Cutting a ROPS - opinions

[tlbuser]

<font color="blue"> but I wonder how much $$$ is tied up in "safety" on various products? </font>
If you subtract all of the legal and insurance industry fees to get "safety" where it is, probably around $2.00

 

[keeney]

The issues with ROPS I recall were from some of the CDC FACE (Fatal Accident... ) reports. Some of the roll-overs were determined that the operator would have easily survived, except they removed the ROPS, cut the cab off shorter (skid loader), mounted it incorrectly, or left it folded down.

I don't have the ones related to ROPs all collected, but the link to the whole collection:
CDC FACE Reports

A good example of ROPs modification ending up badly:
ROPs Lowered to fit in Hog Building



Other information I have are stories passed around verbally back when I worked at Toro. I am not sure how true they are, and they may have been exaggerated as they were passed around. Some of them were used as justifications for actual design changes and additions to the safety equipment, and the safety modifications were certainly real enough.

Maybe Mythbusters could investigate some of these, but I think they are all plausible enough to be taken as cautionary examples at the least.

The guy who duck-taped the dead-man's handle on his mower, then cut off some of his fingers emptying the bag. He then won a large settlement by claiming the dead-man's handle was too easy to bypass with duck-tape. After that for a while, the Toro mowers had a handle you had to actively move down and then back up to re-engage the blade clutch every time you restarted.

The guy who injured himself using his mower to trim hedges from a ladder. He won because there was no warnings in the manual or on the machine to not use the mower to trim hedges form a ladder.

The kid who lost some fingers when his father told him to lift up the mower so he could adjust the height of cut WHILE IT WAS RUNNING. They won because there was no safety interlock to prevent height adjustments while the mower was running even though the manual and markings on the machine clearly warn to stop the mower before adjusting the height.

The lady who was killed by a 500 lb riding lawn mower that rolled on her within a week after she got home from the hospital after recovering from injuries from the previous time the machine rolled on her on the same hill! (If a 500lb riding mower can kill you, a 2000lb machine can do so that much more easily.)

- Rick

 

[MikePA]

Modifying a ROPS will not invalidate anyone's tractor warranty. It might not be wise, it may weaken it, it may shift the liabilty in the event of an accident but it will not invalidate the tractor warranty.

 

[kenmac]

I hear if you cut your ROPS, it won't void your warranty ,but it will make you go blind /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Scrounger]

Kubota and New Holland sell a kit to make a fixed rollbar foldable from what I've been told. A good welding shop should be able to do it safely so that it is properly braced at the cut. Look at the BX23 ROPS, same hinge that you can buy.

I'm thinking of removing my ROPS all together and having the shop make a full roll gage around it since it will just look cool.

 

[daTeacha]

A guy here had a big David Brown that one of his employees rolled and got hurt on. He had a full roll cage made up for the thing, including a pitched steel roof made of deck plate. I think you could have dropped that thing on it's head from the top floor of a barn and it would have been okay. The pitch even keeps it from staying upside down if it lands that way. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
I don't know what the roof did to the CG, but it probably didn't help lower it any.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I hear if you cut your ROPS, it won't void your warranty ,but it will make you go blind /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>

It may or may not make you go blind, but it dang sure'll make a few peoples faces turn red with anger! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Jay4200]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm thinking of removing my ROPS all together and having the shop make a full roll gage around it since it will just look cool. )</font>

Do it - a tractor Mad-Max-mobile would be awesome.

Jay

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

<font color="blue"> The guy who duck-taped the dead-man's handle on his mower, then cut off some of his fingers emptying the bag. He then won a large settlement by claiming the dead-man's handle was too easy to bypass with duck-tape.

The guy who injured himself using his mower to trim hedges from a ladder. He won because there was no warnings in the manual or on the machine to not use the mower to trim hedges form a ladder.

The kid who lost some fingers when his father told him to lift up the mower so he could adjust the height of cut WHILE IT WAS RUNNING. They won because there was no safety interlock to prevent height adjustments while the mower was running even though the manual and markings on the machine clearly warn to stop the mower before adjusting the height.
</font>

I am about to become violently ill. I have just about had it with people who have the nerve to even try to get away with stuff like this, and the juries out there that actually let them get away with it.

As to your ROPS mods: I am VERY big on safety, but I am also very big on common (uncommon?) sense. I would seriously consider investigating the physics and geometry involved in using the same type of sleeve system you are describing, but also lowering the ROPS in the process by whatever it takes to allow it to fit into your shed so that you don't have to "fold" it every time you go in and out.

Life is a series of calculated risks. If the numbers add up for you, do what makes sense, given ALL the factors.

Besides, from the sound of it, some idiot will sue you no matter WHAT you do, including forgetting to put the cap back on a tube of toothpaste.

 

[Toolguy]

I have the non folding ROPS on my B3030. The folding ROPS is standard but I changed it because it would not go in my barn or my garage without folding it everytime. What a pain in the neck. I figured that I would soon tire of folding it and unfolding it all the time and eventually just leave it folded which in the unlikely event of a rollover it would not do anything to protect me. Now, with the shorter non folding model it is a no brainer and always there and doing it's job. Plus it is a great place to attach extra work lights. I did drill and tap three small holes (6mm) on the wide part. I trust it is overbuilt enough to withstand that.