Deere-est Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 I find it interesting to read the for and against safer, more regulated use of farm machinery on our roads. The 'for' seems to be based on wanting farming to continue its growth in a safe way, introduce new laws, vehicle checks, licencing etc for the benefit of all. The 'against' seems to just portion blame anywhere and everywhere and continue as it is without a care for anyone. I think it is very sad that farmers get a bad name, sometimes a bad deal too but even more sad some are so anti anything to do with change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 I think it is unfair to say that every farm is the same, i think alot off farms maybe more so contractors are taking the time now to imporove maintance. Some farms i know have brought new trailers as he said it was more cost effective to do that then to fix the brakes on his old ones. Its all down to the operaror i think some will be conerned about the load on the trailer & some wont. I moved a baler saturday i put a light board on & tied a reflective jacket on the extrme off the baler. Now many people would probably laugh at that & say why the hell have you done that but its just something to cover me self reli if dorris drives into me i can say that i have done as much as i can reli , if i hadnt & someone runs into me someone would find a way off it being my fault. Using the tractors for haulage where wagons would have done these jobs the farmer isnt setting out to put the hauliers out off business, he has seen an opertunity to earn some money so has taken it. Its all down to the driver yea "inexperinced" drivers wont know as much , but they will only learn by doing it , but then its down to the boss to maybe give them a smaller tractor & tell them to go abit steady. If the farmers were earning more maintance may come higher on the list but some farms are doing maintance & others arnt which gives everyone a bad nam. People have been running the same outfit for years with no issues but now these outfits would be deemed "unsafe". The way it is the supermarkets screw the farmers then announce billions £££ 's off proffit then use this money to build bigger shops buying up land that could be farmed then getting into price wars which brings the price down even more & then even if the farmer could expand the land prices have shot up so there is no way he can afford it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deere-est Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 I think everybody knows all farmers are not the same. As far as taking an oppurtunity to earn extra money/create business then that is ok - if you're going to compete fairly. Some have said some farmers compete on an uneven playing field which is true but if they are going to compete with another business or industry by cutting corners then they're just as bad. Bare in mind this Topic is mainly a discussion about how unregulated the use, maintenance and operation of agricultural vehicles is and not to accuse particular people of wrong doing or bad practice. I am of the opinion we need to professionalise the industry for its own good. Be it the people or the machines doing the work and the outlook we have. I think this comes from setting our own standards of 'right' and 'fair' as well as achievable and regulations from above to keep the bad apples in line or off the tree altogether to promote the success of those doing it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihatepoundland Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 With talk of supermarkets screwing over farmers and with the need to support our own countries producers, I often wonder why 70% of the tractors purchased are not built in the UK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractorman810 Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 i guess for a smaller farm its easier to keep on top of maintence of kit, than say a big contractor ,whos always in a hurry to get to the next job, stuff down is money not getting earnt at the end of it ,but thats no excuss i know small farms that have stuff with no brakes ,drop the trailer or what evers on the back if they can to brake, thats never right i bet none would treat there private cars like that , they cant the law stops that, maybe its time to have some sort of mot for tractors and trailers ,combines and self propelled foragers, it would sort out a lot of safety issues, when it comes to everyones safety not just the drivers its got to be right . as i mentioned before, vosa are red hot on farm stuff this way, i have seen several pulled over, inc tim bloyles stuff on the slurry cake runs for sww, and they are well maintained stuff, always new kit which is reasuring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deere-est Posted June 17, 2010 Author Share Posted June 17, 2010 Trouble is though Sean, VOSA pull them over and then havn't a clue what to do with them. Current 'laws' are just to vague for people to try and follow or for enforcers to try and enforce unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractorman810 Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 guess so tris, but if they are vauge then why pull them in the first place?, some are well obvious, like the logger i saw with a huge amount of cut tree in a 8 ton marston trailer, but bloyes are well looked after, trailers are a lot smaller than they could use,and very regularly changed for new ones , never heaped high either, like many grain trailers i see the same size,all on white, see them in morrisons or tescos filling up ;D i think he runs tachos on them to, so way above what most run at i guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denis086 Posted June 17, 2010 Share Posted June 17, 2010 the reason other countries can produce things so cheaply is because they are unregulated maybe not in machinery terms but in the ways they produce the end product my cousin did his work experience for college in new zealand where they were sent into the pin of calves witha hammer once enough replacement heifers wer got and then these animals were dump in an open pit which was only closed when it was filled imagine if they tried to do this here even if the calf died naturally the paper work that is filled out then the knacker has to be paid to dispose of it properly then and this has happen a number of times to us we get letters actually threatening us from the dept. of ag. then after a couple of weeks arguing over the phone it turns out some plonker in the dept didnt do something right even thought its their fault we still have to fill out the paperwork and state it wasnt or fault taking up our time without an apology and now they are going to regulate us more its getting beyond a joke the amount of paperwork is needed for basic things now and still they cant trace thing when something goes wrong perhaps they should start regulating themselves the eu are destroying agriculture sure were producing the highest quality produce and getting crap prices for it people still buy the imports and then the people that do buy the garanteed irish or whereever might still be buying foreign produce because there are loop holes that allow them to do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deere-est Posted June 17, 2010 Author Share Posted June 17, 2010 Tacho's? That is a rarity. One chap used to run Fastracs on white diesel then switch to a rear mounted red tank when on farm and even that wasn't enough for the Ministry. I think VOSA would pull them over for the right reasons but find a quagmire of paperwork leading to very little results. They even got it wrong when they pulled me in a lorry for driving on UK laws, which was perfectly within the laws of what I was doing as they went ballistic.... the followed it up with a very big apology! The trailers won't be heaped high but that is more to do with the water company. It's them that will have a tarnished name for any wrong doing and I know Wessex Water used to be very stringent on us and the loads we carried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Interesting catch up... To clarify a couple of points, 1. Clive, I like to think we personally are an almost shining example of good maintenance on a small farm. All our kit is correctly sized and maintained for the task and I agree that everyone should do the same. However, as an ordinary small mixed farm of around 250 acres, it pays for the kit but not any salaries. This is not unusual. I could list many small farms round here who struggle on with old knackered kit because they can't afford to carry out even basic maintenance, never mind replace worn out tyres or fix up rotten trailers... So yes, there are bound to be some farms who can afford to maintain kit better than they do, but there are probably many more who can't... 2. The big contractors, if they don't maintain their kit are either mad or incredibly wealthy. Every contractor I know locally has a proper annual maintenance programme whereby they look after their kit during the off periods. If they don't, it packs up when they need it, thus costing them money. I don't think bona fide ag contractors are part of the problem really. If contractors are pushing on with kit too big for the roads, it begs the questions, 1, how has it gained approval for sale in this country if it cannot even be transported within it? And 2, Why do they have to operate like that? I doubt very much you'll pull up outside their sprawling mansion to be greeted by an Aston Martin and a Porsche.... and I don't suppose they'd be taking too many foreign holidays either... so the money has to be going somewhere..? Wages, tax, fuel, interest on finance probably... 3. The farms who invest in new kit are either big concerns who will have a rolling replacement scheme which they probably have no hope of getting out of, or regular farmers who are just rolling the money back into the farm. I doubt the former are spending hundreds of thousands on new kit as such every year, it will just be a lease deal. This is very different from you or I buying a tractor or implement for cash and then looking after it. I also doubt many of the latter ever really do the sums on whether buying shiny new kit is the right thing to do. I think spreadsheets with 3 year budgets on are still alien to many in the grassroots side of the industry. Perhaps they all need to start looking in a bit more detail at what the costs really are before they jump into these things. 4. I don't dispute that many machines on the road probably shouldn't be anywhere near it. What I do dispute is that they represent an immediate disaster waiting to occur. The problem is not so much the kit as the operators. If consumers bought more locally produced seasonal food and there was a genuine living to be made in agriculture then more skilled operators would work in it. I am a very conscientious operator, but I couldn't afford to buy a house with what I was earning, so I left the farm and went and did something else. That leaves quite a few positions to be filled sadly by those with little aspiration or intellect, who don't have the intelligence to look after their kit. [Not implying that everyone who works in agriculture is that way inclined...! Simply that employers don't have a huge pool of highly skilled thoughtful operators to choose from anymore because many can't justify the poor wages] I was replaced by a retired head teacher from a primary school. Nice chap, but no mechanical sympathy or particular care lavished on the kit... 5. Finally, the big one.... should any of them really be in business. Honestly? Of course not. As an industry agriculture just doesn't stack up. Prices are continually being drepressed, input costs and overheads are continually rising. Where exactly is the profit for anyone to survive? Compare [roughly] now with 15 years ago... Cereal prices, down, what, 20%? Maybe more? Fertilisers & chemicals, up maybe the same, 20%? Machinery... well, steel went through the roof, and extra technology has added 'value' and cost, so that must be up probably the same, maybe 15% at the lowest end up to what, 200% for the big stuff...? Land prices... skyrocketed... 4 acre grass field just went for £8'500 and acre here last week.... the land we farm is up for £6500 an acre.... do the sums, takes a long time to make that pay.... I recall Veg & produce.... Supermarkets can import whatever from wherever, and do, so I doubt very much that fruit & veg have increased at the farm gate along with inflation... Meat.... Been out of production for a while but you can't survive on 250 ewes anymore... Fuel - Diesel, electric, gas, oil, all between 25% & 75% higher than 15 years ago Wages... yup, they have been forced up too I could go on.... Yes, I know hauliers don't like seeing tractors trucking round on red, but would a haulier really want to invest in lorries capable of crossing fields and operating in farm yards? No, or they would have already. And would they like to share their haulage market with anyone with a tractor and trailer if farmers did run on white and with tachos? I doubt that too.... I could deliver steel framed buildings to sites .... I could delivery plant.... I could probably do lots that a lorry can do.... It's not farmers who hauliers should be getting arsey with! Should most of these farmers and contractors be in business? Of course not, it simply doesn't add up. Many operate at break even point if they're lucky, often at a loss, and with none of the luxuries or protection many of the rest of the population enjoy. Thankless work with out break or recognition. Farming is bloody hard work and not rewarded in any way like how it deserves to be. But we MUST stay in business. For many it's all they know, it's their life, and that of generations before them. It's a responsibility to the land and the environment and to some, even humanity... all far more important than some recently imported EU law on weights and measures or road speed or working hours.... is it our place to suggest they hang up their wellies and work in a factory? There is probably no workable solution in the short term in all honesty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughmaster Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Clive, I like to think we personally are an almost shining example of good maintenance on a small farm. All our kit is correctly sized and maintained for the task and I agree that everyone should do the same. However, as an ordinary small mixed farm of around 250 acres, it pays for the kit but not any salaries. This is not unusual. I could list many small farms round here who struggle on with old knackered kit because they can't afford to carry out even basic maintenance, never mind replace worn out tyres or fix up rotten trailers... So yes, there are bound to be some farms who can afford to maintain kit better than they do, but there are probably many more who can't... Old kit does not necessarily have to be in a poor state of repair, and I will not accept there is any excuse for operating vehicles or equipment that is in a dangerously poor state of repair (or used beyond its capabilities). Frankly, and perhaps rudely, if these people can't make a profit they should not be in the industry. I do not accept this pathetic wingeing about poor prices and high costs; plenty of farms acheive good profits in spite of these; it is simply down to being bad farmers. If contractors are pushing on with kit too big for the roads, it begs the questions, 1, how has it gained approval for sale in this country if it cannot even be transported within it? And 2, Why do they have to operate like that? I doubt very much you'll pull up outside their sprawling mansion to be greeted by an Aston Martin and a Porsche. This is complete nonsense. There are no machines available which are too big to go on the road. The point that was being made is that when a vehicle or piece of equipment is above a legally defined size/weight, the operator has to comply with legal obligations before going on the road with it; marker boards, flashing beacons, escort vehicles, police notification, applying for dispensations etc. It is unreasonable to expect to be allowed to travel without complying just because you are in a hurry or not making much profit. In answer to '2', they don't, and there is no reason for them to need to do so. I don't dispute that many machines on the road probably shouldn't be anywhere near it. What I do dispute is that they represent an immediate disaster waiting to occur. The problem is not so much the kit as the operators. The operators are an integral part of the problem. You can't really seperate the problems they represent from the problems with the machine itself. The problem is that they do represent the potential for an immediate disaster. There are a significant number of serious (sometimes fatal) collisions between agricultural machines and other road users, and in a high proportion of cases, subsequent checks by police engineers reveal the farm vehicle to be in an unroadworthy state. If consumers bought more locally produced seasonal food and there was a genuine living to be made in agriculture then more skilled operators would work in it. I am a very conscientious operator, but I couldn't afford to buy a house with what I was earning, so I left the farm and went and did something else. That leaves quite a few positions to be filled sadly by those with little aspiration or intellect, who don't have the intelligence to look after their kit... [Not implying that everyone who works in agriculture is that way inclined...! Simply that employers don't have a huge pool of highly skilled thoughtful operators to choose from anymore because many can't justify the poor wages] There is a good living to be made in farming. There are a number of farms up and down the country who value their staff and pay significantly higher wages than those laid down in the Wages Order and often provide a free house as well (worth at least an extra £7000 a year on top of the wage). This myth that there are no skilled machinery operators out there looking for work is just that - a myth. My own recent experience has shown me that there is still a large reservoir of potential staff - a number of arable farms who have advertised in FW recently have said they have been very surprised ('taken aback' were the words one of them used) at the volume of applications they had received, and also impressed by the calibre of most of the applicants. Those who end up with poor staff are either not looking very hard, or are paying rubbish wages (I've seen one sprayer operators job advertised this year offering a wage of £6.00 an hour; it was re advertised for week after week - I wonder why ) Land prices... skyrocketed... 4 acre grass field just went for £8'500 and acre here last week.... the land we farm is up for £6500 an acre.... do the sums, takes a long time to make that pay.... I recall The fact is that it is the potential of making money out of farming which is driving land prices up. Don't try and kid yourself that it is outside 'investors' who are buying the land at these prices. It isn't. It is farmers who are buying it, both UK based and farmers from abroad who see a decent profit in the business. I could go on.... Yes, I know hauliers don't like seeing tractors trucking round on red, but would a haulier really want to invest in lorries capable of crossing fields and operating in farm yards? No, or they would have already. And would they like to share their haulage market with anyone with a tractor and trailer if farmers did run on white and with tachos? I doubt that too.... I could deliver steel framed buildings to sites .... I could delivery plant.... I could probably do lots that a lorry can do.... It's not farmers who hauliers should be getting arsey with! Should most of these farmers and contractors be in business? Of course not, it simply doesn't add up. Many operate at break even point if they're lucky, often at a loss, and with none of the luxuries or protection many of the rest of the population enjoy. Thankless work with out break or recognition. Farming is bloody hard work and not rewarded in any way like how it deserves to be. But we MUST stay in business. For many it's all they know, it's their life, and that of generations before them. It's a responsibility to the land and the environment and to some, even humanity... all far more important than some recently imported EU law on weights and measures or road speed or working hours.... is it our place to suggest they hang up their wellies and work in a factory? There is probably no workable solution in the short term in all honesty. That is probably the biggest load of whingeing baloney I have ever read. If farmers using tractors and trailers for haulage, usually overloaded, with no 'O' licence or HGV trained driver, no MOT certificate, on rebated diesel, and with less restricted hours are not in unfair competition with hauliers, just what are they? As I said before, there are plenty of farmers and managers who are good at what they do, get their sums right and run their well structured businesses efficiently and profitably. This 'hard done to' moaning is unjustified, rather pathetic and in any case in no way justifies operating dangerous equipment in an illegal manner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archbarch Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 well Simon that was a bit deep all we need now is the Ice to melt!!!!! I totally agree with you Ploughmaster i am fed up with the low prices, high costs whingeing that goes on in farming, the public/ consumers are in general on the side of UK farmers, if the whingeing carries on farmers will just loose what support they have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 I am inclined to agree, I'm only being the arbiter for the other side. As I say, we make sure that our kit is up to the job but I'll be brutally honest, we don't know the laws off pat, we just use what feels like the right kit for the right job and make sure it's the best we can afford. You've probably seen most of it in my farm thread. I mentioned earlier that I had a fair idea who this guy was driving for who wrote the article, I know them fairly well and follow their kit round every year. Yes, they do have one number plate on all their trailers and to my knowledge it doesn't relate to any of the kit they pull them with. But their operation is genuinely not nearly as bad as the moaning min from the haulage industry makes out. Yes, hauliers are hard done by but it's not caused by farmers hauling spuds on red diesel. We do make money out of our farm, it's well run, always tidy and if something needs doing it's done. All our budgets are planned well in advance and, if I didn't have such an expensive family nor a father who liked his foreign holidays and nice cars, we probably could scrape a living out of the farm. I don't dispute that there are excellent operators out there looking for work. Surely the fact that there were so many responses to those ads should set alarm bells ringing though? Why excatly were so many highly skilled operators looking for work? Probably because they've been replaced in their full time jobs by seasonal semi-skilled labour because the farms they worked for couldn't afford to keep them. Their regular drive will have been sold and an application submitted to the planners to get the restriction lifted from their tied cottage and then probably let out or sold off. If we think about it, the agricultural industry doesn't really whinge that much, not like many other industries or sectors of the population. They tolerate often rubbish prices with little or no stability and not altogether fair competition from other countries, encouraged principally by the supermarkets and the general population who are happy to throw their hard earned in their tills for african runner beans or french apples. They even let the EU, government & those with little or no knowledge of the countryside tell them how to run their businesses and what access to provide for recreation and how it should all look. OK, public opinion may well generally be on the side of UK agriculture, but when asked to vote with their purses, the housewives of the UK still buy the cheapest they can buy from a supermarket. It's not their fault entirely, one does what one can for one's family, but when the choice is there, they don't tend to be overly mindful of the bigger picture. All the while, farmers keep on buying shiny new tractors the second they get two pennies to rub together and how often have you seen farmers out demonstrating that they're hard done by? The haulage industry on the other hand will complain about everything and have some industry rep on the news spouting about any gripe, be it foreign wagons on our road, fuel duty or working hours, and truck drivers are the first ones to get agitated if they come up behind a tractor when their tacho's ticking.... Reference a couple of Clive's responses, marker boards etc are generally fitted when something is supplied new is it not? If not, then it should be, the manufacturer should be responsible for supplying something which is legal for our roads surely? You don't have to fix your own washing instructions to your M&S jumper when you buy it do you? With regards weights, we generally don't have the luxury of a weighbridge so I think trailers are just filled till they're 'full'. Perhaps manufacturers should mark fill levels on their trailers for different types of crop? That would surely resolve that issue once and for all? And yes, if you have a trailer or other piece of kit which is poorly maintained or falling apart then you shouldn't be using it at all, never mind on the road. It's a false economy... but I can't think of any examples off hand of such kit being used round here. As usual it is probably a storm in a teacup.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Palmer Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 my input to this topic is this,as ploughmaster says there is money in farming,when some and quite alot of them go on about low prices,supermarkets pushing there prices down,go on about buying british produce,but they dont,if thats the case,all farmers should be in fastracs or new hollands and case ih,italian owned i know,but still some models built here,tawain overalls etc,,foreign machinery,thats because the farmer as everybody else will buy what he/ she thinks is the best deal,not because it comes from this country,so please dont practice what some farmers cant preach,i work part time only i may add for an agri contractor,and get paid nearly as well as i do for painting and decorating,and in the winter all the machinery etc is gone through,however,some machinery i see is an absolute shambles and in a dangerous state and never should be used,when this results in a death,then perhaps something will be done,and what an absolute disgrace that is,a death to push people to just maintain machinery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deere-est Posted June 21, 2010 Author Share Posted June 21, 2010 Going back to machinery condition/maintenance, suitability, operator experience/age and the lack of rules for a second . . . . . . :D The original quote was a chap highlighting the outright lack of care throughout one company and the lack of regulation to stop this happening on a wider scale. Regulations are needed, a better understanding of machine capacity/capability, more assessable training for operators and an example made of both good companies and bad ones. If you can't do a job properly. . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 I would dispute that this outfit was as bad as the writer made out. There are only one or two growers who use the routes he describes and only one which is large enough to invite the statements he makes. 90% of their drivers are 20 something farmer's sons and they have a large core of full time staff. They also have a fleet of lorries for everything other than hauling off a muddy field. Having read his report again just now, the more I read it the more he sounds like a lorry driver having a tantrum about how hard done by he is and how careful and conscientious he is in his lorry. He probably fell out with the farm manager because he had no experience and a lot of attitude. I can't think of a farm manager in the land who would tolerate some smart ar$e 'incomer' starting an argument for the sake of it over a beacon at his most stressful time of year! I vaguely remember the spuds getting spread across the 49.... it would have posed a far lesser danger than the broken ratchet straps or shredded tyres which drop off lorries on the motorway with alarming regularity.... Spud growers round here are the most careful of the lot, you see far worse practices when cereal harvest rolls along, creaky old trailers with splayed axles and no lights.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MODELFARMER Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 here here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robl12 Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 I find it hard to believe of veg/ potatoe growers to have gear in a bad condition, we are blessed to have 2 of the biggest producers based up here, Ewan Benzie who produces carrots and potatoes for the uk supermarket chains and Maxwell farms who also produce veg for supermarkets. All there equipment is in excellent condition most of it less than 2 years old, all drivers are experienced. Last year the incident in the link below happened. It should be a timely reminder on what can happen, I spoke to a police officer at the weekend and he told me that overloaded trailers and trailers in a poor state and with no brakes are very very common and up here they are cracking down on them recently a farmer on a quad moving sheep down a road was charged with several traffic offences. A local farmer was also telling me that various agencies have been attending the local mart checking distances travelled, fuel being used and condition of trailers and tractors and have been fining / impounding equipment. http://www.scotsman.com/scotland/Farmer-faces-prison-after-.6352250.jp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robl12 Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 And just the other day a police officer was telling me these points after i asked him do i have to pull over if there are lots of cars behind. .. "You are taxed?" YES "You are insured?" YES "you are doing work" YES "You have as much right to be on the road as anyone else, no matter the speed (eg slow combine) no one can put you off" Also "If you pull in to let cars past it is purely at your own discration" Now if im on the road and a lorry come up behind me if theres a hard shoulder i'll pull over let him through , if theres cars behind , , , hit REROUTE on yer sat nav i'm staying put! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA Any vehicle that is causing a hold up of other vehicles may be being 'Driven without consideration for other road users'. A subjective assessment of the circumstances is required and I suggest that the vehicle(s), that are being held up, must be capable of travelling significantly faster whilst remaining safe and within the law. It is necessary to show that the driver of the slow vehicle could have pulled over safely and practicably. In a situation where the slow moving vehicle had no means of safely and practicably pulling over and letting the following vehicle(s) pass there may not be any option but to continue with the journey and pull over when the next opportunity to safely and practicably pull over arises. I've heard suggestions that it is the number of vehicles being held up that marks the point where an offence is being committed. In my view the number of vehicles is not so relevant as the opportunities to pull over. A driver of a slow moving vehicle could commit this offence when holding up only one faster moving vehicle but of course the number of held up vehicles serves to aggravate any offence. Also a slow moving vehicle could be holding up a large number of vehicles but without the opportunities to safely and practicably pull over any evidence of this offence is weakened. Sometimes on a road where there are lots of opportunities to pull over it would clearly be impractical to constantly pull over on and off the road at every opportunity. Choosing to drive a slow moving vehicle at a very busy time of day on a road with few options to pull over could also be a situation where this offence is committed. The enforcers of the Act are the police. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/8264306.stm http://www.cumbriahighways.co.uk/documents/NFU.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordantaylor Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 this is making me a bit nervous now as im planning on getting my tractor driving test done \ and i thought you had to pull over if there were more than 25 vehicles behind you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nashmach Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Rob your last point makes no sense to me. Why should farmers only be allowed on the road at certain times of the day? We are all busines people after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordantaylor Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Rob your last point makes no sense to me. Why should farmers only be allowed on the road at certain times of the day? We are all busines people after all. this is a good point, what happens attimes of harvest, it would take up 2 three times as long to get crops in ans with the funny wheather it could take even longer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robl12 Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 I think it is a suggestion to alleviate traffic and congestion at certain times. It is not always practicle but know of several farmers up here who use the back routes to inverurie to keep off the A96 which is the main commuter route into aberdeen. It is a suggestion put forward to farmers the scottish NFU ran a campagian a couple of years ago whereby farmers displayed stickers on their trailers http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/6657403.stm Nobody is asking farmers to stay off roads but pulling over if safe to do so is common curtisy I even used to do it when pulling an ifor williams cattle trailer behind a 4x4 to allow traffic past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deere-est Posted June 28, 2010 Author Share Posted June 28, 2010 Jordan, when I did my test it was ten cars so there is a shiny example of the confusion surrounding usage of agricultural kit! Check with VOSA and see if they will put it in writing for you to use if you examiner happens to question you. As for operators not using certain roads, with big kit, large distances and especially contractors doing a lot of work this is impossible. Pulling over should be a natural thing to do for any driver of any slow vehicle, it is for me. The 40mph single carriageway speed limit for LGV's (which some tractors are free to exceed!) didn't include that clause did it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1/32 farmer Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Jordan, when I did my test it was ten cars so there is a shiny example of the confusion surrounding usage of agricultural kit! Check with VOSA and see if they will put it in writing for you to use if you examiner happens to question you. As for operators not using certain roads, with big kit, large distances and especially contractors doing a lot of work this is impossible. Pulling over should be a natural thing to do for any driver of any slow vehicle, it is for me. The 40mph single carriageway speed limit for LGV's (which some tractors are free to exceed!) didn't include that clause did it!! lets not forget the sunday drivers that never venture above 40mph will they be made to stay off the roads(yes) or pull over : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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