What have you done to your Branson today?

[Orebonder]

Just a few things I've added to our tractor

 

[ChrisRyan]

Just a few things I've added to our tractor

I have the same tractor, love it. I dug out a spot for an underground propane tank today. Took about an hour with the backhoe. 11 foot long, 4 feet wide and 50" deep.

 

[K5lwq]

Just a few things I've added to our tractor

Very nice set up you have there! Looks like you will have some good help before much longer! Congratulations!

 

[Orebonder]

Very nice set up you have there! Looks like you will have some good help before much longer! Congratulations!

Thanks...he's already a huge help...my best buddy

 

[ptsg]

Used my freshly repaired tiller today on one of the orchards.

 

[LouNY]

Are you tilling for weed control or to plant between the rows of trees?

 

[ptsg]

Are you tilling for weed control or to plant between the rows of trees?

We use to till to plant but the soil is just too poor. Now it's mainly for weed control.

We have another piece ground that does much much better for plating. It's a small rectangular shaped area with about 5500 sq ft. The worst part is the it's 30 ft wide with a couple trees spread in the middle and I can barely move the tractor around without the loader.

 

[Aquamoose]

ptsg- I’ve never seen that tractor with the stuff around the front and the “retainer” look around the hood. Also that short ROPS bar in the rear?

Can you tell us more about it? I’m very interested in how your tractor works.

 

[ptsg]

ptsg- I’ve never seen that tractor with the stuff around the front and the “retainer” look around the hood. Also that short ROPS bar in the rear?

Can you tell us more about it? I’m very interested in how your tractor works.

Absolutely.

So, this is a Branson F36Rn. The F36 is the model number, the R means Gear model or H for HST as in the US and the N means Narrow.

Narrow tractors are intended to be used in orchards and vineyards. These tractors are set in a very narrow stance, will have Mid mounted ROPS and are usually set very low compared to regular tractors. Branson is actually pushing it a bit too far because this is a somewhat tall tractor for orchards specially.

Those bars you see under the Branson logo going to the front of the tractor, that's part of the loader mount frame. I built the entire loader and I didn't want all the stress in the middle of the tractor like manufacturers in the US do nowadays. For me, it's just too much stress in the middle of the tractor.

For the loop around and over the hood. That's part of the ROPS. This is a two part ROPS. There is the main ROPS loop in the middle that will fold over the hood. Then there is the small loop in the back. In case of a full roll over, booth loops work in conjunction creating two points of support, protecting the operator. If the tractor just flips sideways, the main loop won't let the tractor crush the operator.

The advantage of a mid/front mounted ROPS is that it folds much lower than a rear mounted ROPS, therefore it can squeeze under trees much nicer. It also provides a place to grab when mounting the tractor.

If I had a tractor with rear mounted ROPS, it would make my dad very angry because I would break all the limbs on his beloved trees.

When Korean and Japanese manufacturers started getting into the EU market, they soon figure out that they couldn't compete if they kept providing rear mounted ROPS on the tractors, so they started making special EU versions with the mid mounted ROPS. Plus rear ROPS when folded, often interfere with the top link when the 3 pt hitch is fully raised.

Now, it's not all fun and games. Every time I need to check anything on the engine compartment, I have to lift the ROPS so I can open the hood. Branson ROPS are heavy duty like the entire tractor which makes it very heavy to lift. They build the ROPS much heavier than any of the European manufacturers. On the newer models, they are now fitting a gas spring to assist with lifting the ROPS. It's a very nice feature and makes it a much nicer experience.

Here is a couple of older pictures with the ROPS up and down positions. All without the loader frame so it easier to understand.

 

[K5lwq]

Now, it's not all fun and games. Every time I need to check anything on the engine compartment, I have to lift the ROPS so I can open the hood. Branson ROPS are heavy duty like the entire tractor which makes it very heavy to lift. They build the ROPS much heavier than any of the European manufacturers. On the newer models, they are now fitting a gas spring to assist with lifting the ROPS. It's a very nice feature and makes it a much nicer experience.

Here is a couple of older pictures with the ROPS up and down positions. All without the loader frame so it easier to understand.

View attachment 644391View attachment 644392View attachment 644393View attachment 644394

I am surprised you haven't built a hydraulic lift system to raise and lower your ROPS. That would be a fun project. :thumbsup: