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Taking the dog for a walk this afternoon I had to stop at the end of the footpath on the road for a farm vehicle. It was travelling quite fast - probably just over thirty - for such a contraption. However, I'm amazed that it was allowed on the road the way it was. It was a type of tractor used for moving bales of hay, and it had half a dozen or so long, thick spikes protruding from the front. They projected a good few feet from the front of the tractor and I shudder to think what might have happened if he'd hit a pedestrian or another vehicle side on.
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I think the law needs to be changed with regards to driving tractors. You can be 16 and not lisenced driving a 2tonne(?) agricultual beast with 200bhp behind it!
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or even to Tescos to sort out a few untidy parkers!!!
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Never ceases to amaze me,I live in Somerset,the lack of control over farm vehicles,compare this to the prosecutions handed out to motorists who dare to tow a boat with the propellor of its outboard exposed even though this is at the rear and not in a position to cause much harm.
ndbw
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Actually, you can drive one at 13 if my memory serves me correctly. In addition, you're also allowed on dual-carriageways in them, which I think is more serious. The rest of the traffic can be doing 80MPH while the tractor is struggling to achieve 25.
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I think it's 17 nowadays unless the tractor is less than 2.45m wide, then it's 16; www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/vehicle_cat_desc.htm
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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Probably changed since my days as a farmer's lad, but then it was 13 off-road, 16 on-road (indefinitely on a provo license)
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Robbie,
Were the spikes sticking out straight ahead, or dipped down?
IIRC, providing the spikes aren't sticking out straight ahead, then the farmer can legally drive on the highway.
Hopefully DVD will be along shortly....
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The spikes were projecting ahead - horizontally. They were fixed to arms which can be raised and lowered to spear the bales of hay - at least I assume that's what they're for. The arms should have been raised, so that the spikes would be above the driver's cab when the vehicle was travelling on public roads.
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I see these every day where I live (rural Cheshire).
They usually drive with 'em up in the air, but still makes me shudder.
Re comments about them getting away with stuff:
our local paper quite frequently has reports of farmers being done for one thing or another, often it's for leaving mud on the road.
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Let me get this right.
We prosecute farmers for making the roads a bit muddy.
We let them drive around with vicious great spikes sticking out the front of their tractors.
Have we gone completely mad?
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On front loaders I have seen, the spikes can either be raised high in the air, or turned so that they point downwards.
Almost as dangerous is when they are carrying one of the new extra-large big bales. These often completely hide whatever lights the tractor might just possibly be showing.
I've just been to a training presentation highlighting the dangers of the spikes on forklift trucks. The handout contained an interesting misprint refering to them as "froklift" trucks. Not much imagination needed there!
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