Can minors drive heavy equipment on private property?

Answer 1

First off, federal labor laws prohibit anyone under the age of 16 from operating machinery, power tools, etc. in a workplace environment. You can have your kid mow the lawn as a chore at any age, but if, for example, a Summer camp were to hire them, they wouldn't be able to have them operate any sort of power tool unless they were at least 16 years old. So if you're talking about an employee under the age of 16, the answer is no.

For private purposes as chores, for example, that's going to come down to the insurer of the equipment. Heavy equipment is ensured, the same as road vehicles are. In some states, they have to display license plates, as well (for example, in Colorado, you have the Special Mobile Machinery - SMM - plates, although municipal/state equipment still uses the government - GVT - tags). No insurer is going to insure a minor, and any accident resulting from that minor operating that equipment is going to void the insurance policy. If it's a piece of rental equipment, the minimum age of the operator will be specified in the terms and conditions of the rental agreement.