Why is PA harassing farmers and their tractors?

At least this is what it seems to me, wasting tax payers money just to bust on the farmers.

Here is a link titled: "Berks farmers up in arms over new federal tractor rules" from the Reading Eagle
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=199872

I seem to recall something like this happening just about every year or am I mistaken, it may just be one or two idiots at the bottom of it & if they can be found out, vote them out.

I worked for my neighbor in his landscaping buisness when I was 15, used the 4 cyl kubota diesel w/6' mower. How far does heavy equipment go, kids mow grass all the time. Worry more about the kids driving a car at 16 and takeing a load of kids down the highway, 100 + mph, I knew about that in my younger days.

Thats just crazy. Pa. should tell feds , take your 8.7 million and stick. Starts in Pa. then what , rest of the country.

That is the most asinine thing I've ever heard! I was driving a '57 Massey Ferguson 65 when I was in 4th grade (and riding my '80 Yamaha GT-80 over to the farmer's house so I could drive the tractor!) He spent a lot of time "showing me the ropes" of brush hogging, plowing, cutting and raking hay. Once I really got the hang of it, we would go to a "job" and he might make the first few rounds just to make sure I didn't tear off the sicklebar cutter on a big rock or stump that he knew of, but then he would turn me loose and go do some other task for a while and come back when he figured I was about done. It was a great experience.

Shoot, I remember a high school kid who lost his driver's license and instead drove one of their farm tractors to school every day!

It continues to amaze me how stupid our politicians really are when they come up with this schiznit.

Yep and to think we vote these dumb asses in office. What we need to do is really start voting dumb asses in office and maybe they will get smart while there instead of the other way around.

From what I read the law pertains to truck being operated on roads. What's the uproar about? Unless I read this tidbit wrong I don't see a problem. You have to have your personal vehicles squared away with an inspection correct?

As for the hours of service regs, yeah, that's foolish as well as telling people their kids can't drive farm trucks around on their own land.

I will agree that the feds should butt out though.

cabinover wrote:From what I read the law pertains to truck being operated on roads. What's the uproar about?

These farms are usually quite large and they may be driving on small rural roads with them between fields or whatever. Those type of tucks usually have special agricultural plates and can travel up to X amount distance from the farm.

This is just another example of the government deciding what is right for you because they know better. Granted kids will be hurt operating this machinery but I think the educational benefit of outweighs that. Yes I said educational benefit. These are life skills they will carry with them forever and under the correct supervision gives them a jump start on operating machinery properly. I started driving stick shift when I was 13 or 14, my dad let me drive whenever the opportunity presented itself, I have about 1 million miles under my belt and no accidents. I prevented a lot of accidents others may have caused, early driving skills went a long way towards that.

With over a million miles logged myself I understand Richard. What I took out of this story was the part about pre-trip inspections. To me that's a good thing. Ever look at some of the vehicles on the road? And that goes especially for farm vehicles.

Don't get me wrong, I'm mostly all anti-government as anyone here can read from my posts. I also don't think the government pushing this will make a difference. I know many truck and school bus drivers that simply check off the book and go about their day never once even looking at the BLT (brakes, lights, and tires), the three biggies that DOT looks for first, let alone anything further under their vehicle.

I don't know, it's probably just a money scheme like everything else is from the government. They've beaten all the taxes out of them that are possible, now it's fines instead.

I have no problem with pretrip inspections and neither should anyone else. Are they a pain in the a$$? Yup, usually. However the one time you find some play in a drag link could be the day you save someone's life, maybe your own as well.

What a joke I was driving between farms and farm fields starting when i was 12...anything from a tractor to an F250 diesel........if govt doesnt complain and make legislation today they feel as though they arent doing their proper job at controlling the people and every aspect of our lives.....

In time you will have to buy a carbon offset to pass gas. Get used to it. Your masters have spoken.

I think this is part of their plan to ban ATV's, or any off-road equipment for that matter, by covering all the bases. Us off-roaders are evil, you know.

I started driving tractors when I was around 8 years old and cars and trucks not much later than that. When the family has a farm ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Bought my first truck when I was 14 and drove it home. I worked for several area farmers as a youngster and learned a lot doing that. I did anything from shoveling manure to plowing, planting, and harvesting. I've milked cows and picked fruit. I operated anything from a hammer to a Mack truck. Didn't need regulations then and don't need them now.

Just remember to pay your taxes so the libs can pay someone to make regulations for your own good and pay someone else to enforce them for your own good of course. If you don't care for their taxes and regulations and do your own thing like use common sense those same taxes will pay for someone to fine you till you capitulate or lock you up for your own good of course. Bit by little bit we are loosing control of our money and our lives. It is like an insidious disease. We have only the illusion of freedom. In fact we are becoming enslaved to the system and those who control it. They might put a happy face on it but if the progressive big government types get what they want everyone will suffer. They make promises so people will go along that they can't keep, but once they have the money and control it is too late. People really have no idea how ugly it can get. I think about what happened in the Ukraine, Cambodia, Armenia, Bosnia.........Think it can't happen here? Think again. What is the end game? I want to see a world where a 12 year old can drive a tractor with his father's permission. Keep the government the hell out of it!

I'm beginning to think it might have something to do with "Urban Sprawl" and with all the politician's and such, and those that think they are high and mighty, above the poor farmer. As the first time in about a year I drove through a farming area not far from my place and noticed a whole bunch of new homes... thought to myself, now I know why there seems to be more traffic on the road from what I remembered. And in this economy who can afford to build new homes, but those that are not from the farm area for sure, probably impatient "city folk" that hate to get behind a tractor or some other type of farm implement. The first thing I learned to operate was a tractor, I think it was a Farmall model H when I was in 4th grade, taught a couple of my sisters to drive a car in the fields... lol even in the fields was a bit scary.