Drilling hole in ROPS of 425 for lighting wire?

[PILOON]

RE holes in structures:
Ever notice that on aircraft parts, especially wing spars and ribs, that they drill all sorts of nice big holes just to save weight?
Now a requirement is that the edges be clear of nicks as a nick is where a fracture will start.

I for one would not hesitate to drill a nice clean de-burred hole in my ROPS. ((reasonable sized)
I'd suggest that a guide would be whatever size the manufacturer used to attach the ROPS to the tractor. (probably 3/8")

 

[ray66v]

I would not endorse modifying a ROPS.

But, as been said, a 1/4" hole is not going to make a difference in the integrity of it.

If a 1/4" hole could cause it to fail, it would not be suitable for use to begin with.

The government standard that calls for them to install a ROPS, requires manufacturers to prove their design, by subjecting the ROPS to severe testing.

If you choose to drill a hole, do yourself a favor, and don't post on TBN about it. :thumbsup:

 

[Rustyiron]

The guy's afraid of a 1/4" hole in the rops are either lawyers of have never worked with steel. Not that they are wrong about the manufacturer's liability ending with this little hole, *but it's certainly not going to fail as a result. I believe that they are mainly designed to prevent a tractor from rolling completely over in most roll over situations. Ever notice how "tall" they are? Most are well over the operators head, enough to only allow the tractor to flop over on it's side and that lead to "folding rops" that with our sue happy society, rest assured, was still "tall" enough to prevent operator injury.
*now if you regularly operate on a mountainside where you might roll repeatedly, I wouldn't even scratch the paint.:laughing:

 

[Marks481]

The guy's afraid of a 1/4" hole in the rops are either lawyers of have never worked with steel.

bingo! And a good lawyer would be able to prove my culpability with all the other mods that I made anyhow.

I drilled my ROPS out to run the wire. One 1/4 or 3/8" hole in the top of the ROPS to bring the wire out (and then it just runs across the top to the other light). The bottom of the wire runs through a hole drilled in the flat portion which bolts the ROPS to the vehicle (so that hole and wire are invisible).

The government standard that calls for them to install a ROPS, requires manufacturers to prove their design, by subjecting the ROPS to severe testing.

I can't see power trac ever doing any in-depth "severe" testing.

The fact that Power Trac doesn't even have the required labelling on their ROPS per the OSHA standard makes me doubt they did any of the rest of it.

Roll-over protective structures (ROPS) for tractors used in agricultural operations. - 1928.51 | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

If anyone cares, the roll over testing is described by 29 CFR 1928.52.

29 CFR 1928.52 - Protective frames for wheel-type agricultural tractors-test procedures and performance requirements.

 

[MossRoad]

With the days getting shorter, I'm ready to upgrade Pedro's lighting. I was planning on replacing the stock lights with LED pods and adding two more pods up near the top of the ROPS. I tried searching the forum for what others have done with not much luck.

My question is, will a hole just big enough for the wiring and probably a grommet cause too much of a weakening to the round pipes of the ROPS.

My thought was to drill through where the ROPS mounts the the frame which is very near where the current light wiring is and then run the wiring up out a hole at the top. I know that just using zip ties would be much easier, but I would prefer to have the wiring protected and out of the way.

Any thoughts?

Yes. The thoughts are this... I wire tied the wires (actually, its just one wire) to my PT425 left upright on the ROPS to the new lamps I installed under the canopy, and it has been ripped off dozens of times going through thick brush. So, I'm looking at attaching a 1/2" or 3/8" pipe to the upright to route the wires( going to run a multi-wire cable up there for a switch box under the canopy) through. That way, the wires will be protected from brush and my hands. As you know, (and 99% of the people that have replied to your question probably don't know) the ROPS on a PT425 is in front of the operator, not behind the operator. It makes a great hand-hold when operating on slopes, and entering or exiting the operator's station. So if you wire-tie wires to that ROPS upright, you're going to be grabbing those wires many times a day with your left hand.

Take it for what it's worth... and I'm not an engineer and am definitely not recommending you do this or that anything I say in the following paragraph is true....

If you drill a 3/16" hole in the base of the ROPS, NOT THE SIDE OF THE TUBE, THE BASE, and through the frame of the unit beneath where the ROPS attaches in the area to the left of your left knee, right in the center of the three bolts that attach the ROPS to the frame, I can't see how that could possibly affect anything to do with the integrity of the ROPS tube.

The tricky part is finding a place for the wire to exit under the canopy... and again, I'm gonna guess a 3/16" hole in the side of the upright tube just under the canopy and towards the inside to avoid branches from grabbing the wire would work. How you gonna fish the wire between the two holes? A piece of tiny cotton on a thread and a vacuum cleaner. Suck it through. Pull the wire carefully so you don't skin it. Put in a squirt of silicone caulk on each end to act as grommets and off you go.

However, that could effect the integrity of the ROPS, so definitely don't do that....

 

[MossRoad]

Also, before you invest in 4 LED lamps, just mount two under the ROPS and disconnect the factory lights and see if that's bright enough for you. When I got my PT425 back in 2001, I added two identical to factory lights under the ROPS. Over time and many replacement bulbs later, I purchased some LEDs and put them under the ROPS... they were so good, I removed the original factory lights and threw them out. I mounted a third LED under the canopy at the rear facing backwards. I'm figuring out now how to run a wire for it without affecting the integrity of the canopy.... :laughing:

 

[ray66v]

I can't see power trac ever doing any in-depth "severe" testing.

The fact that Power Trac doesn't even have the required labelling on their ROPS per the OSHA standard makes me doubt they did any of the rest of it.

Roll-over protective structures (ROPS) for tractors used in agricultural operations. - 1928.51 | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

If anyone cares, the roll over testing is described by 29 CFR 1928.52.

29 CFR 1928.52 - Protective frames for wheel-type agricultural tractors-test procedures and performance requirements.

Thanks, but I am quite familiar with those regulations. I have posted links to them many times over the years.

If the piece of equipment falls under the regulations, you can bet they did the testing. And, they have it well documented.

Not doing so, would mean bankruptcy, in the event of a lawsuit.

Not to mention, potential federal charges.

 

[Marks481]

If you drill a 3/16" hole in the base of the ROPS, NOT THE SIDE OF THE TUBE, THE BASE, and through the frame of the unit beneath where the ROPS attaches in the area to the left of your left knee, right in the center of the three bolts that attach the ROPS to the frame... I'm gonna guess a 3/16" hole in the side of the upright tube just under the canopy and towards the inside to avoid branches from grabbing the wire would work.

Exactly what I did, except on the right hand side. Fishing the wire through was a pain.

 

[Impulse]

Well now I'm back on the fence. Moss, that was what I meant for the lower part. It wouldn't be through the side of the tube, but through the attachment plate. I like the idea of running power up there and adding a switch box for fronts/rears.

Tmarks, any tips for someone going down same path?

 

[dragoneggs]

Is the only reason folks want to drill holes in their ROPS is for a cleaner install?