[AT] FW: towing tractors with a pickup

Mon Apr 1 05:26:13 PDT 2019

You sir, are a braver man than I. 101 in the Salinas valley is nuts in and of it’s self these days. I did it frequently traversing to Stanford for shoulder repair. Heck, where isn’t it in California today? Maybe 25 is quiet. No permit needed for the Interstate moves?

Brad

From: AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> On Behalf Of Grant Brians
Sent: Monday, April 01, 2019 3:57 AM
To: at at lists.antique-tractor.com
Subject: Re: [AT] FW: towing tractors with a pickup

Brad, the sections of US101 I was towing on were from Geyserville to San Rafael and San Jose to Gilroy, also on Interstate 80, 880 and 280 from Vallejo to San Jose so it was rural, then suburban then urban then more urban, then semi-rural again.... It was a fascinating drive especially as much of it was in rush hour traffic too. Now it would be even more challenging as traffic is 50% to 10X what it was then.

     I have also towed many pieces of farm machinery on US101 in the Salinas Valley and of course locally. One of the more interesting tows was a potato digger behind my Ford 4610 over Panoche Pass (2300+ feet) to our other location. That trip of 50 miles or so was a slow one and engine braking was VERY important to make it safely. On that same road one time I lost a tire while pulling a fully loaded trailer of sprinkler pipe and the trailer got destroyed, but I was not injured even though the pickup needed a new bed. 

              Grant Brians - Hollister,California farmer of vegetables, edible flowers, herbs and nuts

On 3/30/2019 6:59 AM, bloomis at charter.net <mailto:bloomis at charter.net>  wrote:

However Grant, if it was up where you are, that is barely a limited access highway, especially the area from Chualar to Salinas. US 101 isn’t an interstate. Granted it is mostly a “freeway”, and increasingly so over the years with endless construction to make it all 4 lanes+ and divided highway. That being said, in those areas now around Salinas where there are more John Deeres than cars off the road, (not true, there are way more laborer’s cars than anything) there is a pretty good system of frontage roads for the farm machinery. But it still can be a game of chicken to cross 101 with a tractor or harvester. I suspect they do most of that at a time when the commute traffic is way less.  But you are quite correct, the harvest trucks, which mostly look like terminal tugs, towing trailers of boxed, just picked produce are plentiful. I bet you could still move that mower today, but as a permit load that would take all manner of paperwork and escorts to get it done. Oh, and $$$. 

Brad

From: AT  <mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> On Behalf Of Grant Brians
Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2019 5:32 AM
To: at at lists.antique-tractor.com <mailto:at at lists.antique-tractor.com> 
Subject: Re: [AT] FW: towing tractors with a pickup

James, in California (not exactly the least urban state) there is a very specific section of the vehicle code that covers this and eliminates the tickets unnecessarily being written - it is called "Implements of Husbandry". The requirement is that the trailer or other farm machinery being transported on a road must have a SMV placard facing rearward. With this proviso, tractors, harvesters, trailers, tillage implements, farm trailers, etc. can be moved on the road and normal width and other limitations are almost all waived. Longtime members of the list will remember my story of towing the 15' 10" wide Mower-conditioner I bought back in 1982 being towed on US101 and the clueless CHP officers who had to call SACRAMENTO to confirm what was in the vehicle code. It was pretty hilarious to listen to the radio traffic that took place for them to learn what they should have learned before entering a car.

     I will note that since the section was written, in the 1990's there was a limitation added - no more than 25 miles at a time on an Interstate highway.

             Grant Brians - Hollister,California farmer of vegetables, edible flowers, herbs and other crops

On 3/29/2019 10:38 PM, James Peck wrote:

A revenue hungry law enforcement official seeing the farm wagons going down the road behind a pickup might deem it pulling an unlicensed uninsured unbraked unlighted trailer on the public highway without an approved ball hitch or safety chains. We are lucky enforcement is so lax.

When we look at European photos, they tend to be moving harvested crops on big two axle dually trailers where the tongue is supported by the tractor drawbar. 

I saw a hay wagon once that had a decided wander to it. The frame was stretched out to the last hole. It was loaded with Birds Foot Trefoil hay and being pulled by another loaded wagon that wandered but less.. Going down hill the wandering trailer wandered off to the more downhill side and tipped over. I do not remember any broken bales.

[Farmer] <snip>Today the scary towing going on is fertilizer dealer employees pulling two full anhydrous nurse tank wagons behind a pickup running 50 MPH. That and the guys (and a few women) towing two 300 bushel hopper wagons at near highway speeds behind a stock 1/2 ton pickup. <snip>

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