Tractor driving rules

[HDAV]

What's the rules on driving a tractor if you have a standard post 1997 car licence with no additional classifications?

 

And what's the deal with trailers? Same mam limit? Or does this not apply to tractors?

 

Also dumpers are they on gross weight so need hgv to drive a dumper on road?

[shoot and be safe]

I believe you are only restricted on the widths of the tractor by your age. If you have a full car licence you can drive any size tractor that your age dictates ( I believe it's under 18s that can t drive the big boys on the road). If you have a tractor licence (category f) on your licence you can pull a trailer.

 

Dumpers are classed as plant and you only need a car licence (B) to drive one on the road, there is no weight limit for plant.

Edited July 5, 2017 by shoot and be safe

[zipdog]

regardless of when your licence was issued at the age of 16 you can apply for a provisional licence. This allows you to drive a tractor alone (as long as tractor has been designed or adapted only to take one carry one person), in connection with any agricultural activity, on any unrestricted road (general rule of thumb restricted roads or those with streetlights and 30mph limtis), or additional to and from your tractor test. Crazy I know.

 

the only rules are the tractor should not exceed 2.45m wide, 2.5 tonnes in weight, and with a trailer as long as the combined loaded weight does not excess 24 tonnes, however you can pull a trailer as long as its no wider than 2.45 wide and has no more than 2 wheels, or four closed coupled wheels.

 

Once you pass your test of 16 you can drive any tractor, as long as its not got tracks, that does not exceed 2.45m wide, 2.5 tonnes in weight, and with a trailer as long as the combined loaded weight does not excess 24 tonnes on any road.

 

One you get a car licence there you can drive any tractor or trailer in size and weight up to the maximum legal allowance.

 

Its mad that me, or you, or a 16 year old can go jump on a tractor and fly down the road with a trailer with 12 tonnes of wheat in it, but I cant tow a little trailer behind my car.

 

 

I disagree with the above post, having a tractor licence does not mean you can tow a car with a trailer, the only to get a car trailer licence without doing the trailer test is to sit your HGV class 1.

Edited July 5, 2017 by zipdog

[shoot and be safe]

I didn't say you could pull a trailer with a car with category "f"

Zipdog gives a better description than myself

[Gav912]

regardless of when your licence was issued at the age of 16 you can apply for a provisional licence. This allows you to drive a tractor alone (as long as tractor has been designed or adapted only to take one carry one person), in connection with any agricultural activity, on any unrestricted road (general rule of thumb restricted roads or those with streetlights and 30mph limtis), or additional to and from your tractor test. Crazy I know.

 

the only rules are the tractor should not exceed 2.45m wide, 2.5 tonnes in weight, and with a trailer as long as the combined loaded weight does not excess 24 tonnes, however you can pull a trailer as long as its no wider than 2.45 wide and has no more than 2 wheels, or four closed coupled wheels.

 

Once you pass your test of 16 you can drive any tractor, as long as its not got tracks, that does not exceed 2.45m wide, 2.5 tonnes in weight, and with a trailer as long as the combined loaded weight does not excess 24 tonnes on any road.

 

One you get a car licence there you can drive any tractor or trailer in size and weight up to the maximum legal allowance.

 

Its mad that me, or you, or a 16 year old can go jump on a tractor and fly down the road with a trailer with 12 tonnes of wheat in it, but I cant tow a little trailer behind my car.

 

 

I disagree with the above post, having a tractor licence does not mean you can tow a car with a trailer, the only to get a car trailer licence without doing the trailer test is to sit your HGV class 1.

 

I don't know where you got the 2.5t weight limit from for tractors at 16 but it's wrong, I've heard it a few times from various people, the width and trailer restrictions are correct though. The gross train weight changed in March 2015 to 31000kg to allow for bigger tractors pulling equipment however the maximum trailer weight remains at 18290kg.

 

 

With regards to other ag vehicles, things like telehandlers and self propelled machines count as a Cat B vehicle on your licence so you would need a B + E car and trailer licence to tow with them on the road. With these there are age related weight restrictions:

 

Age 16 - not allowed on road

Age 17 - 3500kg with full car licence

Age 18-21 - 7500kg

Age 21+ - normal agricultural weight restrictions.

 

Tracklaying tractors like Challenger's and John Deere RT series is 21 years old with a Cat H licence.

 

I'm one of the people some farmers love to hate.......a training instructor!

[scotslad]

There won't be many tractors nowadays under 2.5T anyway is there?

 

My 6T dumper is 4.5T empty and most tractors will be a bit heavier than that i'd imagine

[Salop Matt]

So aged 32 with a full UK licence since I was 17 what can I drive and tow when it comes to tractor / trailer ?

 

ATB

 

Matt

[B725]

I took a driving test on a old Ford 4000 when I was sixteen so I could drive legally on the road

[Gav912]

So aged 32 with a full UK licence since I was 17 what can I drive and tow when it comes to tractor / trailer ?

 

ATB

 

Matt

Maximum train weight of 31000kg, trailer weight of 18290kg.

 

Would need car and trailer license for telehandler/combine etc and trailer and a Cat H for a twin track crawler. No restrictions on weights of the above as long as they don't exceed the legal maximums.

[HDAV]

Maximum train weight of 31000kg, trailer weight of 18290kg.

Would need car and trailer license for telehandler/combine etc and trailer and a Cat H for a twin track crawler. No restrictions on weights of the above as long as they don't exceed the legal maximums.

I'm in the same boat (no B+E) so that's interesting, tractor in question is ford 5610 which weighs about 2.5t so anything I can legally tow with my car I can tow with tractor and much bigger trailers if required.

 

Could be an issue though with plant for towing so tractor seems to work out well

Edited July 7, 2017 by HDAV

[shoot and be safe]

Could be an issue though with plant for towing so tractor seems to work out well

You only need a car licence to drive plant. The big concentrate pumps on the back of 8 wheelers are classed as plant and they can weigh up to 32T.

 

However you still need the "+E" entitlement on your licence to pull a trailer if the train weight exceeds 3.5T

Edited July 7, 2017 by shoot and be safe

[HDAV]

You only need a car licence to drive plant. The big concentrate pumps on the back of 8 wheelers are classed as plant and they can weigh up to 32T.

However you still need the "+E" entitlement on your licence to pull a trailer if the train weight exceeds 3.5T

But not for a tractor...

 

What actually defines a tractor? Could a dumper (no scoop required) be registered as a tractor? The dumping part isn't required, the towing part is, but 4x4 dumpers are cheaper than 4x4 tractors

Edited July 7, 2017 by HDAV

[shoot and be safe]

As long as the dumped and trailer do not exceed 3.5T together, you can drive them on a car licence (as long as they are road legal (registered, taxed and insured))

[HDAV]

As long as the dumped and trailer do not exceed 3.5T together, you can drive them on a car licence (as long as they are road legal (registered, taxed and insured))

The dumper may exceed 3.5t certainly plated for more

[scotslad]

An empty 6t dumper is 4.5T but there not designed for towing and not really legal to tow, think only 1/2 the skip wieght.

I did look into using them to tow a digger but was a non starter

 

In fact dumpers are a pita to tow big or wide trailers with because of the articultion esp if ur driving up very tight tracks

[HDAV]

An empty 6t dumper is 4.5T but there not designed for towing and not really legal to tow, think only 1/2 the skip wieght.

I did look into using them to tow a digger but was a non starter

 

In fact dumpers are a pita to tow big or wide trailers with because of the articultion esp if ur driving up very tight tracks

 

thanks the trailers are small under 3T but the road can be narrow, only just got tractor through the other thanks to some considerate carparking

 

Just thought a dumper might be an alternative 4x4 towing solution that would be cheaper than the tractors and last longer (although the 5610 has been around a long time it's like triggers broom)

[scotslad]

If trailer is around the 3T could u not just use a pick up/landy, if not going far/often on public roads u might even get away with a mot failure/limited use job.

 

Have u had a right good look at the price of tractors some aren't that far away form the price of a dumper and far more versitile.

Have u been to a few agri auctions?

Usually some quite cheap agri dealers down devon/cornwall area, always the oppisate end of the country to where u are, but i see ur down that end of country

 

Dumpers are a real pain to tow with in tight areas even going forwards because of the articulation, when u turn the wheel to go 1 direction it automatically pushes the back end/trailer in the oppisate direction.

I got my 12ft static carvan stuck on a tree towing it with a dumper got past the worst bit and had loads of space to get wider but just couldn't get the caravan away from it as it when u did it pushed the back end over,, a tractor would of got up no problems. All due the the articulation

Had to climb the tree and take it down with the caravan right under it.

 

Reversing with them can be a head **** too, took me ages to figure it out when driving articulted tractors out in Oz and generally had load sof room out there

[HDAV]

Ok thanks that's really useful feedback we were looking at dumper as easier cheaper to maintain/buy than tractors which are costing £2k plus a year in maintenance each, there is currently an in willingness to spend money but farmers don't sell good tractors often I'm not sure the "fitter" they use is the most economic either as they call him out for every little thing

[scotslad]

I must admit i never great with legalities of things and tend just to do it. U'd be better to ask some of the better informed about the legality

 

I did look at towing a 5T digger with a 6T dumper occasionally, the dumper handbooks reckon only pull 50% thier wieght and u need to put a half load in the skip to give it some traction.(possibly why 50% if skip half loaded?)

Dumpers are not always great off road either, mine could do with new tyres which doesn't help but at times doesn't take a lot of grease/steepness to get them spinning.

 

In theory i can't see how a dumper would be any cheaper to maintain than an old tractor, engines will be much of a muchness really, ur hydralics will be slightly simplier but only slightly so, and most dumpers are hydralic transmission so could heat up if towing/doing a lot of road work.

I can't see there being much electics to go wrong on a 56 series ford,

I mind chapping with a 8820 and the chapper man had to lie below the tractor to manually select F/R and u hoped ur foot wouldn't slip of clutch or else he was getting ran over, that was on a big motorway job too, althou before H&S went mental, althou that was a wee bit dodgy even for us

2K a year seems a lot of cash just for routine maintence unless being used a lot, the other way to look at it if a lot of breakdowns is u've now fixed every thing that can go wrong?

I'm looking for a loader tractor about that age fo myself, if u were nearer i'd offered a swap, and told u dumpers are brilliant

 

Also u can't bump start a dumper if u needed to

Also dumper won't have a movable hitch like a tractor, so u'd have to lift/jack the trailer hitch to the dumer hitch (which u couldn't see either for enginge) dare say u could put a hydralic hitch on like telehandlers thou

 

If ur really serious u could probably hire a dumper for a day for 50 quid and see how it goes, but i'd rather have a tractor any day of the week

[HDAV]

Thanks Scotlad, when you learn what the tractors are doing you wouldn't be so quick to offer a swap lol

 

about a 2 hour a week all short trips stop start towing boats from car park onto beach and into sea to launch and recover, the hitch hydraulics seized a long time ago, so no good there the largest boats weigh about 2 ton I'd guess with trailer 2.5t perhaps 3t max with fuel and passengers aboard, only tractors are allowed on the beach (privately owned beach and slipway) most of the time the boats on trailers are under 1T but don't want to be limited by he machine, did consider using quads for smaller stuff like the rnli do but they keep loosing theirs and so far no one has fancied taking a 30 year old tractor.......the advangptage is a dumper which we have seen some people use was the high rear mounted engine stays out of the water the scoop can go and be fitted with a hook this is used to launch a large rib at beach 30 miles down the coast and seem to work well, dumper is left in beach car park during the season.

Edited July 8, 2017 by HDAV

[Wb123]

Thanks Scotlad, when you learn what the tractors are doing you wouldn't be so quick to offer a swap lol

about a 2 hour a week all short trips stop start towing boats from car park onto beach and into sea to launch and recover, the hitch hydraulics seized a long time ago, so no good there the largest boats weigh about 2 ton I'd guess with trailer 2.5t perhaps 3t max with fuel and passengers aboard, only tractors are allowed on the beach (privately owned beach and slipway) most of the time the boats on trailers are under 1T but don't want to be limited by he machine, did consider using quads for smaller stuff like the rnli do but they keep loosing theirs and so far no one has fancied taking a 30 year old tractor.......the advangptage is a dumper which we have seen some people use was the high rear mounted engine stays out of the water the scoop can go and be fitted with a hook this is used to launch a large rib at beach 30 miles down the coast and seem to work well, dumper is left in beach car park during the season.

Down in cromer the locals seem to use fordsons almost exclusively for beach launch work, i always wondered why but there must be some logic to it.

[scotslad]

For something like that it would be a different story and a dumper may well work.

 

Wot u could do is take the skip off and bodge some sort of assembly to make it an adjustable ball hitch (a sort of verticle trinagle pivoting on the existing hinge points?) and u could lift/lower using the existing hydralics, shouldn't be to hard,to do then u have decent vison to un/hitch and ur engine is at rear.and ur moving parts/hydralics are well clear of the water too

And would spread the load nicely, wieght on both axles

 

Some/many dumpers have a exhast below the engine so u might have to bodge a safri snorkel for it, but if u had hitch at the front engine should be well clear anyway

 

To be honest for wot ur suggesting it could well work well with a bit of modifications.

[HDAV]

The bodged tow assembly I have seen can't find pictures but it used be Rams to raise or lower the tow hitch. The current tractor aren't supposed to go further than the tow hitch into the water the dumper could possibly get trailer deeper without machine being compromised.

 

Not sure why 80's machines are being used over the older fordson type except they are 4x4

[HDAV]

So dumper idea is getting some traction, what sort of money? What sort of maintenance cost per annum for a reasonable 6T type without a scoop 4wd with decent tyres any to avoid?

 

Would this be ok? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/332293678949

Edited July 12, 2017 by HDAV