Do you drive your tractor on the motorway?

Amtmann

I know that not every tractor on the roads is operated by someone doing agricultural work, but most are.

So I thought this would be the ideal place to ask: do you ever drive your tractor on any of the new motorways? And, if yes, why?

LostCovey

Furet wrote: »

I know that not every tractor on the roads is operated by someone doing agricultural work, but most are.

So I thought this would be the ideal place to ask: do you ever drive your tractor on any of the new motorways? And, if yes, why?

It is illegal to drive a tractor on a motorway. Same as for L drivers, small scooters, cyclists, pedestrians, horse drawn vehicles etc etc.

Have you ever seen one on a motorway? I never have.

LostCovey

maidhc

once it has a 50k box it should be ok.

I don't drive our tractor on a motorway. All it takes is one guy to crash into you and get injured, the insurers to refuse to pay up, and say good luck to 100 acres.

C0N0R

LostCovey I'm of the understanding that once you go over 50kph you can legally travel on the motorway. I'm open to be proven wrong though. I've seen plenty of tractors on the motorway before. And they weren't all JCB fast tracs. In the uk you have to have air brakes and be able to travel over 50kph to travel on motorways.

And in response to the question yes, I have driven a tractor on a motorway.

LostCovey

C0N0R wrote: »

LostCovey I'm of the understanding that once you go over 50kph you can legally travel on the motorway. I'm open to be proven wrong though. I've seen plenty of tractors on the motorway before. And they weren't all JCB fast tracs. In the uk you have to have air brakes and be able to travel over 50kph to travel on motorways.

And in response to the question yes, I have driven a tractor on a motorway.

Well if saw my tractor, C0N0R you would know why I never really thought about the 50kph bit!

You are totally right, it is legal if your tractor keeps above 50kph.

However whether it is sensible is a whole other issue.

I would not drive on a motorway at 50kph (=30mph!!!) even if I was in an armoured tank.

However, if it ever goes wrong for you, I am sure that someone will make sure that "it was completely legal!!!!!' is enscribed on your headstone!

LostCovey

johngalway

Went Galway - Dublin - Galway on Thursday. Saw a few tractors bombing along the motorway

Amtmann

C0N0R wrote: »

LostCovey I'm of the understanding that once you go over 50kph you can legally travel on the motorway. I'm open to be proven wrong though. I've seen plenty of tractors on the motorway before. And they weren't all JCB fast tracs. In the uk you have to have air brakes and be able to travel over 50kph to travel on motorways.

And in response to the question yes, I have driven a tractor on a motorway.

You can legally travel on a motorway when you're going over 50km/h. However, there are plans to prohibit agricultural machinery from using them, and rightly so.

I think it is reckless, dangerous and completely unnecessary for anyone to bring these onto a motorway. All tractors I've ever seen on a motorway are driven by people who think it's okay to drive in the emergency lane (wrongly called the hard shoulder). It isn't. It's illegal. It's also illegal to drive half-way over the yellow line and half way on the main carriageway. Why these drivers do this is baffling to me, and I call TrafficWatch every single time I see it. Tractors and motorways do not mix. A fatality is inevitable.

GERMAN ROCKS

Furet wrote: »

You can legally travel on a motorway when you're going over 50km/h. However, there are plans to prohibit agricultural machinery from using them, and rightly so.

I think it is reckless, dangerous and completely unnecessary for anyone to bring these onto a motorway. All tractors I've ever seen on a motorway are driven by people who think it's okay to drive in the emergency lane (wrongly called the hard shoulder). It isn't. It's illegal. It's also illegal to drive half-way over the yellow line and half way on the main carriageway. Why these drivers do this is baffling to me, and I call TrafficWatch every single time I see it. Tractors and motorways do not mix. A fatality is inevitable.

i presume your also including all roads when on about driving in the hard shoulder. would you rather tractors to drive in the one lane instead of the hard shoulder and block up all the traffic instead. would that make you happier?

Amtmann

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

i presume your also including all roads when on about driving in the hard shoulder. would you rather tractors to drive in the one lane instead of the hard shoulder and block up all the traffic instead. would that make you happier?

I would rather they didn't drive on the motorway at all. Driving in the emergency lane is not safer, and certainly driving half way on it isn't. The vast majority of accidents on motorways happen on the emergency lane. What differentiates motorways from other roads is the speed and the volume of traffic on it. On other roads it is far safer for vehicles to straddle the hard shoulder (which is why the yellow line is BROKEN on such roads; on motorways it is solid), because there is much less traffic volume and the speed limit is lower. How anyone can argue this point is beyond me. It's a fact, and that is why the RSA are moving to have agricultural vehicles barred from driving on roads with motorway restrictions.

maidhc

Furet wrote: »

It's a fact, and that is why the RSA are moving to have agricultural vehicles barred from driving on roads with motorway restrictions.

To be fair there is nothing wrong with "agricultural vehicles" per se, just that 50km/h is a bit slow for a motorway. A fastrac at max speed is fine, IMO since it is almost going as quick as a truck. A unimog could also be considered an "agricultural vehicle" but is just as fast as many 4x4s.

I'd like to see something like a minimum speed limit of 110km/h on the outside lane and a minimum of 65 on the inside.

freighter

freighter

The traffic corps dont take kindly to it. The most annoying thing is I am a truck driver and if I am caught in the outside lane passing a tractor doing 50kph I will get fined and have a point on my licence.:mad:

Casinoking

I have plenty of experience in this regard, and have correspondence from both the Gardaí and Dept. of Transport to prove it, so I'll give a definitive answer to the question. It's illegal to drive a tractor on a motorway full stop, no matter what speed you're travelling at. The 50km/h argument doesn't work I'm afraid, because by the letter of the law a tractor is defined as an agricultural vehicle that cannot exceed 40km/h. If you're travelling faster than this you should be running on white diesel and paying commercial road tax. As for driving on the hard shoulder, there is one set of rules for motorways and another for all other raods. It's illegal to drive anything on a motorway hard shoulder, no matter what speed you're travelling at. However, on all other roads it is best practise to pull into the hard shoulder to let faster moving traffic pass you if it is safe to do so.

snowman707

LostCovey wrote: »

It is illegal to drive a tractor on a motorway. Same as for L drivers, small scooters, cyclists, pedestrians, horse drawn vehicles etc etc.

Have you ever seen one on a motorway? I never have.

LostCovey

any tractor with a 50 k box is legal on the motor way, and i know of cases where drivers have been pulled by the traffic corps but no summons were issued

Mrmoe

I saw one today towing a trailer on the reclassified M20. There were also quite a few cars with cowboxes/trailers. I think agricultural machinery should definitely be prohibited.

-Corkie-

Casinoking wrote: »

I have plenty of experience in this regard, and have correspondence from both the Gardaí and Dept. of Transport to prove it, so I'll give a definitive answer to the question. It's illegal to drive a tractor on a motorway full stop, no matter what speed you're travelling at. The 50km/h argument doesn't work I'm afraid, because by the letter of the law a tractor is defined as an agricultural vehicle that cannot exceed 40km/h. If you're travelling faster than this you should be running on white diesel and paying commercial road tax. As for driving on the hard shoulder, there is one set of rules for motorways and another for all other raods. It's illegal to drive anything on a motorway hard shoulder, no matter what speed you're travelling at. However, on all other roads it is best practise to pull into the hard shoulder to let faster moving traffic pass you if it is safe to do so.

I just rang the mate he is in the t.c. He told me even to drive your car at 70mph on the hard shoulder of a motorway is illegal not to mind a tractor. Normal roads or dc is different rules though he said.

brianwalshcork

The debate about wheter it's legal or illegal aside, just because you can doesn't mean that you should, especially if there's an alternative.

For an example of why, take a drive along the N25 east from Cork city which has a 120 KM/h limit for a good stretch. Lots of tractors use this road, both genuine agricutural and "construction" agricutural tractors. Most evenings without fail there will be a queue of traffic travelling at 40ish behind a tractor, trying to overtake into a lane in which traffic is moving potentially 80 Kph faster.

These tractors are legally allowed on this road, but there's also the old N25 running parallel for the entire 120 kph stretch. If I was a tractor driver, I'd use that rather than run the risk of causing an accident.

Amtmann

brianwalshcork wrote: »

These tractors are legally allowed on this road, but there's also the old N25 running parallel for the entire 120 kph stretch. If I was a tractor driver, I'd use that rather than run the risk of causing an accident.

And the same is true of for the M8, M7, M9, M6, M18 and M11. Use the old roads folks and do us all a favour.

Zoney

Casinoking wrote: »

As for driving on the hard shoulder, there is one set of rules for motorways and another for all other raods. It's illegal to drive anything on a motorway hard shoulder, no matter what speed you're travelling at. However, on all other roads it is best practise to pull into the hard shoulder to let faster moving traffic pass you if it is safe to do so.

Actually on other roads, at certain places you will see that the hard shoulder line becomes a solid line. At these points, the same rules apply as on the motorway - i.e. no driving on the hard shoulder. Such locations would usually be a hard shoulder before/after a side road junction, or under a bridge/between slip roads (on a non-motorway dual carriageway) and various other places where it isn't safe to drive in the hard shoulder.

Victor

LostCovey wrote: »

I would not drive on a motorway at 50kph (=30mph!!!) even if I was in an armoured tank.

User Manic Moran was in a tank when hit by a car. The tank driver did not know they were hit.

LostCovey

Victor wrote: »

User Manic Moran was in a tank when hit by a car. The tank driver did not know they were hit.

Hi Victor,

I still wouldn't do it on an Irish motorway!

LostCovey