To the Editor:

I'd like to offer kudos for the tractor rollover rebate program and the lives it has already saved. Rollover protection is indeed a part of any new tractor sold nowadays but those tractors come at very high prices which most farmers, even big ones, cannot justify the expense of new equipment.

The truth is, a vast majority of farm tractors in use today are pre-'95 and don't have rollover protection. The majority of tractors seem to be made in the 60's and 70's actually.

Those older tractors are real workhorses, there are plenty of parts available for them, and they are reasonably priced even though they're still expensive. They work well, work to specs, and last almost forever.

Another source of them is now defunct farms which no longer need them. There are thousands more available than there is market to consume them.

As a teenager on a farm I remember tractors well: And also knew some who had installed their own rollover systems, but, DIY systems for such heavy equipment was often woefully insufficient in actual rollovers unless it turned out to be a very gently, slow roll.

This is a great program and I hope those with such tractors will outfit them with these rollover systems, and make use of the program to help pay for them.

Tom Rivet

Heuvelton