Modern tractors are getting bigger and bigger. And up to 60 kph transport speed is not uncommon either nowadays. Dutch startup company “Tractor Bumper.com”, developed a tailor made bumper at the forefront of the tractor to increase safety, particularly on the road.
In The Netherlands only, on average 16 people are killed and one hundred seriously injured annually with accidents in which agricultural vehicles are involved. To a large extent these accidents are attributed to the size, high speed and poor visibility of these vehicles.
In order to deal with this alarming figure, Dutch startup company Tractor Bumper.com developed a similarly named “tractor bumper” safety device. The tractor bumper is a safety bar, attached either in the front hitch or to the front weight of the tractor. It stands for safety and practical use. Tractor bumper increases the visibility of the width of tractors, helps to shield the wheels and ensures greater appreciation from fellow road users.
Better visibility
A tractor’s lights do not indicate the full width of the vehicle. According to Dutch legislation, a tractor’s width lights may be positioned 40 cm from the outside of it. Overall, the tractor is almost 1 meter wider than the tractor’s lighting indicates.
Usually, two headlights are positioned in the middle. In addition, there are 2 width lights near the cab. Because the cab is narrower than the tractor, these lights do not indicate the width of the tractor. With the bumper at the front, the tractor is much clearer to other road users how wide the vehicle is, because of the full-width lights on the bumper.
Often, it is difficult for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to recognize a tractor in time and estimate its width. The tractor bumper’s width lights, contour lights, red and white markings and marker sticks increase the visibility of its width. Fellow road users experience faster and better vehicle recognition.
Averting contact
In addition, the tractor bumper helps to shield the wheels on both the front and side. In a frontal or side impact, the streamlined shape of the bumper increases the chance of averting contact between front wheels of the tractor and fellow road users. Another feature of the tractor bumper is the ability to adjust its height by means of lifting arms. This allows driving with a bumper at the legally determined 40 cm height. This is in fact the height of the bumper of a car.
A tractor bumper also has more functionality, namely the integrated storage bin and an optional front weight. The latter ensures that a standard front weight is replaced by a safe front weight, the “Safetyweight “ models.
Tractor Bumper is available for each tractor make in brand livery.
