Drowning in knee-deep water ...

[k0ua]

Mine is up 100% of the time, I actually had mine retrofitted 3-4 years ago, eXmark came out with a program that allowed owners to have them installed, if they had not been built with one, and since mine is 1999 vintage, it had not so they installed one for free

Good deal. I realize some of you guys use your ROPS on Z turns, but most if not all of the commercial operators I see do not use them. I assume because of the low hanging branches, not under their control. I also see some of them mowing slopes I wouldn't do , but some of the guys are pretty gutsy. And of course we hear about them on the news once in a while too.

 

[lilranch2001]

Good deal. I realize some of you guys use your ROPS on Z turns, but most if not all of the commercial operators I see do not use them. I assume because of the low hanging branches, not under their control. I also see some of them mowing slopes I wouldn't do , but some of the guys are pretty gutsy. And of course we hear about them on the news once in a while too.

I would suspect a good share of them do not know of the hazards.......

 

[Al 2]

More sad news. A few years go,not far away a mother and 2 kids wearing their seat belts drowned when their side x side went thru thin ice in the spring on a family outing. I'm sure they thought they were doing the right thing.
Al

 

[lilranch2001]

Many many ways to meet our maker.......

 

[cqaigy2]

My ROPS bolts on, so not too likely to take it off and on. Does work well for shade and when limbs fall out of the trees. So far haven't tested the roll over protection.

 

[k0ua]

My ROPS bolts on, so not too likely to take it off and on. Does work well for shade and when limbs fall out of the trees. So far haven't tested the roll over protection.

It is best to keep the shiney side up if you can. :thumbsup:

 

[John Fitzgerald]

What triggers the requirements for ROPS? I see lots of new smaller ZTR mowers for sale that don't have ROPS, and most new lawn tractors don't have it.

 

[CincyFlyer]

What triggers the requirements for ROPS? I see lots of new smaller ZTR mowers for sale that don't have ROPS, and most new lawn tractors don't have it.

I couldn't find any specific regulation; some manufacturers use 800 lbs. as the starting point; some employers put them on all machines, for liability purposes.

 

[Rustyiron]

What triggers the requirements for ROPS?

Insurance Co's & lawyers :laughing:

 

[robbyr]

Mine is always up for the sun shade!!

View attachment 526475

Geez Eddie, did you mow with that thing or go mudding?

 

[Redneck in training]

has anyone ever seen a zero turn with the rops up? I never have.

Not all zero turn mowers are created equal. Some are near impossible to flip and other can flip easily backwards or even sideway.

 

[CincyFlyer]

Not all zero turn mowers are created equal. Some are near impossible to flip and other can flip easily backwards or even sideway.

Find me one that's "near impossible to flip", please. I need it!

 

[EddieWalker]

Geez Eddie, did you mow with that thing or go mudding?

Doesn't matter how dry things are, I'll find some mud!!!! This was my most recent stuck back in September. As you can see, I got too close to the edge of my pond.

 

[robbyr]

Doesn't matter how dry things are, I'll find some mud!!!! This was my most recent stuck back in September. As you can see, I got too close to the edge of my pond.


View attachment 526603

Yours looks a lot like mine. You can see my ROPS are down. Cant make out what yours says on fuel tank. Wildcat?

 

[Redneck in training]

Find me one that's "near impossible to flip", please. I need it!

We have front mounted Grasshopper K-725. Only one think (I found) it would do is lifting the rear and try to throw you out of the seat while going down very steep slope. Our propertyhas some serious inclines in few places.

 

[timswi]

Find me one that's "near impossible to flip", please. I need it!

I would say mine is nearly impossible based on the slopes I've run across and I get the pucker thing earlier than most. Not to say it couldn't happen but it holds 30+ degree slopes very well. My ROPS on everything is ALWAYS up and seatbelt on.

 

[tractorshopper]

A friend's brother bought a brand new z-turn and while on his first test run with it flipped it into a ditch with it landing on top of him. No ROPS, died of asphyxiation. Terribly sad. This year I have read of 3 lawn mower deaths (including that one). Another one involved a z-turn on a dam bank at a pond about 5 miles from me. Somehow he rolled into the pond and died. Details never really came out after the initial report. He was about 67 IIRC. Terribly sad. Can't remember much about the other one whether normal mower or what the circumstances were, but seems way too common in this rural county.

I take my mowing very cautiously these days. Each spring, I take my pole saw around and cut all limbs and canopy anywhere near where my ROPS would hit them and sometimes by late summer have to trim again. Always have ROPS up and seat belt on. The only time I really worry is about rolling into a tree or something that could somehow miss the rops and pin me anyway.

 

[EddieWalker]

Yours looks a lot like mine. You can see my ROPS are down. Cant make out what yours says on fuel tank. Wildcat?

View attachment 526606

Yes, it's a water cooled 26 hp Kawasaki powered 60 inch Skag Wildcat. They discontinued them and now have something else that's water cooled. I'm not sure if I like Skag anymore, it was great for the first few years, but electrical gremlins have become more and more annoying. Saftey switches are the worse. But now just about everything electrical on it has been either bypassed, or replaced with something aftermarket except the PTO Generator. I paid $300 for a new factory one this year, and I'm worried that was a mistake.

As for flipping it, or rolling it over, that would really have to be a severe slope. I mow with it on slopes that are way too steep for my tractor, or riding mower before I got the Skag with confidence. If the ground is dry, it sticks to it pretty good. I've slid sideways on it when going too fast and turning too quickly going down, and then back up again, and lost traction. I've never felt any indication that the tires would come off of the ground. But it's also very, very heavy, so maybe that's the difference.

 

[lilranch2001]

In 17 years of ownership I have slid sideways on a slope with my eXmark many times on wet grass, but never had a lot of butt pucker factor, as far as a roll-over.
When the dealer offered to put the ROP on it for free, I decided to go for it because of the potential for human error ( my own) more than miss trust of the equipment

 

[Industrial Toys]

Not much chance flipping one of these. It will run circles around the Steiner on hills.

It's not where I was going, just kind of where it ended up.