Author of Wisconsin's Implements of Husbandry Law Believes There's Confusion About the Law
Tuesday, May 5th, 2015 -- 10:47 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -The author of Wisconsin's Implements of Husbandry law for oversized farm equipment says there is some confusion over what the legislation is intended to accomplish.According to the Wisconsin Ag Connection, responding to a recent announcement by Clark County Sheriff Greg Herrick, that his department will not enforce the IoH policy because he feels the fines are too steep for farmers, Sen. Jerry Petrowski from Marathon said his law did not make any changes to the penalty structure, but rather gave operators more options to become legal so they don't get fined.
He adds that the misconception many farmers have is that they don't have to follow highway weight limits or the reduced spring posted limits. Though IoH did not take away the ability for local government to post their roads, the year-old law does require local townships to work with farm equipment operators to find the best possible route to get those machines from the farm to the fields without causing damage to the roads and bridges.
Last week, Sheriff Herrick issued a statement saying he is also a farmer and that the fines, which can add up to thousands of dollars, are unconstitutional. But the Senator says the new policy focuses rather on bringing the farm community and local government leaders together to find a way so that local farmers can utilize their heavier equipment through a no-cost permit system.
Specifically, the 2014 law extended equipment weight limits from a maximum single axle weight of 20,000 pounds to 23,000 pounds; and the maximum gross vehicle weight goes from 80,000 pounds to 92,000 pounds. For tillage, planting and harvesting equipment, the new law will allow implements to be over 23,000 pounds per axle weight.
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