# Share the Road



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

This very short segment was produced by the University of Missouri Extension and was shown to much of the general public on the importance of using caution and common sense when driving or approaching farm equipment on the road. It is that time of the year fellas so we also must exercise caution for our own safety. Make sure you have you lights flashing and operational and that your SMV markers are in place. If you are moving on the road in hill country it will probably behoove you to have a rear escort trailing. As most of us have experienced at one time, it is pretty easy to get run over on the road in your tractor. Plan on defensive tactics.

Regards, Mike


----------



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Great video - thanks.

But, instead of sending it to farmers, it really needs to get out to the general public.

We get a lot of tourists through here on weekends. And, most of our county roads are only 1 1/2 lanes wide. It can be a real challenge moving equipment because most people don't know how to drive without lines on the road. They have no idea where their wheels are at. And they are usually in such a rush that they try to pass on hills, corners etc.

Sometimes, we use both a front and rear escort vehicle and that only seems to p*** them off more because now they have to pass 3 vehicles.

Ralph


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I always make sure my lights on the back of the equipment have clean lenses and work properly, I also make sure the SMV's look like new. Not sure the point of a SMV as most idiots ignore that as well as the lights. I've yet to ever have somebody wait for me to finish a turn when the left turn signal is on, I just always figure the guy behind me is a complete moron and will ignore the left turn signal, I'm rarely disappointed in my assessment.

The wife and I have been putting a little money away over the years and were going to buy a Harley, changed our minds and bought a Polaris Ranger for the farm instead. Decided a street bike is just too dangerous in this day and age to share the road with other drivers. Twenty years ago I had a street bike and you ALWAYS had to look for the other idiot in a car or truck, now you have idiots distracted by their cell phones to contend with when your on two wheels. No thanks.


----------



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

mlappin said:


> The wife and I have been putting a little money away over the years and were going to buy a Harley, changed our minds and bought a Polaris Ranger for the farm instead. Decided a street bike is just too dangerous in this day and age to share the road with other drivers. Twenty years ago I had a street bike and you ALWAYS had to look for the other idiot in a car or truck, now you have idiots distracted by their cell phones to contend with when your on two wheels. No thanks.


I used to ride dirt and street bikes. I put my street bike away about 1974 when I was run off the road 3 times in one day. Still have my Class M license but I would never get on a bike again. Much safer to get on a horse, There it's just between me and it and I know what to do when things get rodeo--Get off!

Ralph


----------



## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

Myself a weary road veteran. 2.7 million miles logged and no I am not a truck driver. Lots of 16 hour days getting from point A to point B to do communications work.

No matter what you drive this is what I have noticed from most drivers. You and only you are impedeing their progress and it is all your fault and only your fault they are late for work or late for whatever. No one else deserves to be on the road and you are the worthless wart of humanity. No one else deserves to be on this planet much less the highway.

To them a heavy slow machine of any type should not be allowed on the highway.

How do I know this?

Well back in the 80's on very long service route my masters had tasked me with. I was cutting and weaving in and out of congested traffic trying make my boss a lot of money and the customers waiting for repairs happy. I pulled up to a traffic light and I was fuming and cussing and looked in my rear veiw mirror to see and old fart I had passed a couple of miles back. Well damn I thought I been busting my a$$ to get this far and he, the old fart, took his sweet time and got here 15 seconds after me.

My driving habits changed that day.

Now I'm the old fart looking at the cars stopped at the traffic light in front of me that passed a couple of miles mile back cutting weaving and cussing only to gain a measly 15 seconds and thinking they won the race.

When I am on a country road and come up on machinery I just stay a few lengths back and turn the four way flashers on and enjoy a slow pace while giving the others a little room to continue the fast pace that others saddle them with. I back off the gas and flash lights to give the tractor trailer driver a chance to merge.

It does not take to much time to give someone a break. Plan ahead, leave early and the world will go on even if you happen to be a little late.

CW


----------



## mncattle (Jul 23, 2010)

I have a question for you guys about when to drive on the shoulder of a highway. When I am driving equipment down a paved road and shoulder is present I will only drive on the shoulder if I can get all of the equipment on it. If I can have only half the equipment on the shoulder and the other half on the roadway I will always drive on the roadway. It seems like if you have half the roadway open people will always pass you even when another car is meeting them,very dangerous. There is only really one road like that that I travel on, the shoulder is big enough to drive the tractor on with no implement but once you get tillage or the discbine on you are hanging into the roadway so will drive on the roadway then. Most roads here only have 2ft of should or so, so there is no choice but to drive on the main roadway.

What are your practices when it comes to driving on busy roads?


----------



## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I stay on the main road if I drive on shoulder the idiots will pass with oncomeing traffic.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> I used to ride dirt and street bikes. I put my street bike away about 1974 when I was run off the road 3 times in one day. Still have my Class M license but I would never get on a bike again. Much safer to get on a horse, There it's just between me and it and I know what to do when things get rodeo--Get off!
> 
> Ralph


Ditto here, well except for the hayburner part.

Started out racing dirt bikes, ran mainly Hare Scrambles and some Enduro's. Decided driving 3 or 4 hours just to run several 15 minute heats for motocross was bullshit.

Got out of dirt for awhile and had a few street bikes. One day I was going thru town and even seen somebody look right at me, looked the other way then right at me again and still pulled out in front of me. I grabbed brakes and about laid it over. Didn't lay it down and even scuffed the white lettering on the side of my new tires, still don't know how I pulled that one off but shortly after I traded that bike off and went back to dirt racing for several more years and just have occasionally rode other peoples street bikes after repairing them or whatever.


----------



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

mlappin said:


> Started out racing dirt bikes, ran mainly Hare Scrambles and some Enduro's. Decided driving 3 or 4 hours just to run several 15 minute heats for motocross was bullshit.


Absolutely LOVED riding enduros. Ran several of them up in your area when I lived in Chicago. Also liked riding trials.

Ralph


----------

