were built to
last. It's absolutely true, the

saying, "they don't make them
like they used to." When you

look at the old model tractors -
my husband has a John Deere 50.

That tractor is designed to do
its job but it was designed to

be worked on. The parts are
easily replaceable, or they

were. I mean, obviously that
tractor's very old now, 70 years

old. But the point being that
it's open on the side, the parts

were meant to be accessed and
maintained and worked on. It was

designed to be a piece of
equipment that would last a very

long time. Another tractor that
you really commonly see that's

very handy, are Ford 8-N and
9-Ns. They made a lot of them.

They're great little tractors
for just getting around the

farm. They're easy to operate,
they're nimble, they're

actually, interestingly enough,
I think most of the 8-Ns are gas

instead of diesel. That's
another consideration we can

talk about. But they're easy to
maintain. And they're easy to

find parts for because there are
so many of them out there. So

don't discount the idea of going
to a dealership that also has

used tractors. Or if you're
somebody who's very mechanically

inclined, shop around. See if
you can find one that's been

sitting in a field for a few
years that just needs some new

fluids and new tires and some
maintenance and upkeep, and then

it's going to be good as new.
But tractors are one of those

neat farm pieces of equipment
that are designed to be

continued in use for years.

Rebecca Dube: Where can people
reach out? What are some venues

that they could look for used
tractors within, if they were

interested in buying a used
tractor? Would they go to

Craigslist? Would they go to - ?

Kendall Kunelius: Well, to be
honest, there's a lot of

tractors out there that are just
sitting in fields. You can drive

around all of New England, and
somebody's got some nice old

something hanging around. But
again, it just depends on what

you want. If you have a family
member that has an old tractor,

it's worth talking to them. You
could go to a dealership and see

if they have a farmer that comes
in often asking for parts.

Unfortunately, I don't find
Craigslist to have very savory

people all the time. But if you
feel confident that the post

you're looking at or the tractor
you're looking at is legitimate,

and it's not a scam, then I
would say just do your research

and go for it. But always make
sure that no matter where the

situation the tractor is, really
do your research ahead of time

and see what the troubles with
the tractor were, what the

strong points of the tractor
were. There's so much content on

the internet nowadays. That's
going to at least get you

pointed in the right direction
for what you need. I also love

watching tractor restoration
videos on YouTube, because it

gives you some really keen
insight into the issues that the

people who are working on the
tractors are running into. So if

you need a tractor, that's gas
instead of diesel, then figure

that out. Again, those tractors
need different maintenance than

a diesel tractor. But that may
be what you're more - you're

working on a combustion engine
instead of a diesel engine or

compression engine. It's just a
little different mindset. But no

matter where you're shopping for
that tractor, again, I go right

back to that whole thing of make
sure that it's an appropriate

vehicle. You're not just buying
it because it's convenient and

available.

Rebecca Dube: Great, thank you
Kendall. You have such a wealth

of information about different
aspects to think about when just

getting started in with a
tractor.

Kendall Kunelius: Yeah. We
talked about maintenance, maybe

it would be also great to chat
very quickly about maintenance

in your tractor. If you're going
to be investing in this kind of

piece of equipment, having a
keen understanding of how to

keep it going for as many years
as you can, is important. I

think one of my favorite stories
is when my husband and I got

married my my father actually
gifted us a tractor from our

farm in Connecticut. It wasn't
being used, it was properly

stored. It's a 1983 Ford 1900.
Just a little 25 horsepower

tractor, but the sentimental
value was what was important and

it was a great starting point now

Rebecca Dube: Now that's a
wedding present!

Kendall Kunelius: It is a
wedding present! I guess my

point in saying all that is that
because it had been on a family

farm, we knew the maintenance
that had been kept or in recent

years not kept up on the
vehicle. So we had an idea of

what parts may need to be
replaced in the future. When we

pulled it out of the storage
area that it was in we just we

replaced all the fluids
basically and primed. Took the

air out of the - I mean I won't
get to it, doesn't really

matter. But what matters is the
fact that you can maintenance a

tractor and it will continue to
run for years and years and

years, and it will run well. If
you're investing in a new

tractor things like your oil
changes, things like watching

for dry rot on your tires,
keeping up with your hydraulic

fluid, your hydraulic hoses to
make sure they haven't cracked.

That's one of the most common
issues that I've seen in old

tractors are hydraulic hoses
that are covered by a canvas or

rubber protector and you have to
take that off to see the

condition of the hoses
underneath. I have seen a

hydraulic hose burst because it
was cracked and fatigued and it

finally just gave out. And
that's very dangerous. It's

extremely dangerous. The fluid
is hot, hot, hot, because it's

under pressure. And it goes
everywhere, they literally

explode because of how much
pressure that hydraulic hose is

under. And when I say
hydraulics, that's like if you

have a loader on your tractor,
and it's raising and lowering

pallets or unloading something,
it's a point that you really

want to make sure you're looking
after. So maintenance aside, I

think maintenancing a tractor is
a great way to get to know the

piece of equipment. And the
better you know your piece of

equipment, the more efficient
and handy you can be with

running that on the farm.

Rebecca Dube: And certainly
maintenance on your tractor is

protecting your investment by
extending its life and having

less repair costs. And thus
being as you mentioned, safer to

the driver and all around it by
preventing accidents as much as

possible.

Kendall Kunelius: Yeah, and
actually, I'm glad you mentioned

preventing accidents. Tractors,
old tractors, you know we talked

about buying a used or
secondhand tractor. One of the

biggest things that they lack
are seatbelts and/or roll over

protection systems. A ROPS, or
rollover protection system, is

something that all new tractors
will come with, whether it's the

bar that goes up over the back
of the tractor, or a cab is

considered a rollover protective
system. Very, very important to

have. Rollovers are a huge issue
in tractor safety. So especially

here in New England, where it's
hilly, or you mentioned the

rocks earlier in the field. If
you hit a rock going at a

certain speed, you definitely
could tip the tractor then.

Important to remember though, is
that actually on a tractor, you

don't always wear your seatbelt.
If you do not have a ROPS,

rollover protection system, you
do not wear a seatbelt. And that

is because the tractor ROPs is
designed to suspend the driver

with the seatbelt on so they
don't get crushed. However, if

you don't have that suspension
system, that ROPS to hold the

end of the vehicle up, what you
want to do is be able to get

free of the vehicle. So the good
news is for older tractors,

though, many of them are made of
steel, there's a lot of solid

metal components, and it is
possible to get some ROPS that

will retrofit onto those
tractors. If not, they've got

some great weld points. So you
can always be maintenancing and

working on them that way. But
looking at your ROP system,

making sure you have a seat that
either does or does - you know

every seat should have a seat
belt. But installing an

aftermarket seatbelt can also be
a great option to protect

yourself. And you talked about
insurance policies, making sure

that you've done everything you
can to make that vehicle as safe

as possible.

Rebecca Dube: Great. Well, thank
you, Kendall. That's a lot of

great talk about tractors and I
know that there's so much more

information that we could
continue to cover. But I think

we're gonna wrap it up for
today. Is there anything else

you want to add?

Kendall Kunelius: Other than go
out and take a little spin

around on your tractor and have
some fun? No, I I think I would

definitely say keep an eye out
for our future tractor safety

workshops. We don't have one
planned at the moment, but it is

something that we offer and we
like to offer. And also if you

ever have any questions about
how to figure out what type of

tractor to use for your farm or
to purchase the kind of

equipment you're looking at,
don't hesitate to reach out to

your local ag agent. They should
definitely be able to point you

in the right direction for some
resources or information.

Rebecca Dube: Thank you for
tuning into this episode of

Shared Soil. And we look forward
to discussing another farm topic

for women in agriculture in our
next episode.

Kendall Kunelius: Shared Soil is
a production of University of

New Hampshire Cooperative
Extension an equal opportunity

educator and employer. Views
expressed on this podcast are

not necessarily those of the
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endorsement. The University of

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