Tractors, combines & parking

[Hooli]

What's the official view on legally parked cars blocking oversized combines & the stupidly massive tractors that farmers like these days from getting through small villages?

Our village has a road wide enough for two cars to pass, or a well parked car to allow one of the oversized tractors to get through. The combines take up all but 18" of the road so couldn't get past a parked car, so what would happen if you'd parked there & gone out?

I thought to move oversized stuff they had to book it with plod etc, or is there a distance limit before that's needed?

[Hooli]

I understand the need to use them, I don't understand the need to but them in a size that doesn't fit down the road to the field.
I would not be happy if plod stole a legally parked car just because farmer Giles wants to play with oversized toys. Surely it should be down to them to but kit that fits the roads it needs to get down? After all if a lorry gets stuck it's the drivers fault.

[Hooli]

bobfett said:

You haven't recently moved into "your" village by any chance, have you?

It's the countryside- accept that for the few weeks a year harvesting is going on. I guess "Farmer Giles" could always decide to sell the field for development

If you're new to it all, here's a few other things you could complain about:

Church Bells
Church Clocks
Shooting noises
Cockerels
Horse st on the road
Horses on the road

I'm sure you get the gist.

Yes we are new the village as it happens, but we're both country people so expect country stuff.

It's an issue with this particular farm who constantly drive on people's front gardens, clip cars etc etc because they think they have a right to force their way through in machinery that doesn't fit. I've never seen such behavior else where from other farmers.

As for the size, they sure look larger but if the poster who runs them knows better then I accept it. TBH I was thinking more of tractors than combines at that point. I know they've grown as a Grey Fergie is a touch smaller than a current John Derre.

[Hooli]

TooMany2cvs said:

Hooli said:

As for the size, they sure look larger but if the poster who runs them knows better then I accept it. TBH I was thinking more of tractors than combines at that point. I know they've grown as a Grey Fergie is a touch smaller than a current John Derre.

John Deere, y'say? Well, if ONLY they had such a thing as a website, so we could easily find dimensions...

Oh, what's that, Skippy? They do?
Bugger me, will miracles never cease?

So let's take a look at how wide one of their big tractors is, shall we?
2,550mm, max, for the big 6R series.
http://www.deere.co.uk/common/docs/products/equipm...

Y'see, the thing with fields is that they have gates to get into them. And no farmer is going to spend to buy a tractor or combine that won't go through the gates. Because then he's got to widen all the gates. And that costs money. And farmers don't like spending money.

And, coincidentally, 2,550mm width is also the cutoff point for "no restrictions" on movement. Between there and 3m width, there's still no police notification required, just a maximum speed. Which probably also pisses you off.

It may well be that the eejit who drives that particular tractor is pissed off with selfish townies leaving barely enough room to get a car through.
And, after all, that 2,550mm width is SO ridiculously over-wide compared to any vehicle that anybody might actually ever contemplate bringing down a residential street.

Like, say, a bin wagon.
http://www.dennis-eagle.co.uk/products/elite6-chas...
Oops. Wait a second...

You know, you could accept that cars & gardens getting damaged on a regular basis because of idiot tractor drivers pisses people off & gets them wondering what could be done to prevent it.

Bin lorries etc have no issues getting through the village, oddly enough they slow down enough to aim for the gap not just sort of at it as well.

[Hooli]

aw51 121565 said:

Sounds like a breakdown in communication (both in said village and in this thread ).

IF the farmer could publicise when he needs the roads to be clear for a few hours (and it's not often...), with some sort of ongoing benefit(s) for the villagers to get them 'onside' as well?

I know, I know...

Daft idea...

Considering it's one village of 12 houses between his two farm yards, it wouldn't be difficult to let us know the combines are next tuesday or something similar. But then the way they drive into cars & over flower beds without even slowing I don't expect to have any consideration for us.

[Hooli]

lbc said:

Hooli said:

Daft idea...

Considering it's one village of 12 houses between his two farm yards, it wouldn't be difficult to let us know the combines are next tuesday or something similar. But then the way they drive into cars & over flower beds without even slowing I don't expect to have any consideration for us.

I guess you did not do your homework before you moved here, or you would have known about the tractor issue.

It took ages to buy the place, we viewed it & visited the area several times over the six months the process took. We know there are tractors, it's the countryside ffs. What we didn't know is they are driven by arsebiscuits (thanks to the other poster for that excellent insult ) who would rather damage other peoples property than use their steering wheel properly.
As to how we park, everyone in the village parks on the same side of the road to give the tractors room. If a bin lorry & a full size bus can get through without issues, I fail to see why a tractor couldn't if driven properly.

[Hooli]

Gaspode said:

What did the farmer say when you talked to him about the issue?

Dunno, not spoke to them yet. I wanted to know where we stood first.
It seems from this thread we have to accept tts trashing our stuff because they are farmers so immune from the law.
I bet it's be different if I drive through their crops and damaged the tractors.

To me it's not complicated to think 'this won't fit where I need to drive it so I won't buy it.' It's only the same choice as not buying a car because it doesn't fit on your drive.

[Hooli]

Gaspode said:

Hooli said:

Dunno, not spoke to them yet. I wanted to know where we stood first.
It seems from this thread we have to accept tts trashing our stuff because they are farmers so immune from the law.
I bet it's be different if I drive through their crops and damaged the tractors.

To me it's not complicated to think 'this won't fit where I need to drive it so I won't buy it.' It's only the same choice as not buying a car because it doesn't fit on your drive.

So, the guy's been damaging your property through negligent driving, and you've not yet thought to go and have a word with him? You seem to have started out with a pretty combative stance, how much damage has he done? Presumably not enough to require claiming against his insurance to fix?

He hasn't hit our car yet & until recently the end of the garden was a mess anyway. The normal 'plan' in the village is for everyone to park on our side of the road to leave room for tractors etc. Hence the bloke over the road from us has lost two small trees & a rose bush under tractor wheels this year.

[Hooli]

TooMany2cvs said:

jaf01uk said:

Like it or not if there are no parking restrictions they can park wherever they like

Did you forget a small detail there?
The bit about causing an obstruction to other traffic...?

If buses & the occasional arctic delivering to the farms (including delivering a tractor) can fit then why can't the same tractor once it's on it's own wheels? I fail to see the case for obstruction here.

[Hooli]

TooMany2cvs said:

Hooli said:

If buses & the occasional arctic delivering to the farms (including delivering a tractor) can fit then why can't the same tractor once it's on it's own wheels? I fail to see the case for obstruction here.

Yes, from what you later added - it does appear that the problem is with one particular tractor driver being a waste of oxygen, and nothing at all to do with the widths of equipment as you originally ranted about. Didn't we agree that several pages ago?

I don't know? did we? I've lost track now.