Message Forums

Quote: Originally posted by snowy747 on 12/6/2007

---

Tractors are a massive nuisance, on the way back from Devon the other day we sat behind one from Honiton until nearly Ilminster and on that same road there were 3 in the space of a couple of miles last week.  Arrrgghhh, never had a caravan hold me up for so long nor be so ignorant with miles of cars behind it.

Ali

---

Snowy.....I think I know the tractors you mean, I'm sure we were in the same queue.  You only get one driver thats too scared to go past them on something less than a four lane road and you're stuck there forever. 

Mind you, the drivers of said tractors are NOT oblivious to the miles of traffic behind them, I'm convinced they do it on purpose

Jenny

Quote: Originally posted by Belinda H on 13/6/2007

---

perhaps we could make a convoy and drive up and down the M54 annoying people trying to go to Wales!!!

---

Changing the subject, I worked on the M54 when it was being constructed, in the Resident Engineer's offices.  I left in 1974 to have my youngest son. I've often wondered if it was ever finished,,,there were so many occasions when construction was stopped for one thing or another, we all thought we'd be getting a pension

Jenny

I enjoy my caravan a lot, but i understand why people get upset when there stuck behind a slow vehicle.

Please tow responsibly, and get a moove on. If you are not confident towing go on a course and learn to do it properly.

If you must tow slow watch your mirrors and pull over frequently so that faster traffic can pass.

Please dont screw up my favorite hobby.

Quote: Originally posted by Dorset Belle on 15/6/2007

---

Quote: Originally posted by snowy747 on 12/6/2007

---

Tractors are a massive nuisance, on the way back from Devon the other day we sat behind one from Honiton until nearly Ilminster and on that same road there were 3 in the space of a couple of miles last week.  Arrrgghhh, never had a caravan hold me up for so long nor be so ignorant with miles of cars behind it.

Ali

---

Snowy.....I think I know the tractors you mean, I'm sure we were in the same queue.  You only get one driver thats too scared to go past them on something less than a four lane road and you're stuck there forever. 

Mind you, the drivers of said tractors are NOT oblivious to the miles of traffic behind them, I'm convinced they do it on purpose

Jenny

---

Of course they don't do it on purpose, they're out there for a reason the same as the rest of us. I fail to see how you can compare the road speed of a Tractor with any vehicle towing any kind of trailer, be it a caravan or anything else. The problem with the comparison is, tractors only reach a reasonable road speed in very few cases due to the nature of the work they do. Only a few along with a few diggers are fitted with higher ratio running gear to give a higher road speed.

In defence of Tractor drivers, they're stuck between the devil & the deep blue sea, they, the same as the rest of us, have a job to do, none of us want to be stuck behind anything but, they can't spend all day sat in a passing place to allow vehicles past. If they pull in to wait for this to happen, they have to wait until they can pull back out, if this takes 5 minutes every time, they'll lose an hour a week in no time.

It's the same for me in my lorry, I'm restrited to 40mph on single carriageway roads & the amount of cars that take serious risks to get past me is unbelievable. I'll pull in now & then but only if it suits me to do it. I can't be the only caravanning lorry driver who sees this most days. Courtesy of the road is a thing of the past & we're all much worse off because of it.

BB   

Highway code

145: Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

I am not talking about a tractor that pulls out for a short space of time I am talking about a tractor that travelled for some 7 or 8 miles passing several convenient pullover places on the main A road between London and the West Country on a busy weekend.

I live in the countryside, I encounter slow moving farm vehicles all the time and I have no problem sitting behind them and cows/sheep that are being moved etc but what I saw that day was not in the spirit of the above section of the Highway Code for sure!

Ali

I wasn't comparing tractors to caravans either, I was actually being pro caravans because I said I've never felt one was holding me up but tractors on the other hand.....

Ali

If you keep a speed up to the road restrictions like 30mph

40mph then in theory no one should be passing you surely.

I think it is commonsense really what I do as a matter of

courtesy is if there are about three to four cars behind I start

looking for a place to pull over slow down etc for them to pass

you usually have to signal and wave em on though,once on a

long straight wide road I indicated left pulling over and slowing

down a line of traffic behind no one passing I even came to a stop

then got out and found the whole lot of them stopped the first car

a woman stuck staring ahead as if in a trance ".cum on duck "

(yorkshire) I shouts whereupon she came to life and glared at me

and I waved her on, the other drivers smiling as they eventually passed

Your stupid say's my wife your gonna cause an accident one day:--so

you can only try I suppose!!