# Accidents And Farm Equipment



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Let there be light.....or maybe more of them. Successful Farmer.

Regards, Mike

http://www.agriculture.com/machinery/making-farm-equipment-more-visible-could-reduce-accidents-by-60-says-study


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I'm surprised they didn't advocate the use of strobes.....I have installed strobes on all of my tractors and plan to add another to each of them over the winter. Nothing beats the strobe for visibility.....
We have had three farmers run over in the last three years, all fatalities of the farmer.....not the other idiots that ran over them. It's amazing that a semi rig can run right into the back of a piece of equipment as large as a farm tractor, but apparently it happens quite often....enuf for me to install a few hundred dollars worth of safety tape, lights and strobes.....


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## NewBerlinBaler (May 30, 2011)

The article states that it's difficult to add lighting to pulled implements (trailers) that are not already wired with power - not so. These days, there are battery-powered LED products on the market.

http://www.gemplers.com/product/145697/Battery-Powered-Ultra-Bright-LED-Strobe


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

I run the road lights with the flashers during the day. Just figure it will make me less liable if something stupid happens. The other issue is making farmers use them and keep them working such is the case with my cousin. Lights and safety equipment is the furthest thing from his mind and he does lots of work after dark and lots of road travel. I almost ran into the back of the manure spreader one night on way to work. He was backing down to the barn off the road and everything blended into the night. It was not until the spreader dropped just enough that one work light showed up, had just enough time to swerve and miss him. The other issue they have is they will run all the work lights on the road and no flashers. With these newer tractor after dark that is just as dangerous cause they blind you.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Not that hard to add lights to equipment, just like wiring a new homebuilt trailer. Back in the day I added lights to all the gravity wagons, the Hiniker also didn't come with lights, added those as well.

I got quite the chuckle out of this:


*Use your turning signals.* "One of the most common ways a crash happens is when a farmer is going to turn left and a passenger vehicle goes to pass the farmer," says Harland. "Using the turn signals can reduce this type of crash."

I've lost track of how many times I've been passed on the left, with the left turn signal on getting ready to make a turn, mainly because the idiots in the cars don't pay attention. Even used to have it happen in the grain trucks until I moved the turn signals out from under the bed on the truck frame to the corners of the grain box, added some nice bright LED's at eye level, that ended that happy crap.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

mlappin said:


> Not that hard to add lights to equipment, just like wiring a new homebuilt trailer. Back in the day I added lights to all the gravity wagons, the Hiniker also didn't come with lights, added those as well.
> 
> I got quite the chuckle out of this:
> 
> ...


If I'm going to turn left I try and get in the middle of the road before the turn as well as turn signal so they can't pass me. That works most of the time. Except the idiot that somehow got past me and nearly ran over a bridge ahead that was under construction because he missed seeing the road closed in his haste to pass me. Or the idiot this summer that tried to pass me on a bridge while I was in the middle of the road with a fertilizer cart. I wasn't even turning on that one. She nearly got pushed off the road. Now she waves with one finger when she sees me.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

somedevildawg said:


> I'm surprised they didn't advocate the use of strobes.....I have installed strobes on all of my tractors and plan to add another to each of them over the winter. Nothing beats the strobe for visibility.....
> We have had three farmers run over in the last three years, all fatalities of the farmer.....not the other idiots that ran over them. It's amazing that a semi rig can run right into the back of a piece of equipment as large as a farm tractor, but apparently it happens quite often....enuf for me to install a few hundred dollars worth of safety tape, lights and strobes.....


Maybe the semi drivers don't realize how slow the tractor or equipment is moving until it is too late.


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

You're right IH 1586 about the blinding field lights. I get flashed by people that think my 'dim' headlights are overly bright. I reassure them by flipping my field lights on  I think mostly the reason I get flashed is because my flashers probably disorient them. I have a neighbor that refuses to dim his lights and turn the field lights off. He blinded me one night and I couldn't tell what was behind him so I turned my four ways on.

Lights won't deter a car driver. They have that 'Days of Thunder' mentality and blindly floor it past you not knowing what they are about to go past or into for that matter. Most drivers believe a tractor on the road is an inconvenience and try to push us around like a bicycle. I drive down the middle of the road as I approach my left turn but still get dummies that pass running off the road and narrowly missing mailboxes or me. Another common occurrence is being passed in blind curves. I just pray the only person they kill is themselves. Unfortunately they usually survive and the unsuspecting car passengers suffer.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

BWfarms said:


> You're right IH 1586 about the blinding field lights. I get flashed by people that think my 'dim' headlights are overly bright. I reassure them by flipping my field lights on  I think mostly the reason I get flashed is because my flashers probably disorient them. I have a neighbor that refuses to dim his lights and turn the field lights off. He blinded me one night and I couldn't tell what was behind him so I turned my four ways on.
> 
> Lights won't deter a car driver. They have that 'Days of Thunder' mentality and blindly floor it past you not knowing what they are about to go past or into for that matter. Most drivers believe a tractor on the road is an inconvenience and try to push us around like a bicycle. I drive down the middle of the road as I approach my left turn but still get dummies that pass running off the road and narrowly missing mailboxes or me. Another common occurrence is being passed in blind curves. I just pray the only person they kill is themselves. Unfortunately they usually survive and the unsuspecting car passengers suffer.


the other night the neighbor was on the road but even having just his road lights on I couldn't tell what he was pulling. I new he had something so I got way over. Sure enough he had his disk which folded up is probably 16 feet. He had his blinkers on the disk also. Just couldn't see them until I was very close. Now I knew to be careful. But 90% of people wouldn't have slowed down and had a huge chance to clip his disk.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Here is some 'cheap' lights that I use on equipment (just used on bringing home a new used grinder/mixer). If you watch their ads, these can be had for less than $10. I have not lost any yet, but if I do, I am not going to worry about it. I did add them (permanently) on my H&S X-rake however. I bought two sets, swapped the lenses (so I had orange on one set, red on other), then wired a 7 pin tractor/commercial plug on to business end.

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-magnetic-towing-light-kit-63100.html

Larry


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

The problem is people are in just to big of hurry. before the 5 lane highway was put in a couple years ago, I had people pass me on the left when I was signalling to turn left into the farm with my truck. My ex wife had people pass her on both sides one time in her truck. Its just not farm equipment.


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

That is one thing I will not skimp on. Lights and flashers. I love good lighting for night work, and rotating beacons for road travel. The more visible you are to others and better visibility you have is probably some of the cheapest insurance you can buy.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

stack em up said:


> That is one thing I will not skimp on. Lights and flashers. I love good lighting for night work, and rotating beacons for road travel. The more visible you are to others and better visibility you have is probably some of the cheapest insurance you can buy.


I agree....


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Teslan said:


> Maybe the semi drivers don't realize how slow the tractor or equipment is moving until it is too late.


Apparently.....and the fact that they are hauling ass, all of these accidents happened on 4 lane roads, more apt to put the pedal down I suppose. One had a red pickup following him as insurance with hazards on, ran over both of them but killed the tractor driver.....hardly anyone else on the road in all accidents


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

I really wonder if more lighting in this day and age would really reduce accidents. I say that because now we have better lighting from twenty years ago but more issues with drivers. Everything is now, now, now. Drivers can't spend an extra 5 min following you and now we have phones to deal with. This year was passed while going through s curves. They must have been a excellent driver to see around corners I could not yet. The other good one was a semi that passed with a car coming the other way. Car had to back up so the semi could get in front of me.


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## 8gross (Sep 12, 2011)

Not sure whether more lights will stop this issue. Constantly run into this issue when moving equipment down the highway. Left hand turns and approaching bridges seem to be the two worst areas of travel so I always assume oncoming traffic won't yield to equipment wanting to cross. I have found out running at night and having beacons on a tractor the traffic slows down a lot more. Seeding isn't as bad as harvest due to only one piece of equipment travelling but harvest will get a little interesting due to moving equipment out in a "Convoy". Our combine is pulling the header followed by the tractor and grain cart so there is no way of seeing around and the grain cart has a camera so you can see what is happening behind. Lights will only make a difference to the "smart" drivers.


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