Inconsiderate drivers and tractor operators, bad mix...

[Jstpssng]

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There would be a lot of hungry and thinner people around.

You left out healthier. Apparently we're the only nation where our poor people are fat, because of the junk sold for food.

 

[Jstpssng]

Indiana has a slowpoke law for farm equipment. If they are holding up 3 cars or more, they have to pull over at the first safe place possible and let traffic pass. Some don't abide by the law, but most do.

Now if they could just do the same for bicyclists.

 

[ptsg]

Europe no, Southeast Asia yep.
I have followed some of the European tractor regulations as at times various bureaucracies in different states have attempted to shove some similar regulation down our throats.
Anyone who believes that it would be just a minor inconvenience and a minimal expense to keep fully functional lighting on a multitude of farm equipment has absolutely no idea of what would be involved. Much of the equipment in use today especially on the smaller farms and even many of the larger ones is well over 20 years old.
Many of the older tractors do not and have never had anything beyond a flashing lamp mounted on the left fender,
no directionals, 4 way flashers, or even headlamps.
At this time in this state the only thing required in daylight hours is a SMV sign.

I certainly don't consider nations to be more developed because they have more regulations and controls on people.

And as a footnote drivers better accept me on the road with 20-30,000 pounds of tractor, pulling a chopper of a few thousand pounds and a self unloading wagon,
which when empty going to the field is only a couple of thousand pounds but when I'm headed home with my last load of the day another 5-7 tons of silage.
Because I may max out at 15-18 mph and slow down on hills because I've only got 220-250 hp to work with. And I do take up most of our secondary roads.

Oh also those tractors with that high speed are not pulling a heavy load up any kind of grade.

European made tractors (Same, Deutz, several others) have always had lights ever since the 60's or 70's.

Even my 1962 Crawler tractor I had did have front lights (high and low beams) and rear marker lights. To bad the rear lights got ripped over the years, but I wouldn't road a crawler either.

If you're driving on the road here, even the trailer will need its own license plate, title, working lights and insurance.

In Europe there isn't that "Government control mindset" that seems to be so present in the US. These regulations are seen as an improvement of safety for everyone (car, tractors, whatever) and not at all as government control. Governments try hard to get improve safety on tractors, but they can only apply those measures on public roads. In private proprieties, it's up to the owners/tractor operators but most of them still refuse to lift the ROPS when working hills, slopes, ditches, etc. Accidents will then happens, the death rate will increase and governments are once again under pressure when the ones at fault where the operators in the first place. This will then result in more measures to hopefully reduce the deaths.

Another thing that happens here is that farmers have absolutely no problems on unhooking a implement wider than the tractor, put it on a trailer sideways, just so it doesn't block the traffic.

 

[5030]

Indiana has a slowpoke law for farm equipment. If they are holding up 3 cars or more, they have to pull over at the first safe place possible and let traffic pass. Some don't abide by the law, but most do.

Basically how it works here in Michigan as well. The problem is, one, a 'safe' place to pull off the right of way to allow motorists to pass, but more importantly the impatience of those motorists.

I do that all the time. Like I said, I'm not pulling up in someone's front yard just to let some impatient 4 wheeler by. We live in a hurry up and wait society. Drivers need to learn patience and common courtesy.

 

[tduby]

Yes, definitely restrict when they can move. Everybody knows that harvesting a field is a very controlled activity and they know exactly how much each field will produce, how long it will take to harvest, the weather is always perfect and equipment never breaks down.
Therefore they should be able to schedule for the convenience of people who are always in a hurry because they didn't plan ahead.

I've long believed that the price of groceries should reflect the actual cost of production.

It痴 a free market and the market sets the price unless you are saying the government should set a price and pay farmers a decent wage which sounds **** close to socialism to me. As for time restrictions in most rural areas you can expect a lot of traffic around 8am when most people go to work and again around 5 when most people are going home I don稚 mind single wheel tractors using the road when or where ever but don稚 tell me the guy driving a 16 wide dual tire beast down the road is just a poor guy barely making it. At some point this equipment is just to **** big to be driven on public roads with out better precautions. Every job has time deadlines or money is lost but factories have rules in place to keep everyone safe maybe it will require 3 smaller tractors or using tracks to keep ground pressure low but the width down. But as someone who constantly sees farmers pulling big tractors out onto 55mph highways not all of them are considerate as the guy pulling his 15 batwing to the next field.

 

[tduby]

The thing to think about is in most businesses, if the cost of doing business increases, you can pass that cost on to the customer. The farmer is raising a commodity. Their cost of doing business goes up and the price they get for their crop can go down. A totally different ballgame.

Farmers are moving equipment a few miles at a time not hundreds of miles over the road. Having to go get a permit to change fields would be ridiculous and would do nothing to make things safer or better.

I also think regulations on other businesses is getting a little ridiculous as well. But anyway, my hat is off to the farmer. Thank you for doing what you do!

I have family in logging they need permits to drive 2 miles because the powers that be decided not just anyone should pull something wider than a normal traffic lane when ever or however they want. I値l never understand this hero worship of farmers it痴 a job just like any other job demand and supply set the price for commodities just like they do for every other product the only difference is they get bailouts when they have a bad year and other small business get told they should have planned better.

 

[ovrszd]

Consideration as a driver is dependent on the person behind the wheel, not the equipment they are driving.

A good friend of mine plants 25,000 acres of corn/soy beans. If you think he's going to do that with a fleet of Ford 8Ns and two row planters you are delusional.

 

[ovrszd]

I have family in logging they need permits to drive 2 miles because the powers that be decided not just anyone should pull something wider than a normal traffic lane when ever or however they want. I値l never understand this hero worship of farmers it痴 a job just like any other job demand and supply set the price for commodities just like they do for every other product the only difference is they get bailouts when they have a bad year and other small business get told they should have planned better.

You Sir should go into Farming. You are obviously missing out on a very lucrative business by not doing so.

 

[MossRoad]

Consideration as a driver is dependent on the person behind the wheel, not the equipment they are driving.

A good friend of mine plants 25,000 acres of corn/soy beans. If you think he's going to do that with a fleet of Ford 8Ns and two row planters you are delusional.

There're people on this thread that have railed against big business and corporate America, yet your friend fits the bill. Guess it just depends on who's ox is getting gored.

My wife's good friend farms 10,000 acres and raises 6-8000 hogs every year. Darn right it's a large corporation.

So on the one hand, we have the image of the family farmer going out of existence, and on the other we praise people that can farm tens of thousands of acres.

Kinda :dance1: isn't it?

Everybody admires the little guy that can make a go of it until he becomes the big guy.

 

[Reb954]

One of the best ways to make a little money is to spend a lot of money trying to farm.

Reading through this thread makes it clear to me that some people don't have a clue how things work and others have zero consideration of others needs.