Tractor on a motorway - only in Ireland?

Run_to_da_hills

I see tractors regularly on the M7, If they keep to the hard shoulder with a flashing beacon can see no harm in them. They are used by the NRA contractors.

emaherx

cantdecide wrote: »

'Technically, I'm allowed and I won't pay for the proper method' don't fly IMO

No they can't fly that would be silly

Max allowable speed limit of a lorry is 50mph or 80km/h
Funny enough there are tractors capable of these speeds and above. Only they are not allowed, legally they can only achieve 55km/h.

So technically its down to law that some of these tractors have to drive so slow on the motorway.

I even know of a tractor capable of 60mph or 96km/h

emaherx

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

I see tractors regularly on the M7, If they keep to the hard shoulder with a flashing beacon can see no harm in them. They are used by the NRA contractors.

Staying to the hard shoulder would be illegal with the exception of NRA contractors required for highway maintenance.

meathstevie

Not ideal but if you're talking about a farmer/contractor going from A to B and they manage to do at least 50kph on the flat there's nothing wrong with it. Rumour has it there's more and more road transport being done with fast tractors and trailers though ( green diesel versus white in lorries ).

mick.fr

maidhc wrote: »

It does 50km/h so it isn't a slow moving vehicle in the eyes of the law.

In many EU countries, driving at less than 80 km on the motorway is illegal.
Unless you have a special authorization and still this is happening at night with police escort.
Tractors are usually completely banned in other countries as well.

yellow012

Regarding the legality of tractors on motorways, in the rules of the road it says:
Vehicles incapable of a speed of at least 50km/h are not allowed to use the motorway. So any fastrac or whatever that can exceed 50km/h theoretically can use them.
But it also says:
You must progress at a speed and in a way that avoids interference with other motorway traffic.
So if your plodding along at 55km/h along the M9 or whatever and there is a 2 mile tailback built up behind you then I'd imagine the Guards would be well within their powers to pull you over.
So it is not so black and white the legality of these things.

ejmaztec

I haven't seen more than a couple of cases where tractor drivers get prosecuted for anything. Most of the ones that I see have broken front and rear lights/indicators and no lights or number-plates on the trailers. Are they exempt?

maidhc

yellow012 wrote: »

So if your plodding along at 55km/h along the M9 or whatever and there is a 2 mile tailback built up behind you then I'd imagine the Guards would be well within their powers to pull you over.

They would, but you would have to be straddling two lanes in order to succeed in doing what you suggest!

jmcdoe

I think you're all looking at it from a wrong perspective. The reality is, in Ireland there are no Motorways. M9 is a cul-de-sac and I honestly don't see a problem with a tractor parking on it. I park on M50 daily for hours. Thanks to EasyPark I can even use the extra parking lane where some idiots always try to pay cash even that this particular lane has a HUGE sign saying "NO CASH" while all the other parking lanes say "CASHIER".

The real solutions is not tot ban tractors and L drivers on driveways but to build actual Motorways. And even the government agrees to that, they just say they don't care, everyone comes here for business and jobs anyway.

AngryHippie

truth !!!!


tractors are far more vexing on small roads than the motorway.
If you crash into the back of one on the motorway, you are a total dope, but that will have been cured by death. They are a necessary evil, and most operators pull in to let traffic by whenever they get a chance, you get the occasional ignoramus that doesn't have a car license and doesn't see things from everyone elses pov. To be fair, Farmers pay road tax just the same as the rest of us (mostly) If the tractor is fit for the minimum speed, let them at it and don't be such a bunch of whiny little bitches:eek:

S.I.R

unkel wrote: »

Mind the tractor was doing about 50km/h, not that much slower than the average vehicle on an Irish motorway

indeed , though you adverage 10km/h on the m50 if your lucky

emaherx

meathstevie wrote: »

Not ideal but if you're talking about a farmer/contractor going from A to B and they manage to do at least 50kph on the flat there's nothing wrong with it. Rumour has it there's more and more road transport being done with fast tractors and trailers though ( green diesel versus white in lorries ).

In England this cannot be done as it is illegal to run any vehicle not being used for agriculture on Marked Diesel. Even vintage tractors driven to fairs or road runs must empty out all Marked Diesel and change their filters.
I wonder if things will change here to curb this as well, although If one was to fill a tractor with road diesel there would be no need to restrict tractors to 55km/h although lorry licenses would be required also.

Trantor tractors cannot be registered in this country as tractors and must be filled with white diesel due to their 60mph top speed.

mick.fr wrote: »

In many EU countries, driving at less than 80 km on the motorway is illegal.
Unless you have a special authorization and still this is happening at night with police escort.
Tractors are usually completely banned in other countries as well.

Thats true, but as long as our minimum speed limit is 50km/h with no mention of a restriction of work vehicles, why would they stop?

yellow012 wrote: »

Regarding the legality of tractors on motorways, in the rules of the road it says:
Vehicles incapable of a speed of at least 50km/h are not allowed to use the motorway. So any fastrac or whatever that can exceed 50km/h theoretically can use them.
But it also says:
You must progress at a speed and in a way that avoids interference with other motorway traffic.
So if your plodding along at 55km/h along the M9 or whatever and there is a 2 mile tailback built up behind you then I'd imagine the Guards would be well within their powers to pull you over.
So it is not so black and white the legality of these things.

But the speed deemed to be acceptable is 50km/h and there is an over taking lane. If a tractor was traveling at 55km/h on the outside lane then the gaurds would pull him over since no one is allowed to overtake on the inside otherwise there is no interference with other traffic.

ejmaztec wrote: »

I haven't seen more than a couple of cases where tractor drivers get prosecuted for anything. Most of the ones that I see have broken front and rear lights/indicators and no lights or number-plates on the trailers. Are they exempt?

Yes all tractors in Ireland have no lights or number plates especially the ones
you see driving on motorways also they are ulikely to have brakes :rolleyes:

Tractors most certinly are not exempt. All tractors most be roadworthy although there is at present no offical test (this is likely to change).

I will agree with you that there are far too many unroadworthy tractors on the road, mostly old bearly capable of 30km/h poorly maintained by old fellas who don't give a sh1t.(and probably don't travel more than 1 or 2km from farm yard by road. still shouldn't happen I know!)

Most tractors I see are fairly well maintaned especially when it comes to lights and trailer lights. In fact this is my highest priority however most car drivers don't see the lights or else think that flashing yellow indicator on right hand side of tractor means it is now the right time to overtake.

one failing by most farmers which you are right about is trailer number plates

yellow012

maidhc wrote: »

They would, but you would have to be straddling two lanes in order to succeed in doing what you suggest!

Maidhc and emaherx from your replies I can tell that neither of you are regular users of busy motorways??

I'll explain why it's a problem, if you have a slow moving vehicle using a busy motorway, it effectively removes one lane from operation at that point in the motorway, Traffic on the M7, M9, M1 generally moves at 110 - 120kph in the overtaking lane, and 100+ in the driving lane, reducing the driving lane to 55-60kph for that spot causes everyone in the driving lane to either slow down to 50kph or overtake, when one person can't immediately overtake at some point they will have to slow down and then they will eventually move into the overtaking lane at 50 - 70kph causing both lanes to slow, with traffic building behind it.

So yup it is a problem and I've seen tractors pulled over on the M7 by guards.

emaherx

yellow012 wrote: »

Maidhc and emaherx from your replies I can tell that neither of you are regular users of busy motorways??

I'll explain why it's a problem, if you have a slow moving vehicle using a busy motorway, it effectively removes one lane from operation at that point in the motorway, Traffic on the M7, M9, M1 generally moves at 110 - 120kph in the overtaking lane, and 100+ in the driving lane, reducing the driving lane to 55-60kph for that spot causes everyone in the driving lane to either slow down to 50kph or overtake, when one person can't immediately overtake at some point they will have to slow down and then they will eventually move into the overtaking lane at 50 - 70kph causing both lanes to slow, with traffic building behind it.

So yup it is a problem and I've seen tractors pulled over on the M7 by guards.

Ok good point, but you can't ban tractors from the Motorway unless you increase the Minimum speed ie. from 50km/h to at least 80 km/h because the motorway clearly state 50km/h.

I could technically drive my car that slow on the motorway if I want
hell my LR Defender doesn't go much faster anyway:D

tractors you have seen pulled over most have been 40K or slower models therefore illegal

Alun

emaherx wrote: »

Ok good point, but you can't ban tractors from the Motorway unless you increase the Minimum speed ie. from 50km/h to at least 80 km/h because the motorway clearly state 50km/h.

I could technically drive my car that slow on the motorway if I want
hell my LR Defender doesn't go much faster anyway:D

tractors you have seen pulled over most have been 40K or slower models therefore illegal

There's nothing (as far as I can see ) in the regulations that say anything about a minimum speed on motorways, merely that vehicles have to be capable of a minimum speed of 50km/h, not that they have to travel at a minimum of that speed.

In the UK, and pretty much everywhere else I'd wager, agricultural vehicles are banned from motorways, full stop. That they're allowed on motorways here is, as far as I'm concerned, an anomaly that should be fixed sooner rather than later. Unfortunately until that happens (if it ever does) we're stuck with them.

There are many things in this world, not only to do with road traffic regulations, that although they aren't technically illegal, are often irresponsible, possibly dangerous and otherwise plain daft. That doesn't mean you can't use your common sense and/or sense of civil responsibility and just not do them, regardless of their legal status.

maidhc

yellow012 wrote: »

Maidhc and emaherx from your replies I can tell that neither of you are regular users of busy motorways??

Drive the M7 at least once a week. In a car may I add.

I normally try and do about 130km/h on the motorway, and regularly have to drop to below 100km/h because there is an old dear or something in the overtaking lane.

Trucks can only do 80kh/h anyway, and while I know they are not allowed in the overtaking lane, slow car drivers doing 81km/h are.

yellow012

emaherx wrote: »

Ok good point, but you can't ban tractors from the Motorway unless you increase the Minimum speed ie. from 50km/h to at least 80 km/h because the motorway clearly state 50km/h.

I could technically drive my car that slow on the motorway if I want
hell my LR Defender doesn't go much faster anyway:D

tractors you have seen pulled over most have been 40K or slower models therefore illegal

This goes back to my original point, it says in the rules of the roads that:
You must progress at a speed and in a way that avoids interference with other motorway traffic.
and I ain't making this up as a copy of the ROTR just came through my letter box.
So if you or I were driving that slow on a motorway in a car/jeep/tractor/whatever and the Gardai saw us they would be within their rights to pull us over.

Bogger77

yellow012 wrote: »

This goes back to my original point, it says in the rules of the roads that:
You must progress at a speed and in a way that avoids interference with other motorway traffic.
and I ain't making this up as a copy of the ROTR just came through my letter box.
So if you or I were driving that slow on a motorway in a car/jeep/tractor/whatever and the Gardai saw us they would be within their rights to pull us over.

Define SLOW on a motorway.(in legal terms)

driving in near side lane, at 50 to 60kmph, is not interfering with other traffic. There's an overtaking lane, available for other traffic. Straddling 2 lanes, driving in hard shoulder, increasing speed to match vehicle trying to over take you, etc. That's interfering with other traffic.

E92

Bogger77 wrote: »

Define SLOW on a motorway.(in legal terms)

driving in near side lane, at 50 to 60kmph, is not interfering with other traffic. There's an overtaking lane, available for other traffic. Straddling 2 lanes, driving in hard shoulder, increasing speed to match vehicle trying to over take you, etc. That's interfering with other traffic.

The signs as you approach a Motorway say "No slow vehicles(under 50 km/h)" so I'm guessing 50 is whwat they call "slow"(though I think 100 km/h is slow!)

Boggins127

Bogger77 wrote: »

Define SLOW on a motorway.(in legal terms)

driving in near side lane, at 50 to 60kmph, is not interfering with other traffic. There's an overtaking lane, available for other traffic. Straddling 2 lanes, driving in hard shoulder, increasing speed to match vehicle trying to over take you, etc. That's interfering with other traffic.

Man i drive tractors to but 50-60kph in the slow lane is too slow on a motorway aswell... when i drive tractors i try stay off the motorways becuz of people moanin n the necessity to pull over every so often to let cars pass because of heavy traffic.. now if a tractor has a 50k box n never actually can hit 50k eg pulling a load etc does that not mean that the vehicle is not able to go at least 50kph?????? now i think transporting things from a 2 b is neccesary but every tractor driver shud just stay off motorways its soo much handier...
Thanks,
:cool:

ART6

Try living in Waterford where the JCB is the main form of transport:)