Tractors on the road at night.

Again. Thanks for posting I have seen conspicuity tape placed between the dual wheels on the band on both combines and tractors it makes a really nice strobe light when you driving down the road from both the front and the back been we have been thinking about doing it to our tractors that have the axels sticking out, half red half silver that'll do the same thing

That's the safe way to do it Merle....but it's harder now to walk a mile an a half than it was when I was young!  But yeah, I'd reather walk than be on the road with some of the I-dots that are out there now......

Many thanks to Don for posting this, period.

Don the only mistake you could have made was not posting this brings attention to everybody safety is an issue for all of us that being said we've made up light bars to put on the back of hay wagons conspicuity tape on everything reflectors everywhere

I've gotten pretty used to roading equipment, especially from Lima to Mansfield for work and don't have too much trouble on Old US 30. have way more trouble at home. about impossible to go anywhere when its shift change at the Honda plant. now THOSE people don't know how to drive...

I'm all for moving over to keep the traffic behind from coming around while you're turning left.

I do that as well if I'm in one of my big tractors. I don't ever try to crowd cars I'm meeting, but if I'm fixing to make a left turn I'll take the middle of the road and don't give cars room to pass. I've had to many cars go around me. Although I wouldn't dare do that on my B or D-10.

Nothing wrong with a "Be careful out there". A few years ago we lost a member of the Red Rock Threshers driving his tractor home from Pella towards Oskaloosa on 163. The shoulder is plenty wide, but it was dark and he only had one of those battery operated magnetic lights. Hit from behind. I don't remember the driver of the vehicle that hit him being impaired.
This sorta hits close to home with me because my two step sons lost their grandfather to an accident with a tractor on a 2 lane bridge. Richard was driving an F150 and hit the left front duals on an 8850 JD. The wheels ended up in the stream and the railing kept his truck on the deck. Had the tractor operator had lights so he could see the full width, it's very likely that accident would not have happened.
I'm a big proponent of requiring the use of bright warning lights the full width of any machine that is going to be on a public road. I have no patience for anybody who doesn't care enough to make sure their equipment can be seen. How much does a few feet of wire, a switch, and a few lights cost vs an accident and maybe a fatality?

Here's a good one I've been told several times. I think it happened back in the 1960's or 70's. I was born in '69 so I wouldn't remember on my own. A guy, who I actually rented his farm from later, was driving his M Farmall and pulling a corn picker was hit by a milk truck from behind. I think it may have been foggy, I don't quite remember the story, but anyway when the truck hit the picker, it tossed the picker up and straight over the top of the farmer and his tractor, missing him and only catching the muffler of the M. I happened to have gotten to know both the farmer driving the tractor and the truck driver, who was also a local farmer, when they were much older. Both are gone now.

That farmer with the M had nine lives. Twice he had gotten caught in a PTO shaft, once in the field in the corn picker pto shaft where the pto had ripped all his clothes clean off and he stood in the wagon waving at cars passing by. One neighbor just waved back and thought he had lost his mind standing with no shirt on in the wagon. Once this farmer had a steel wheeled B run over his head and permanently caused one of his eyes lids to droop and water.

BTW both of these farmers were very slow drivers. I remember following the milk truck at a top speed of 35 to 40 day after day when I was headed to work at the Case dealer. And the farmer with the M, later got a D15 and would always drive in low gear the 1/4 mile to the field drive and back. Low gear always in the field too. When I farmed his land I could watch him pull out with his D15 and drive out to me to check on my progress. I'd make several rounds watching him before he got out to me. Sorry about straying off topic but the memory just hit me.

I do tilling gardens with my D15 Series II.On the road quite a bit,I went with LED flashers. If I get hit the 55 gal. of whip ass will be opened.

That is a good point to bring up Don. If you drive a tractor at night a slow moving vehicle sign and rear + front lights are a must. I work for a dairy farm here in WI and it is a usual occurrence for tractors to be seen on the road. Drivers here are usually very alert when it comes to tractors & combines. In the springtime, there might be more tractors on the road than vehicles, or so it seems. I plan on installing modern flashing lights on my old allis's to be safe on the road.
Regarding the hand signals, I don't recall the drivers education teacher teaching us hand signals (class was in 2006) but in this area it should be taught. I always hesitate to haul loaded hay wagons on the road with my WD45 because the load of hay obscures the tractor.

Ranse wrote: ... But here's what makes me really really mad, people not paying attention to hand turn singals. I've been on a tractor several times with a car behind me, put my arm out for a left turn only to have the idiot pull out and pass me anyway. I have to stop and let them go on around or else get T-boned. Have hand signals been outlawed? I just wondered if anyone else has had this problem?

Just saw this the other day.  A young girl passed the tractor/hay wagon.  The wagon was empty and you could see the driver of the tractor very clearly.  BUT, the farmer didn't use his hand signal until he was AT the drive way.  STILL, she should never have been passing as it was a yellow line, no passing zone.  So in this instance, who is at fault???   BOTH......but MORE so the gal.  Now passing means NO PASSING. 

I doubt VERY MUCH if the kids (I'll say all the way up to 30) have ever heard of hand signals.  Heck, I'd venture to guess that whomever is giving the driving lessons has heard of these laws.  Al lot of police don't know the laws......I'm ranting............it's from experience with law enforcement around here.....

I have and LOVE these magnetic flashing and steady lights I have to put on anything I am pulling.  TWO sets, one flashing, one steady.  Orange in the front and red in the rear.  I just wish they were LEDs....they are brighter.

Don, NOTHING WRONG with this post.......we need to be aware , especially at certain times of the year, we need a reminder.  BE SAFE and see you tomorrow!!

Don it is a good point to be safe and be seen at night. I put the led marker lights for a trailer on my d15 rear fenders as I tend to be out late working with it. I have a set to put on my d17 as well they make a big difference.

Agreed. You were not wrong to post this. Some one might get a chuckle out of those Wally World reflectors I stuck on the Allis. I haven't seen too many tractor drivers being stupid on the roads out in the country where I live, but plenty of young kids out here still learning from the school of hard knocks. Nothing wrong with reminding anyone to be safe and courteous and to remember to make sure we tractor drivers are seen by motorists.

I was wrong to post this and I'm sorry, I was not trying to beat the tractor driver up for using his tractor on the road, I was trying to remind all of us to be save when we do get on the road at night.
Please reread the last line of my first post. here it is again.
"So PLEASE guys be save and keep your lights all working before getting out on the roads at night."