It might be you next time

Just thinking about combines today. Two weeks ago I had to check on a new customer,that had me driving one of Missouri two lane black tops. These roads are barely wide enough for two trucks to meet, but me have a lot of them. I came up on a New Holland TR,no big deal you have to expect it. I followed him(or her) for eight miles. You know, I really can not think of a good reason for someone to drive anything on a state road for that long, and NEVER ONCE getting his machine on his side of the road. If you want to you get flipped off when all you are doing is moving from one field to another and staying on your side of the road,it is because the last farmer was not on his side, and never thought about pulling over once in awhile. While I am ranting,a lady was killed at the end of my drive ten years ago. She was passing in a no passing zone trying to pass three cars and one tractor pulling a planter. I talked to one guy I know said that the line had been trying to get around the tractor(never stopped) for six miles. Just saying, remember to act on Saturday, like you say you do on Sunday.

Well said.

No reason for that. Saw the same thing last week- on a county road, every few hundred yards was a field approach- yet the farmer did not pull over for the half dozen cars he was holding up. Very poor PR for the ag industry.

(reply to post at 16:51:59 11/30/19)

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Well let me just say this
In that eight miles or so there were probably
6-7 side roads that those cars could have taken
It s safer to stay on the road than it is to dodge back and forth
Around mail boxes and culverts
Just saying

When moving a combine on a busy road I pulled over every mile to let people around...Its just common
courtesy...About 15 years ago we were south of Lees Summit,MO on 291 and a combine had traffic backed up for
miles during evening rush hour...He had numerous chances to pull over and didnt do it...Thats a terrible
time to move a combine...We followed him for 6-8 miles...The farmers in my area are all great about keeping
traffic flowing..

I agree 100% and do not like to have traffic behind me when on the road with equipment. I started farming 70 miles from Wash. DC and people and traffic were always an issue. Most of the major roads had a wide shoulder but on smaller roads you just pulled over when you could. Dad had his sprayer hit and I had a grain cart rear ended. The city was part of the reason we moved away. It does seem like the farmers with the biggest and newest equipment think they own the road much more than the older smaller farmers. We have problems here with the amish hogging the road and refusing to get over and not wanting or using the lights on their buggies. Tom

Dugger,

Your suggestion would probably work OK where you are in IL with the "wide open" flat country. But I have traveled some of the MO roads probably like the OP is talking about with the "rolling" countryside and side roads are not that common.

I agree that it's better to stay in a straight line instead of trying to dodge around bridge rails, mail boxes and road signs.

In Ontario, Canada, the highway traffic act says you must use the traveled portion of the road. Combined are so darn big now , especially with duals on, they need the entire travel portion as well as the shoulder too. There really is no good solution for transporting farm equipment on public roads.

Like around here some times there is no place to pull over FOR MILES . Guard rails ,narrow roads with sharp drop offs or a hill and a deep ditch small berms , lots of humps and bumps curves . Makes it hard to get over . And like said with stuff getting larger over the years . Heck even my org combine took up alot of the back roads and it was just a 300 Massey with a ten foot head . I did my best to stay off the state roads but there were times ya had to use them . Old stuff was real slow moving and added to the problem . Now we have the BTO's with there monster machines renting ground around here and there machines take up the whole road from ditch to ditch . There are places that when they get down in the Hollow you can not see them till you come over the hill and they are coming up the other side and neither one has any place to go . While i was doing custom work with my little 300 there were times that i travelled wheree it was ten or so m iles before i could find a place to pull off and no good places for people to pass . Ya did the best you could do and made sure your BLINKY lights were working and also head lights.

24 years of first hand experience with the amish here and I would love to run them out of this country.
No joke.

I was told by the sheriff here that I could not be held responsible for any accident as long as my machinery was within the solid lines (traveled part of the road). The longest I am ever on the blacktop is about six miles, but I always keep what he said in mind. If someone wants to pass I will keep it in my lane if it that narrow. I don?t run the combine more that two miles on blacktop but you would be surprised at how many people want to play chicken with me.

I always at least slow down and will pull over whenever I can when I have cars following me for half a mile or so. We generally don't have a ton of traffic, but I also don't do stupid things like run my combine or tractors down the highway at 4-6 pm when everyone is heading home from work, or on Friday night or Sunday night when everyone is headed up north. This highway a mile from me is the main highway through the middle of MI and we own land on it that we farm. It is not a limited access highway although it should be. We try to be courteous, and stay safe, and by avoiding heavy traffic times, it does both. We work around it, it's not hard. Even though pretty much everyone in this world is an inconsiderate donkey hole, my morals and upbringing cause me to be as courteous as I can be. I also don't go into a gas station during a busy time, but groceries with a govt card, then spend 3 minutes deciding which lottery tickets to buy with cash when there's 10 people in line behind me. I don't do those things when there isn't people behind me, I don't do them at all. Courtesy goes a long way, and people are less likely to be against farming if you don't force them to follow you for 10 miles even if you could get over, you don't destroy their roads hauling hundreds of loads of manure a day, don't use their road as field headlands and leave the chisel plow down halfway across the road, and don't act like my neighbor does (also a farmer), the stereotype of NOT.

Ross

BTO, not NOT. Didn't catch the autocorrect.

I had something similar, young guy pulled out in front of me in a side road, I thought well ok, I was in a pickup, he then travel 5 miles many times he could have pulled off with his 24 row planter, noop,,, he went on, roads here in the spring are scarce that are travelable. Followed him to the highway. He turned I went the opposite way, he turned to look at me then went about his business.

To pay forward, I pull off side roads to let planters, combines and heavy trucks go by. I stop pull over, so they can stay on the center of the road. I know they try to stay off main highways and I'm thankful they do this, instead of meeting a school bus full of kids.

I get a big smile when they wave thanks to me. I get my reward!

I'm going to sound like the guy that doesn't pull over . I have also had the fools stop right beside the mailbox,road sign, and no shoulder part of the road. And not have brains enough to move enough to get by them. Then look at you like you're being terrible for not moving over. Well DUH there is not place to go. So I don't bother to move over much with the combine. Narrow shoulders and soft shoulders can cause it to tip over pretty easy. We don't have much for shoulders on any of the county roads. Most only have about a foot to 2 feet anyway. If I am in the car or pickup I will pull into a driveway till they pass then back back out to go again.
Sorry if this sounds cold just the way it is here.

So because the lady decided to pass where it was unsafe it?s my fault ? Had the same thing happen moving a drill up Rkt road some idiot flew by me and ran another car off the road . You?d right you should think about acting on Monday like you do on Sunday ! Most of the time there isn?t room to move over safely when there is I?ll move until then take your own advice how much time did that lady save by trying to pass ? I guess she saved all of it she got off easy what about her family or her husband or boyfriend they won?t get to see her any time soon just because she couldn?t wait five more minutes what if it was 30 minutes ? Pretty sure she wishes she?d have waited now doesn?t she . You talk about acting like On Sunday what about all the peoples lives she ruined In her stupidity? What do you think goes through the farmers mind and his family ? She was damn selfish and so are you . We road equipment 65 miles one way on state highways we aren?t out there for a a joy ride or to make your precious life miserable . I?ll get over when I can if you want to pass or try risking my life to save 10 minutes go ahead but oh be sure and act on Monday like you do on Sunday

I once met a "farmer" pulling a manual fold disk that wasn't folded up. Disk was well over the center line and he had room on the shoulder to move over, but didn't. I had to run off the side to avoid a bad accident and you wonder why people dislike farmers.