Farm Machinery

You bring up an interesting point. It's always around this time of year that you see tractors transporting from one area to another (mostly on the backroads of countrysides but sometimes on busier roads). Typically, they only travel short distances, and are probably the most courteous drivers on the road.

I almost lost my temper at one that held up traffic, but the driver was trying his best to get as far over on the side of the road as he could so people could pass when the opportunity arrived. It only set me back 4-5 minutes, but it seems a lot longer when you're moving at a snails pace.

And besides, in the the summer season we need to focus all our attention on the true evil when trying to get to your next destination: CONSTRUCTION

if you run into it as well as it being your fault i suspect you are also dead.

Thanks for the reminder, and for what you do. I would like to remind you, that if 30 cars are piled up behind you and you see an opportunity to pull over and take a 5 minute break, go for it.

Yes. I have heard that, if slow-moving construction vehicles have more than 5 vehicles behind them, the drivers must pull over and let them pass if they can.

That being said, extra courtesy should be shown to them anyway.

_{(I miss Grants Pass, Medford, Eugene, Corvallis, & Portland.)}

Could you please use or install and use warning lights? Also when you come to your left hand turn could you switch off 4-way flashers in advance and use a turn signal. I always watch out for farm equipment. But a lot of people don't and if you can help facilitate safe passage that would be great.

I think maybe farm equipment with the wide tooling in the front that consists of maybe a green pipe that protrudes into the oncoming traffic lanes with only tines hanging from them should hang flags or have a light attached. They are not that easy to see and they protrude about 2' into the oncoming traffic lane.

Keep up with the suggestions guys.

We try to improve our visibility all the time just to keep the insurance companies off our backs. We have lights on the outside edges of our implements now but maybe flags too would be an idea.

Also remember that if an implement is 20' wide, finding a place where we can pull over can be real tough.

The highway department charges us $300 for every road sign we take out and I have replaced too many mail boxes to count in my lifetime.

We try to do what we can to make harvest as painless as possible for all and THANK ALL of those that give us courtesy on the roads.

There's nothing that will get one's heart rate up quicker than bombing along a country road (barely 2 lanes, no striping) here in the Shenandoah Valley on my scooter, cresting a rise and confronting a combine that takes up almost all of the two lanes, coming straight at me!!

That said, I often follow slow moving equipment on the state route roads that gather lines of traffic behind them. Generally, if it's an older gent driving he'll pull over and let commuters by at first opportunity. If it's a young snot driving, forget it. He'll keep going until he gets where he's going.

At least on the bike I almost always get a friendly wave!!

Hooker