Motorists are reminded to follow all the safety rules when transporting or otherwise encountering farm equipment on area highways and roads.
According to Gordon Ellert, an Alberta Office of Traffic Safety regional traffic safety consultant, the maximum height of farm equipment that can be moved on a roadway cannot exceed 4.15 metres.
The length of farm equipment and its load cannot be longer than 23 metres and the width of a vehicle or trailer cannot exceed 2.6 metres.
However, a permit may be obtained if the load exceeds the requirements.
“The width can go up to 3.8 metres if it is being towed by a farm tractor and the trailer is being used to move farm operations materials from one farm or field to another farm, or from one portion of a farm or field to another portion of the farm or field,” Ellert said.
As well, if the load is wider than 2.6 metres, the operator is required to attach flags at the widest part of the vehicle during daylight, and warning lights in the dark.
Warning flags must be red or orange and rectangular in shape. The sides must be at least 16 inches long. Warning lights must be yellow at the front and red at the back.
A permit is not required if the width exceeds 2.6 metres when towing farm equipment with a tractor, or other self-propelled farm equipment, he said.
Ellert also reported that equipment operators need a permit for moving hay if the load is higher than 4.15 metres, or wider than 2.6 metres.
The same restrictions are in place for moving grain bins.
A pilot vehicle is recommended if the operator is hauling farm equipment wider than 3.85 metres.
If the operator is moving a load that hangs over the end of a vehicle or trailer more than 1.5 metres, a warning flag must be attached to the load. A slow moving vehicle sign is required when travelling slower than 40 km/hr.
Sundre RCMP corporal Ryan Hodge said most drivers in the area are patient when it comes to encountering farm equipment on highways.
He added most farm machinery operators are compliant when it comes to having their slow moving signs and lights on.
“There's definitely farm machinery that gets moved on the highways and down the roadways all the time and that's just part of living in a farming community,” said Hodge.
Asked what drivers should do when they pull up behind farm machinery on the highway, he said, “just slow down and wait to make sure that if they're going to pass it's clear and safe to do so, but otherwise just have some patience.”
For more information regarding permits, people are advised to call the Transport Engineering branch of Alberta Transportation at 1-800-662-7138.
