Foldable ROPS pins VERY tight

[MMH]

The pins for the JD 4500 foldable ROPS are very tight - I need a hammer & punch to remove them. Is this normal?

 

[greasemonkeyok]

No. Sounds as if the ROPS may have been sprung by hitting something. At least that is what happened to mine.

 

[jimgerken]

Mine were also, on a 3720. When I took it in for something else, I mentioned the tight pins. The dealer did a crappy job of re-drilling the holes and didn't deburr afterword. I couldv'e done that myself. No, I couldv'e done way better than that.

 

[MMH]

Mine were also, on a 3720. When I took it in for something else, I mentioned the tight pins. The dealer did a crappy job of re-drilling the holes and didn't deburr afterword. I couldv'e done that myself. No, I couldv'e done way better than that.

Thanks for the replies. I just purchased this used tractor, so that may very well be what happened. It's not like I have to pound on the pins, just some light taps (but ALLOT more than what I can just pull out by hand). Sounds lime I will just leave as is & put a punch & small hammer in the fender toolbox.

 

[ctlguy]

It is not all that unusual for the pins to be that tight. If they are too sloppy then the complaint is that the rops slops back and forth and makes noise. Some are better than others though.

 

[KennyG]

This is pretty typical. Mine were very tight from the factory and I have reamed them out with a file so I don't have to pound on them. In the folded position, only one pin can be inserted and I just put the other one through a hole on only the upper portion to keep it from rattling.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Mine are real tight. I find that if I pull on the ROPS to line them up better, I can get them in and out by hand. In the full up or down position, they are tight, but if I jiggle it, that loosens up. The issue for me is that the holes don't perfectly line up with each other on both sides.

 

[boggen]

Thanks for the replies. I just purchased this used tractor, so that may very well be what happened. It's not like I have to pound on the pins, just some light taps (but ALLOT more than what I can just pull out by hand). Sounds lime I will just leave as is & put a punch & small hammer in the fender toolbox.

flat head screw driver, philips screw driver, hammer, couple extra shear pins, some wire, channel locks. extra pin, is normal tools i keep in tool box on tractor. if i break something, or something happens. i have enough tools and stuff to normally get me back to the shed, for actual repair. vs walking back home.

normally for tight pins, prefer, to tap them all the way i can, then grab a some channel locks and twist and pull on pin.

for the hard pins that are in a bind, when ever i try and use a punch on a pin, i end up hitting a finger or punch slipping off. reason for carrying an extra pin a little smaller or same size. so i can have a nice flat edge to put up against pin i am wanting out. and hammer on the round end of the extra pin.

screw driver some times used, if it is a rather long pin. and need to tap pin out those last little bits.

 

[beenthere]

Usual as mentioned.
Ran in to this sometimes when setting up new tractors coming in to the dealer I worked at part time. Some were no problem, and others a real bear.

Loosen the clamps on the axle and re-tighten, as they may be causing some twist that results in the poor bolt alignment. I'd do that before drilling out the holes.
At first, on new setup, I'd drill the holes but hard to reem them out for it to look nice. Then I started loosening the clamps and it seemed to work better. Shouldn't be a pain to fold the ROPS, otherwise it may just get removed altogether.

 

[greg_g]

Mine needed to be hammered out too. But the alternative was hearing the **** things rattle as I worked. My solution was just to keep'em tight and quiet - but have a hammer and pin handy if/when folding was required.

//greg//