SMV emblem on tractors

[D2Cat]

Each state has their own laws for regulations on the SMV emblem. I copied this info off Ohio State University ag. extension site. Pretty interesting information we often time overlook, like location on tractor, height, angle on mounting, etc.

SMV Emblem Mounting
• Visible to the rear
• Triangle point facing upward
• 10 degrees from vertical
• 2 to 10 feet above the ground
• In center of vehicle or as near left-center as practicable
• Securely or rigidly attached (not required to be permanently mounted)

Here's the link for the entire article. https://agsafety.osu.edu/smv-emblem

Probably best to look up each person's state to know what is required.

This is Skeets area of expertise, but he's been slacking lately!

 

[jpf]

my dealer showed me how easy it was to remove.

 

[D2Cat]

Jpf, it's like everything else, you don't need it until you need it. If one is ever on other than private roads and has any kind of collision with another vehicle from the rear, this simple emblem installed properly, may save one's bank account.

 

[bcp]

I see many more used as driveway markers than as SMV signs.

Bruce

 

[SidecarFlip]

Necessary in my line of work (farming). Each and every one of my implements has an SMV triangle attached to them as well as rear facing blinking amber lights (red forward) and red turn signals pigtailed into each tractor.

Of course none of that means squat to a 4 wheeler in a big hurry to get nowhere and even less when say I'm pulling a mower that is 12 feet wide, folded up on a 2 lane with no where to pull over and a 4 wheeler decides to pass me because I'm doing 20 and they want to go 60.

Has happened more than once and it usually results in the 4 wheeler going into a ditch and then LE is called and the 4 wheeler gets a ticket because farm equipment has the right of way on secondary roads, especially in rural areas.

I always makes sure I'm in compliance with all regulations concerning transport of farm equipment on secondary roads s it pertains to SMV placards, lighting and emergency flashers.

I spend a lot of time driving between farm fields on secondary roads, paved and unpaved. How it works out here in farm country.

Year before last I was coming home after dark pulling a NH discbine (12 feet wide) and had a local Sheriff pull up behind me, follow me for a bit and then pass when I could move over. Gave me the thumbs up. I was lit up like a Christmas tree with all the lights on, flashers on and road lights on. mY road lights are extremely bright Cree LED lamps, 8000 lumens each x 4.

 

[RCW]

Cat - thanks for that, spurred the memory of my grandfather buying some at the Agway feed store at the end of his milk can route (I often road shotgun), and my father nailing them to our hay racks MANY years ago.

Remember it like yesterday ....and a great memory indeed....

Sent from my QTASUN1 using Tapatalk

 

[jpf]

I still have it in the shed, if ever my tractor leaves my place and gets on a road I'll use it.

 

[SidecarFlip]

If your unit is never on a public road, no need but if it is, to make it legal, you need to display the SMV placard.

 

[Freeheeler]

If your unit is never on a public road, no need but if it is, to make it legal, you need to display the SMV placard.

Just in case, should mention that by "on a public road" means driving it, not trailering it. If it's on a trailer on a public road, it does not need to be attached. As a matter of fact, it should be taken off per the manual since at hwy speeds the wind will most likely deposit it into someones yard or worse, into someones vehicle.

 

[shootem604]

Around here, the neighbors are just as likely to stop by on a tractor as in a pickup. Tractors, even the small ones, are regularly on the roads - summer times and weekends the SMV sign and lights are needed to warn off the "citiots"

 

[dlundblad]

Necessary in my line of work (farming). Each and every one of my implements has an SMV triangle attached to them as well as rear facing blinking amber lights (red forward) and red turn signals pigtailed into each tractor.

Of course none of that means squat to a 4 wheeler in a big hurry to get nowhere and even less when say I'm pulling a mower that is 12 feet wide, folded up on a 2 lane with no where to pull over and a 4 wheeler decides to pass me because I'm doing 20 and they want to go 60.

Has happened more than once and it usually results in the 4 wheeler going into a ditch and then LE is called and the 4 wheeler gets a ticket because farm equipment has the right of way on secondary roads, especially in rural areas.

I always makes sure I'm in compliance with all regulations concerning transport of farm equipment on secondary roads s it pertains to SMV placards, lighting and emergency flashers.

I spend a lot of time driving between farm fields on secondary roads, paved and unpaved. How it works out here in farm country.

Year before last I was coming home after dark pulling a NH discbine (12 feet wide) and had a local Sheriff pull up behind me, follow me for a bit and then pass when I could move over. Gave me the thumbs up. I was lit up like a Christmas tree with all the lights on, flashers on and road lights on. mY road lights are extremely bright Cree LED lamps, 8000 lumens each x 4.

Interesting farmers have the right away. Wonder how it is here in Indiana.

Last harvest season was headed to my parents who live on a hilly country road. Going 40 or so. Came over a hill and bam there was a combine with no spotter. Not only did he not stop, but he kept coming up the hill causing me to have to go in reverse on said blind hill. What if there was a car behind me? Who would be at fault then?

Anyways, normally I don’t have issues but I thought this was an odd situation. I felt like calling th police, but after I cooled down I just let it go. Hopefully he learned something.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Probably learned nothing...lol

Indiana ag related rules are the same as Michigan. Powered farm equipment has the right of way on secondary roads. SMV placards and lighting also apply.

Powered farm equipment is not allowed on limited access highways and / or Interstates unless it is the only way to access a field and then they have to be permitted by the State Highway Patrol because the minimum speed on a limited access or Interstate highway is 45 mph, well above the normal transport speed of ag equipment which is around 20-22 mph.

Only exception to the 20-22 mph travel speed is a Fast-Trak JCB which will run around 50 mph but most implements are top speed rated at 20-22 mph.

Flat out at governed RPM, my tractors will run 22 mph.

 

[skeets]

D2 all the vehicles I dealt with had been contained off the highway not for highway use,, something about a 100 ton haul truck on your side of the road
But really all the farm stuff around has it, new as well as old. They must work I havent heard of anyone getting run over that had one on lately

 

[SidecarFlip]

Interesting farmers have the right away. Wonder how it is here in Indiana.

Last harvest season was headed to my parents who live on a hilly country road. Going 40 or so. Came over a hill and bam there was a combine with no spotter. Not only did he not stop, but he kept coming up the hill causing me to have to go in reverse on said blind hill. What if there was a car behind me? Who would be at fault then?

Anyways, normally I don’t have issues but I thought this was an odd situation. I felt like calling th police, but after I cooled down I just let it go. Hopefully he learned something.

Calling the police would probably have netted you a stern warning from the police officer.

Not sure what you mean by 'spotter'. No one I know of (including myself)has ever had a spotter going to and from fields. Not required or necessary. It's up to you as the vehicle driver to be cognizant of approaching powered farm equipment. Believe me, the operator (myself included) have all we can do just staying on the road and watching out for inconsiderate vehicle drivers.

Try motoring an excessive overwidth piece of ag equipment costing hundreds of thousands of dollars down a narrow 2 lane road. Takes a lot of concentration to just do it without worrying about what a car does.

Most operators (myself included) will yield to traffic when we have the room to pull over (like an intersecting road) but that don't always present itself in a reasonable time frame so you, as a car driver have to extend some courtesy to us, the ag equipment operators.

I get that 'me too. I need to get there fast crap' every year. I've become immune to it in reality. If you are in that big of a hurry have at it but, you go in the ditch, it's your baby, not mine. I just call the local LE and let them deal with it, something I've done before and will probably do again.

So long as I'm properly placarded (SMV) on the tractor and implement and running with my emergency flashers on, I'm 100% legal and the burden to yield to my movement lies with you. Like I said, every farmer I know of will yield to traffic when we can. Called courtesy.

Had a kid wind up in the pucker bush trying to get around me a few years ago. Couldn't wait. I stopped the tractor, got out on the step and looked back. He was in the ditch but appeared ok. He was busy cussing me out. I chuckled and called 911 and gave them the location and explained to the dispatcher what had occured, got back in the tractor and went about my business. When I came back through that evening, the car was gone. I presumed he got a ticket and had to pay for a wrecker as well.

You play chicken with a farm tractor that weighs 3 times as much as your car does and add in an implement and it's weight as well, you will always lose.

 

[johnjk]

I remember years ago here in OH when they made the Amish put them on their wagons. Man were they P.O'd about it. Nothing like coming over a rise in the road at dusk and having one of their buggies materialize in front of you. Give them as much room as I can. Still have a couple accidents a year where someone is impaired or distracted and hits one of them.

My road is a speedway for locals going to work at Honda. At least once a week I get some yahoo that roars up my tailpipe doing 75 or 80 and flashing his high beams, like I can change lanes and let him by. Damn paved surface is barely wide enough for two full sized pickups to pass without having a wheel in the dirt.. Told the local LE that any time he wants to use my drive or field access he is more than welcome.

I leave my SMV on and am looking at adding a couple amber strobes to the sides of my ROPS. The more visibility and attention I can gather from a distance, the better

 

[Poohbear]

Here in my state, Tx, you have to have your flashers on also and I can't remember if headlights on a requirement but it's my rule anyway.
Just a few months back near Tyler a guy was hit from the rear while mowing along the county road in front of his place & was killed. Old ford, no SMV or lights. Not saying they would have saved him as I can't understand how you can't see a tractor going slow .

 

[SidecarFlip]

Here in my state, Tx, you have to have your flashers on also and I can't remember if headlights on a requirement but it's my rule anyway.
Just a few months back near Tyler a guy was hit from the rear while mowing along the county road in front of his place & was killed. Old ford, no SMV or lights. Not saying they would have saved him as I can't understand how you can't see a tractor going slow .

Depending on the time and day, I'll run my work lights on top of the cab. I usually do that on weekends because of the increased traffic and more people hurrying to get nowhere fast. My issue is my worklights are extremely bright LED's and can blind an oncoming driver easily. They have a 3/4 mile illumination range. The built in lights in the grill on both my Kubota's are basically worthless. Feeble glow is about all they do. I guess the newer Kubby's have better lighting, both mine suck.

Headlights are not a requirement here in Michigan, Ohio or Indiana, just an SMV placard and flashing amber lights. I also run a strobe light on the roof, the more illumination the better but a distracted driver is still just that.

Only implement I own that don't have amber flashing lights is my NH 575 square baler. I use magnetic attached LED amber flashers on that.

 

[GeoHorn]

Here's what Texas A&M produced to advise Texas operators: (MUST have SMV and MUST operate flashers Day AND Night) when on public roads:
http://counties.agrilife.org/lasalle/files/2011/07/Tractor_Safety_6.pdf

 

[dlundblad]

Calling the police would probably have netted you a stern warning from the police officer.

Not sure what you mean by 'spotter'. No one I know of (including myself)has ever had a spotter going to and from fields. Not required or necessary. It's up to you as the vehicle driver to be cognizant of approaching powered farm equipment. Believe me, the operator (myself included) have all we can do just staying on the road and watching out for inconsiderate vehicle drivers.

Try motoring an excessive overwidth piece of ag equipment costing hundreds of thousands of dollars down a narrow 2 lane road. Takes a lot of concentration to just do it without worrying about what a car does.

Most operators (myself included) will yield to traffic when we have the room to pull over (like an intersecting road) but that don't always present itself in a reasonable time frame so you, as a car driver have to extend some courtesy to us, the ag equipment operators.

I get that 'me too. I need to get there fast crap' every year. I've become immune to it in reality. If you are in that big of a hurry have at it but, you go in the ditch, it's your baby, not mine. I just call the local LE and let them deal with it, something I've done before and will probably do again.

So long as I'm properly placarded (SMV) on the tractor and implement and running with my emergency flashers on, I'm 100% legal and the burden to yield to my movement lies with you. Like I said, every farmer I know of will yield to traffic when we can. Called courtesy.

Had a kid wind up in the pucker bush trying to get around me a few years ago. Couldn't wait. I stopped the tractor, got out on the step and looked back. He was in the ditch but appeared ok. He was busy cussing me out. I chuckled and called 911 and gave them the location and explained to the dispatcher what had occured, got back in the tractor and went about my business. When I came back through that evening, the car was gone. I presumed he got a ticket and had to pay for a wrecker as well.

You play chicken with a farm tractor that weighs 3 times as much as your car does and add in an implement and it's weight as well, you will always lose.

You may have misunderstood me and that***8217;s fine, but I wasn***8217;t being inconsiderate. As I said, I drove over a hill and there he was.

No flashing lights IIRC. Doubt I***8217;d get a ***8220;stern warning***8221; from the local LEO either as I did nothing illegal and was under the speed limit.

As for spotters, I see them all the time here and I live in ***8220;farm country.***8221; Usually a truck with its hazards on leading the way over hills.

*Let me finish by saying he could have handled it differently by not making me back up the hill. Would have made the situation much better.

 

[Bulldog]

Interesting farmers have the right away. Wonder how it is here in Indiana.

Last harvest season was headed to my parents who live on a hilly country road. Going 40 or so. Came over a hill and bam there was a combine with no spotter. Not only did he not stop, but he kept coming up the hill causing me to have to go in reverse on said blind hill. What if there was a car behind me? Who would be at fault then?

Anyways, normally I don’t have issues but I thought this was an odd situation. I felt like calling th police, but after I cooled down I just let it go. Hopefully he learned something.

Even though most think the farmer should yield to them it's actually federal law that farm machinery has the right of way. If I remember right the only exemption is interstate travel.
On county roads the farmer has 100% right of way and is not required to pull off the road unless the machine can be safely pulled completely off such as at a cross street or intersection, not on the shoulder. Reason being due to the size and restricted visibility on some machines it creates unsafe conditions for the farmer to get back on the road.
It's also illegal for cars to pass equipment in a no passing zone (double yellow) but good luck on that one. I just had this happen the other day when 2 passed me as I was fixing to turn in to my barn entrance right in front of a county deputy. He ran them down and issued two $500 driving awards.

Just a FYI, it's also illegal to use SMV signs as driveway markers.