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Harvest Safety Tips
While Travelling Ohio Roadways
From Sam Custer
Written By Dee Jepsen
As urban development expands into the rural countryside, so too does
the need to practice safety on public roadways. During harvest season
there is an increased traffic flow on rural roads with agricultural
implements and grain trucks. Protecting property and saving lives - of
both the farm family and the general public - are the underlying goals
for roadway safety.
Understanding rules of the road is a shared responsibility between the
farm machinery operators and the motoring public. Oftentimes blame
falls on either party, when in fact it may be a mutual misunderstanding
for the Ohio Revised Code.
Here are common roadway violations and misunderstandings frequently
addressed by the OSU Extension Agricultural Safety Office.
Lighting and Marking requirements:
The Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) Emblem was developed at Ohio State
University, and is required by Ohio law on all pieces of farm machinery
and implements of husbandry. It is an early detection device to signal
motorists that a vehicle is travelling at slower speeds. The orange
fluorescent center is best seen in daylight hours while the outer red
reflective border is noticed more at night. Additional requirements for
the emblem are:
• it is visible to the rear at 1000 feet,
• it should be mounted with the point up, and no more than 10 degrees
off vertical placement,
• it should be mounted in the center of the vehicle, or as near
left-center as possible,
• it should be placed between 2 – 10 ft above the ground,
• it must be kept in good condition where it is clean, unfaded, and
undamaged.
Other lighting and marking requirements include:
• headlights and rear taillights are required from sunset to sunrise,
• amber flashers and amber reflective tape marks the front and sides of
the implements,
• red reflectors and reflective tape marks the rear of the implements,
• extremity lighting over dual wheels is required to mark the widest
points of the tractor,
• Speed Identification Symbols (SIS) are required on high-speed
tractors, in conjunction with the SMV emblem
If towed implements block the lighting scheme of the tractor, the
implements must replicate the lighting and marking of the tractor, at a
minimum red taillights, red reflectors, and SMV emblem.
Weight Limits:
In Ohio, there are three different weight limitations that can be
enforced on agricultural machinery.
The maximum overall gross weight is 80,000 pounds.
Per tire limit, where 650 pounds per inch of inflated tire.
Per axle limit, where there is both an Ohio law and a bridge weight
formula. Single axle weight limit is 20,000 lbs. Any two successive
axles, weighed simultaneously that are up to 4ft apart may have
24,000lbs; if the axles are more than 4ft apart, they may have
34,000lbs.
The federal bridge formula will allow 2 consecutive sets of tandem
axles to carry gross loads of 34,000lbs each when there is a distance
of 36ft between the first and last axle.
A bridge weight formula calculator can be accessed at:
https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freight/sw/brdgcalc/calc_page.htm
Ohio laws allow a 7.5% variance from the weight laws when farm
commodities are transported from where they were produced to their
first place of delivery where title is transferred. However this
variance is not permitted on interstate highways, or during the months
of February and March, or on roads and bridges where there is a posted
maximum weight restriction.
Restricted Parking on Highways
Ohio law does not allow for vehicles to be parked on paved or main
travelled roadways when it is practicable to be stopped, parked, or off
the roadway. The vehicle should provide a clear and unobstructed
portion of the roadway opposite the vehicle for free passage of other
vehicles, and a clear view of stopped vehicles from a distance of 200ft
in either direction. Other parking restrictions include:
• Vehicles cannot block a public or private driveway;
• Vehicles cannot park within an intersection;
• Vehicles cannot park within 30 ft of a flashing beacon, stop sign, or
traffic control device;
• Vehicles cannot park within 50ft of a railroad crossing or the
nearest rail of an operating railroad.
Dimension Limits:
Wide implements don’t always have the right of way. Farm operators must
be cautious when and respectful of traffic flow when they are outside
of these general size recommendations:
• Vehicle’s width should not exceed 8.5ft (102 inches)
• Vehicle’s height should not exceed 13ft, 6inches
• Vehicles length should not exceed 40ft (single vehicle) or 65ft
(combination vehicles)
Farm machinery is exempt from width, length and height requirements
when the equipment is being moved on the roads. These exemptions do not
apply when machinery is being hauled on the roads. However, it is
recommended for machinery to be transported in the smallest possible
configuration – meaning the use of combine header carts is encouraged.
Tips for the motoring public during harvest season include:
• Be alert and patient for slow moving farm machinery and flashing
lights.
• Realize that farm equipment cannot always “ride the berm” when
mailboxes and road signs are mounted near the roadside – in this case
tractors may occasionally swerve over the center line.
• Farm implements are not required to move off of the road to allow
traffic to pass.
• Motorists should only pass on a double yellow line when:
- The slower vehicle is proceeding at less than half the speed of the
speed limit applicable to that location.
- The faster vehicle is capable of overtaking and passing the slower
vehicle without exceeding the speed limit.
-There is sufficient clear sight distance or center line of the roadway
to meet the overtaking and passing provisions of the slower vehicle.
• Farm trucks, semi trucks and grain carts carrying a full load of
grain cannot stop easily. Do not merge into their lane, do not cross
into their paths, and do not expect them to stop abruptly.
For both the farm operator and the motoring public, it is important to
reduce stressful situations whenever possible. Practicing roadway
safety during harvest season makes for a better place for all
travellers. For more information, visit: https://agsafety.osu.edu.
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