Basic tractor questions

The Ruminant

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Hertfordshire
What are the rules and restrictions when towing with a tractor? I’ve an old Ford 4000, what’s the maximum trailer weight I can pull with this and is there a length restriction? What about brakes?

As a separate and even more basic question (I’m a true dog & stick farmer..) what harm does leaving the ignition light lit do, once you’ve pulled the stop button, if any?

Thanks
 

Cowabunga

Member
Location
Ceredigion,Wales
Anything over approximately 500kgs towed needs to have effective brakes actuated from the tractor when taken on any road. Very old factory manufactured trailers will have hand operated brakes which never were properly or adequately effective but were a box ticking exercise in my opinion.
I do not believe that there is any weight or length restriction which would worry you but it is a light tractor and a 5 ton 11'X 6'6" trailer is as big and heavy as is sensible behind it. Beware on grassy or slippery condition because if the tractor lacks hydraulic trailer brakes or they are not coupled to the trailer, you will only have the rear wheels of the tractor braking, which is often as good as useless. Worse. As are unbalanced, badly adjusted brakes on the tractor. Also well adjusted brakes should have the pedals linked together for most trailer work and it is a statutory requirement for use on the public roads.

These factory trailers were commonly fitted with a three foot extension and gates at either end for small bale carting and you could easily load 100 bales aboard. You can still buy such trailers with hydraulic brakes from the likes of Marshal.

If you leave the ignition switch on you will eventually get a flat battery. As simple as that.
 

The Ruminant

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Hertfordshire
Anything over approximately 500kgs towed needs to have effective brakes actuated from the tractor when taken on any road. Very old factory manufactured trailers will have hand operated brakes which never were properly or adequately effective but were a box ticking exercise in my opinion.
I do not believe that there is any weight or length restriction which would worry you but it is a light tractor and a 5 ton 11'X 6'6" trailer is as big and heavy as is sensible behind it. Beware on grassy or slippery condition because if the tractor lacks hydraulic trailer brakes or they are not coupled to the trailer, you will only have the rear wheels of the tractor braking, which is often as good as useless. Worse. As are unbalanced, badly adjusted brakes on the tractor. Also well adjusted brakes should have the pedals linked together for most trailer work and it is a statutory requirement for use on the public roads.

These factory trailers were commonly fitted with a three foot extension and gates at either end for small bale carting and you could easily load 100 bales aboard. You can still buy such trailers with hydraulic brakes from the likes of Marshal.

If you leave the ignition switch on you will eventually get a flat battery. As simple as that.
Perfect, thank you
 

Cowabunga

Member
Location
Ceredigion,Wales
If on the public road, you need lights. Since almost no 4000 were fitted with indicators or brake lights, these are not required by law for road use with this tractor. However it is 'highly' recommended that you fit big very visible indicators to the tractor and trailer on roads these days, otherwise you are asking for trouble. Safety First!
If you don't take the tractor on any two lane roads, I wouldn't worry about it because nothing could overtake you anyway.
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
If on the public road, you need lights. Since almost no 4000 were fitted with indicators or brake lights, these are not required by law for road use with this tractor. However it is 'highly' recommended that you fit big very visible indicators to the tractor and trailer on roads these days, otherwise you are asking for trouble. Safety First!
If you don't take the tractor on any two lane roads, I wouldn't worry about it because nothing could overtake you anyway.

:ROFLMAO:
 

essexpete

Member
Location
Essex
Herts is quite a busy county I would have thought and I think operating on the road with out indicators might be asking for trouble. Should not be that difficult to fit.
Is the tractor fitted with a pickup hitch or just a drawbar?
 

Cowabunga

Member
Location
Ceredigion,Wales
Herts is quite a busy county I would have thought and I think operating on the road with out indicators might be asking for trouble. Should not be that difficult to fit.
Is the tractor fitted with a pickup hitch or just a drawbar?
Once out of my unclassified minor road onto the A trunk road I would not dare drive without indicators even with a legacy tractor. They can be fitted to both tractor and to a trailer socket on the tractor but it will likely require a competent mechanic/auto-electrician to wire it all up properly.
A number plate is actually required on the back of the trailer no matter what the age of the tractor and, of course the tractor should be registered with road tax done [no cost] and most importantly, be insured. A lot of old tractors are no longer registered and not insured. If an accident with a third party occurred, no matter who's fault, if these basic things are not in place, the s**t would hit the fan and splatter.
 

The Ruminant

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Hertfordshire
Herts is quite a busy county I would have thought and I think operating on the road with out indicators might be asking for trouble. Should not be that difficult to fit.
Is the tractor fitted with a pickup hitch or just a drawbar?
I bought a new pickup hitch for it, from an engineering company in Ireland, which in very pleased with. You’re right about Herts being quite a busy county!!
 

The Ruminant

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Hertfordshire
Once out of my unclassified minor road onto the A trunk road I would not dare drive without indicators even with a legacy tractor. They can be fitted to both tractor and to a trailer socket on the tractor but it will likely require a competent mechanic/auto-electrician to wire it all up properly.
A number plate is actually required on the back of the trailer no matter what the age of the tractor and, of course the tractor should be registered with road tax done [no cost] and most importantly, be insured. A lot of old tractors are no longer registered and not insured. If an accident with a third party occurred, no matter who's fault, if these basic things are not in place, the s**t would hit the fan and splatter.
I’m lucky, this was registered and I’ve insured it. Am I right in thinking the number plate doesn’t necessarily have to match the actual vehicle, as agricultural trailers can switch from tractor to tractor through the day?
 
Anything over approximately 500kgs towed needs to have effective brakes actuated from the tractor when taken on any road. Very old factory manufactured trailers will have hand operated brakes which never were properly or adequately effective but were a box ticking exercise in my opinion.
I do not believe that there is any weight or length restriction which would worry you but it is a light tractor and a 5 ton 11'X 6'6" trailer is as big and heavy as is sensible behind it. Beware on grassy or slippery condition because if the tractor lacks hydraulic trailer brakes or they are not coupled to the trailer, you will only have the rear wheels of the tractor braking, which is often as good as useless. Worse. As are unbalanced, badly adjusted brakes on the tractor. Also well adjusted brakes should have the pedals linked together for most trailer work and it is a statutory requirement for use on the public roads.

These factory trailers were commonly fitted with a three foot extension and gates at either end for small bale carting and you could easily load 100 bales aboard. You can still buy such trailers with hydraulic brakes from the likes of Marshal.

If you leave the ignition switch on you will eventually get a flat battery. As simple as that.
Is anything over 500kg illegal to take on the road without brakes or are you suggesting it as a sensible limit for that tractor?

I've often wondered about the legality of balers etc that are rarely fitted with brakes out of the factory. They're also only fitted with basic brake/tail/indicator combos with no fog lights.
 

tim@marford

Member
Location
Hertfordshire
I’m lucky, this was registered and I’ve insured it. Am I right in thinking the number plate doesn’t necessarily have to match the actual vehicle, as agricultural trailers can switch from tractor to tractor through the day?
I think it does have to match one vehicle registered to you. Not necessarily the one pulling.

Uncovered bale spikes have been known to draw attention!
 

Cowabunga

Member
Location
Ceredigion,Wales
Is anything over 500kg illegal to take on the road without brakes or are you suggesting it as a sensible limit for that tractor?

I've often wondered about the legality of balers etc that are rarely fitted with brakes out of the factory. They're also only fitted with basic brake/tail/indicator combos with no fog lights.


It is a sensible limit and is the legal limit for a car and tractor trailer. The way that balers have got away with it is that they are classed as being an 'implement' rather than a trailer. More and more balers are now fitted with brakes though.
 

Crex

Member
Location
Innse Gall, Alba
Is anything over 500kg illegal to take on the road without brakes or are you suggesting it as a sensible limit for that tractor?

I've often wondered about the legality of balers etc that are rarely fitted with brakes out of the factory. They're also only fitted with basic brake/tail/indicator combos with no fog lights.
Isn't there some difference in rules between a towed implement (the baler) and a trailer?
 
Isn't there some difference in rules between a towed implement (the baler) and a trailer?
I didn't know that. I assumed if it had wheels of its own and you towed it along it would be a "trailer". Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to treat them differently. If it weighs three tons and it's attached to the back of you, it's going to take the same amount of stopping whether it's a baler or an empty grain trailer.
 
Once out of my unclassified minor road onto the A trunk road I would not dare drive without indicators even with a legacy tractor. They can be fitted to both tractor and to a trailer socket on the tractor but it will likely require a competent mechanic/auto-electrician to wire it all up properly.
A number plate is actually required on the back of the trailer no matter what the age of the tractor and, of course the tractor should be registered with road tax done [no cost] and most importantly, be insured. A lot of old tractors are no longer registered and not insured. If an accident with a third party occurred, no matter who's fault, if these basic things are not in place, the s**t would hit the fan and splatter.
A number plate isn’t necessarily required on the trailer, if a number plate is displayed on both sides of the tractor one isn’t needed on the trailer.
This is a relatively little known fact despite the fact it comes up on here from time to time although as has been pointed out before it’s also probably practicaly unheard of by the police so they may well pull you for no number plate on the trailer and you’ll have a hard time convincing them one isn’t necessarily needed..
So whilst displaying plates on the side of the tractor rather than the rear of the trailer may be perfectly legal, it may not be worth the hassle
 

Cowabunga

Member
Location
Ceredigion,Wales
A number plate isn’t necessarily required on the trailer, if a number plate is displayed on both sides of the tractor one isn’t needed on the trailer.
This is a relatively little known fact despite the fact it comes up on here from time to time although as has been pointed out before it’s also probably practicaly unheard of by the police so they may well pull you for no number plate on the trailer and you’ll have a hard time convincing them one isn’t necessarily needed..
So whilst displaying plates on the side of the tractor rather than the rear of the trailer may be perfectly legal, it may not be worth the hassle
You are perfectly correct but in the last 50 years I have only ever seen one tractor that I can just about recall with number plates on the side of its bonnet.
 
I didn't know that. I assumed if it had wheels of its own and you towed it along it would be a "trailer". Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to treat them differently. If it weighs three tons and it's attached to the back of you, it's going to take the same amount of stopping whether it's a baler or an empty grain trailer.
There’s some rather bizarre laws regarding trailed implements, adding something like a dribble bar/injector to the back of a vaccy tank makes it a trailed implement which it would seem means the weight limits null and void , hence you see some rather large tankers on the road which are way in excess of the legal weight of a trailer
 

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