Those darn slow tractors!

[wheelbuilder]

What always amazes me is that they want all the rights of a motorist when travelling down the road; yet how many cyclists actually stop at red lights and wait in line at stop signs?

Some of us cyclists do follow the rules.
I believe everyone should remember that roads are shared. Cars, trucks, tractors, bikes and pedestrians use them and we should put in some effort to help each other along, not just say, I can do this because of the law or because I'm in a bigger vehicle. There has to be some give and take or some politician will say it's only this way or that and get everyone bent out of shape.

 

[Jstpssng]

Some of us cyclists do follow the rules.
I believe everyone should remember that roads are shared. Cars, trucks, tractors, bikes and pedestrians use them and we should put in some effort to help each other along, not just say, I can do this because of the law or because I'm in a bigger vehicle. There has to be some give and take or some politician will say it's only this way or that and get everyone bent out of shape.

I agree, and do give you a full lane even though it sometimes peeves the motorists behind me... the same as when I'm in Amish country and come up behind a buggy.The scariest thing on the road though is a kid on a bicycle; my paranoia has prevented at least one accident with 2 kids on one bike as I had slowed way down and was in the other lane when they suddenly cut across in front of me. A coworker had just gone by them yet they never even looked before changing from the right side of the road to the left.

 

[BrokenTrack]

I used to try and help motorists out by letting them know when the going is safe since I am up higher and can see over hills and whatnot, but now with liability, I just let them make their own choices. I have as much right to be on the road as they do, so I just drive defensively, and hope for the best.

Sooner or later I will inevitably smack a car. I have a lot of obstacles to swing out around like trees, mailboxes, signs, guard rails, light poles, guide wires, and debris in the ditch...just to name a few!

 

[Wagtail]

I used to try and help motorists out by letting them know when the going is safe since I am up higher and can see over hills and whatnot, but now with liability, I just let them make their own choices. I have as much right to be on the road as they do, so I just drive defensively, and hope for the best.

Sooner or later I will inevitably smack a car. I have a lot of obstacles to swing out around like trees, mailboxes, signs, guard rails, light poles, guide wires, and debris in the ditch...just to name a few!

I do this whenever I'm on a 'public road', including a local 100kph 2-lane highway and can see an approaching vehicle. I use simple hand signals. Otherwise I'll pull as far over as I can safely do so... and still give a 'pass me' (horizontal circling arm) signal.

For the most part, they're appreciative.

 

[LouNY]

I used to try and help motorists out by letting them know when the going is safe since I am up higher and can see over hills and whatnot, but now with liability, I just let them make their own choices. I have as much right to be on the road as they do, so I just drive defensively, and hope for the best.

Sooner or later I will inevitably smack a car. I have a lot of obstacles to swing out around like trees, mailboxes, signs, guard rails, light poles, guide wires, and debris in the ditch...just to name a few!

All those obstacles are why I don't crowd over on the shoulder. If the roads has a center line I will try to stay to the right of it, if possible.
Many of our local roads don't have a center line, and just a narrow dirt shoulder I don't pull over on to that till the last moment usually it's going to be rough and bouncy on the equipment behind me also who knows what debri and trash those drivers have chucked out with several hundreds to a few thousand in tires possibly getting damaged plus all the down time involved. When I meet traffic I usually cut the throttle and drop a gear or two then ease onto the shoulder watching the ditches usually I can give them half of the pavement sometimes not. I also do not motion them to pass me because of the potential liability.
I have seen so many try crowding me over, then trying to pass me when I'm going to be turning left. Which is why as I am coming up to where I'm going to make a left turn I will move to the left and straddle the center of the road before I start my turn.
One road in particular which we travel a lot does not have a center line but does have a bunch of blind curves and knolls where you can't see whats coming and I can't count the number of idiots that will pass with no visibility in the most hazardous locations. And comeing from one direction we are on the road for about a mile max, the other way which does have a few places for passing is about 2 miles. In all the years we have had tractors we have only had one incident but several close calls.

 

[BrokenTrack]

All those obstacles are why I don't crowd over on the shoulder. If the roads has a center line I will try to stay to the right of it, if possible.
Many of our local roads don't have a center line, and just a narrow dirt shoulder I don't pull over on to that till the last moment usually it's going to be rough and bouncy on the equipment behind me also who knows what debri and trash those drivers have chucked out with several hundreds to a few thousand in tires possibly getting damaged plus all the down time involved. When I meet traffic I usually cut the throttle and drop a gear or two then ease onto the shoulder watching the ditches usually I can give them half of the pavement sometimes not. I also do not motion them to pass me because of the potential liability.
I have seen so many try crowding me over, then trying to pass me when I'm going to be turning left. Which is why as I am coming up to where I'm going to make a left turn I will move to the left and straddle the center of the road before I start my turn.
One road in particular which we travel a lot does not have a center line but does have a bunch of blind curves and knolls where you can't see whats coming and I can't count the number of idiots that will pass with no visibility in the most hazardous locations. And comeing from one direction we are on the road for about a mile max, the other way which does have a few places for passing is about 2 miles. In all the years we have had tractors we have only had one incident but several close calls.

I hear you, but I am not merely traveling down the road. In my situation I have an 8 foot off-set flail mower on the 3 point hitch, and a 6 foot flail mower on a 20 foot boom. Just driving down the road I have to hug the centerline to avoid mailboxes and guard rails.

But in work mode, mowing the sides of the road, on my last pass, my boom mower is 18 feet out in the ditch, so I have to really swing around the obstacles. I block all traffic doing that, but there is no way I could fold my boom up for every obstacle.

At times I really have my hands full: out 18 feet from the edge of the road, mowing grass at 3-4 miles per hour, following ditchline contour, so adjusting up, down, stretch, tilt, and even swing, all the while swinging out around the obstacles. I do not have time to worry about cars; if I swing out around a light pole, they have got brakes and can use them. In a second or two, I will be out around the pole, and in the ditch for another 250 feet.

 

[Diggin It]

When the state highway department mows here, they have a truck in front and one behind the work zone with flaggers restricting traffic to one lane.

When the county does the back roads that are narrower than two full lanes with no center lines, they'll have a single truck positioned where visibility may be restricted.

Sounds like your mowing employer isn't particularly interested in safety.

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Running to town today on a state highway with painted center lines, a dually pickup with a trailer full of round hay bales topped the hill coming towards me. He was too wide to be fully in his own lane. It's that time of year, so I simply pulled as far right as I could and slowed.

 

[ruffdog]

It's called a lack of funding......

 

[BrokenTrack]

It's called a lack of funding......

Yeah, it is on me because I am the subcontractor, but I ultimately work for the taxpayers in town. I have worked for the town for years and know the scoop, whether patching roads, grading them, or mowing the ditches, it is a thankless job. About 3 people in town care that you are saving them money, but I still keep the costs down despite the other 99% who belittle your work because its hard paying property taxes, and keeping costs down is the right thing to do. Sure I can replace an entire culvert instead of flushing it out, and most people will think they are getting more for their money, but why spend taxpayer money if you do not have too?

The other aspect of it is, the ones who run their mouths the most about your work could not drive a boom mower, operate a grader, or have the gumption to shove a shovel in cold patch, but they sure like to sound like they can. I have long known that. The more people tell me how I should do my job, the more I know they have no clue about what I do. So I just smile and wave.

So if you see my little yellow flashing light, slow down; I will get my work done and be gone as quick as I can. I promise. I pay taxes too.

 

[Oaktree]

State and county roads are considered "farm to market" roads for a reason.

Not familiar with the term "farm to market road", but seems to me that farm equipment operators should be considerate of others they share the road with.
Do these rigs use off-road diesel? If so, they're not even paying road use taxes.