Building a ROPS?!

[Vas]

Wow, you guys are awesome. I searched and searched and couldn't find a ROPS to buy, called Case-IH, etc and within a day got a ton of good information. I should have come here first. I truly appreciate all the advice, appropriate caution, and information. I'll check out Laurin, Feric, bare-co and see what I find and post the results.

Vas

 

[cleatus]

Ken, by the same token I wouldn't expect the same from the factory ROPS, as the ability to sue manufacter would not replace any human.

 

[OldMcDonald]

Cleatus. I have to ask. Have you ever tested a homebuilt ROPS by purposely tipping a tractor whilst you are in the driving seat? If not, how can you be so confident in your ability to build a satisfactory ROPS? I am not trying to belittle you, or saying you cannot do it, but factory built ROPS are tested on the machines they are designed for, and you cannot make the sort of statements you have unless you can prove your homebuilt is also as good. Old McDonald.

 

[EddieWalker]

If he can find a factory ROPS for his tractor, that's fine. If one doesn't exist, wouldn't a well built, home made one be better than nothing at all?

There is no system out there that is 100 percent for every situation. My dozer has a factory built Full ROPS on it, and it's not rated to support the tractor in a full roll over. Just a side roll or to offer some level of protection from debri falling or hitting it. Same with my Full ROPS on my backhoe. Both of these are full sized, commercial machines.

And for those who say roll overs happen so he should have a ROPS, I will point out that more people are ran over and killed crossing the street than in a roll over. It happens, and even with a certified factory system in place, there is still no gurantee that it will save your life every time.

Eddie

 

[cleatus]

Thanks Eddie, you said it better than he tought I could. You made the points that I was trying to get across.

 

[kenmac]

For those who want to put their own lives at risk that's ok with me. The reason that car manfactures install seat belts in a vehicle instead of letting an indivual make their own is because they have a way to test seat belts to make sure that all the bolts are of the correct strength & installed correctly. I know that seat belts, like ROPS don't save lives in every case.Motor cycle don't save lives in every case, but I would rather have a certified one than one that was home made. If you chose to make your own rops & take that risk that's your business. I've never been one to play Russian roulette. Good luck to you.

 

[bobodu]

Then I guess I have no business building a trailer,or my barn,or doing my own wiring (passed inspection) or building my whole freaking tractor.

 

[kenmac]

If you read the end .I said that's your business . & Good luck . Like you said you had your bldg. inspected & it passed.I don't know about where you live, but here you have to have a title for a trailer & when you get the tag, they inspect it.

 

[bobodu]

Here in Indiana...the trailer was inspected and titled.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Vas Theres a Machine shop here that fabs rops for tractors all after market. I have built several roll bars on my own machines and many friends machines a few years ago. I also worked part time for a fellow that built rops and such for tractors. I welded on the rops and fops with out certification. All the ROPS and FOPS had to be precertified, and engineering company would look over their designs and a fifnished model then wed take a tractor and a fork lift and roll the tractor over onto its side. well not all the way it had to strike a 2 foot tall steel saw horse type stop. In 3 years I cant remember one failure. We even made rops fr offset Cubs and A Farmalls.
Just use common sense and look around at similar rops. Try to find an older 9's model Mahindra they made spare parts for IHC and later used their old castings to make Mahindra tractors. They had a really nice Rops.