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You might ck w/ your local state police post. Illlinois has a restriction which only allows farm tractors on roadways in conjunction with farming activities, (which a tractor "ride" is not). BUT, it is virtually never enforced. The catch is, since the activity is ILLEGAL in Illinois, if you have an incident or injury, your insurance carrier may walk away from you instantly. (625 ILCS 5/11‑1418) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 11‑1418) Sec. 11‑1418. Farm tractor operation regulated. No person shall operate a farm tractor on a highway unless the tractor is being used as an implement of husbandry in connection with farming operations. For the purpose of this Section, use of a farm tractor as an implement of husbandry in connection with farming operations shall be deemed to include use of the tractor in connection with the transportation of agricultural products and of farm machinery, equipment and supplies as well as transportation of the implement of husbandry from its place of purchase to its place of storage, in connection with the obtaining of repairs of the implement of husbandry, and the towing of a registered truck not more than 8,000 pounds for use as return transportation after the tractor is left at the place of work or repair. (Source: P.A. 87‑1028.) You have to give serious consideration to safety, if you decide to take the chance. You need to know what your local laws are. I have to admit, our club has had several rides, and we've involved local agencies to help us.. law enforcement and ESDA (emergency services and disaster agency... what used to be civil defense). They've assisted with traffic control and been very helpful. There have been several LARGE tractor rides in northern Illinois, which may or may not have received permits from the Dept. of Transportation, with no problems. We've recently had a ride that was almost entirely on private property, thru wooded lanes and set aside fields, and only incidentally on county roads. We stopped midway for a cookout and every one had a great time. If you can have one w/o getting crossways with the local constabulary, my best recommendations are:
1. stay away from busy county roads and towns.
2. put a pace tractor in front
3. set some requirements for minimum speed. Depending on the distance, old unstyled tractors w/ 5 mph top ends may not be a good idea. That's up to you.
4. Have someone pull a wagon carrying a tow chain, extra gas, a few tools, water, etc. Put them somewhere other than at the tail end if there are going to be passengers on the wagon.
5. schedule a stop along the way. Its nice if it can be at a collectors house where there are neat things to look at and discuss.
6. DO NOT ALLOW RIDERS ON THE TRACTORS! (unless there is a secure seat.) 7. Check the route and figure out how long it will take to complete it. Then add a cushion of time for problems. Don't start the drive unless you can complete it in daylight.
8. SMV's are a must, and lights are a plus.
9. Make sure drivers are experienced. I want to involve younger people in the hobby just as much as the next guy, but not at the expense of them being hurt or hurting somebody due to inexperience. And remember, some OLDER people can be inexperienced too. Use good sense, and tact.
10. Make sure everyone keeps a good interval. Not all of these tractor have the best brakes, even when they are in top condition for that tractor. Tractors generally don't have rear bumpers, and a grill up the butt is not good. I don't want to sound like the "tractor ride nazi", but you're doing something that can result in a death or disfigurement. Take it serious, and people will respect you for it. IF they have heartburn about the rules, just remember they won't sue you for keeping people safe.
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