Driving on the streets

Does any one know if its lawful for me to drive my tractor on the city streets here in Milwaukee? I would like to drive the allis chalmers over to my mother in laws to clear snow out of the alley. Its about 3 miles to get there. I have head and tail lights and a triangle on the back. I've asked diffrent cop's most say they wouldent bother me, but there is one that said she would site me because a farm tractor don't belong on city streets.

If you're going to plow snow, your industrial, not farm- and have as much right to travel on the streets as the city backhoes, etc. Cops might not buy that, but I'll bet the judge would dismiss the case if you get a ticket.

I don't know about your state, but in Alabama if you are in an accident, you better have insurance coverage.

(quoted from post at 09:08:35 12/03/08) but there is one that said she would site me because a farm tractor don't belong on city streets.

Click to expand...

Wait a week and ask her again..............

When I take a tractor down the road, my wife always insists on following in our SUV with the hazard lights on. If nothing else it gives better visibility and a much bigger crumple zone than the tractor can provide. As long as you obay the same laws as the rest of the traffic you should be fine.

As long as the ag machine isn"t over weight, over width or over height Has the proper warning lights, slow moving sign and doesn"t exceed 25mph. And stays off limited access high speed roads.
You can drive your tractor anywhere you want provided you are over 16 yrs age and hav"t lost a driver liscence due to boozing or medical issues.
Insurance is always a good idea.

You have to have a license to drive a tractor here. Regular car license is OK until (I think) 80HP or a biga$$ combine...... Vehicle has to be licensed also and insured.

I live in a Wisconsin city of 9000 people and drive my H Farmall to the gas station, go get a haircut, and one time even to a coffee shop downtown where I parallel parked with other cars/pickups.
That got a lot of lookers.

When I meet a cop they usually wave and grin. You MUST have an SMV on the rear. Cops prefer not to mess with ag type vehicles.

The one thing about gas stations though, as you gas up, there will always be someone who wants to look your tractor over and talk about "when I was on the farm". I"ve met a couple friends this way.

Use commom sense when driving; stay well to the right so cars can pass you easily. If you keep driving in the regular lane and cars build up behind you then you can get some very irritated people...just move over to the right so they can pass by. AND, stay off any 4-lane high-speed hwys because you can be "dead right".

That young woman cop needs some reality lessons. An Allis on the streets of Milwaukee?? My God, Milwaukee is the home of Allis Chalmers. I used to live in Milwaukee as a teenager, and the lady next door worked as an overhead crane operator in the Allis tractor plant. She was a pretty fiesty German who would take apart anyone (cops included) who crossed her path. I even learned some of my language skills from her, some of it might have been German. Dang, the history of Milwaukee is filled with Allis chapters. Now I think this cop lady might have a better chance of making a ticket stick if you were driving a Minneapolis Moline.

Hey is Milwaukee still plowing snow with city garbage trucks like they did in the 50's? All the garbage trucks were fitted with snow blades, and when it snowed, the garbage just sat for days until the trucks had finished all the streets and alleys. They had quite a fleet of flat face (curved front) White trucks with a big garbage body and a 9 or 10 ft blade on the front. I have plowed snow commercially for 45 years, and I just can't imagine plowing with a top heavy compactor body on the darn truck.

Tell cop lady to chill out, she's impeeding progress and messing with history. They have unemployment lines full of people like her, and the job prospects are not good. No Milwaukee judge is going to take down an Allis man, there is just too much union history to mess with.

Take care, it has been fun to reminisse a bit.

Paul in MN (just a bit west of Minneapolis)

Hereabouts, cities and towns contract with farmers to come in with their tractors and blades to pitch in with snow removal.

I assume they need proof of liability insurance, but I've never heard of licensing requirements.

Call your auto insurance company and see if they will sell you liability insurance. Mine wouldn't.
My agent also told me that if I was in an accident with another vehicle, it would be treated the same as with a fourwheeler.
Several years ago, I had CottonStates homeowners insurance that covered my tractor within five miles of my home. I don't know if it is offered today.
It just amazies me to see a piece of equipment on the road with a line of vehicles behind it, and the operator is not looking back. Why can't he pull off road and let them pass?

We used to move a fair amount of our machinery up through the heart of Mt. Vernon and Burlington all the time. We don't now because there are too many idiots on the road anymore. The only time I have ever been stopped was moving our Deere 4960 up Burlington Blvd and not moving off the road for a truck to pass me. I don't drive our tractors very far anymore, just put them up on the trailer and haul to wherever I need to go. Its a pain, but that's what we have to do here now.

Most of the time, our local cops just smile and wave, but there's one officer we keep our eyes peeled for.

i use to take kid's for a ride in my 715 IH combine around the south edge of detroit airport no one said any thing,the insides of the 715 were wore out so we just used it for driving around,use to come over to the shop and the 715 would be gone i would ask were is the 715 and some one would say o so and so is out riding around, they still farm right up to the south edge of the airport there.

Get it registered.I would suggest you could then legally put it on the road.

I live in Wauwatosa ( suburb of Milwaukee ) and see skid loaders, front end loaders, MT trackless, and utility tractors passing my house every snowstorm. Most of the front end loaders that have wide blades or push boxes have an escort vehicle following them.

In our county (Dearborn Cty) the county roads don't have a shoulder, most state highways don't have a shoulder, and even US 52 doesn't have a shoulder. There really isn't anyplace to go most of the time.