Correct Marking of Agricultural and Forestry Equipment
Agricultural and forestry equipment present a high risk when used on public roads, especially because they are often operated on poorly-lit roads between dusk and dawn. When encountering agricultural machinery, extreme caution is required as those vehicles not only move with slower speeds but also usually exceed legal dimensions for vehicles which can result in severe accidents.
Therefore, it is of uttermost importance to apply the correct safety markings in order to make those big and slow machines more visible. This also applies to the often protruding attachment e.g., on forage harvesters.
Marking Elements According to their Respective Regulations
Traffic regulations for agricultural and forestry machinery used on public roads originate from EU, federal and state legislation. ECE Regulation 86 defines the requirements for lighting devices on vehicles of vehicle category R, S and T.
In response to the special requirements at state level, some shops offer application packages, for example for Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate.
The 
Bayernpaket e.g., is used to mark extra-wide self-propelled machines (3 m to 3.5 m) such as combine harvesters, beet harvesters and other harvesting machines. The marking is a prerequisite to get the special permit according to sec. 29 (3) StVO. Find more information on the topic in our blog post Bayern-Paket.
A | 
Maximum Speed Labels |
According to sec. 58 StVZO, a speed sign indicating the maximum permitted speed of the vehicle must be attached to the rear or alternatively to the side of the vehicle for the following cases:
- multi-track motor vehicles with a maximum speed of 60 km/h,
- trailers with a maximum speed of 99 km/h,
- Trailers with an average braking deceleration of less than 2.5 m/s2.
Vehicles with a maximum speed of 32 km/h are exempt from that rule. However, a voluntary marking is recommended.
B | Marker Boards for Extra Wide or Long Vehicles |
Agricultural and forestry machines often have dimensions that exceed the legal limits and therefore need to be equipped with reflective warnings signs according to DIN 30710. The red and white marker boards have to be installed in a way that the chevrons point downwards towards the edge of the vehicle. The upper outer corner of the boards shows a red triangle.
C | Marker Boards for Projecting Loads |
Tools and attachments that protrude more than 40 cm beyond the side marker or tail light have to be equipped with marker boards at the front and rear.
In Germany, those marker boards have to comply with the specifications of ECE Regulation 70 class 5 or DIN 11030.
For EU-wide use, marker boards according to ECE Regulation 70 class 5 must be installed or self-adhesive safety marking according to ECE Regulation 104 class F must be directly applied to the vehicle.
D | Front Plates |
The reflective film on front plates must comply with DIN 30710 and be marked accordingly. It has to be positioned in a way that the left-hand and right-hand chevron form an arrow pointing upwards.
Some Federal States (e.g., Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate) require an additional white conspicuity tape | on the upper edge of the sign.
Furthermore, side marker lights may also be required in conjunction with a front sign. They must switch on automatically with headlights.
E | Conspicuity Tape |
The sides of extra wide or heavy machinery are to be marked with conspicuity tapes that comply with ECE Regulation 104 class C.
In general, contour markings on the sides are made with yellow, on the front with white and on the rear with red tapes.
F | Rotating Beacons | and Reflectors |
Electronic amber beacons may be mandatory for unusually wide or slow-moving vehicles and must have type approval (ECE-R 65 and ECE-R 10).
According to sec. 51a StVZO, vehicles and vehicle combinations with a length of more than 6 m have to be marked yellow, non-triangular reflectors on the vehicle sides.