Neighbour commuting by tractor and causing a nuisance – WWSTD?

I’ve just realised that the OP is a teacher… You’re finished by half-three

Yeah but theirs marking to do. He’s got to pretend to read all that stuff the kids have done before giving then a grade from A to E depending whether their dad is a Lawyer, an accountant, a bus driver, a redundant bus driver or in jail. 🙂

Ahhh you’re a teacher!? that changes everything. Perhaps you could mount a massive leaflet campaign and canvas the neighbours during all the massive extended gratuitous unwarranted holidays you get every other week. Suck it up teach! 😉

You could try revving your car engine outside his house at 1am for a few nights to see if he starts to understand how anti-social it is. Then again he’s probably got a shotgun…

Can we run a sweepstake on what mark the farmers’ kids get?

Ahhh you’re a teacher!? that changes everything. Perhaps you could mount a massive leaflet campaign and canvas the neighbours during all the massive extended gratuitous unwarranted holidays you get every other week. Suck it up teach

Let’s get tough. The time for talking is over. Call it extreme if you like, but I propose we hit it hard and hit it fast with a major — and I mean major — leaflet campaign, and while it’s reeling from that, we’d follow up with a whist drive, a car boot sale, some street theatre and possibly even some benefit concerts. OK? Now, if that’s not enough, I’m sorry, it’s time for the T-shirts.

You know what if the OP’s pupils were all sent to labour in the farmers fields like they’re bloody supposed to – why else do they get a 3pm finish and a 6 week sabbatical for the harvest, not to mention the whole clocks going back and forwards thing – the farmer wouldn’t even need a bloody tractor.

Tractor theft is a big thing. You would think that with a small cheap budget tractor costing around £30K and anything in the normal size in use today being about £60-80K that security would be a big deal. However, most tractors can still be started with a common key (I think there are only about 3 or 4 different keys in use by some manufacturers. It may be changing but things like immobilizers and alarms are not commonly fitted to tractors. I just had a new clutch fitted in my Massey at the local dealers. When I collected it it had a different key in it. I had to go back to the office and swap it for mine (I preferred my key ring )

They are getting a bit better. The old mans Fastac has a gps in it and you go online and can program a virtual fence so if it leaves it during a certain period (at night) it will ring you. I am debating with him whether that or the programmable spool valves on a spangly touch screen thing will be the first to break …..

Still uses the same key as a road roller mind ….

The offence is using rebated diesel for a purpose that is NOT related to a genuine agricultural/horticultural/forestry operation. Mowing a football field is none of those things. The law is very clear on this.

From https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/excise-notice-75-fuel-for-road-vehicles/excise-notice-75-fuel-for-road-vehicles

“Activities not accepted as falling within the definition of agriculture, horticulture or forestry include:

the breeding, rearing or keeping of any creature for purposes relating to sport or recreation
dealing in agricultural, horticultural or forestry products
landscaping
the maintenance of recreational facilities, including beaches
flood protection
peat or loam extraction
the exploitation of wild animal or fish stocks
construction of buildings or other structures used for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture or forestry
transportation of agricultural, horticultural or forestry produce, livestock, implements, inputs or waste, other than where this is incidental to an agricultural, horticultural or forestry operation being performed on the land. Accepted transportation uses are as set out under this agreement”

From the FAQ section

I use my tractor for maintaining the grass on sports fields and recreational areas. Can I use red diesel when travelling to and from my work on the public road?

No, in our view, the preparation and maintenance of grassed areas intended for sport and recreational use is not horticulture.

However, there is some hope for our villain in this story. It appears he MAY be OK using red diesel after all….

Agriculture – what if it is not my farm?

If you have been contracted to carry out agricultural work at a farm, and use red diesel in your tractor to travel to and from the farm, that is permitted so long as you are going to use your tractor for that work or are using it to carry the materials or equipment that you will need there or to remove any produce or waste resulting from your work. You can also use red diesel when you go home or return to your premises at the end of your day’s work. If you do not work on the farm, and you are not going there to carry out agricultural work, you cannot use red diesel.

Haha
My old man milked cows for a living and before we had a farm of our own (council tenants, he could never afford to buy the land) we lived on an estate in a village (Measham in the nw Leicestershire coalfields so not so posh)
He used to bring the tractor home and park it on the drive.
It was only a little old fordson dexter though not some huge modern behemoth.
I do t remember the townies moaning but I was only three when we moved to the farm

The offence is using rebated diesel for a purpose that is NOT related to a genuine agricultural/horticultural/forestry operation.

Not quite right. the offence is using rebated diesel to travel on the Highway to premises for the purpose that is NOT related to a genuine agricultural/horticultural/forestry operation.

If he’s drinking in the pub each night then how do you know he won’t plough in to someone on the way home?

Maybe you should have a word with him about the dangers of drink driving, it might sow the seeds of thought in his mind that it’s a bad thing.

Failing that shop him in, if your lucky he may not get bale.

it might sow the seeds of thought

Surely it depends on what type of farming he will be doing?

Well, dairy is no longer the cash cow it was…

Has anyone mentioned how harrowing this must be for the OP?

No, but I saw him furrow his brow, so he must be stressed

Ah usual STW double standards. It’s ok for a farmer to evade tax, but not mult millionaires

I’ll take your asshat and raise you a massive cockwomble. So why should it be ok for some to avoid tax and duty and not others?

Look, it’s highly unlikely I’ll report him. I’m just peed off with him running his tractor opposite my house at all hours. I know that farmers work hard (read some of my previous posts Mr C’womble), but he could just drive a car to work like normal folk do.

why is reporting a tax avoider or a benefit fraudster or a texting driver or any number of “trivial” offences make you an asshat?

I never got the “dont grass” rule criminals would like us all to adhere to so they can get away with more crimes

You need to out-tractor him. Simply purchase a bigger tractor, this will make him ashamed of his and thus want to hide it on the farm

Well god-of-tractors be praised he had a lie-in this morning. The wife said he went out at about 9.30 in the end.
On the other hand he just got home 10 minutes ago and left the engine running for 5 minutes while he went into the house. I think he might be trying to wind me up!
I was tempted to go and jack his wheels, but I didn’t, well, because shotguns.

He’s not allowed to shoot you.

And if he does, it’ll be a long time before he drives his tractor again, so your wife will be pleased.

See my long post above. Appears he is not tax avoiding and is perfectly entitled to use the tractor to go to and from work on red diesel. Stopping at the shops or pub would not be allowed however 🙂

Pay some kids to nick his keys when he leaves it running. He’ll soon stop doing it after his 4th set go missing

**** stealing the keys, if engine is running, steal the tractor. Local kids would love it, just let them know. Also IIRC, a vehicle left with the keys in the ignition voids theft insurance.

I said on page 1 that my father in law drives his tractor home and back, so I may be able to offer some insight into why your neighbour does the same thing.

For my FIL, the reason why he brings his tractor home is that he uses it on many different farms/fields all over the local area, and his house is largely central to the area he farms. So if he kept the tractor at a single yard, he would first have to drive to the yard, then drive the tractor to wherever he is working that day, then at the end of the day take the tractor back to the yard, then drive back home.

By taking the tractor home he can just go straight from home to relevent field, and then from field straight back home without having to mess around.

In my FIL case the area he may need to use his tractor in is quite large (ie most of southern north yorkshire)

It doesnt excuse the antisocial nature, but it might help explain why he does it, on the other hand the above may not apply to this chap at all, he may just plough his own fields and never need to go further than his own farm

**** stealing the keys, if engine is running, steal the tractor

There may be 2 brake pedals and 2 gear levers, but there’s only 1 key.
Used to leave the key in our tractors on friends farm, mainly cos several people would need to use one or other tractor throughout the day, and it’s no use if the key are up at the farm shed or farmhouse and we’re down in the orchards, cos the farm owner went home for lunch or to do some admin.
Local chavscum probably won’t have a clue when there’s no handbrake, no accelerator pedal (twas a lever by the steering wheel), 2 gear knobs.
All organised crime now, so that wouldn’t stop them, nor would a lack of key.

You’re going to bury the said stolen keys in a haystack, right?

dunno if its still the case but Massey Fergusons used to be able to be started with the dipstick if you lost the key ( yes showing my age – I am talking about little and big reds)

Ah usual STW double standards. It’s ok for a farmer to evade tax, but not mult millionaires

WHAT???