FACTS

1. Farm tractors should be equipped with bypass starter covers. Many farm tractors do not have bypass starter covers to prevent jump starting.
2. A tractor operator may attempt to jump start a farm tractor if the battery is dead. If the tractor is in gear, it could lurch forward and run over operators and innocent bystanders.
3. The tractor may lurch forward or backwards when it is jump started. Do not stand behind or in front of the tractor when attempting to jump start it or you will be run over.
4. There are certain important considerations to remember before you attempt this. Many tractors, farm or lawn, use a 6-volt battery system and not a 12-volt; you cannot jump start these types with a regular car.
5. The terminals on the battery will be clearly marked. The positive terminal is marked with a ‘+’ sign and the negative terminal is marked with a ‘-’ sign. The positive terminal is also larger than the negative terminal.
6. Jump leads should always be removed in the reverse order to which they were connected.
7. Many diesel tractors require the use of two batteries to help start the large lumbering engines.

STATS

• According to the Sight and Hearing Association, “each year nearly 6,000 motorists suffer serious eye injuries, or even blindness, because of improperly jump-starting a dead vehicle battery.
• Thousands of battery-related injuries occur each year, and nearly three- quarters of them involve the eyes, according to the National Society to Prevent Blindness.