How far is too far for driving tractor on the road?

[oldnslo]

How wide of an implement would you be pulling and on what type of roads. In farm country away from cities I would not think twice about driving that distance. If close to larger towns/ cities and there are a lot of citidiots that becomes a problem since there cell phone screen is more important than the windshield and they have no respect for slow moving vehicles.

 

[oosik]

Once I drove my Kubota M6040 ten miles into our small college town. To the Archer Daniels Midland grain storage facility. This facility has a large drive over grain weight scales.

Got the exact weight of the tractor.

I will NEVER do that again. The idiots on our county road either could not see me and the tractor or didn't really give a sh#$. Passing w/out slowing down is one thing - passing on a blind corner is a completely different matter.

I guess I should have known better. They do the exact same thing when I'm driving the Taco Wagon.

 

[Farmer495]

What is your road speed with your DK45?

I would not hesitate that run a couple times a year IF your roads are smooth and you are semi rural and you can do 18 MPH plus.

I put a few hundreds miles a year on blacktop with tractor, including in town with intersections, crosswalks, school kids etc. I am normally pulling wagon or other implement. Proper lighting and SMV essential. Mirrors nice on cab tractor.

Yes traffic can be idiots. You will be tailgated, they will pass. I've been passed.....

-while turning left (with signals)
-with oncoming traffic that I've had take evasive action to avoid collision
-on righthand side(!!!) with oncoming traffic.
-and cutoff since they merge after passing the towed implement/wagon and can't see the tractor(?)

Locally I have to have license plate and road insurance, not sure your legal needs.

 

[HamishMacCheap]

-while turning left (with signals)

I experienced the same on one occasion.

Although concerns such as discomfort and excessive wear on the tractor are relevant, safety concerns outweigh both.

Flashing amber lights don't seem to get noticed by idiots who are texting, reading the morning paper, eating breakfast, putting on makeup or reading billboards.

 

[Hay Dude]

I’ll run 30 miles to drop off a tractor for repairs no problem. I do have road speed tractors though, so the trip goes a little faster. Sometimes I will have to put them on a trailer if they’re broken.

It really would depend on the trip. Some routes are easier than others.

 

[Topzide]

Spec shows top speed of 17.8 mph!

 

[LouNY]

Yep, if you could find a reasonable route that was 99% backroads, then why not try it if you've got the time. Going on the side of busy highway makes it pretty dangerous though even if you are 100% on the shoulder, or if the shoulder isn't wide enough.

Never run the shoulder with your tractor it encourages idiots to fly by at 55+. Also it is illegal in most states to use the shoulder as a travel lane.

 

[bmaverick]

To rent a truck and trailer to haul it will cost for a single day approx $4-500. I don't have anything tough enough to haul that kinda load.

Trailer prices seem cheap enough to me per day. A good SUV with a strong V6 or V8 works.
With tailgate or ramps, same price.

 

[yanmars]

Could you hire a local for them to use their tractor and equipment to do the work. Might be more cost effective and avoid the road time etc.

 

[MarkMac]

“How far is too far for driving tractor on the road?“​

It depends on how long a fella’s license will be suspended.

My cousin once had a Ford 2600 as a daily driver. He used the loader bucket for a trunk when he went to the grocery store.

 

[Farmer495]

Spec shows top speed of 17.8 mph!

Send it.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

17.8 mph seems about right at WOT. I run slightly less than that so I'd guess about 15 mph. The route I take to the property crosses #1 on 96 highway a two lane there. Lots of traffic but fairly well traffic lighted up. A few small towns along the way but the bulk of it is pretty rural. Mine isn't the HST but a geared model.

As for the JD F1445 its a front commercial grade mower. No 3pt on it. Its a beast when mowing. I can mow our 19.+ acre farm in about 4.5 hrs when I'm motivated and hadn't let it get too tall. Much of that is dodging fruit trees/bushes, vineyards.

 

[mark in portugal]

I took this picture of a rig from Germany in my village in southern Portugal. That's a fairly long way.

And he's not unique; I met another German who pulled a gypsy wagon at 4mph all the way through Europe too, on an antique "Hanomag" tractor without a cabin.
He was totally cooked when I met him.

 

[paulsharvey]

I haven't read it all, but there really isn't a Too Far, but you put a lot of wear on tires on asphalt. So, if I had too, 1 hour, or even 2 hours would be OK, but I wouldnt do it often. We aren't talking about a large machine, a Uhaul car trailer would move it behind a medium SUV

 

[etpm]

Where I live folks generally give wide berth to tractors, joggers, walkers, bicycles, etc. It's apparently just a thing here. At the same time some folks don't. But what does the state say about driving that far? I called the Washington State Patrol about driving my tractor on the road. I was told that if I was driving from one gate to another that goes to my property, and that if the property was contiguous along the road, that I would be OK. But driving from one property that I own to another that I own but that are not connected, was illegal. I remarked that I see tractors driving on the county roads on a regular basis that I know are not going from one end of their property to another. The WSP guy said that they are breaking the law and are subject to traffic fines. But I wonder how often this really happens, a tractor getting a ticket. I suppose if a WSP officer saw a tractor making regular long trips they might ask questions. Different states have different rules so it might be good to check.
Eric

 

[CalG]

As a data point

My cousin farms in north East South Dakota. He leases quite a bit of land to make the operation work. Some of those pieces are 35 miles apart. At planting, He runs the tracked tractor between fields as needed. But only when the roads are wet. Too much heat on the tracks and bogies otherwise.

 

[CalG]

I wonder how far the ag protesters in England and France are driving?

 

[Farmer495]

you put a lot of wear on tires on asphalt.

I always thought this as well, I have few thousand black top road miles on a set of R1W radials and still lots of tread, I'd estimate 80% plus tread left.

 

[ning]

I roaded my tractor recently for barely a mile in each direction and let me tell you driving ~12mph was very wobbly - had to pay close attention to keep it going straight. Think a 30 year old car with worn out recirculating ball steering and worn out tie rod bushings, to the max.

I'd imagine this has something to do with tires, and higher tire pressure would probably help with roading, but I also suspect that the entire front steering setup isn't designed to be precise. Bigger tractors are likely better set up for roading because people actually do it. Who knows, maybe mine's steering is f'd up. Seems to work fine for everything I do on the land.

I definitely wouldn't want to drive more than a couple miles, and if I had 43 miles each way to go multiple times, that would be an immediate escalation in "I need a trailer" status.

 

[Farmer495]

Bigger tractors are likely better set up for roading because people actually do it.

Yes, road lighting and turn signals etc. 25 MPH transport speed to stay within SMV territory too.