Taller Farm Equipment Requires Additional Line Clearance

Modern farm equipment continues to grow in size, with some machinery reaching heights that exceed the vertical line clearance regulations of the National Electric Safety Code (NESC). Electric lines are installed to meet the following required clearance at the lowest point of sag of the line to the ground for all 120/240V lines:

Vehicles or equipment exceeding 8 feet in fields:

• 15.5 feet from the neutral to the ground.
• 18.5 feet of clearance from the lowest phase line to the ground.
• 16.0 feet of clearance for triplex service drops (secondary line to the ground).

Oversized vehicles greater than 14 feet:

• The known height of the oversized vehicle plus 1.5 feet from the neutral to the ground.

• The known height of the oversized vehicle plus 4.5 feet from the lowest phase line to the ground.
• The known height of the oversized vehicle plus 2 feet from the triplex (secondary line) to the ground.

Trucks over 8 feet for limited access highways or other areas subject to truck traffic:

• 15.5 feet from the neutral to the ground.
• 18.5 feet of clearance from the lowest phase line to the ground.
• 16.0 feet of clearance for triplex service drops (secondary line to the ground).

Equipment over 15.5 feet will not clear the bottom neutral line. If you have new, or older equipment that exceeds 14 feet in height, or are concerned that lines appear too low and need additional clearance to safely move farm equipment or oversized vehicles enroute or into your fields, please contact us in advance. Never attempt to move, raise or otherwise alter a power line yourself. Our experienced crew is happy to assist. Keeping our farming community safe from overhead electrical hazards is one of our top safety priorities.

The National Electric Code Standard charts for all applications can be found at www.lanescott.coop/national-electric-code-standards.