Building a ROPS?!

[Vas]

I spent several months searching, debating, pricing and talking to dealers regarding what tractor to buy for use on wooded mountain property (>9000 ft),

click here for thread

In the end I picked up a tractor in exchange for paying the gas and helping a friend haul an old 54 chevy up to the family farm in Preston Idaho. In exchange he gave me his old IH B275 (see attached).

I've currently been using it to haul cut wood, slash, etc. I'd like to skid logs but I'd really like to have a ROPS. Case-IH doesn't sell a ROPS for it and I've found no aftermarket.

On the rear of the axle housing there is a flat spot on each side two ~3/8" tapped holes. I'm thinking this is where the ROPS should/would attach. My first and only weld job is MIG welding a lumber rack for my pick-up.

Has anyone made a ROPS? Any advice?

<font color="red"> Edited long url </font>

 

[RonR]

First off, welcome and congrats on the tractor.

Next, Finding a ROPS is a great plan. Check to see if there is a factory ROPS or retrofit ROPS available. OEMs often make them available at very reasonable prices.

Do NOT build your own unless you are a professional weldor. Too much at stake (your LIFE) to mess it up with poor design or bad welds.

Finding someone to build it might be tough due to liability issues. Most here that have had them built have found guys that build race car cages will do it.

In you must build, find a pro to engineer it and build it.

Best wishes,
ron

 

[mboulais]

Ronr -

According to his post he already tried finding an oem or aftermarket ROPS. I disagree about only "professional weldors" should build a ROPS. I know alot of "professional weldors" that only weld a little better than I do, and some I do better than. If he was going to have hired help driving or selling the ROPS then I would recommend a certified weldor and a drawing stamped by a Licensed Profesional Engineer.

VAS-

That being said, If this for your own use go for it. Anything you build will be better than going without. I think the bolt holes you found are a little one the small side. I have seen some internationals from that era, including a B414, but my memory is a little rusty. On the rear axles you should find tabs or ears cast in. I think these are under the operator platform a few inches. These are there for attaching a loader. If you cut a hole through the deck and run you tube down to a 1/2" thick plate with 4 bolt holes you sould be able to clamp to the axle at the tabs. Use another 1/2" plate with matching holes under the axle. If possible, use 1/2" bolts to attach the ROPS. You could find someone doing racecar frames to bend your ROPS out of round tubing, or miter and weld your own out of square tubing. If you have to miter and weld the tubing, add reinforcing plates over the corners. Tubing should be about 1/4" thick and reinforcing plates should be the same. If I am wrong about the loader mounting provisions, use the holes you already selected. Only use grade 8 bolts, hardened washers and at least grade 5 nuts. As I said before, Anything you build is better than nothing. Good luck.

 

[RedRocker]

You'll want more than two 3/8ths holes to mount too for sure.

 

[Maine_Polack]

Vas: there is a Yahoo group for IH B414, and it close cousins. They should be able to help you.
Sorry do not have the link anymore. Do a search in the Yahoo groups.

 

[EddieWalker]

Vas,

I can understand your desire for some Roll Over Protection on your tractor and agree that building yourself will be the best solution.

Since this isn't a race car and wont be operating at high speeds or colisions, I'd think some heavy guage pipe should work fine.

3 inch should be plenty strong enough. Two inch probably is too, but it just seems kind of small in my mind.

As with anything you build, straight lines are stronger than curved ones and triangles make everything much stronger.

Can you use some U bolts on your axle to attach a flat plate to the top of it? Then weld the pipe to the plate. Take a look at some new CUT's and see how they are mounted.

Eddie

 

[BamaRob]

Is this the one you were referring to?

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/internationalb-414/



BR

 

[MarlandS]

Vas, is there any reason you can't go to the wide wheel spacing? Basically all you do is move the LR to the RR and vice-versa. Then, move the front axles out (or not) You should then have room to move your fenders out a notch or two and then you can bolt the ROPS to the axle about the same way the fender is attached , unless ofcourse the B275 doesn't use big suare U bolts or a flat plate and long bolts to attach the fenders. This should simplify construction also. Any chance of finding a rops off an early 70's row crop like a 966 in a salvage yard and adapting it?

Any way you go, the wider wheel spacing will help with stability, no need to put an old peach like that on it's top. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[HammerFour]

I would swap the rear tires right away, those are dished in.

The rops most likely bolts like folks have mentioned with large ubolts around the axle, with the tube coming down to a plate on top of the axle.

 

[kenmac]

If you do build your own , be careful, don't let this happen to you . /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif R.O.PS. are designed , engineered & tested to handle the weight of your model tractor. It's more to it than just welding pieces of steel together hopeing it will save your life in a accident. Good luck to you if you choose to go the home made route.

 

[RedRocker]

Wow Ken, that's pretty scary. I don't think u bolts will do the trick, most of them aren't graded that I know of. You want strength side to side as well as front to back. Take a look as some modern tractors and copy as close as possible how they are attached.

 

[Gumby6]

After seeing those tragic accident pics, I would say that the previously given advise of U bolts around axle would be of little or no help as by their very nature (round) this same kind of failure would be possible, if not likely.

The original design of that tractor clearly carried the load to the bottom of the axle housing and thus the entire housing could accept and tolerate the load a roll over would exert. The top casting clearly gave little to no real support. Cast iron is inherently brittle and welding to cast iron is never recommended as the weld itself is brittle and only crystallizes the cast iron further.

JMHO but I would say any home built ROPS should incorporate some kind of forward mounted support to the frame similar to the cages built by the previously mentioned racers. Maybe not as elaborate but definitely a forward support to both sides of the tractor would be warranted.

 

[gmci]

This site lists an aftermarket ROPS for a B250, which I think was very similar to your B275. Might be worth checking out.
laurin-inc
Also as you are using the tractor for forestry work, you may want to check out Feric . They used to have a number of papers on modifications to tractors for forestry use (including ROPS - from what I can remember). They want you to buy the articles, but copies may also be found at libraries/forestry schools. May help to give you some ideas if you go the homebuilt route.

 

[kenmac]

No, you'er not talking about a race car at high speeds, but the forces could very well be the same if you back flip a tractor that weights 3000 to 4000 lbs on top of you. This has been discussed many times here on tbn .That's why R.O.P.S. go through much testing. Even with the rops ,I still pull heavy objects with the front of my tractor instead of the rear.

 

[OldMcDonald]

I have to agree. I have had a somewhat varied life, often needing to be employed as well as farming, and in my time I have been a Farm Safety Officer and a Risk Manager. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BUILD YOUR OWN ROPS. Plain and simple. It does not matter how strong you make it, or how pretty it looks, if it is not made specifically to the required standard for your particular tractor - in all respects of height, width, strength, fixing, etc etc etc, then it might not save your life if you tip the tractor, and nothing else matters, it must protect you otherwise there is no point in having it. Remember too, that more tractors roll sideways than backwards (you have to actually make it tip backwards by doing something you should not) and sometimes they tip forward. Old McDonald.

 

[dent8]

Many thanks for that link, I didn't think that there would be much chance of a rops for our old ih 3444. We did pick up a couple of other units with protection from the departing property seller, so it is not as high on the list as it was before, but the story of that poor Iowian(?) family was certainly compelling and I did email the Laurin Co. for purchasing info.
Vas-Went through your previous thread and nowhere did I see mentioned as a suggestion to pick up a tractor that looks about as old as us for a pittance! Way to go, old metal rules.
I checked the link for the yahoo group, there's one member, I wouldn't be much help as I am not that chatty.
Dennis

 

[cleatus]

After looking at several factory ROPS, if I decide I want one on my VAC rowcrop, I would defently build my own as I would want something that would have enought strength to not be the reason I died in a rollover or flip.
That article was about a well built ROPS that wasn't attached in a common sense manner. JMHO

 

[kenmac]

All I can say is, if you build your own R.O.P.S. don't assume it will hold up in a back flip or a roll & let a kid or someone else operate the tractor. I'am sure this guy thought he had all the bases covered when he built & installed his R.O.P.S. now his son is dead .I hate to see anyone hurt or killed in a tractor accident ,especially a child. Always wear your seat belt . R.O.P.S. & seat belt go hand & hand.

 

[rath64]

This post caught my eye since I have a B275 also. Bare Co lists a ROPS for the B275. I believe you have to find a dealer to get pricing info. Below is the web page. I would be interested learning what you find out.


http://www.bare-co.com/files/rop/rop1.htm

 

[Maine_Polack]

Naw. Try this group with 482 members. internationalbseriestractors web page

I guess the forum from the other link with one member, must be for people who like to talk to themselves...