[Farmgirl22]

HAHA! Growing up on a farm you deal with more than your fair share of crazy drivers. My personal favorite is when people weave back and forth trying to decide when to pass... People can't STAND just staying behind a tractor/combine that is on the road...NEWSFLASH!!!! IF there is room to pass, FARMERS WILL move over for you to get by!!! Getting huffy back there and trying to pass when it's obvious you can't just makes the farmer mad and endangers the LIVES of EVERYONE on the road. Think about that the next time you end up behind a tractor or other farm equipment. The roads MUST be shared, and in rural areas, most farmers paid more to use them than YOU do, so keep that in mind if you have retorts about them "going a different route" or "shouldn't be on the road anyway" ....even in town there's a good chance they paid more for the roadways than you did.

Johnny--I don't have a problem with bikers, but sometimes you guys just sneak up on us!! When we lived in the college town, there were a lot of bikers on the road--with all those hills, you couldn't see them until you were nearly on top of them, my pickup had brakes, but they only stop so fast when there is a biker in the middle of the lane and I'm coming down a hill at the speed limit behind them. There was a decent shoulder, I don't understand why the biker wasn't on it instead of the lane--in an area where there were hills--because they HAD to have known that they weren't visible until someone was right up on them. I'd have never forgiven myself if I'd have hit him....

I've also driven a semi--ANYONE know how fast a semi can actually STOP???? I'm willing to bet you don't. Pretend that they only STOP as fast as they START!! It's not accurate, but from now on, pretend that it is when you are encountering a truck. They can't stop on a dime, and if you drive a teensy car, there's a REALLY GOOD chance they CAN'T SEE YOU!! And DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE NO-ZONE!!! Here's a picture in case you don't know what that is.

[BlackSpike]

Farmgirl: While I agree with most of your post, there is one part I disagree with.
The price people pay to use the roads is irrelevant to how people do or should drive. We should all pay our fair share, and use the roads fairly. Farmers can use any route they like, as can I.
I will not be giving priority to someone who paid more road-tax. I will be giving priority to people who legally have the priority, and those who are driving safely. I will be giving lower priority to those who are driving dangerously or discourteously.

[BlackSpike]

I wish there was some kind of law to stop cheap cars being on the roads.
You know the ones I mean; the ones driven by people too miserly to pay for yellow flashing indicator lights, or sliding-scale accelerators (rather than the full-speed-or-nothing they go for). The ones with headlights that don't come on until it is pitch-black. The ones that do not seem to have rear-view mirrors, or so small that they need large dangly objects on them to show the driver where it is.

Or did I miss something?

[bill.aam]

Originally Posted by Farmgirl22

HAHA! Growing up on a farm you deal with more than your fair share of crazy drivers. My personal favorite is when people weave back and forth trying to decide when to pass... People can't STAND just staying behind a tractor/combine that is on the road...NEWSFLASH!!!! IF there is room to pass, FARMERS WILL move over for you to get by!!! Getting huffy back there and trying to pass when it's obvious you can't just makes the farmer mad and endangers the LIVES of EVERYONE on the road. Think about that the next time you end up behind a tractor or other farm equipment. The roads MUST be shared, and in rural areas, most farmers paid more to use them than YOU do, so keep that in mind if you have retorts about them "going a different route" or "shouldn't be on the road anyway" ....even in town there's a good chance they paid more for the roadways than you did.

I agree, after living in rural SW Michigan, (now in rural central Florida) you see it all the time. The farmers would go out of their way when possible to let traffic pass... Just show some patience…

Craig Morgan - International Harvester


I’m the son of a third generation farmer
I’ve been married 10 years to the farmer’s daughter
I'm a God fearing hardworking combine driver
Hogging up the road on my p-p-p-p-plower
Clug-a-lug-a-lugin 5 miles an hour
On my International Harvester.

3 miles of cars laying on their horns
Falling on deaf ears of corn
Lined up behind me like a big parade
Late to work, road rage jerks
Shouting obscene words flippin me the bird

Well you maybe be on a state paved road
But that blacktop runs through my pay load
Excuse me for trying to do my job
But this year ain't been no bumper crop
If you don't like the way I'm a driving
Get back on the interstate
Otherwise sit tight and be nice
And quit your honking at me that way

Cause I’m the son of a 3rd generation farmer
I've been married 10 years to the farmer’s daughter
I got 2 boys in the county 4-H
I'm a lifetime sponsor of the FFA
Hey that's what I make I make a lot of Hay for a little pay
But I'm proud to say
I'm a God fearing hardworking combine driver
Hogging up the road on my p-p-p-p-plower
Clug-a-lug-a-lugin 5 miles an hour
On my International Harvester.

More...

[poochee]

Originally Posted by BlackSpike

I wish there was some kind of law to stop cheap cars being on the roads.
You know the ones I mean; the ones driven by people too miserly to pay for yellow flashing indicator lights, or sliding-scale accelerators (rather than the full-speed-or-nothing they go for). The ones with headlights that don't come on until it is pitch-black. The ones that do not seem to have rear-view mirrors, or so small that they need large dangly objects on them to show the driver where it is.

Or did I miss something?

Curious...what make of car is that?

[BlackSpike]

Originally Posted by poochee

Curious...what make of car is that?

Mainly BMWs, from my experience.

[Farmgirl22]

Originally Posted by BlackSpike

Farmgirl: While I agree with most of your post, there is one part I disagree with.
The price people pay to use the roads is irrelevant to how people do or should drive. We should all pay our fair share, and use the roads fairly. Farmers can use any route they like, as can I.
I will not be giving priority to someone who paid more road-tax. I will be giving priority to people who legally have the priority, and those who are driving safely. I will be giving lower priority to those who are driving dangerously or discourteously.

I agree, however, I merely was pointing that out for those people who think that farmers don't have any business on roadways for whatever reason--but I've actually HEARD people comment that farmers don't have any right to the roadways because "they NEVER have to pay taxes, they just write it all off.....blah, blah, blah". Does that make it make more sense now? I dunno, like I said, it's just something I've actually heard as a reason why farmers should be banned from roadways. I always like reading your posts...

[Farmgirl22]

Originally Posted by BlackSpike

I wish there was some kind of law to stop cheap cars being on the roads.
You know the ones I mean; the ones driven by people too miserly to pay for yellow flashing indicator lights, or sliding-scale accelerators (rather than the full-speed-or-nothing they go for). The ones with headlights that don't come on until it is pitch-black. The ones that do not seem to have rear-view mirrors, or so small that they need large dangly objects on them to show the driver where it is.

Or did I miss something?

I think that would be bad--but I think that the ones with "tape" flapping in the breeze that was supposed to be covering a light is just as bad. I hate it when people drive around with "wrecks" that they haven't fixed and parts are missing, falling off, or "band-aid"-ed....those always cause more trouble. People either need to get full coverage or just not drive--it's pretty simple really...if you can't afford full-coverage, you can't afford to drive. PERIOD. ***If you don't drive a vehicle but maybe once a year (during snow or whatever) it's OK to have liability only--but if you can't afford to fix any boo-boos, then the full-coverage is a MUST!

*On a side note: I HATE, HATE, HATE!!!! Retreads on semis--they are also an accident waiting to happen.... They should be banned as well.

Originally Posted by bill.aam

I agree, after living in rural SW Michigan, (now in rural central Florida) you see it all the time. The farmers would go out of their way when possible to let traffic pass... Just show some patience…

You know that, and I know that--but so many others have their heads too far up their butts to know much of anything about it.

[BlackSpike]

Originally Posted by Farmgirl22

I agree, however, I merely was pointing that out for those people who think that farmers don't have any business on roadways for whatever reason--but I've actually HEARD people comment that farmers don't have any right to the roadways because "they NEVER have to pay taxes, they just write it all off.....blah, blah, blah". Does that make it make more sense now? I dunno, like I said, it's just something I've actually heard as a reason why farmers should be banned from roadways. I always like reading your posts...

I've not heard these type of comments before. OK, makes a little more sense now.
Here in UK, I do not agree with a lot of the farm subsidies, or how they are managed.
But his has nothing to do with people driving on public roads.
People who make the comments you refer to are just looking for en excuse to save that 10-seconds off their journey. Bigoted, arrogant fools. Dangerous, too.
Reminds me of the village I recently visited, where apparently a new family was complaining about the amount of mud on the roads, and how it was spoiling the picturesque scene ... the rest of the village work at the 3 farms, or supporting infrastructure! It's a Farm Village! The tractors go into muddy fields to grow the food you eat! You don't like it, scrape it up yourself!

[Farmgirl22]

Originally Posted by BlackSpike

I've not heard these type of comments before. OK, makes a little more sense now.
Here in UK, I do not agree with a lot of the farm subsidies, or how they are managed.
But his has nothing to do with people driving on public roads.
People who make the comments you refer to are just looking for en excuse to save that 10-seconds off their journey. Bigoted, arrogant fools. Dangerous, too.
Reminds me of the village I recently visited, where apparently a new family was complaining about the amount of mud on the roads, and how it was spoiling the picturesque scene ... the rest of the village work at the 3 farms, or supporting infrastructure! It's a Farm Village! The tractors go into muddy fields to grow the food you eat! You don't like it, scrape it up yourself!

LOL! I was thinking "pay to pave it then!"...

That kind of ignorance abounds--and no amount of explaining helps....some people are just stubborn morons when it comes to this sort of thing.

FWIW, I don't know anything about the "farm subsidies" in the UK--however, in the U.S., it may SEEM like farmers get too many breaks and whatnot, but if it's keeping them in the business (whereas if there weren't any subsidies or breaks) they would be collecting welfare--which adds to our taxes later, or another corporate farm takes over--which adds to our grocery bills (because no one but a farmer is willing live on basically nothing and make it work), or whatever the ending situation might be--I think we're better off with all of our strange and sometimes confusing "farm programs".

[BlackSpike]

The roads ARE paved ... but sometimes covered with mud from tractor-wheels, or falling off muck-spreading trucks. And there are cockerels that crow early in the morning too! The inconsiderate beasts! And those braying cattle should be taught to keep quiet until I'm at work!

Some of the ideas behind our subsidies are good, and helps us to keep a reliable food-supply. But when there are stories of people being paid to grow food just to throw it away (Not allowed to sell it!), and being paid NOT to grow food ... it looks kinda silly ...

but if it's keeping them in the business (whereas if there weren't any subsidies or breaks) they would be collecting welfare--which adds to our taxes later,

Or they might get another job ... we have closed down ALL of our steel-mills and ALL of our coal mines ... yet very few of those that worked there claim welfare now. OK, they did for a while, but one argument is that it is cheaper to buy cheaper coal/steel from abroad, and pay welfare out of the savings than to employ people in inefficient industries.

[twinofangelize56]

Just remembered another situation! I live in a Rural area. There is this particular intersection…. Where one road has stop signs where the pavement ends on the other side….. turns to gravel road. The crossroad does NOT stop! Both have speed limits of 55 mph. Not sure of exact statistics…. But this intersection has had a few fatalities and scores of accidents! I have had a few close calls myself…. Once where I learned for the first time about ABS in my car! On dry pavement… I have come to hate ABS! On ice…. First time I had it kick in…. Wow! It was all good! Just had to remember to keep my foot on the brake pedal!

Accidents were blamed on people not being familiar with the area! Although people from the area were involved in both types of accidents… fatal and injury!

The road that does NOT stop is a curved road. The road that has the stop signs goes straight across.

Anyway…. After the last fatality (it must have reached its quota) they finally put up these huge signs stating that CROSS ROAD DOES NOT STOP. They did have the STOP AHEAD signs along with the STOP signs at the corners. (That obviously wasn’t working!)

Oh…. The important part….. They reengineered the intersection! The road that doesn’t stop heads East/West (A State Highway). The road that has the stop signs heads North/South. They put in a turn lane on the highway that doesn’t stop heading East. This way…. If you did stop at the stop sign heading North…. You could look and see that someone was going to keep going straight and wait! That’s the idea anyway! And they banked the curves nearing the intersections from both directions on the highway that doesn’t stop! It seems like a long way across the non-stop highway now at the top!

I have now had 2 very close calls at that reengineered intersection! As I was approaching from the West… heading East and wanting to continue PAST the intersection….driving in the designated MIDDLE lane at that point indicating I was going straight and NOT going to turn…. Cars were at the stop sign STOPPED…. Then they saw me coming…. Broad daylight!!!!….. They pulled right out!!!! These people have obviously misjudged the width of the two lanes they must cross now in order to make it into the lane they want to be in!!!! Luckily… I had room to maneuver to avoid slamming into them broadside! I am quite sure that as close as I felt I came to hitting them….. those 2 particular drivers have now learned NOT to do that again!!!!

I have also watched others pull out in front of cars in the exact situation! Brakes screeching…. Horns honking…. Why aren’t these people waiting until it is clear?

I travel these roads on the way to (and from) work and town every day! That intersection gets my undivided attention at all times!

[BlackSpike]

Originally Posted by BlackSpike

I wish there was some kind of law to stop cheap cars being on the roads.
You know the ones I mean; the ones driven by people too miserly to pay for yellow flashing indicator lights, or sliding-scale accelerators (rather than the full-speed-or-nothing they go for). The ones with headlights that don't come on until it is pitch-black. The ones that do not seem to have rear-view mirrors, or so small that they need large dangly objects on them to show the driver where it is.

Or did I miss something?

Just to clarify, this was actually a joke, at the expense of those who drive expensive cars, yet refuse to use indicators etc.

[Farmgirl22]

Originally Posted by Farmgirl22

...however, in the U.S., it may SEEM like farmers get too many breaks and whatnot, but if it's keeping them in the business (whereas if there weren't any subsidies or breaks) they would be collecting welfare--which adds to our taxes later, or another corporate farm takes over--which adds to our grocery bills (because no one but a farmer is willing live on basically nothing and make it work), or whatever the ending situation might be--I think we're better off with all of our strange and sometimes confusing "farm programs".

They probably would get another job--lazy people don't generally make enough effort to try their hand at farming...but, you left out my "or"s....

Originally Posted by BlackSpike

The roads ARE paved ... but sometimes covered with mud from tractor-wheels, or falling off muck-spreading trucks. And there are cockerels that crow early in the morning too! The inconsiderate beasts! And those braying cattle should be taught to keep quiet until I'm at work!

My laptop nearly suffered a fatality as I nearly spewed water on it when I started laughing. LOL!

Originally Posted by BlackSpike

Some of the ideas behind our subsidies are good, and helps us to keep a reliable food-supply. But when there are stories of people being paid to grow food just to throw it away (Not allowed to sell it!), and being paid NOT to grow food ... it looks kinda silly ...

Or they might get another job ... we have closed down ALL of our steel-mills and ALL of our coal mines ... yet very few of those that worked there claim welfare now. OK, they did for a while, but one argument is that it is cheaper to buy cheaper coal/steel from abroad, and pay welfare out of the savings than to employ people in inefficient industries.

Why on earth would you do something like that? What is the point of wasting it? Our "crop insurance" sometimes does that kind of crap here--when there's nothing out there to cut, and you get full reimbursement, they want you to waste fuel to cut it....if there's a pretty decent crop out there with some hail damage that you want to collect on, it seems like you have to wait so long for them to show up that you can't cut any of it--but will they reimburse you for it? Nope.

Originally Posted by BlackSpike

Just to clarify, this was actually a joke, at the expense of those who drive expensive cars, yet refuse to use indicators etc.

Ah, I see. Must be a blonde day for me. Happens a lot.

[Bush Lady]

When we had cattle here. We use to haul hay from other places because our farm doesn't have enough arable land. We were driving with the tractor along the highway with a large wagon of hay behind the tractor. Anyone that has ever hauled hay, knows that the person on the tractor can't see a thing behind them. We were driving along the side of the highway. Half on the gravel and half on the highway. After about 1.5 miles, we would have to make a left turn, so we had to try to get on the highway to make a left turn.

Drivers are so ignorant. They will not give the farmer any chance to get out on the highway.

What we started doing later is I would follow the tractor and the hay wagon. I would then come out on the highway before the tractor, blocking the road so the people behind have to stay behind us. Then the person on the tractor doesn't have to worry that someone is going to hit his tractor or the hay wagon.

But that didn't always work. If you happen to be doing your hauling on the civic holiday weekend in August. When the highway is full of cars. There are always drivers that think they can just run the tractor off the road. They will go right to left on the gravel on the other side of the highway just to pass.

Some dirivers will pass you on the left, in a blind corner. They can kill themselves, but leave me out of it.