Back when the farmers were protesting in Washington DC, they drove their tractors there from long distances and put their tires on backwards. They said they had barely any wear on them.
I've driven my tractor on county roads only once in the 2 1/2 years I've owned it. I was getting low on fuel and my diesel cans were empty, so I thought I'd drive the 1 1/2 miles into town(less than 500 residence) and fill up. The vibration from the tire tread was so bad at the higher speeds, it ended up being a much slower and much more time consuming trip than I planned for. I made the trip without incident but, I won't be doing that again unless it is a dire emergency. For those that have to, more power to you and safe travels as you go.
Another tip: When making a left turn, turn on the turn signal early. Turn your head to the left so you can watch cars behind you and see where you're going. Some cars on the road you can't take your eye off of for half a second because they might try to pass you midway through your turn. There's always a chance of other drivers being exceptionally stupid.
Excellent points. I do road my tractor between my driveways (a few hundred feet) and when I go help a friend who lives a mile down the road. I have been avoiding the added expense of tractor insurance, but see that I probably shouldn't do that, especially if I am out in the road, ever.
I purchased some fairly large rearview mirrors for my JD 2038R. They bolted nicely onto the loader arms. They greatly help when roading my tractor from the storage barn to the farm.
I did the same on my JD4410, they were indispensable when I took the tractor over the road 3 miles to my BILs place. And it is nice to have them when working around the property too. Money well spent.
In the early 50s, a distant neighbor bought a tractor with metal wheels and drove it more than 20 miles to our house. He paid me to drive it the last 5 and dad to take him the rest of the way in the family car. He was beat up pretty bad from that trip.
You are absolutely correct: It would be the rare auto insurance policy that covers the operation of your tractor. It's your homeowner's policy that covers it unless you've made some other bargain with your insurers. Two good videos. In response to the first, 28 miles was the limit for me 'roading' a tractor. We bought a Farmall M -- not a Super M or TA, just an M -- at an estate auction in an adjoining county. Quite the ride down the backroads in August 1978.
As a retired Highway Maintainer from a state highway department I’ve driven many miles on the highways going to or back from mowing. You covered some great points, seat belt, lights, SMV and mirrors or be aware of traffic behind you. A word about SMVs, there are specification numbers written on the bottom of them. Make sure you have a proper and current SMV on your tractor. I’m guessing if not the police will consider it a funny looking triangular sign, NOT a SMV.
Mike several issues with pulling over off the road. Most driveways such as you suggested, have mailboxes, power poles and lots of other obstacles including things homeowners have place near their driveways. With the size of your tractor and mine those are nit a big deal, but when you get to row crop farming size tractors and implements, this becomes almost like turning a semi truck into a homes driveway-a major task often resulting in problems. Like wise with the reduced maintenance on roadways of keeping grass mowed as well as signs and other obstacles, pull over has lots of considerations. Consider a farm tractor going along in road gear, remember you already have a high center if gravity possibly made worse by a folded 3 PH implement raised up. All it takes at this speed is to hit a hole or a solid item on the side of the road. You now likely have an overturned tractor with a vehicle involved crash. Implements and tractors still contain a lot of structural steel-much more so most cars and trucks on the road. So when you frustrated that the tractor slows preparing to pull off the roadway- realize it is for your safety as well as his. And sprayers are yet worse on high center of gravity!
I've driven a flag vehicle 150km 99% on back roads. my thoughts on it were that some people have trouble determining what you're actually doing and they don't want to pass you because they think you;re just waiting to pass the tractor. i was following at some distance (to make sure people could jump between me and tractor if they had to abandon their overtake) with my 4 ways on. 100% id do it again it was great fun but id want to mount a sign in the tray of the pickup to make sure people knew what was going on. Id also much rather be hit behind in the pickup than my partner hit in the tractor due to the fact the pickup has a crumple zone, a cab and a seat belt and was fully insured and the tractor had none of these other than CTP insurance. And knowing the laws where i live and other peoples experiences (fortunately) if someone rear ends another vehicle its almost guaranteed to be their fault.
Hi Mike, I live in Illinois. While I have never heard of having a tall flag on the tractor, it seems like a great safety idea. Something similar are dune buggies and ATV's having one when riding in the sand dunes. The most important two rules for driving on the road with a tractor, are to use common sense and think ahead.
There are also SMV triangles on the market now that are outlined in flashing LEDs. They wire right into the flashers already on the tractor and add a lot of visibility in low light conditions.
Brakes Brakes Brakes ! ! ! some tractors have split brakes, and they need to be locked together so if brakes are applied, you don't turn immediately off the road when heavily applying the brakes.
Great video, good comments! One I didn’t see I’d drive on the road not on the shoulder, as the shoulder may not be smooth, have pot holes or other hazards. Any of those can be dangerous or cause equipment failures. I have see broken axles and loader mounts due to potholes.
Mike, you have glasses on in your video, but you didn’t say anything about how important safety glasses are, really any time, but most certainly on the road. Vehicles going the other way, or passing you can kick up rocks or other debris which can either distract you into veering off the road, or worse, hitting you in the eye. Thanks and please keep up the great videos!
I live in Illinois and the last twelve years before I retired I worked for a farm service. A couple of laws that I wished existed are: Make it illegal to road wide or slow moving equipment after sun down. Make it illegal to tow anhydrous tanks after sun down.
04:15 Many people might ask "where do I get such a flag?", well they are required on off-road vehicles in many state parks. When we visited the sand dunes in Silver Lake Park in Michigan a few years back we had to mount one of those flags on the front of the truck. As I recall it only cost about $25 and broke down into two pieces so it was easy to transport when not needed. So if you can't find them elsewhere check some off-roading sites. Good point on the insurance point. I can't understand why anyone (and at this point in time ONLY one) would give this a thumbs down.
One other thing that I would do if possible is at least "favor" the shoulder or drive on the shoulder. This gives vehicles behind you a little better visibility. Besides that, many of our county roads are grass on the shoulders of the road which would mean less wear on the tires.
The thing about driving off the side of the road is hitting any hidden objects in the grass or weeds, such as broken off signposts which can puncher a tire. Also hidden holes or culverts, at road speed you wouldn't have a chance. Just some food for thought.
In my County the sheriff wants to see that SMV and a flasher if it has one. The state police rarely deal with tractors and the local police know everyone and just want to know if we have a tractor run planned from the clubs. A mirror is a good idea to have also.
I know a guy who worked for the city and had a tractor hauled to the shop 15 miles away , when it was ready the supervisor didn't want to have it hauled back and sent 2 guys after it they both questioned it and he insisted . well one was on the tractor other was following in a truck with hazard lights on . A 18 wheeler came up and passed them safely but the SUV behind him was running 80 mph when he hit the truck pushing it on top of the tractor crushing the cage on the back on to the operator . God was watching and no one died . Tractor broke into and totalled both trucks . This happened on a bridge and blocked traffic for several hours . The family was called and told tractor and pickup driver died on impact . Actually I was the tractor driver and a nephew the truck driver . I must say every emergency vehicle in 2 towns responded and was amazed at all the ordinary people who was on the scene immediately getting us out and safe . I have one thing to say haul it if possible and please be careful if you're on a roadway .
At the farm we had a 274 Massey and a 5420 Deere . Over the road with them never bothered me. I did run a farmall cub down the road about 2 miles. That was scary
Well in my state there are signs on every highway on ramp that say "no mopeds, motorcycles under 125cc, non motor vehicles or farm equipment" think that pretty much sums it up about if its a good idea or even legal to drive a tractor on a highway...
Well when I bought my last tractor I hauled it on a low boy without electric brakes... pulled it with a landrover discovery. I left the slow moving vehicle sign on it because I was taking my time. It pulled it ok but it took awhile to stop. My one ton wasn't running at the time. Not something I would recommend but something to think about. BTW Tractor weighed in at around 7000 lbs
We live in a rural agricultural area and we see farm machinery on the road every day !!! From small tractors to swathers to large sprayers to huge combines which will take up most of a 2 lane road !!!! And never heard or seen a tall pole and red flag !!! Do see SMV signs, 4 way flashers and following pilot cars/trucks, As a driver, we learn to be on the look out for farm machinery, as yes we are in farm country and farmers travel to work the various fields. seen a "Convoy of 6 large John Deere combines one day go by !!!
Great video Mike. Have to say I can't stand car drivers who can't wait. I'm about to pull over and let them pass, but they're coming whether I'm ready or not.
In my area most of us will slow down and move over. Lots of farms in my neighborhood, I have land that's row cropped, farmers get respect on my piece of dirt and the road
I would underscore the point that the SMV needs to be visible to overtaking vehicles. If you have a trailer, wagon, or implement that blocks the SMV on the tractor at all, get an SMV on the rear of that trailer, wagon, or implement.
Hey Mike great video! I live in central Arkansas with several decent sized hills. How about a video on the most efficient way/ gear to drive on the road? I have a HST tractor and in high range going up the hills it really slows down. Is there any guidance you can give as to what range or gear is appropriate when going up hills on county roads? I have even stopped when no traffic is behind me to switch from high to medium range to get up the hills. Thanks again Mike!
another excellent video and very informative. Not likely to need this as I only have one property. But have neighbors that I can borrow tractor equipment from....and may use the tractor to go get it and take it back.
In my area , there is no doubt that too many farmers break road rules a little too often. The worst one is not folding up equipment that is obviously meant to be folded on the road. Waving drivers around, before the car can see a clear road. A farmer that decides it's a good idea to get on the road at the busiest times. The worst problem of all is law enforcement that ignores negligent farmers.
One of my biggest issues with people driving their tractors on the roads is here in Idaho they never pull over to let traffic go by, and yes they're required to...one of the things law enforcement needs to be out making sure they're following the laws too, just just motorists but all these farmers that think because they have a tractor they're king of the road holding up traffic for miles. Should never be a reason to drive your farm tractor on a freeway, a highway is bad enough, but never on the freeway, if you need to travel on a freeway you need a truck and trailer capable of hauling that tractor and implement to wherever you are going. As with everything else, it don't matter what you do to make your tractor/implements visible if idiot drivers aren't paying attention they'll run into you, you could have bright neon flashing signs and that's not going to do any good if people aren't paying attention. Another thing to point out, you should have a slow moving vehicle sign on your implement/attachment that you are pulling behind you as well, not just on the tractor which with some attachments/implements might be obscured by that implement/attachment....also if you are pulling something you need to have lights on it as well, just as you would a trailer behind your car, truck, or SUV. Dress accordingly to the weather, and bring water with you. The only thing I could think of for having someone following you in another vehicle is to possibly be carrying fluids for the tractor in case of a breakdown type situation...other times maybe they're just moving a piece of machinery and tractor to another location and dropping it off, so they may need a ride home, or back to another location afterwards. Other than that if you are driving a tractor to another field to work, then going back home no need for a chase vehicle, you just further impede traffic and on narrow back roads can be far more dangerous than the tractor itself that's already taking up 1/2 the road or more.
Times, have changed - Less tractors, More cars and trucks - Drivers, DON’T WATCH OUT FOR TRACTORS ANYMORE…!!! Have driven many Hundreds of miles, on open cab tractors - moving them between our farms, and while doing Custom Harvesting in the valley/South Texas - Longest single trip, was over 300 miles, over a 4 week period… At 16 years old, I thought it was Fun :) - but, that was 46 years ago when it was Normal to see tractors on the road, and cars/pickups would pull over to give the Tractors/Equipment room - instead of the other way around… Farm tractors, are sometime Too Big to haul - especially, with equipment attached - Driving them, to get to a distant fields, is the Only option… Nowadays, my tractor and most all my equipment, fit on/stay on a HD equipment trailer - Can make it to a new customer’s location a hundred miles away, in ~ 2 hours from the time I open the shop doors to hook onto the trailer - Only drive the tractor to a job, if it’s faster than the Net time it takes, using the trailer…
I drive 400ft to the next street over from me and take logs from the neighbors behind me. I live off the main artery from the freeway, speed is 45mph and my tractor does 13mph. Most people are nice but I've been passed twice when I signalled to turn into my driveway. The entire road is narrow with no passing, but these people just had to get by. I had logs with me each time and could do some serious damage to their vvehicles What did you search for to find the info in your state? I can only find slow moving vehicle info for licensed things like golf carts going 25mph.
I wish it’s $250 for insurance, Try $680.00. But maybe based on tractor value. Verify Brakes, Adding mirrors and a $40 camera helps. SMV sign is a must and home made flag PVC flag pole and most important is Roll Bar, ITS A MUST. Be safe
Make sure you have insurance on the value of your tractor in case of a accident or your garage or barn catches fire. Your homeowners might not cover your tractor just make sure you tell your agent that I have a big tractor not some garden tractor. Most guys think that their tractor is covered by their homeowners insurance it only will cover your small lawn mower tractor.
I have a small garden subcompact utility tractor that has a belly mower deck without a 3 point but has a sleeve hitch i have a smv emblem but my machine has a top speed of like 8 right now but when I'm done with it it will have a top speed of 20 miles an hour which eight mile an hour is still 25 mile an hour less so I am legal which is why I tractor is a tractor no matter how big it is I mean after all I do make tractors with mower decks under them
Hey Mike how do we know if we turn a tractor over will the rops hold the tractor off of us Or are they just for looks,Just wondering. Hope no one finds out
Nathan, yeah, that's what it's for. If you have your seat belt on you have a good chance of surviving a rollover. Here's a video about that: th-cam.com/video/BaT9uVxkMBs/w-d-xo.html.
Those are great tips you gave us and I adhere to them when having to drive on a road to my destination. After getting my first tractor I had to mow the lawns for my local church and drove the tractor there and back, but it wasn't very far and since then have only driven it and my newer tractor about one mile away.
I live on a long, straight road. Flat too. There is a bar a mile down the road, I got a new tractor. Mahindra 4550, with a big red grapple. Thought I'd drive down there, get a beer and show off my new toy. High gear, wide open, 17 mph. I got three blocks, turned around and went home. Not fun at all. Probably would chew up the tires on the chipseal road. I can drive my car to the bar, if I wanna go. Their beer is overpriced anyway
I'm not sure if this pulling over to the side of the road is a law in all states because for whatever reason I don't think it's a law in Vermont but even if it is I'm still not doing it. I'm not going to pull out of the farm to go 3-7 Miles down the road and pull over to let traffic go by 10 times. Also I know that most of the accidents in Vermont surrounding farm tractors is vastly blamed on the public. If your dumb enough to pass me on a blind turn than have to run your vehicle off the road to avoid a head on collision than you deserve what you got! If you don't know what I'm talking about than you would be surprised how many people have passed me on turns and over hills but once the public complains about farm machinery with enough public pressure they will probably get their way. Don't forget how farmers make your every day lives possible.
In 2021, I just would not do that long drive. Non-tractor people do not understand what this is about and they are busy texting or replying to FB. No way...... no freakin' way....
Back when the farmers were protesting in Washington DC, they drove their tractors there from long distances and put their tires on backwards. They said they had barely any wear on them.
I've driven my tractor on county roads only once in the 2 1/2 years I've owned it. I was getting low on fuel and my diesel cans were empty, so I thought I'd drive the 1 1/2 miles into town(less than 500 residence) and fill up. The vibration from the tire tread was so bad at the higher speeds, it ended up being a much slower and much more time consuming trip than I planned for. I made the trip without incident but, I won't be doing that again unless it is a dire emergency. For those that have to, more power to you and safe travels as you go.
Another tip: When making a left turn, turn on the turn signal early. Turn your head to the left so you can watch cars behind you and see where you're going. Some cars on the road you can't take your eye off of for half a second because they might try to pass you midway through your turn. There's always a chance of other drivers being exceptionally stupid.
Thank you so much for bringing up the "Insurance" issue. This is something that most people neglect to get.
Excellent points. I do road my tractor between my driveways (a few hundred feet) and when I go help a friend who lives a mile down the road. I have been avoiding the added expense of tractor insurance, but see that I probably shouldn't do that, especially if I am out in the road, ever.
I bought a JD 3010 at a dealer in Indiana (in 2002) and drove it 65 miles home. It took a few hours to get there, but was a good trip.
Great video Mike. Open road driving is dangerous at best, mainly from the other drivers not pay attention.
I purchased some fairly large rearview mirrors for my JD 2038R. They bolted nicely onto the loader arms. They greatly help when roading my tractor from the storage barn to the farm.
I did the same on my JD4410, they were indispensable when I took the tractor over the road 3 miles to my BILs place. And it is nice to have them when working around the property too. Money well spent.
Me too, just watch out for them when in the woods.
Very good points. My farm is bordered by a farm to market road and a county road. I have to travel down them to get to each of 3 pastures.
In the early 50s, a distant neighbor bought a tractor with metal wheels and drove it more than 20 miles to our house. He paid me to drive it the last 5 and dad to take him the rest of the way in the family car. He was beat up pretty bad from that trip.
You are absolutely correct: It would be the rare auto insurance policy that covers the operation of your tractor. It's your homeowner's policy that covers it unless you've made some other bargain with your insurers. Two good videos. In response to the first, 28 miles was the limit for me 'roading' a tractor. We bought a Farmall M -- not a Super M or TA, just an M -- at an estate auction in an adjoining county. Quite the ride down the backroads in August 1978.
As a retired Highway Maintainer from a state highway department I’ve driven many miles on the highways going to or back from mowing. You covered some great points, seat belt, lights, SMV and mirrors or be aware of traffic behind you. A word about SMVs, there are specification numbers written on the bottom of them. Make sure you have a proper and current SMV on your tractor. I’m guessing if not the police will consider it a funny looking triangular sign, NOT a SMV.
Mike several issues with pulling over off the road.
Most driveways such as you suggested, have mailboxes, power poles and lots of other obstacles including things homeowners have place near their driveways. With the size of your tractor and mine those are nit a big deal, but when you get to row crop farming size tractors and implements, this becomes almost like turning a semi truck into a homes driveway-a major task often resulting in problems. Like wise with the reduced maintenance on roadways of keeping grass mowed as well as signs and other obstacles, pull over has lots of considerations. Consider a farm tractor going along in road gear, remember you already have a high center if gravity possibly made worse by a folded 3 PH implement raised up. All it takes at this speed is to hit a hole or a solid item on the side of the road. You now likely have an overturned tractor with a vehicle involved crash. Implements and tractors still contain a lot of structural steel-much more so most cars and trucks on the road.
So when you frustrated that the tractor slows preparing to pull off the roadway- realize it is for your safety as well as his.
And sprayers are yet worse on high center of gravity!
I've driven a flag vehicle 150km 99% on back roads. my thoughts on it were that some people have trouble determining what you're actually doing and they don't want to pass you because they think you;re just waiting to pass the tractor. i was following at some distance (to make sure people could jump between me and tractor if they had to abandon their overtake) with my 4 ways on. 100% id do it again it was great fun but id want to mount a sign in the tray of the pickup to make sure people knew what was going on. Id also much rather be hit behind in the pickup than my partner hit in the tractor due to the fact the pickup has a crumple zone, a cab and a seat belt and was fully insured and the tractor had none of these other than CTP insurance. And knowing the laws where i live and other peoples experiences (fortunately) if someone rear ends another vehicle its almost guaranteed to be their fault.
Excellent information! I didn't know about the flag.
Hi Mike,
I live in Illinois. While I have never heard of having a tall flag on the tractor, it seems like a great safety idea. Something similar are dune buggies and ATV's having one when riding in the sand dunes.
The most important two rules for driving on the road with a tractor, are to use common sense and think ahead.
"common sense" -- the most common oxymoron known to man! :-)
There are also SMV triangles on the market now that are outlined in flashing LEDs. They wire right into the flashers already on the tractor and add a lot of visibility in low light conditions.
Brakes Brakes Brakes ! ! ! some tractors have split brakes, and they need to be locked together so if brakes are applied, you don't turn immediately off the road when heavily applying the brakes.
Great video, good comments! One I didn’t see I’d drive on the road not on the shoulder, as the shoulder may not be smooth, have pot holes or other hazards. Any of those can be dangerous or cause equipment failures. I have see broken axles and loader mounts due to potholes.
Mike, you have glasses on in your video, but you didn’t say anything about how important safety glasses are, really any time, but most certainly on the road. Vehicles going the other way, or passing you can kick up rocks or other debris which can either distract you into veering off the road, or worse, hitting you in the eye. Thanks and please keep up the great videos!
I like having a rear view mirror and keep the loader bucket low
I live in Illinois and the last twelve years before I retired I worked for a farm service. A couple of laws that I wished existed are: Make it illegal to road wide or slow moving equipment after sun down. Make it illegal to tow anhydrous tanks after sun down.
Mike"..do not forget the rear view mirrors
04:15 Many people might ask "where do I get such a flag?", well they are required on off-road vehicles in many state parks. When we visited the sand dunes in Silver Lake Park in Michigan a few years back we had to mount one of those flags on the front of the truck. As I recall it only cost about $25 and broke down into two pieces so it was easy to transport when not needed. So if you can't find them elsewhere check some off-roading sites.
Good point on the insurance point. I can't understand why anyone (and at this point in time ONLY one) would give this a thumbs down.
Another biggie is to lock the brakes together, you really don't want to accidentally engage only one brake if you need to use the brakes.
My buddy rolled a tractor and drill doing that
Yea i was driving and the pin poped out thankfully nothing bad happened
One other thing that I would do if possible is at least "favor" the shoulder or drive on the shoulder. This gives vehicles behind you a little better visibility. Besides that, many of our county roads are grass on the shoulders of the road which would mean less wear on the tires.
The thing about driving off the side of the road is hitting any hidden objects in the grass or weeds, such as broken off signposts which can puncher a tire. Also hidden holes or culverts, at road speed you wouldn't have a chance. Just some food for thought.
In my County the sheriff wants to see that SMV and a flasher if it has one. The state police rarely deal with tractors and the local police know everyone and just want to know if we have a tractor run planned from the clubs. A mirror is a good idea to have also.
Put implement on back of the tractor if car rearends tractor rotation of tires tends to lift the front of car up and on to the driver
I know a guy who worked for the city and had a tractor hauled to the shop 15 miles away , when it was ready the supervisor didn't want to have it hauled back and sent 2 guys after it they both questioned it and he insisted . well one was on the tractor other was following in a truck with hazard lights on . A 18 wheeler came up and passed them safely but the SUV behind him was running 80 mph when he hit the truck pushing it on top of the tractor crushing the cage on the back on to the operator . God was watching and no one died . Tractor broke into and totalled both trucks . This happened on a bridge and blocked traffic for several hours . The family was called and told tractor and pickup driver died on impact . Actually I was the tractor driver and a nephew the truck driver . I must say every emergency vehicle in 2 towns responded and was amazed at all the ordinary people who was on the scene immediately getting us out and safe . I have one thing to say haul it if possible and please be careful if you're on a roadway .
At the farm we had a 274 Massey and a 5420 Deere . Over the road with them never bothered me. I did run a farmall cub down the road about 2 miles. That was scary
Well in my state there are signs on every highway on ramp that say "no mopeds, motorcycles under 125cc, non motor vehicles or farm equipment" think that pretty much sums it up about if its a good idea or even legal to drive a tractor on a highway...
Great tips, Thank you Mike.
Well when I bought my last tractor I hauled it on a low boy without electric brakes... pulled it with a landrover discovery. I left the slow moving vehicle sign on it because I was taking my time. It pulled it ok but it took awhile to stop. My one ton wasn't running at the time. Not something I would recommend but something to think about. BTW Tractor weighed in at around 7000 lbs
Those cars passing were great to drive the point home.
Mike, that rule you read regarding the flag on a pole, was a “should” not a “shall”.
We live in a rural agricultural area and we see farm machinery on the road every day !!! From small tractors to swathers to large sprayers to huge combines which will take up most of a 2 lane road !!!! And never heard or seen a tall pole and red flag !!! Do see SMV signs, 4 way flashers and following pilot cars/trucks, As a driver, we learn to be on the look out for farm machinery, as yes we are in farm country and farmers travel to work the various fields. seen a "Convoy of 6 large John Deere combines one day go by !!!
I bet you slow down and move over to make it easy them too.❤️🙌😉
Another inexpensive safety device, is a beacon light. I use a yellow beacon any time I am pulling a trailer, behind my truck.
Great video Mike. Have to say I can't stand car drivers who can't wait.
I'm about to pull over and let them pass, but they're coming whether I'm ready or not.
In my area most of us will slow down and move over. Lots of farms in my neighborhood, I have land that's row cropped, farmers get respect on my piece of dirt and the road
I would underscore the point that the SMV needs to be visible to overtaking vehicles. If you have a trailer, wagon, or implement that blocks the SMV on the tractor at all, get an SMV on the rear of that trailer, wagon, or implement.
Hey Mike great video! I live in central Arkansas with several decent sized hills. How about a video on the most efficient way/ gear to drive on the road? I have a HST tractor and in high range going up the hills it really slows down. Is there any guidance you can give as to what range or gear is appropriate when going up hills on county roads? I have even stopped when no traffic is behind me to switch from high to medium range to get up the hills. Thanks again Mike!
Nice video Mike, have a good day!
another excellent video and very informative. Not likely to need this as I only have one property. But have neighbors that I can borrow tractor equipment from....and may use the tractor to go get it and take it back.
In my area , there is no doubt that too many farmers break road rules a little too often. The worst one is not folding up equipment that is obviously meant to be folded on the road. Waving drivers around, before the car can see a clear road. A farmer that decides it's a good idea to get on the road at the busiest times. The worst problem of all is law enforcement that ignores negligent farmers.
A lot of times you can't wait until the road is less busy because you won't get much work done
One of my biggest issues with people driving their tractors on the roads is here in Idaho they never pull over to let traffic go by, and yes they're required to...one of the things law enforcement needs to be out making sure they're following the laws too, just just motorists but all these farmers that think because they have a tractor they're king of the road holding up traffic for miles.
Should never be a reason to drive your farm tractor on a freeway, a highway is bad enough, but never on the freeway, if you need to travel on a freeway you need a truck and trailer capable of hauling that tractor and implement to wherever you are going.
As with everything else, it don't matter what you do to make your tractor/implements visible if idiot drivers aren't paying attention they'll run into you, you could have bright neon flashing signs and that's not going to do any good if people aren't paying attention.
Another thing to point out, you should have a slow moving vehicle sign on your implement/attachment that you are pulling behind you as well, not just on the tractor which with some attachments/implements might be obscured by that implement/attachment....also if you are pulling something you need to have lights on it as well, just as you would a trailer behind your car, truck, or SUV.
Dress accordingly to the weather, and bring water with you.
The only thing I could think of for having someone following you in another vehicle is to possibly be carrying fluids for the tractor in case of a breakdown type situation...other times maybe they're just moving a piece of machinery and tractor to another location and dropping it off, so they may need a ride home, or back to another location afterwards. Other than that if you are driving a tractor to another field to work, then going back home no need for a chase vehicle, you just further impede traffic and on narrow back roads can be far more dangerous than the tractor itself that's already taking up 1/2 the road or more.
Times, have changed - Less tractors, More cars and trucks - Drivers, DON’T WATCH OUT FOR TRACTORS ANYMORE…!!! Have driven many Hundreds of miles, on open cab tractors - moving them between our farms, and while doing Custom Harvesting in the valley/South Texas - Longest single trip, was over 300 miles, over a 4 week period… At 16 years old, I thought it was Fun :) - but, that was 46 years ago when it was Normal to see tractors on the road, and cars/pickups would pull over to give the Tractors/Equipment room - instead of the other way around… Farm tractors, are sometime Too Big to haul - especially, with equipment attached - Driving them, to get to a distant fields, is the Only option… Nowadays, my tractor and most all my equipment, fit on/stay on a HD equipment trailer - Can make it to a new customer’s location a hundred miles away, in ~ 2 hours from the time I open the shop doors to hook onto the trailer - Only drive the tractor to a job, if it’s faster than the Net time it takes, using the trailer…
Thanks Mike...No flag vehicle please. Makes it twice as hard to get past.
I drive 400ft to the next street over from me and take logs from the neighbors behind me. I live off the main artery from the freeway, speed is 45mph and my tractor does 13mph. Most people are nice but I've been passed twice when I signalled to turn into my driveway. The entire road is narrow with no passing, but these people just had to get by. I had logs with me each time and could do some serious damage to their vvehicles
What did you search for to find the info in your state? I can only find slow moving vehicle info for licensed things like golf carts going 25mph.
On my tractor with 4 ways on turn signals don't work. What to do?
I wish it’s $250 for insurance, Try $680.00. But maybe based on tractor value.
Verify Brakes, Adding mirrors and a $40 camera helps. SMV sign is a must and home made flag PVC flag pole and most important is Roll Bar, ITS A MUST. Be safe
I’m calling my insurance company first thing in the morning
Thanks !
Make sure you have insurance on the value of your tractor in case of a accident or your garage or barn catches fire. Your homeowners might not cover your tractor just make sure you tell your agent that I have a big tractor not some garden tractor. Most guys think that their tractor is covered by their homeowners insurance it only will cover your small lawn mower tractor.
I have a small garden subcompact utility tractor that has a belly mower deck without a 3 point but has a sleeve hitch i have a smv emblem but my machine has a top speed of like 8 right now but when I'm done with it it will have a top speed of 20 miles an hour which eight mile an hour is still 25 mile an hour less so I am legal which is why I tractor is a tractor no matter how big it is I mean after all I do make tractors with mower decks under them
can i use a tractor to commute to work ? im serious like a garden tractor or something.
Good stuff
Don't most, if not all interstate highways have a speed minimum? A set of rearview mirrors is probably a wise decision, too.
Hey Mike how do we know if we turn a tractor over will the rops hold the tractor off of us Or are they just for looks,Just wondering. Hope no one finds out
Nathan, yeah, that's what it's for. If you have your seat belt on you have a good chance of surviving a rollover. Here's a video about that: th-cam.com/video/BaT9uVxkMBs/w-d-xo.html.
Those are great tips you gave us and I adhere to them when having to drive on a road to my destination. After getting my first tractor I had to mow the lawns for my local church and drove the tractor there and back, but it wasn't very far and since then have only driven it and my newer tractor about one mile away.
I live on a long, straight road. Flat too. There is a bar a mile down the road, I got a new tractor. Mahindra 4550, with a big red grapple. Thought I'd drive down there, get a beer and show off my new toy.
High gear, wide open, 17 mph. I got three blocks, turned around and went home. Not fun at all. Probably would chew up the tires on the chipseal road. I can drive my car to the bar, if I wanna go. Their beer is overpriced anyway
$250 insurance sounds kinda pricey to me. Thats more than I pay annually for full coverage on my daily driver and a motorcycle combined.
that red flag on a 14ft pole only works till an 11ft overpass snaps it off.
I'm not sure if this pulling over to the side of the road is a law in all states because for whatever reason I don't think it's a law in Vermont but even if it is I'm still not doing it. I'm not going to pull out of the farm to go 3-7 Miles down the road and pull over to let traffic go by 10 times. Also I know that most of the accidents in Vermont surrounding farm tractors is vastly blamed on the public. If your dumb enough to pass me on a blind turn than have to run your vehicle off the road to avoid a head on collision than you deserve what you got! If you don't know what I'm talking about than you would be surprised how many people have passed me on turns and over hills but once the public complains about farm machinery with enough public pressure they will probably get their way. Don't forget how farmers make your every day lives possible.
In 2021, I just would not do that long drive. Non-tractor people do not understand what this is about and they are busy texting or replying to FB. No way...... no freakin' way....
The statue thing is in there for the people who get pissed about a tractor in the road and think there is no way this is legal
Good video, on things to watch out for… (but, ALL THE COMMERCIALS, kinda suck)
If your tractor has a seat belt wear it. Even if your tractor has a cab. If not you’re likely going to be crushed like my friends son did.
Most people don't know what the sine means. They have them as driveway markers and everything else
Woo-Hoo!
It is best to let a child drive and of course carry multiple passengers.
He said jokingly!
Should I carry the passengers in the bucket or on the fenders??
Bro 250$ a year ain’t shit I pay 274 every month😩😩
Me putting a flag on my tractor 🤣🤣 yea good joke