Our harvest crew had a little run in with the sheriff here in Hardin Montana tonight , seems a few people complained that we were moving our combines on the road with the headers still attached (we only went a distance of less than 1/2 mile on the hardtop) We have the proper harvest permits for Montana, which we understood allowed us special priviledges , such as moving oversized loads on the roads. Does anyone know if there is laws allowing oversized farm equipment to be transported on the roads? I know at home farm equipment is exempt from oversize laws , and always has the right of way. Is there any similar laws in Montana?

 

probilly should have had flaggers forward and rear ward of the combines to warn people of the oncoming slow moving combine. thats why they were probilly giving your greif.

 

Sorry Bro,
I am from MT, I have harvested a couple of times, and you need to take the header off. Sorry about that. It seems like the cops around montana don't have **** to do besides harass people too. They should be out looking for drugs and instead they are just trying to slow down the state's main economy. I really don't like montana cops, I love the state though. I have gotten more frivolous tickets there than anywhere else. I drive like a maniac around san diego regularly. 4 years no tickets. I drive nice around my hometown of Fairfield and Great Falls, I have like 8 tickets there, and that is just when I go home on leave. That is garbage if you ask me. Don't mess with MT cops, they are punks.

 

We did have pilot cars with beacons on both ends , and all the machines have multiple beacons on them.

Smoke pedal , do you know where i could look up a law that states somehow that we can or can not road the machines with the heads on?

P.S. We have 5 machines running just a little north of great falls , and the 3 machines down here wil be heading up that way within a week. If your going to be in the area within the next few weeks shoot me a PM.

 

This is as close as I could come with a minimal search.

"If the implement or vehicle is more than 12 1/2 feet wide, it must be preceded by flag vehicle escorts to warn other highway users. This restriction does not apply to dual-wheel tractors under 15 feet overall width that are used in farming operations or to movement on a county road within 100 miles of the farming operation of the owner of an implement of husbandry or a vehicle used for hauling hay. Lights that meet the requirements of 61-9-219(4) must be displayed on the rear of the implement of husbandry or vehicle used for hauling hay. However, if the highway passes through a hazardous area, the implements or vehicles must be preceded and followed by flag vehicle escorts unless the movement of the implements or vehicles is restricted to a county road within 100 miles of the farming operation of the owner."

Here is the web page I found this info on http://www.dmv.org/mt-montana/traffic-tickets.php http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/mca/61/10/61-10-102.htm You may just want to pick up the phone and talk to someone at the DOT or DMV.

 

Here's the entire Montana Code. I couldn't find anything requiring the removal of the headers prior to accessing the highway.

http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/mca_toc/index.htm

 

hehe, over here in Georgia, all farm equipment has the right of way, you have to yield to them, but mostly we will get over to the side of the road and slow down to let on-coming cars pass, and to let people behind by also.

 

Thanks for the help guys , i couldn't find anything that says we have to take the headers off due to width. I never did find anything about agricultural equipment having right of way no matter the width.

 

That I DID find.. You don't have the right of way. On two lane roads, you have to pull over when it's safe to do so to allow traffic to pass. On the larger roads, stay to the right, utilizing the shoulder as well.

 

I don't know about Montana, but in Ohio, a farmer can do anything he want's as far as wide loads go. Now us dealers, get the shaft If it is a "divisible load", like a comnine w/header, we have to get it narrow. Even tractors with duals The only exception is if we are going directly to a farm, we can haul it however We go to a lot of farms

Good luck...I would think Montana is big enough to move combines with headers around out there...we do it back here

Chris

 

All of the combines I see being moved around here have the heads on. I think you found someone that was bored or PO'd that day and just needed to show someone who was in charge.

 

Ditto on the bored and ****** off , i swear i could see where the cop had " I am in a bad mood" written on his forhead. We are running 36 and 40' heads , so it takes a rather large road to get far enough out of the way to let someone pass.