Tractor bumpers look like being the next big thing to hang on your tractor, if our continental cousins are anything to go by.

What’s the point of them? This isn’t about protecting your expensive tractor, it’s more about reducing the damage to other cars (and pedestrians) if the two you of come to blows on the public highway.  

Dutch manufacturer Peecon showed a unit a couple of years ago that uses hydraulic rams plumbed into accumulator units, which absorb any unforesen impacts. The rams have 20cm of travel and fully retract in a fraction of a second.

See also: Linkage-mounted tractor bumper

Adjustable side wings deflect colliding objects away from the wheels and the front bar stops the tractor driving over them.

New Holland was showing a unit at this year’s Paris show. Called Bumpy, it is made of plastic and designed to protect cars from head-on collisions with your tractor. It costs about £2,500 and you can mount a 600kg or 900kg weight under it.  

The most recent arrival is the ExtraTrekker from the Dutch company of the same name.

The firm started selling ExtraTrekkers in its home country at the beginning of 2014 and is now looking for UK dealers to sell them.

Cost starts at £1,412 but by the time you’ve sorted out the fittings it’s likely to be about £1,530.

You can help ballast your tractor with weight packages that go from 350-1,000kg, too.

The benefit for farmers (as opposed to motorists) can seem a bit slim, but if you’re someone who wants to be unimpeachably street-legal this could be just the ticket.