Post by Village Idiot on Oct 4, 2006 22:02:58 GMT -5
Iowans are used to slowing down to follow farm equipment on highways in the spring and fall, and the vast majority of us might find it an inconvenience, but we don't mind. It certainly has never bothered me in the past, but it's getting kind of annoying these days.
20 years ago, heck, even 5 years ago, slowing down for farm equipment wasn't a big deal. That's because it all fit in one lane of traffic, and could be passed.
I followed a convoy of stuff for 1/2 an hour today. In front was a truck towing a Lord-knows-how-many-row cornhead. Behind that was an enormous combine, (yes, Kook, it was green), behind that a gigantic tractor with extra tires on the front axles, towing the biggest gravity box I've seen in my life, set on running gear with tires as wide as my wingspan and taller than me.
The combine and the tractor took up both lanes of traffic. Fortunately they were tall enough that their flashing yellow lights warned on-coming traffic so they could pull off onto the shoulder or off on a gravel road. It was absolutely impossible for me to get around them, I was late enough to a school that I called them on my cell phone and told them I couldn't make it.
As far as I'm concerned, there is only one difference between farm equipment of today and of a few years ago: Size.
A tractor is still a tractor. A combine is still a combine, which is really a thresher that moves on it's own. The technology hasn't changed that much. And running gear is still a wagon, just so much larger.
Do we need all that huge stuff? I understand the extra tire to decrease soil compaction, and I understand why a corn head must be hauled sideways because it's so wide, but the only thing size is saving is time.
Smaller, more reasonable equipment would mean more passes through a field, and more trips to the elevator. And I do understand that the farms are bigger, it takes about 1,000 acres to make it now. But is all the huge (and expensive) stuff worth it? Is it necessary to cut harvest time in half?
I know lots of farmers who use the stuff that fits in one lane. They might take a bit longer getting the harvest in, but the job is still done. I just don't understand the deal with the giant equipment.
Paul, please tell me how wrong I am if I am.
20 years ago, heck, even 5 years ago, slowing down for farm equipment wasn't a big deal. That's because it all fit in one lane of traffic, and could be passed.
I followed a convoy of stuff for 1/2 an hour today. In front was a truck towing a Lord-knows-how-many-row cornhead. Behind that was an enormous combine, (yes, Kook, it was green), behind that a gigantic tractor with extra tires on the front axles, towing the biggest gravity box I've seen in my life, set on running gear with tires as wide as my wingspan and taller than me.
The combine and the tractor took up both lanes of traffic. Fortunately they were tall enough that their flashing yellow lights warned on-coming traffic so they could pull off onto the shoulder or off on a gravel road. It was absolutely impossible for me to get around them, I was late enough to a school that I called them on my cell phone and told them I couldn't make it.
As far as I'm concerned, there is only one difference between farm equipment of today and of a few years ago: Size.
A tractor is still a tractor. A combine is still a combine, which is really a thresher that moves on it's own. The technology hasn't changed that much. And running gear is still a wagon, just so much larger.
Do we need all that huge stuff? I understand the extra tire to decrease soil compaction, and I understand why a corn head must be hauled sideways because it's so wide, but the only thing size is saving is time.
Smaller, more reasonable equipment would mean more passes through a field, and more trips to the elevator. And I do understand that the farms are bigger, it takes about 1,000 acres to make it now. But is all the huge (and expensive) stuff worth it? Is it necessary to cut harvest time in half?
I know lots of farmers who use the stuff that fits in one lane. They might take a bit longer getting the harvest in, but the job is still done. I just don't understand the deal with the giant equipment.
Paul, please tell me how wrong I am if I am.
