The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Hay Dude]

I really enjoy your pics from the drivers seat. Is it common for tractors to be on the road in your area? do you ever see other big tractors on the road while you're on yours? Do the police ever pull you over?

Thanks Eddie. Enjoy your pictures, too
Very common to be on the road. Family farms in my 20 mile radius are mostly gone, so people like me travel from farm to farm and take care of them.
Yes, I see other tractors all the time. I can name all the farmers in my area and most of us get along well.
Local Police usually just wave to me. They will give you an escort if you call them.

 

[Hay Dude]

Land around here in the last 50 years has become too valuable for farming. The only large open spaces left are Conservancy space and wealthy people who have purchased farms and keep farming them by subcontracting the work to me or the other few remaining farmers.

If you go 15 miles west, it’s still big time family farm country.
My township is very rural, but the land is also very expensive.

 

[dstig1]

Eddie, Tractors are perfectly legal on the roads, if they follow the rules. I think all you need is flashers/lights on and the slow moving vehicle triangle on the back. We see them regularly here too on our county roads. Just be patient and pass when and where it is safe.

Although one time I did see a giant tractor with some huge attachment that I couldn't identify on the interstate 94 bridge crossing the river between MN and WI - AT RUSH HOUR! In addition to being certifiably nutz, I'm pretty sure that was not legal. That made a mess of things while I was coming through myself, but I don't know if it caused any accidents. You could probably safely get away with that late into the evening or overnight, but at 5PM that was a seriously dumb move.

 

[Hay Dude]

Eddie, Tractors are perfectly legal on the roads, if they follow the rules. I think all you need is flashers/lights on and the slow moving vehicle triangle on the back. We see them regularly here too on our county roads. Just be patient and pass when and where it is safe.

Although one time I did see a giant tractor with some huge attachment that I couldn't identify on the interstate 94 bridge crossing the river between MN and WI - AT RUSH HOUR! In addition to being certifiably nutz, I'm pretty sure that was not legal. That made a mess of things while I was coming through myself, but I don't know if it caused any accidents. You could probably safely get away with that late into the evening or overnight, but at 5PM that was a seriously dumb move.

I don’t run anything down the road wide enough that can’t be passed. However, my attitude towards the ones that have a problem with ME is, why do you live in the country and get your undies in a bunch when you get stuck behind a farm tractor?

 

[Gator6x4]

I don’t run anything down the road wide enough that can’t be passed. However, my attitude towards the ones that have a problem with ME is, why do you live in the country and get your undies in a bunch when you get stuck behind a farm tractor?

I don’t think farm tractors on the road is the problem. The problem is the people who will not pass a farm tractor. I have seen farmers after 7-8 cars queue up behind him just pull off the road onto the shoulder stand up on the tractor and direct the people down the road.

Another problem is when people meet a grain combine on the road they continue to hog the centerline.

 

[LouNY]

As far as I know the only "required" item is a SMV sign, lights and or flashers are not required. All types of farm equipment will be on the roads here. Most combines will have the headers removed. But forage choppers both self-propelled and pull type, plows, disks, rollors, haybines and even the Big Mo tripple head mowing machines, the big mergers, just about anything pulled by a tractor or self-propelled for farming is likely to be on the road anytime any day.

 

[Hay Dude]

no farms, no food

 

[Lineman North Florida]

If I'm holding up multiple vehicles that are unable to safely pass because of steady oncoming traffic I just pull over for a minute and let them go and then start back on my way, if someone runs up on me and starts flashing lights, blowing their horn and giving me the California howdy they can learn to sight see at a slower pace till they can pass.

 

[Gator6x4]

no farms, no food

No Hay, no STEAKS.

 

[Citydude]

no farms, no food

Oh come on! I get my food from the grocery store.