Brockett's Ag Advice
Safety starts with you
Are you a responsible person?
Most of you will say, “yes, I am.”
But many of you do not exhibit this
responsibility when it comes to
operating your farm in as safe a
manner as possible.
The accident rate in Penn
sylvania is horrible. It is costly in
time lost, in human parts lost, in
machinery bills, in livestock in
jured or lost, and in human lives
lost.
Danger is part of farm life.
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COMPLETE SYSTEMS,
EQUIPMENT, SALES,
INSTALLATION, SERVICE
FOE CATTLE, HOGS
AND POULTRY.
By John E. Brocket!
Farm Management Agent
Lewistown Extension Office
There are people who go over
Niagara Falls in a barrel to get the
thrill of danger, there are others
who become daredevil pilots or
race car drivers, and other who
climb mountains just to meet
danger and defeat it for a thrill.
Shucks, most of them who never
dream of spending some time on
the farm living the daily existence
that many farm families consider
routine.
However,
The Quality Is The Same... The Prices Are Lower!
• BIN LEGS are formed from heavy, all
galvanized steel to make a girder-like
even these self
STIHL® MODEL SG-17
MISTBLOWER
A multi-purpose
power tool which , - llMl i ** ~ 'N
Blows, Dusts, & Sprays \
liquids and dry J
chemicals, to control I
and eliminate weeds
Complete tobacco, Hr
worm and sucker yl
- covers
over under
Complete fly and insect
m
barns
Limited Time * OUTLASTS THEM ALL
WES STAUFFER ENGINES & EQUIP.
RD 3, Ephrata, PA 17522
(717) 738-4215
Ephrata Exit New Rt 222, 1 ? Mile West
on Rt 322 Turn left onto Pleasant Valley Rd
CHORE-TIME iJil.'fflßUU
hopper bins for feed storage
BIN LID has 24-inch diameter, is form
ed from one piece of steel for max
imum rigidity and warp-resistance
to keep it weatherproof. Big 22 1 /2-inch
opening means less feed waste.
U.‘l
structure with 6 separate bends or
“breaks”. Formed leg gives superior
fit, finish, and durability over that pro
vided by other types.
ns' ’ < r ' vr
ALL BIN SEAMS are double caulked
with non-hardening sealer for max
imum weather protection.
AGRI“
RD 4, East Farmersville Rd., Ephrata, PA 17522
proclaimed daredevils fix
everything to “cut” the risk as
much as possible. So can you, Mr.
and Mrs. Farmer, and so should
you. After all, you are not farming
because you have any desire to be
a daredevil, are you?
Hurry is one of the big culprits in
any potential accident. We all get
into too much of a hurry at times.
There never seems to be enough
time to get everything done that we
“need” to do.
But sometimes we tilt the
balance bar towards this wasteful
“hurry” by pushing ourselves
beyond reason.
Or we cause our own “hurry”
reason because we did not fix
something until it broke down in
the middle of haying or some other
vital task.
Or we do poor planning of our
time which finds at the wrong
place all the time. Now while time
is a bit more relaxed than it was a
few weeks ago, why don’t you fix
that equipment that you will need
next week or next month?.
CHECK THESE FEATURES:
Authorized Chore-Time Distributor
equipment, INC.
(Lancaster County)
(717) 354-6520
Lancaster Farming Saturday, July 20,1985-Dll
~ Why don’t you put the guard
back on the PTO shaft or the Drive
Chain? Don’t take risks with your
children-it won’t really kill them if
they don’t get a ride on the tractor
while you’re mowing, but it may if
they are riding and get thrown off.
Keep them away from idling
tractors, operating forage wagons,
etc. Put the tractor in park (make
sure it is all the way in) whenever
you get off. Use your emergency
brake if you have one. Make sure it
will work before using the tractor.
Neglect is culprit number 2. How
often have you said, “oh I forgot to
shut the gate and the heifers got
out.” The result could be anything
from lost time to mashed crops to
heifers who died from over eating
lush corn or fertilizer 01
chemicals. Or you forgot to put the
safety pm in the clevis bolt and a
bump causes the bolt to hop out.
Result cound be anything from
pulling the PTO shaft apart
(costing you time to stop and re
hook) to the forage harvester going
crashing down the hill and winding
up in the road on top of your
neighbor’s new car.
Inexperience is one area that
most farmers and farm labor
would deny ever occurs. When was
the last time you said that you did
not know how to handle a par
ticular piece of equipment? Result
is that the first time many pieces
are operated is when it is for real.
It is a wonder that there are not
more accidents due to not knowing
where the shut off valve is or the
brake or even first gear. Then we
get into the real problem areas
such as the center of gravity of a
machine or the load bearing
capacity of a part or piece of
equipment. Sometimes a farmer
never learns these things about his
equipment.
Farmers should make sure that
anyone operating a piece of
equipment on their farm, including
themselves, spends some time
familiarizing themselves with the
operation of that item. It is also a
good idea to read the operating
• TO HELP YOU get the long life and
full depreciation you want from your
investment, all metal parts are fully
galvanized for maximum rust re
sistance.
• CHORE-TIME’S FULL ONE-YEAR
warranty (we’ll provide a copy on re
quest) against any product defect is
another valuable feature you get with
every Chore-Time bin.
• CHORE-TIME OFFERS your choice
of 16- or 25-inch diameter hopper open
ings for greater versatility in applica
tion.
SIZES AVAILABLE FROM
2.9 TON to 52 TON - 6’ V & 9’ DIAMETER
manuals several times. Pay
particular attention to the safety
section to make sure the operator
understands the safe limits for the
machine. When it is operated the
first time, take it easy-don’t go all
out. So what if it takes longer to get
the job done. That extra time now
may mean saved time later.
Too much experience can be as
dangerous as too little. Too much
familiarity can breed contempt
and with contempt comes inat
tention. An example is turning
your back on that bull that never
before bothered you.
Usually in an accident involving
an animal, it was the docile animal
that caused the harm. Another
area is inattention around
machinery such as stepping over
the PTO shaft while it is without a
guard and is operating. Come on
now, how many of you have done
this as short of a time ago as last
month? You are doing two things
bad there.
First you are endangering
yourself-supposing your step is a
mite low today or you slip or the
tractor is on a high spot.
Second you are giving a real bad
example for your child or for that
matter to any other person in the
area. Even if it is not macho to
walk around, you must do it for no
other reason than to set a good
example for others, who you do not
want to be hurt.
SAFETY STARTS WITH YOU
DONT LET IT END WITH YOU.
fOM* ON You 6UV*. MOVE oven/
NEED MORE ROOM?
Read The Real Estate Ads
In Lancaster Farming's
Classified Section
STORE HOURS:
Mon.-Fri. 7; 30 to 4:30
Sat. 7:30 to 11:30
(Parts Only)