Do you need a license for a walk-behind tractor? This issue is relevant for owners of agricultural machinery who need to travel on highways. Although sometimes this is also of interest to those farmers or summer residents who do not travel outside of agricultural land.
To answer the question of whether you need a license for a walk-behind tractor with a trailer, you need to figure out what type of equipment it is and under what articles the owner can be fined when driving a walk-behind tractor.
Definition of the term
Motor cultivators or walk-behind tractors are devices that resemble a scaled-down prototype of a tractor. They first appeared in the 20th century. in Switzerland, and reached the USSR in the 80s. From then until 2022 they are used in agricultural activities:
- for sowing;
- for loosening the soil;
- for other work related to the cultivation of plants (harvesting cereals, etc.).
This technique can only cover a small area of land because it travels slowly and is not equipped with large nozzles. It's not designed to be driven on paved roads, so technically you don't need a license. The walk-behind tractor is only agricultural machinery. But from a legal point of view, there are some nuances that can lead to fines from the traffic police when driving on the road.
Stopped by a traffic police inspector - your actions
If stopped by traffic police officers, you must present all the necessary documents for this vehicle:
- a license with an open category “A” or “A1”, which allows driving and operating motorcycles and confirms that the traffic participant knows the rules of the road;
- documents for the right to operate a walk-behind tractor and for registration of small-sized vehicles;
- pass to the place of work (if the car belongs to the organization or works on the road).
A pass to the place of work is issued by the hiring organization.
If the driver does not have all the necessary documents for the walk-behind tractor, the inspectors have the right to draw up a protocol under Article 12.11, which reads “Violation of traffic rules on the highway,” arguing that this is a hindrance to the entire traffic.
Legal status of motor blocks
When driving a walk-behind tractor, you may be fined. Owners are wondering why, if this is not a vehicle?
From the side of the traffic police and lawyers, a block (with or without a trailer) is an agricultural machinery designed for cultivating soil, and driving a walk-behind tractor on public roads is prohibited.
In order to become a full-fledged participant in road traffic and control it, when driving a walk-behind tractor, you do not have enough:
- registration with the traffic police;
- license plate;
- headlights;
- signal lights;
- turn signal.
Even if you add these elements to the block, it will not become a suitable vehicle for driving. The creation of homemade vehicles on the territory of the Russian Federation is prohibited. And no one will give the walk-behind tractor a license plate and register it with the traffic police. Therefore, rights to the block are not required, but the owner cannot drive it in traffic.
Is a walk-behind tractor a vehicle?
In order to find out the rules for traveling on mini-equipment, which today is in great demand in agriculture and other sectors of the national economy, you should carefully study the regulatory framework in this area. The main question that requires an answer is whether a walk-behind tractor with a trailer is a vehicle.
And if we consider a walk-behind tractor with a trailer attached to it, this does not change matters.
There is no special category in the license for driving a walk-behind tractor. However, when going on the highway, its owner begins to involuntarily participate in traffic and is obliged to follow the rules of the road.
The traffic police inspector has the right to require a document confirming the right to drive a motor vehicle from the driver of the walk-behind tractor. Perhaps, besides you, there is also a passenger in the trailer, then without the appropriate documents, you will not be able to avoid a fine.
Documents that equipment owners need
As mentioned above, driving a walk-behind tractor is allowed without a license, because it is not a vehicle. But to protect yourself, you can take a category “A” license - these are the documents required to drive motorcycles. They are designed for vehicles with a small engine capacity, and small-sized agricultural machinery has low power.
Another required document is a passport, which is issued by the agricultural department. The registration process in it is much more complicated than in the traffic police.
Therefore, if you do not intend to travel along public roads, you do not need to register semi-trailers and the motor unit.
Summer residents do not have to fear fines for this, because they use the device exclusively for personal purposes. But business enterprises must obtain a passport for the device. This document may be required even when driving on the side of the road.
If the device belongs to an employee of an enterprise and he needs to use the device to get to his place of work, then a pass from this enterprise is required; then it is considered that there is a right to ride. The pass allows you to drive on uncongested roads adjacent to the organization, without violating traffic rules or impeding driving.
Model range and technical characteristics
I would like to start listing the models of mini tractors in Belarus with the 132H model, which has a specific frame that allows it to achieve good maneuverability and also reduce the turning radius of the unit. Thanks to the presence of a hydraulic system, it is possible to connect any attachments without outside help.
132H Specifications:
- engine type – 4-stroke, petrol,
- brand of motor used – GX390,
- maximum power – 13 hp,
- drive type – 4×4,
- maximum speed is about 18 km/h,
- starting type - manual and using an electric starter,
- unit length – 2.5 m,
- unit width – 1 m,
- unit height – 2 m,
- total weight – 425 kg,
- maximum load capacity – 700 kg.
Belarus 132H, produced by the Minsk plant, will cost about 130 thousand rubles, which is quite an adequate price, given the variety of work that it performs. In principle, the payback period for this mini tractor is about 2-3 years, which is a normal indicator.
For more information about the Belarus 132n mini tractor, watch the video:
Belarus 152 was released relatively recently - in 2022. It is still too early to judge its effectiveness, because quite a bit of time has passed, but a certain reputation won by MTZ allows us to count on a fairly good unit.
- engine type – 4-stroke, petrol,
- brand of motor used – GX390,
- maximum power – 13 hp,
- engine capacity – 389 cm3,
- drive type – 4×3,
- maximum speed is about 18 km/h,
- starting type - manual and using an electric starter,
- unit length – 2.3 m,
- unit width – 0.98 m,
- unit height – 1.97 m,
- total weight – 530 kg,
- ground clearance - 28 cm.
The price for the Belarus 152 minitractor is about 280 thousand rubles.
Fines that can be given to the driver of a walk-behind tractor
Despite the fact that the device is not a vehicle or a means of transportation, a fine may be imposed for driving it. But only the driver himself will be to blame for this. The fine is easy to avoid; how to do this is described in the section below.
Fines may be issued for the following offences:
- riding a homemade device;
- driving without a license;
- being on the roadway in a vehicle without permission;
- for obstructing traffic;
- for driving while intoxicated.
The main fine that combines all other points is the fine for obstructing traffic. In this case, the driver is accused as a pedestrian, because he cannot legally obtain the status of a driver: the equipment does not belong to the category of a vehicle. And even intoxication is transferred to the category of a violation of public order, and not a traffic violation. But this does not relieve the person of guilt, and he, just like drivers, can be brought to trial and have the technical device confiscated.
Don’t think that the fine for driving a walk-behind tractor is small. It can be several thousand rubles depending on the situation. In aggravating circumstances - intoxication, causing harm to a pedestrian - you can fall under administrative or even criminal liability.
Do I need to take out insurance?
Since a small power walk-behind tractor is not classified as a vehicle, you will not have to take out insurance for it.
Important! If the owner is the culprit of the accident, then he will have to restore the damaged car and compensate for the harm caused to the victim from his own funds. Both private and public property will need to be put in order if, for example, the owner, as a result of an accident, broke someone else's gate or electric pole.
To obtain compensation for damage, the victim must turn to independent experts. Once the amount of repairs to the property has been determined, an application is filed with the court to recover the funds.
Another case was when the owner of a walk-behind tractor became a victim in an accident. The person responsible for the accident is obligated to pay for the repairs. In this case, the damage is assessed and paid by the insurance company within the framework of the contract concluded with the owner of the vehicle. If the allocated money is not enough to restore the walk-behind tractor, the owner can sue and seek full compensation for the damage caused to the property.
What can you do on the device?
Can I use any roads on a motor unit? The owner of the device can drive along the side of the road without affecting the roadway. His legal status will be equal to that of a pedestrian. But you should still be wary of a fine if the driver is drunk. But it will be more difficult for a traffic police officer to fine you for violating traffic rules, because the owner does not drive onto the roadway. You can ride safely on paths and country roads. Is this driving on public roads? No. Since there are no markings or signs on these country roads, they cannot give a fine.
To be on the safe side, it is better to take your driver’s license with you, even when driving on the side of the road, and with it the registration passport of your agricultural machinery. Statements like “I drive and don’t touch you” should not be listened to: many times traffic police officers also checked agricultural workers.
The optimal and officially approved method of moving motor units is using trailers. Then you can shift the responsibility for driving to the driver of the car with a trailer or get behind the wheel yourself. In this case, you will need to drive on the road in accordance with all traffic rules for cars or trucks: with a license, license, license plates and headlights on.
What is prohibited to do on the engine block
In order to avoid getting a fine when driving a walk-behind tractor, it is recommended not to appear on or near public roadways (that is, marked asphalt or concrete roads) at all. Standing on the engine block on the roadway is prohibited. This is the main thing that the owner needs to remember.
You also cannot:
- driving while drunk, even if you are driving on the side of the road;
- keep your license (if any) and equipment registration passport away from your place of work;
- travel around the territory of the enterprise without a special pass with permission to move;
- drive onto roads of unclear purpose (concrete slabs without markings, which may have public use status);
- create situations dangerous for pedestrians;
- park the walk-behind tractor next to cars or put it on the side of the road;
- ride a walk-behind tractor in such a way that part of the equipment will “drive” onto the road.
Although some people claim that if you have a license, you can avoid getting a ticket for driving a block, you should not believe this. Even your license will not cancel the fine for being on the road in a technical vehicle that is not intended for movement. It is not known in advance what amounts will have to be paid for such a violation, but they will definitely be large.
Why can citizens be denied registration of a mini-tractor?
Before the registration procedure, special equipment is checked whether it complies with all the necessary rules. Refusal to register an object may be caused by the following reasons:
- An error in the preparation of documentation (filling in with a pencil, scribbling, correction, etc.).
- Lack of original papers (even if certified copies are available) in cases where they are required.
- Technical transport non-compliance with existing safety standards (environmental and physical).
Thus, a mini-tractor is an excellent help in farming. But if a citizen operates it outside the site, then he needs to obtain a permit for this in the form of a certificate of state registration along with the corresponding category of rights. A walk-behind tractor cannot be used on the roads as a means of transportation. Therefore, you can easily answer the question: do you need a license for a walk-behind tractor? Certainly not.
When rights are legally required
Some summer residents purchase equipment from an advertisement as a walk-behind tractor, but in the end receive a mini-tractor. These are high-rise devices, small in size. They are almost no different in appearance from motor devices, but their motor is more powerful. Therefore, driving requires a high category license, registration with the economic department and a vehicle passport. Some owners do not even suspect that when using a so-called walk-behind tractor, they are actually driving mini-tractors and constantly breaking the law.
You can distinguish a mini-tractor from a walk-behind tractor by engine power. For the first ones it is approximately 16 kW. It is necessary that the power of the device be less, then you do not need to obtain a license.
Traffic laws are constantly changing, so when purchasing new equipment, it's best to check with your local agricultural department for the latest information.
When registering or transferring a passport, the purchase agreement will indicate whether the driver is required to obtain a license or not.
If it turns out that a license is required, you should receive either category “A” (for motorcycles) or “F” if the equipment is considered large agricultural.
You don't need a license for a walk-behind tractor. But at the same time, you cannot drive it onto the road; you are only allowed to move along the side of the road. To avoid problems, it is better to move equipment using a trailer. You should also be careful when using walk-behind tractors that are too powerful. If they have a modified motor, you cannot leave the device without registration; you need to get a license. And when buying a mini-tractor, the first thing you need to do is contact the appropriate department for a license in the appropriate category. Remember that negligence in relation to the law can lead to financial losses, administrative liability and seizure of equipment.
Where and how to change the driver's tractor driver's license
The need to replace a tractor driver's license may arise in the following cases:
- the document is damaged, lost or stolen;
- the validity period of the rights has expired;
- the need to make adjustments to the driver’s qualifications;
- changes in the driver’s health condition (confirmation by a medical certificate is required).
In any of these cases, you must contact the regional office of Gostekhnadzor and write an application to replace the document.
Replacing a certificate is a simple process if the necessary conditions are met:
- No more than 6 months have passed since the expiration of the last document.
- The driver has a document confirming passing the exam in the required category.
If these conditions are met, replacing rights will not take a long time and will not bring additional hassle.
If any of them are not complied with, then Gostekhnadzor may require the collection of a complete package of documents (as upon initial receipt), as well as re-taking the theoretical and practical exams.
