Tractors on the M50

mcwhirter

I thought they weren't allowed on the M50. They will cause a severe pileup one day.

squod

mcwhirter wrote: »

I thought they weren't allowed on the M50. They will cause a severe pileup one day.

They're allowed in the slow lane..... wa wa waa:P

Atomic Pineapple

mcwhirter wrote: »

I thought they weren't allowed on the M50. They will cause a severe pileup one day.

If they were going over 50km/h I don't think there is anything to stop them? If they weren't did you call the Gardai?

R.O.R

draffodx wrote: »

If they were going over 50km/h I don't think there is anything to stop them? If they weren't did you call the Gardai?

There isn't a minimum speed on the Motorways (unfortunately), as long as the vehicle has a max speed over 50km/h it can go on the motorway at any speed it likes - regardless of how dangerous it is to other road users.

Atomic Pineapple

R.O.R wrote: »

There isn't a minimum speed on the Motorways (unfortunately), as long as the vehicle has a max speed over 50km/h it can go on the motorway at any speed it likes - regardless of how dangerous it is to other road users.

Seriously? Whats the point in saying it has to have a max speed over 50km/h then? Only in Ireland! :rolleyes:

barryfitz

mcwhirter wrote: »

They will cause a severe pileup one day.

eh, are you saying that cars, trucks, buses or motorbikes could never cause pileups? Its the rubberneckers that bother me

-Corkie-

draffodx wrote: »

Seriously? Whats the point in saying it has to have a max speed over 50km/h then? Only in Ireland! :rolleyes:

I was on it on day and I seen A tractor overtaking another tractor and he was in the overtaking lane....;)

Lord god if it happened on the M25 they would be jailed for life..

Cookie_Monster

tractors, pedestrians, cyclists, tinkers racing horses, llamas on the run, escaped monkeys.

nothing would surprise you anymore...

axer

draffodx wrote: »

Seriously? Whats the point in saying it has to have a max speed over 50km/h then? Only in Ireland! :rolleyes:

To automatically exclude certain vehicles I would assume. If they made it illegal to go below 50km/h then what would happen during traffic jams, accidents or bad weather? lots of penalty points or fines?

Chippy01

squod wrote: »

They're allowed in the slow lane..... wa wa waa:P

According to this http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/rules-for-driving/motorways/on-the-motorway.html there is no such thing as a slow lane (or a fast lane, come to that).

The general rules are:-

• people who do not hold a full driving licence for the category of vehicle they drive,
• vehicles incapable of a speed of at least 50 km/h,
• vehicles with an engine capacity of 50cc. or less,
• people driving on "L" plates,
• invalid-carriages,
• vehicles that do not use inflated tyres,
• cyclists,
• pedestrians, and
• animals.

Atomic Pineapple

axer wrote: »

To automatically exclude certain vehicles I would assume. If they made it illegal to go below 50km/h then what would happen during traffic jams, accidents or bad weather? lots of penalty points or fines?

Yeh I suppose but common sense could easily be used in those circumstances

Chippy01 wrote: »

According to this http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/rules-for-driving/motorways/on-the-motorway.html there is no such thing as a slow lane (or a fast lane, come to that).

He was joking

Macy0161

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

tractors, pedestrians, cyclists, tinkers racing horses, llamas on the run, escaped monkeys.

nothing would surprise you anymore...

I regularly see cyclists on the M11...

Max Power1

Macy0161 wrote: »

I regularly see cyclists on the M11...

isnt that more on the section of national road before it becomes the M11?

Cookie_Monster

Max Power1 wrote: »

isnt that more on the section of national road before it becomes the M11?

loads there, which is fine but plenty of them continue on from Fassaroe exit to Bray North exit which is M11

Macy0161

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

loads there, which is fine but plenty of them continue on from Fassaroe exit to Bray North exit which is M11

I've seen them going up and over the flyover down to the Loughlinstown roundabout. There was one guy I saw every few days commutting during the summer - haven't seen him for a while, so not sure whether it was Darwinism, the cops or the weather that stopped him...

nathansredarmy

tractor priests

Cookie_Monster

nathansredarmy wrote: »

tractor priests

huh

glic71rods46t0

R.O.R wrote: »

There isn't a minimum speed on the Motorways (unfortunately), as long as the vehicle has a max speed over 50km/h it can go on the motorway at any speed it likes - regardless of how dangerous it is to other road users.

The issue with tractors is this: in order to qualify for agricultural road tax and use green (marked) diesel (the cheap stuff), tractors must not be capable of exceeding 50kph.
In Ireland agri tractors are specifically restricted by manufacturers to be unable to go 50 kph - most are fitted with a 40kph gearbox! It is quite easy to reprogram a tractor to increase its speed - but it would be illegal then to use green diesel!
There is a tractor called a JCB Fasttrac which is allowed to use the motorway because it can reach speeds of well over 50kph but, guess what, it has to use white diesel - I cant remember the last time I even saw one!
If you see a regular Massey Ferguson or John Deere on the motorway its virtually certain to be breaking the law.

STForSale

degkf1h30m7r9p wrote: »

The issue with tractors is this: in order to qualify for agricultural road tax and use green (marked) diesel (the cheap stuff), tractors must not be capable of exceeding 50kph.
In Ireland agri tractors are specifically restricted by manufacturers to be unable to go 50 kph - most are fitted with a 40kph gearbox! It is quite easy to reprogram a tractor to increase its speed - but it would be illegal then to use green diesel!
There is a tractor called a JCB Fasttrac which is allowed to use the motorway because it can reach speeds of well over 50kph but, guess what, it has to use white diesel - I cant remember the last time I even saw one!
If you see a regular Massey Ferguson or John Deere on the motorway its virtually certain to be breaking the law.

Very interesting post, Gardai obviously don't know this or choose to ignore it, tractors on motorways is now commonplace.

Wildly Boaring

degkf1h30m7r9p wrote: »

The issue with tractors is this: in order to qualify for agricultural road tax and use green (marked) diesel (the cheap stuff), tractors must not be capable of exceeding 50kph.
In Ireland agri tractors are specifically restricted by manufacturers to be unable to go 50 kph - most are fitted with a 40kph gearbox! It is quite easy to reprogram a tractor to increase its speed - but it would be illegal then to use green diesel!
There is a tractor called a JCB Fasttrac which is allowed to use the motorway because it can reach speeds of well over 50kph but, guess what, it has to use white diesel - I cant remember the last time I even saw one!
If you see a regular Massey Ferguson or John Deere on the motorway its virtually certain to be breaking the law.

Link to law on white vs green diesel?

The majority of larger tractors (say 140hp +) now arrive new with at least a 50kph box and air brakes and have done for the last 5 years.

Timmaay

Chippy01 wrote: »

• pedestrians, and
• animals.

Hmm, this reminds me, I was driving in on the N11 at bray where it is 120km/h section, and the traffic slows right down to about 30, what was on the road other then 2 horse chariots out for a race maybe!! This was about 11am this morning. Madness!!

Timmaay

degkf1h30m7r9p wrote: »

It is quite easy to reprogram a tractor to increase its speed - but it would be illegal then to use green diesel!

Eh, forgive me if I'm wrong but I don't know of any tractor that is electronically speed limited? Unless you mean the Engine RPM limit, and I certainly would not be removing this to make the tractor go faster!

degkf1h30m7r9p

degkf1h30m7r9p wrote: »

The issue with tractors is this: in order to qualify for agricultural road tax and use green (marked) diesel (the cheap stuff), tractors must not be capable of exceeding 50kph.
In Ireland agri tractors are specifically restricted by manufacturers to be unable to go 50 kph - most are fitted with a 40kph gearbox! It is quite easy to reprogram a tractor to increase its speed - but it would be illegal then to use green diesel!
There is a tractor called a JCB Fasttrac which is allowed to use the motorway because it can reach speeds of well over 50kph but, guess what, it has to use white diesel - I cant remember the last time I even saw one!
If you see a regular Massey Ferguson or John Deere on the motorway its virtually certain to be breaking the law.

All the big Fendts and John Deeres have 50k boxes as well and I can guarantee you (along with the fastrac) not one is using anything other than green diesel.

In fairness I wouldnt be so hard on the (fast) tractors on motorways once they are well lit, have flashing beacons etc. They are much less likely to cause a crash on a motorway than on the crap narrow side roads they have as an alternative. Driving a big tractor, pulling a lowloader etc is not an easy task on a lot of the roads in this country I can guarantee you.

-Corkie-

Well read this all:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=69171277&postcount=290


And this...http://rsa.ie/Documents/Vehicle%20Std%20Leg/Consultations/Agri%20Report.pdf

Fighting Irish

mcwhirter wrote: »

They will cause a severe pileup one day.

Drivers not paying attention will cause a pile up, not the tractor

Iwannahurl

Some time ago, when heading west on a newly opened stretch of the M6, I saw a bus (private operator) parked in the hard shoulder just past an off-ramp.

The driver had just let off a passenger, who I noticed was running across and up the off-ramp*.

Bus-stops on a motorway -- only in Ireland? Motorways are still a bit new-fangled perhaps...








*Wasn't there a pedestrian killed on a motorway (M3?) recently?

mcwhirter

barryfitz wrote: »

eh, are you saying that cars, trucks, buses or motorbikes could never cause pileups? Its the rubberneckers that bother me

How many other vehicles do you see doing less than 50 km/h, not many,
get real

you must be a tractor driving muck savage:D

mcwhirter

Fighting Irish wrote: »

Drivers not paying attention will cause a pile up, not the tractor

Someone doing 100km/h isn't expecting a massive vehicle doing less then 50. Don't see many trucks doing less then 50..

Why not allow every type of vehicle on the motorway and blame the car/truck drivers for ploughing into them.
Usual lazy attitude

Del2005

-Corkie- wrote: »

Well read this all:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=69171277&postcount=290


And this...http://rsa.ie/Documents/Vehicle%20Std%20Leg/Consultations/Agri%20Report.pdf

The RSA have launched a consultation in July 2008 and have done nothing yet.

I know they are planning on changing the rules on agri tractors on the roads, but that's for revenue reasons not road safety. I can't provide links but when you see that a 8 wheel tipper truck is minimum €1,100 motor tax v's €88 for an agri tractor and it runs on green diesel I hope I don't need to.

hiscan

mcwhirter wrote: »

Someone doing 100km/h isn't expecting a massive vehicle doing less then 50. Don't see many trucks doing less then 50..

Why not allow every type of vehicle on the motorway and blame the car/truck drivers for ploughing into them.
Usual lazy attitude

Always expect the unexpected;)

Max Power1

hiscan wrote: »

Always expect the unexpected;)

Get off the motorway if you cant drive over 50 kph, its not safe to go that slow when the speed of most users is over double yours.

hiscan

Max Power1 wrote: »

Get off the motorway if you cant drive over 50 kph, its not safe to go that slow when the speed of most users is over double yours.

I agree with you about this but my post was in response to a poster talking about someone doing less than 50kph;)

Del2005

mcwhirter View Post wrote: »

Someone doing 100km/h isn't expecting a massive vehicle doing less then 50. Don't see many trucks doing less then 50..

Why not allow every type of vehicle on the motorway and blame the car/truck drivers for ploughing into them.
Usual lazy attitude

Max Power1 wrote: »

Get off the motorway if you cant drive over 50 kph, its not safe to go that slow when the speed of most users is over double yours.

hiscan wrote: »

I agree with you about this but my post was in response to a poster talking about someone doing less than 50kph;)

Since we have no minimum speed limit on our motorways I can happily drive along at 10km/h and if someone hits me it's their fault.

Don't forget that it's almost always the drivers behind fault for hitting someone as you are supposed to drive at a speed at which we can stop safely on your own side of the road in the distance you can see to be clear.

hiscan

Del2005 wrote: »

Since we have no minimum speed limit on our motorways I can happily drive along at 10km/h and if someone hits me it's their fault.

Don't forget that it's almost always the drivers behind fault for hitting someone as you are supposed to drive at a speed at which we can stop safely on your own side of the road in the distance you can see to be clear.

That's more or less what I was trying to say

Stinicker

I think there should be a minimum speed limit of 90km/h on the Motorway and ban all tractors irregardless of speed ability or variation.

I would also be in favour of introducing a pull over law which would force those tractor drivers to pull over when there is more than two cars behind. Tractors are being used in place of lorrys and this was very noticeable in the boom, a 16year old can get a Learners Permit with a "W" category and drive a tractor with no training or qualification and get paid €6.06/hour wheras a genuine Lorry driver has to have multiple inspections and his road tax and insurance costs thousands. Tractors are fine for the fields but keep them off the roads.

guil

Del2005 wrote: »

The RSA have launched a consultation in July 2008 and have done nothing yet.

I know they are planning on changing the rules on agri tractors on the roads, but that's for revenue reasons not road safety. I can't provide links but when you see that a 8 wheel tipper truck is minimum €1,100 motor tax v's €88 for an agri tractor and it runs on green diesel I hope I don't need to.

not to mention the fact that a 16yr old with a W can pull a trailer with no weight limit once the tractor has air brakes and the trailer isn't overloaded
the bin lorry i drive is 1850 to tax for the year:eek:

hiscan

Stinicker wrote: »

I think there should be a minimum speed limit of 90km/h on the Motorway and ban all tractors irregardless of speed ability or variation.

I would also be in favour of introducing a pull over law which would force those tractor drivers to pull over when there is more than two cars behind. Tractors are being used in place of lorrys and this was very noticeable in the boom, a 16year old can get a Learners Permit with a "W" category and drive a tractor with no training or qualification and get paid €6.06/hour wheras a genuine Lorry driver has to have multiple inspections and his road tax and insurance costs thousands. Tractors are fine for the fields but keep them off the roads.

The reason for this was they could get into parts of a building site that a lorry couldn't.

Our man in Havana

WRT diesel:

Finance Act, 1999.
The 1999 Finance Act permits the use of marked gas oil in the engines of “agricultural tractor, or a road roller or a dumper or
an off road dumper, or a mobile crane or mobile well drilling equipment or mobile concrete pumping equipment”. Marked
gas oil carries duty at a rate of €47.36 per 1000 litres compared to road diesel which carries duty at a rate of €368.05 per 1000
litres. This regulation defines:
“Agricultural tractor as a mechanically propelled vehicle which is designed or constructed primarily for use for
agricultural purposes”.

ShamoBuc

hiscan wrote: »

Always expect the unexpected;)

never liked that phrase...
if you expected it, then it wouldn't have been unexpected

mcwhirter

Del2005 wrote: »

Since we have no minimum speed limit on our motorways I can happily drive along at 10km/h and if someone hits me it's their fault.

Don't forget that it's almost always the drivers behind fault for hitting someone as you are supposed to drive at a speed at which we can stop safely on your own side of the road in the distance you can see to be clear.

Don't remember seeing tractors on motorways in other parts of europe, can you imagine one on the german autobahn.
It could only happen in Ireland, thats why we are the laughing stock of europe, we couldn't manage our own farts.

Max Power1

Del2005 wrote: »

Since we have no minimum speed limit on our motorways I can happily drive along at 10km/h and if someone hits me it's their fault.

Don't forget that it's almost always the drivers behind fault for hitting someone as you are supposed to drive at a speed at which we can stop safely on your own side of the road in the distance you can see to be clear.

Its this kind of CRAP attitude which seems prevalent among older people, that the RSA should be targeting.

Del2005

mcwhirter wrote: »

Don't remember seeing tractors on motorways in other parts of europe, can you imagine one on the german autobahn.
It could only happen in Ireland, thats why we are the laughing stock of europe, we couldn't manage our own farts.

That's because they have minimum speed limits and proper traffic enforcement. Unlike us who just enforce speed on good roads and let everything else slide.

Max Power1 wrote: »

Its this kind of CRAP attitude which seems prevalent among older people, that the RSA should be targeting.

It's not just older people who drive with this attitude.

Macy0161

Just to update - there was another cyclist on the M11 on Sunday afternoon - going up and over towards Town and the Loughlinstown Roundabout where there isn't even a hard shoulder.

Our man in Havana

Darwin will get them eventually.