Darren
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2002
- Messages
- 1,055
- Location
- WVa
- Tractor
- Kubota L3710, Ford 5600, Case MB4/94, Kubota B6200
What I described is a bit more elaborate than most setups. My problem is I frequently operate in the woods and around brush so if I'm ducking branches and shoving stuff away from the ROPS. Any lights not securely mounted and protected will be history.
All I'm doing somewhat differently is mounting another piece of steel tube directly behind the top of the ROPS which extends from side to side. The plate on top keeps the tube in place and aligned directly behind the top of the ROPS while the band clamps tie the tube to the ROPS. You can use as long a tube section as you want. For me that means using a length long enough so the lights will hang above the rear tires.
That will provide plenty of unobstructed light for using the FEL at night. I'll probably go with two dual bulb Hella work lights which aren't cheap but put out a tremendous amount of light. Since I have a couple of places I run at night near drop offs, I want plenty of light out to the side. I'm not interested in the work lights that are spotlights. I want a spread beam that goes way out to the sides.
I don't think drilling a ROPS will immediately weaken the structure. Still it's a practice I wouldn't consider. The real potential is from providing a weak point for corrosion in the future. Even if you take the precaution of painting, I've seen attachments to bodywork that start to rust after a period of time. Even if you don't see any rust on the surface, you can't tell what's going on inside. I'd bet money the ROPS is not painted on the inside.
What happens depends on your local climate, how you store the tractor, etc. But the point remains, you can't tell what's happening inside the ROPS. A year later or even several years later the ROPS may be fine. Ten or twenty years from now when the ROPS gets used for the first time, the unlucky operator may be crushed when the ROPS fails from corrosion at or below the points where the original holes were drilled.
All I'm doing somewhat differently is mounting another piece of steel tube directly behind the top of the ROPS which extends from side to side. The plate on top keeps the tube in place and aligned directly behind the top of the ROPS while the band clamps tie the tube to the ROPS. You can use as long a tube section as you want. For me that means using a length long enough so the lights will hang above the rear tires.
That will provide plenty of unobstructed light for using the FEL at night. I'll probably go with two dual bulb Hella work lights which aren't cheap but put out a tremendous amount of light. Since I have a couple of places I run at night near drop offs, I want plenty of light out to the side. I'm not interested in the work lights that are spotlights. I want a spread beam that goes way out to the sides.
I don't think drilling a ROPS will immediately weaken the structure. Still it's a practice I wouldn't consider. The real potential is from providing a weak point for corrosion in the future. Even if you take the precaution of painting, I've seen attachments to bodywork that start to rust after a period of time. Even if you don't see any rust on the surface, you can't tell what's going on inside. I'd bet money the ROPS is not painted on the inside.
What happens depends on your local climate, how you store the tractor, etc. But the point remains, you can't tell what's happening inside the ROPS. A year later or even several years later the ROPS may be fine. Ten or twenty years from now when the ROPS gets used for the first time, the unlucky operator may be crushed when the ROPS fails from corrosion at or below the points where the original holes were drilled.
