Transport Boxes for Tractors Taxed at £2 Rate
Page 47
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THE proposal in the Finance Bill that
agricultural tractors taxed at the 12 rate should be allowed to be used with transport boxes or similar appliances for carrying goods will involve changes in the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations, 1955. Interested organizations have been asked to submit their views to the Minister of Transport by May 31.
The concession in the Finance Bill is governed by six conditions. The box must be removable and when in the normal position for loaded travel it must not occupy more than 15 sq. ft. of space if fitted at the back of the tractor, or 7 sq. ft, if at the front. Only goods permitted to be hauled on a trailer at the £2 rate may be carried.
Use of the tractor with the loaded appliance will be restricted to a five-mile radius of the owner's farm. Only one appliance may be carried and then no trailer may be drawn. The use of a loaded box will be prohibited if the tractor has only three wheels or if its track is less than 4 ft.
To cover the case of a loaded buckrake or similar implement, the Minister will be allowed . to make regulations
increasing the projected area of rearmounted implements beyond 15 sq. ft. These larger appliances will be permitted. to be used laden on a tractor only when crossing a road or when travelling on roads immediately adjaeent to the owner's farm. The other conditions, apart from the five-mile radius; will apply.
As an agricultural tractor adapted to carry loads becomes a motorcar or heavy motorcar under the Road Traffic Acts, it will be necessary to extend to it exemptions as to brakes and so on at present granted to land tractors.
As regards driving mirrors, it is proposed that tractors with cabs should be placed on the same footing as works trucks. They will not require mirrors if the driver can see clearly to the rear. It will not be necessary to mark the unladen weight on the tractor if it does not exceed 3 tons.
There will be a new definition of a land tractor in the sense that it means an agricultural tractor weighing unladen not more than 71 tons and designed and used primarily for work on the land in connection with agriculture, grass cutting, forestry, land levelling, dredging or similar operations.
A new regulation dealing with the construction and use of land tractors will be introduced.
It is proposed to regard removable buckrakes as: loads not forming part of the vehicle, which will enable them to extend to a width of up to 9 ft. 6 in.
The special conveyors now customarily supplied With towed implements of excessive width are proposed to be treated in much the same way as land implements. The conveyors must, however, be specially designed and constructed to carry a single land implement, weigh not more than 10 cwt. unladen, be marked with their unladen weight, be equipped with pneumatic tyres and be drawn only by a land locomotive or a machine falling within the new definition. of a land tractor.
If these conditions are fulfilled, exemptions will be given from the regulations relating to brakes, springs, mudguards and trailer plates. An • attendant in addition to the driver will be unnecessary where a conveyor is being drawn by a land locomotive or land tractor.