I've always "hated" driving a tractor on roads

[Renze]

I dont hate driving tractors on the road, its common practice in Europe. Especially in Holland where 70% of all earthmoving contractors move dirt with tractor/dumptrailer combinations on short hauls (less than 5km)

But what i do hate these days, its the bunch of folks that need to battle about a mum who they suppose was drunk, texting or just incapable to drive a vehicle, and others trying to correct these and saying that they think the tractor was in the center of the road.... Just read the readers comments on that news page, under that item..

Really, if you give a housewife a computer, they will bother you all day with useless comments and opinions about just about everything, without saying anything substantial... Thats why i recently blocked all my aunts and nieces that dont have a job outside the house, from my facebook...

[bcp]

I've read that European tractors, being used on the road more than in the US, have much faster road speeds.

My old Ford 8N was the fastest I've driven, at about 12-15mph.

Bruce

[creekbend]

The County that we reside in, is mainly a farming community. There are several industrial parks, but these are mainly centrally located. Most days when I drive our truck into town, I will see tractors with farm implements traveling the roads. Most of the time the larger farms utilize the roadways to gain access to other parcels. The road that borders our property has a fairly steady flow of tractors on the roadway. These are mainly neighbors traveling to other neighbors property to help with the garden plowing, baling and putting up hay, or bush hogging. There is one man that drives his 8N into town quite frequently. He doesn't have a vehicle and parks by the historical County Courthouse Square that was completed in 1861. Most weekends, the old timers will gather by the big shade oak tree by the Civil War Memorial and play dominoes or checkers.

[cqaigy2]

but the best way to road a tractor is a nice trailer. Maybe some relatively untraveled dirt road to go from field to field would be OK, but in general when you try to road a tractor on a well traveled road you are setting yourself up for trouble with impatient drivers.

James K0UA

Trailers are safer and saves wear and tear too! Roads eat tractor tires pretty good too.

[TripleR]

The only time anyone puts a tractor on a trailer in my area is to take it to the shop. One of our farms is four miles away and the other is six miles. I make the trip between farms four or five times a year. If there is a wide enough shoulder, I will pull over and let someone around. I only go during low traffic traffic times and may encounter no more than four or five vehicles.

One of our farms is separated by a set of RR tracks and I have to go close to a mile on paved roads to get to certain fields.

[LD1]

Its common practice in my area to drive on the road as well. All that is needed is an SMV sign. Flasher are required but only if it is OEM for the tractor. IE: my new Kubota, law requires my flashers on. Dads old 8n, SMV sign is all that is required.

I dont hate driving on the road. I hate impatient uptight drivers that dont like to pay attention and/or try to pass at the worst possible time. We cut firewood and have to travel on the road to and from. I dont have any means of towing my BH, so it gets roaded to and from mom and dads from time to time ~8 miles away. And sometimes, when just going a few miles, it takes longer to try to trailer than just to drive the stupid thing there. Tractors have just as much right to the road as anyone. Just have to pay attention to the idiots driving. And the idiots driving need to pay more attention to the road.

It is kinda funny reading some of the comments after that artical. Apparently some of the drivers friends/family were on there and about how we dont know the "whole story". Well...it is sad indeed, but you rear-ended a tractor. I dont see how it is anyones fault but the driver. Dont give me the BS about how the tractor was over the crest of the hill and didnt see it til the last minute. Does that mean that you werent paying attention the whole time you were approaching the crest of the hill, seeing the tractor make its way up and over the crest????

[TripleR]

I don't hate driving on the road. I hate impatient uptight drivers that don't like to pay attention and/or try to pass at the worst possible time. We cut firewood and have to travel on the road to and from. I don't have any means of towing my BH, so it gets roaded to and from mom and dads from time to time ~8 miles away. And sometimes, when just going a few miles, it takes longer to try to trailer than just to drive the stupid thing there. Tractors have just as much right to the road as anyone. Just have to pay attention to the idiots driving. And the idiots driving need to pay more attention to the road.

My brother bought a gooseneck trailer and flat bed one ton truck to transport his back hoe and tractors; hasn't been licensed in years as it takes less time to drive between farms than hook up and load/unload stuff.

[LD1]

My brother bought a gooseneck trailer and flat bed one ton truck to transport his back hoe and tractors; hasn't been licensed in years as it takes less time to drive between farms than hook up and load/unload stuff.

Yep. Sometimes its just plain old easier to drive the tractor or backhoe to where it needs to be. Most folks in my parts are used to it. but every once-in-a-while you get those folks that just seem to have the attitude that the road is theres and you have no business being there. And I seem to have the attitude of..."I dont care. Move back to the city if you cant take it you idiots."

Its no big deal to throw my Kubota on my little car hauler. But the backhoe........

I have been looking, but it would take a pretty good GN to haul around a 18-19k machine. And it would be all my 1-ton would want. Thats why I drive it @ 18MPH. I pitty the poor car that wants to rear end me

[Renze]

I've read that European tractors, being used on the road more than in the US, have much faster road speeds.

My old Ford 8N was the fastest I've driven, at about 12-15mph.

Bruce

Both my tractors do 25kmh (15mph) so when making long trips to the crusher (12km) i take both the 10 ton and the 5 ton trailer hooked up behind each other: if i had 40kmh i wouldnt take the time to dump the trailers one by one, then its faster to just drive. Also, with 60hp i probably wont make 40kmh with a 20 ton combined weight..
Most dirt or agricultural contractors have higher power to weight ratios and use 50kmh (31mph) tractors with cab and front axle suspension, and pull a 20t tandem with 150-170hp. Some others pull 30t triples with 200+hp

[Tollster]

Ya'll think 8 miles to too far to travel with a bX23? 5 miles is hard top rural country roads, 3 is rural dirt road.