Keep safety in mind when traveling with tractors and harvest equipment on roadways. Dee Jepsen, OSU Extension Agriculture Safety Leader offers the following tips:
Lighting and Marking requirements:
The Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) Emblem is required by Ohio law on all pieces of farm machinery and implements of husbandry. Additional requirements for the emblem are:
• It is visible to the rear at 1000 feet,
• Mounted with the point up, and no more than 10 degrees off vertical placement,
• Mounted in the center of the vehicle, or as near left-center as possible,
• Placed between 2 – 10 ft. above the ground,
• Must be kept in good condition; clean, unfaded, and undamaged.
Other lighting and marking requirements include:
• Headlights and rear taillights are required from sunset to sunrise,
• Amber flashers and amber reflective tape marks the front and sides of the implements,
• Red reflectors and reflective tape marks the rear of the implements,
• Extremity lighting over dual wheels is required to mark the widest points of the tractor,
• Speed Identification Symbols (SIS) are required on high-speed tractors, in conjunction with the SMV emblem
If towed implements block the lighting scheme of the tractor, the implements must replicate the lighting and marking of the tractor, at a minimum red taillights, red reflectors, and SMV emblem.
Dimension Limits:
Wide implements don’t always have the right of way. Farm operators must be cautious and respectful of traffic flow when they are outside of these general size recommendations:
• Vehicle’s width should not exceed 8.5ft (102 inches)
• Vehicle’s height should not exceed 13ft, 6inches
• Vehicles length should not exceed 40ft (single vehicle) or 65ft (combination vehicles)
Farm machinery is exempt from width, length and height requirements when the equipment is being moved on the roads. These exemptions do not apply when machinery is being hauled on the roads. However, it is recommended for machinery to be transported in the smallest possible configuration – meaning the use of combine header carts is encouraged.
More safety tips including roadway parking and weight limits are available on-line at http://tiny.cc/harvestroadsafety.