Slight Change to IoH Law Under New Budget
Friday, September 29th, 2017 -- 10:11 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -Wisconsin's newer standards that farm equipment operators must follow when driving larger implements on roads and highways are now permanent, thanks to a provision in the recently passed state budget.State Senator Jerry Petrowski says the Implements of Husbandry law--which he helped draft three years ago to create a balanced and responsible approach to allow farmers to legally operate their oversized equipment from the farm to the field--will no longer include a so-called 'sunset clause.' The Marathon Republican tells Brownfield Ag News that the original law was supposed to come to an end after five years, but the budget item eliminated that requirement. As part of the IoH law, the maximum gross vehicle weight would go from 80,000 pounds to 92,000 pounds--except where posted and during periods of spring thaw.
It also extended equipment weight limits from a maximum single axle weight of 20,000 pounds to 23,000 pounds. If operators would need to exceed those limits for necessary farm use, they would be required to get a 12-month permit from their local town, county or state. Meanwhile, the policy also created a 60-foot length limit for a single machine and a 100-foot limit for combinations of two IoH. For combinations of three IoH the limit is 70 feet, but a three IoH combination may operate at lengths exceeding 70 feet, to a limit of 100 feet, as long as their speed does not exceed 20 miles per hour.
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