Tractor and farm equipment checks your seasonal crew can do on day one.

How farms run tractor checks with QR codes

Each machine gets a QR sticker where the operator climbs on: the fender, the step or the dash. Before the first start of the day, the operator scans it with their phone and answers that machine's checklist: ROPS up and pinned, seat belt, PTO shields, tires, brakes, lights and the slow-moving vehicle emblem, leaks, hitch and hydraulics. It takes about a minute.

A harvest morning on a vegetable farm with 8 machines and a seasonal crew:

The rules for farm equipment

Farms follow OSHA's agriculture standards in 29 CFR Part 1928, not most of the general industry rules: 1928.21(b) says the general industry standards don't apply to agricultural operations except a short list, and the forklift standard's scope excludes "farm vehicles". The farm rules that shape a pre-use check:

• ROPS and seat belts, 1928.51. Agricultural tractors manufactured after October 25, 1976 and operated by an employee must have ROPS and a seat belt, and the employer must ensure the employee wears it while the tractor is moving. Every tractor operator must be told the safe operating practices in the rule's Appendix A at initial assignment and at least annually.
• Guarding, 1928.57. Power take-off shafts must be guarded by a master shield or other guarding, with signs saying shields must be kept in place. Employees must be instructed in safe operation at initial assignment and at least annually.
• Small farms. Under its appropriations act, OSHA can't inspect a farm that has 10 or fewer employees (and hasn't had more in the previous 12 months) and no active temporary labor camp, per OSHA's Field Operations Manual. State plans may differ.
• Crew transport. H-2A employer-provided transportation must meet at least the federal migrant worker vehicle safety standards (20 CFR 655.122(h)(4)), and those require vehicles to be systematically inspected and maintained (29 CFR 500.105(b)(5)). A crew van can have its own sticker and a vehicle checklist.

This summarizes the rules; it isn't legal advice, and your state may add its own. The tractor's operator's manual sets what to check each day.

Seasonal and H-2A crews

Seasonal workers can do checks the day they arrive, because there's nothing to set up. They scan with their own phone and type their name, which the phone remembers. If someone has no phone, the crew lead can do the check on theirs and type that worker's name.

Language is up to you. CheckBadges' own buttons are in English, but every question, hint and dropdown option is text you write, so a checklist can be entirely in Spanish, or carry both languages in each question. If you want only your crew to submit checks, turn on operator PINs: each person gets a 4-digit PIN that signs the check with their name.

What you get

• An email when something's wrong, with the operator's note and up to three photos per item.
• A warning for the next operator on that machine until you mark it fixed.
• Today's checks at a glance, and a history for every machine you can print or export as CSV.
• Hour meter readings on every check, if you add a number question.

What it costs

A farm with up to 3 machines uses CheckBadges free, with every feature. Pro is $9 a month for your first 3 machines, plus $1.50 a month for each machine after that, so 8 machines is $16.50 a month and 20 machines is $34.50 a month. Operators are unlimited, so a seasonal crew of 40 costs nothing extra.

When CheckBadges isn't the right fit

CheckBadges needs a cell signal or Wi-Fi to open and submit a check, so in fields with no coverage, check machines in the yard before they go out. It has no GPS or telematics, so it won't show where a tractor is or log engine hours by itself. It doesn't keep training records, such as the annual ROPS and PTO instruction, and it doesn't schedule services or raise work orders.