DIY 4 post canopy vs ROPs only

[2manyrocks]

I need a canopy for my mx5200 which will primarily be used to mow about 20 acres which takes several hours in the sun.

I previously made a canopy for my L2501 that bolted onto the ROPs with four u bolts, but this time, I am considering a 4 post style mount. The reasons would be 1) stronger; 2) having a post for me to grab to get on and off the tractor since I don't have a FEL; and 3) of a lesser importance, the posts being there to push briars away from the operator's station.

I also want to fabricate a belly pan to protect the hydraulic filter and line under the operator's platform.

Both the canopy and the belly pan will require some place to be bolted to the tractor. The available attachment points seem to be the (a) steel plate to which the operator's platform is bolted; (2) the open bolt holes where the FEL would attach or (3) I could add a cross tube to bolt up to the FEL attachment point and then attach the canopy post and the belly pan frame to the crosstube.

I tend to think it will be difficult to find a FEL which to me would be in the way when mowing. However, I might could be persuaded to sell the L2501 and get a FEL for the MX because the MX is so much more stable than the L2501. If I were to use the platform as the attachment point, then nothing would interfere with using the FEL attachment points in the future.

Another option is to keep the canopy entirely separate from the belly pan as was done on the L2501 like in the picture. The L2501 canopy won't just swap over because the ROPs are different widths on the two tractors.

Appreciate any insight.

 

[duffer]

Personally, I'd opt for the FEL and modify your canopy frame to have it fit the ROPS. Or...build a larger canopy. I mow 10 acres in the SE USA and you're doing 20. The larger the canopy the better (and add a 12v fan as well).

When I bought a tractor with an FEL I was 2nd guessing myself if I needed it. After the 1st week, I said, Man, I'm glad I got this. Use it almost weekly now for lots of different stuff. Doesn't get in the way unless you're running up against a perpendicular fence or wall. And your mower should be wider than the tractor anyway. May not be an issue for you since it "appears" as though you're using/buying a Kubota. They have narrower buckets than mine.

 

[2manyrocks]

If I had a crystal ball or a time machine, I'd have bought the MX with a loader back in 2015, but I'm just trying to piece together something that will work with the MX for mowing right now. I plan to use the L2501 that is currently set up for light grapple work for that purpose and puttering around. Not a money efficient plan, but that's how things have developed due to unexpected problems with the previous tractor I had that was used for mowing.

 

[rScotty]

If I had a crystal ball or a time machine, I'd have bought the MX with a loader back in 2015, but I'm just trying to piece together something that will work with the MX for mowing right now. I plan to use the L2501 that is currently set up for light grapple work for that purpose and puttering around. Not a money efficient plan, but that's how things have developed due to unexpected problems with the previous tractor I had that was used for mowing.

You may want to take a look at the Kubota M59/M62 four post canopy. Or maybe just buy one complete and somehow fit it to the MX. It really is that good of a canopy. The canopy itself is double thick and insulated. The size overhangs just the right amount to use in the rain or snow. The 4 posts are strong enough to use as hand and arm supports to swing your body up and down when mounting and dismounting.

It's one of those unsung features that Kubota got exactly right on their TLB series. IMHO, it would be worth building a subframe for it if needed to fit the MX.

There was one company - I forget who - who used to build a steel cab that fit inside of that 4 post canopy. It used some of the same mounting points and had removeable doors plus a nifty windscreen with wipers. Maybe someone else remembers the maker.
rScotty

 

[2manyrocks]

Thanks for that suggestion. The photos I found online for the M59 seem to show that the canopy bolts to the upper portion of the loader mount and bolts to the rear fender assembly. I think I'll fabricate my own, but still thinking through how to do it.

Another option for me could be to make another canopy similar to the one I made for my L2501, but add a grab bar to the clutch side of the operator's platform to make it easier to get off without falling off in the process.

 

[Rustyiron]

Here's what I built for a 4 post canopy, the front "legs" use the loader mount but maybe you can use some of the ideas.

My brother say's I'm pimpin out my tractor! (CANOPY)

It's been on my build list for a while, then a buddy gave me an old hood off of a 60's D-6 dozer. I cut it in half legnth wise, had a sheet of 1/8" bent up for the center section, then the ideas started coming. First it was lights, then it was more lights & flashers, then a radio, then a fan, a...

www.tractorbynet.com

I have one for a skid plat plate storage box also.

Tractor skid pan / toolbox / passenger step

Winter in Maine is a slow time for my tractor, it's also a good time for a garage project. My property has (literally)miles of skid roads on it that I try to keep open (mowed). There are areas that were pretty much clear cut by the previous owner and I would like to turn to pasture, with the...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[Rustyiron]

WOW, 10 years ago!

 

[2manyrocks]

That is awesome fabrication work.

 

[Rustyiron]

These "limb risers" or "sweeps" are real handy mowing around the edges of your fields.

 

[2manyrocks]

I suppose they are most effective at protecting the hood, too, when the limb risers are run out to the front grill?

How do you open your hood?