Anyone make their own foldable ROPS?

[Dieselmh]

Agreed, way too many people who didn't grow up around the old tractors think that way. Someone I work with (who grew up around the old tractors) has decided to remove the ROPS from his new zero turn mower after a couple near misses when the ROPS caught branches, clotheslines, etc...

Yeah, that's kinda where I'm coming from. I've been driving my Dad's tractors since I was a kid, and none of them had any type of ROPS, yet I survived. It just takes a little more situational awareness. I like the idea of the ROPS, I just don't like it being in the way on the flat spots.

 

[MikePA]

Yep, this thread went the same direction as all the other numerous 'Can I modify my ROPS?' threads. Nobody brings up anything new, simply different people making the same points

But I did learn something. When in my car, I'm only going to wear my seatbelt when I know I will be driving in areas with high accident rates. Actually, come to think of it, most of the cars my dad drove didn't even have seatbelts and he lived to be 83. I'm not going to wear seat belts at all.

 

[RedRocker]

Yep, this thread went the same direction as all the other numerous 'Can I modify my ROPS?' threads. Nobody brings up anything new, simply different people making the same points

But I did learn something. When in my car, I'm only going to wear my seatbelt when I know I will be driving in areas with high accident rates. Actually, come to think of it, most of the cars my dad drove didn't even have seatbelts and he lived to be 83. I'm not going to wear seat belts at all.

Gee Mike, maybe you could throw in a little sarcasim.........
Since every thing has already been said maybe you could just lock all the threads.

 

[jsborn]

Its attitudes like that that make this subject so controversial.

The original question was can and has anyone modified a ROPS? We have gotten answers from every philosophy from no you cant touch it with out being sued, to take it off and burn it . (sarcasim of my own)

I still say that there is no reason that a ROPS can't be safely modified if it is done by a competent welder using quality materials.

All the rest of this is a question better answered in a philosophy class some where. but I do think it is worth talking about just don't insinuate that the people that don't agree with you are idiots or worse yet Democrats

 

[8561]

If we started closing out threads that had already been discussed numerous times, there would be virtually no threads left on the site. For those of us that have been around a while, we've seen virtually all the topics beaten around numerous times with the same points posted over and over. The ROPS topic is no different than about 10 others I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[mboulais]

...... or worse yet Democrats

Heh,heh,heh....

Thanks for making me smile.

 

[RobertN]

I would offer this. The biggest point in ROPS modification comes up as liability.

In another thread, there is discussion about Jeeps, old CJ5's. I can not count how many Jeep CJ series I seen, driven, or rode in that have had add-on cage kits welded to thier factory ROPS(roll bar). In all my years around Jeep's(about 40), I do not recall hearing of any suits brought on because of somebody modifying thier ROPS(roll bar) whether adding a cage kit or "other" stuff. The same goes for Land Cruisers, Bronco's etc. The large majority of those modified ROPS, were done at home by folks with a welder.

I would offer the NASCAR, Sprint Car etc example, but all of those are full custom work from the start, not "factory specced" protection devices.

- There is no magic to the ROPS(Tractor, Jeep, Land Cruiser, others
- With modification, it may limit the Manufacturers liability
- Modifications and upgrades are possible
- Modifications may be best left to a certified welder
- in various threads, good examples do exist of well done ROPS modification, including folding conversions.

Yep, this thread went the same direction as all the other numerous 'Can I modify my ROPS?' threads. Nobody brings up anything new, simply different people making the same points

 

[Superduper]

I believe everything can be summed up as such:

(1) Can you drill, heat, cut, accessorize, paint, bumpersticker, or otherwise "modify" your ROPs? You can modify the ROPs as you please, it's still America.
(2) The original ROPs folding mechanism is constructed by.... WELDING.
(3) Will a modified ROPs perform as well as the original? Possibly, if done by a competent WELDER and the mechanism design is sound.
(4) Will manufacturer disavow warranty and liability should the modified ROPs fail in a rollover? Yes.
(5) Will sale of modified tractor result in future liability to you? Probably not if you openly and clearly indicate such modifications and disclose potential consequences.

(6) SHOULD YOU DO IT? Look, clearly the original ROPs was constructed by performing at least some amount of welding. Also, some amount of engineering probably went into designing it. Can you modify it and have it perform equally as well, absolutely. Will it? Obviously, it depends on the design, and material used, and skill of fabricator, and whether temper of ROPs was affected (presuming it ever was even tempered), and whether any additional gussets were added, etc. etc. etc. Since there is no way to test it, we will never know, and hopefully never will. Should this discourage you from doing it? Well, that all depends upon you. Personally, I think there is some assumed risk in everything we do, including walking across the street. If you want to modify it to suit your needs better and understand that there are some consequences (relieving manufacturer of liability) and some amount of risk to undertake such conversion, then I see no reason why not. You're a responsible adult, it's your life, live it and don't look back!

 

[MikePA]

Gee Mike, maybe you could throw in a little sarcasim.........
Since every thing has already been said maybe you could just lock all the threads.

Nah, just force a search.

I get upset when people ask for opinions and when they get ones they disagree with, they denigrate the person who posted them, e.g., if someone recommends not drilling, welding, etc. on a ROPS, then the comments fly such as "If no ROPS was good enough for grandpa, it's good enough for me." What does what my dad or grandfather did have to do with me? My Dad was old enough to plow behind a mule and then use tractors with steel wheels. No ROPS, no chain guards, etc. Just because he didn't have a choice to use certain safety gear, that justifies me not using it?

When it comes down to it, people can do whatever they want to their ROPS, or any other part of their tractor, but the increased risk, if any, is not assumed just by the guy whose butt is in the seat. It's assumed by everyone who cares about them.

Every time I pull the tractor out of the garage, my natural inclination is to NOT put the ROPS up. (My garage doesn't have enough head room to keep the ROPS up.) But, when I'm getting the tractor out, 9 times out of 10 it's to do FEL work, either around the barn or plowing snow in the winter. I think would I want my wife or kids to find me crushed under the tractor after sliding off a steep driveway? Or flipping over dumping stall cleanings? Then I put the ROPS up.

 

[Dieselmh]

Nah, just force a search.

I get upset when people ask for opinions and when they get ones they disagree with, they denigrate the person who posted them, e.g., if someone recommends not drilling, welding, etc. on a ROPS, then the comments fly such as "If no ROPS was good enough for grandpa, it's good enough for me."

I wasn't asking for opinions, I was asking for real life experience. I honestly don't care that some people think you shouldn't touch the ROPS and others think you can do whatever you want, I was just looking for actual modifications that had been done, and to see if they were doable and successful. As you can see, I didn't really get any of those types of answers, so I guess this thread will either die, or continue to be filled with sarcasm and finger pointing, kinda like you posted. I guess I'll have a talk with my dealer about maybe swapping it, but if that's cost prohibitive, I'll see if my welder will modify it, and maybe, just maybe I'll update this thread, or at least be able to respond when this topic comes up again.

Oh, and forcing a search won't really work. I did some searching before I posted, and didn't really get any helpful info on the topic. Now I know why. Too many people want to have a pissing contest.