Heavy Equipment Safety

You rely on farm equipment to get your work done each day. It helps you tackle a range of tasks to work smarter and more efficiently. As great as agricultural equipment can be for productivity, it does bring with it some safety concerns. After all, you are operating a powerful beast of a machine! We've rounded up our favorite heavy equipment safety tips below. If you have any questions or want to look at models for sale, visit our dealership. We proudly serve those in Ste. Genevieve, Leadington, and St. Louis, Missouri.

Familiarize Yourself with the Farm Equipment

Even the most user friendly agricultural equipment is going to require some time to understand how to properly use it. There are so many different buttons, levels, and pedals at play in making the vehicle perform. Each different model for each different task is going to have a different speed capacity, turning radius, and so on. Dedicate time to learning how your heavy equipment functions. Read through the owner's manual. Get advice from others with the same model. Go for test drives as you get used to how it handles. The more knowledgeable you are in operating your heavy equipment, the safer you'll be.

Do Regular Maintenance

All heavy equipment is eventually going to run into maintenance issues that come with time and with high amounts of use. Small performance issues can spiral into larger ones when left unattended, which can become dangerous and even more costly to fix. By regularly inspecting your equipment, you can catch any problems early on. You'll be able to take your farm equipment in to be fixed before it gives you too many issues out on the field, which helps keep you safe.

Preventative maintenance is important too! Always check that your machines have the right amount of fluids, enough tire tread and air pressure, functioning lights, and so on. Your owner's manual should give advice on what you need to keep an eye on and how often to check things, such as your tire tread. Even regularly washing your farm equipment helps. All that caked-on gunk can start to eat away at the paint job or even interfere with its ability to move smoothly.

Stay Vigilant

You want to work hard to produce an efficient and optimum output. But too much focus on productivity can cause negative side effects in other areas. Rushing too fast to get a job done can lead to overlooking red flags or not noticing small problems cropping up. It can also lead to stress, which can make it easier to make simple mistakes that can be a safety hazard.

The solution here is easy. Slow down! Yes, it's important to have high outputs. But safety is the most important thing. One way of looking at things is thinking along the lines of "slow is steady, steady is fast". Focus on safe operation of your agricultural equipment and the productivity will follow. Another key aspect is being aware of operator conditions. If you are lacking sleep, feeling stressed, or facing adverse working conditions due to the weather, you'll want to adjust or put a temporary pause on your equipment operation.

We hope you found these tips helpful! If you are in the market for farm equipment, visit Flieg's Equipment. Our knowledgeable staff is happy to talk with you about what you are looking for. Bring us a list of your needs and your budget and we will find you model options that match your criteria. We proudly serve those in Ste. Genevieve, Leadington, and St. Louis, Missouri. Stop by today!