FINISHED 3pt hitch (homemade)

[richfromPA]

hey RobS,
thanks for your concern about safety. but dont worry, for the last 20 yrs here at work i have been machining, designing, welding and programming all kinds of parts. we have made aircraft parts, military parts, power generation, food processing, etc. even if you ever break a hip or femur and they put a titanium rod in, we might of helped make that also. im very confident that what ever i do to the ROPS, it will be just as strong, if not stronger. as far as making copys of the hitch, that could be the liabilty problem, unless we officially make it at work, even though i made that one at work. thanks for liking my hitch, i like to make stuff that doesnt have tolerances as low as .0001. most of what we make is less than .005. check out our website www.gundrillers.com
thanks, rich

 

[john4nh]

Hey looked at your website looks great.. I was thinking your hitch was a bit overkill, but now I understand...Really liked it... Gave me some good ideals...

 

[RobS]

J, I have no doubt Rich can and will do a fine job of fabricating his folding ROPS based upon his experience and obvious fine job on the hitch and sprayer. My only point is that the OEM goes to great lengths testing safety items to verify compliance and thus can "certify" they meet the regulations. Any aftermarket or homebrewed modification that does not go through that rigor will not hold up in a product liability case. Now will he, or any of the rest of us, sue ourselves in the event of a product failure? Of course not. But what about the wife of a dead or disabled tractor owner trying to collect some insurance? What about the un-intentional user (theft etc.)? What about a future owner in the case of a trade-up?

Sorry for the rant, but I spend over eight hours a day ensuring that safety related automotive components meet various governmental and corporate test standards. I have an instinctive "cringe" when anyone modifies a safety device. I'll get over it /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[hess]

I noticed your location is Upland, PA - I lived in Aston before moving to Chester County - and I still teach at Chichester H.S.

 

[richfromPA]

hey RobS and hess,
rob.. you have a good point and if i ever sell it, ill buy a new ROPS for sure.
hess... i live in west grove chester county and im from aston also. sun valley 81.

thanks guys for the nice comments
rich

 

[hess]

Whitehorse Rd is just a stone's throw away from West Grove.

 

[TresCrows]

I____ lawyers, they are slowly ruining our country and our freedoms and attempting to subvert mother nature--Darwin theory. That said Rob I was just kidding around with you, I should have put a smily face there--here is one for you /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. This sueing this and that is way past out of control. J

 

[RobS]

My sentiments on lawyers exactly. In fact, what do you call a bus load of lawyers driving over a cliff... a start /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[RobertN]

What's the difference here from adding a full cage kit to a Jeep roll bar, or putting a roll bar and reinforcements in a pickup truck? 4-wheelers do it all the time. It's a lot stronger than a windshield frame. Look at all the hitches and stuff people weld and fabricate.

You could put taller tires on your tractor, and roll it because of a higher center of gravity; is that different?

There must be some common sense used, and the welder should have the skills to do the job properly.

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

 

[bpence]

Nice job on the hitch and sprayer rig. Giving me some ideas how to spray my orchard that I've been ignoring for the past few years 'cause I didn't like spraying it with my old drag behind sprayer that leaked and had to be hooked up to the battery to run.......cables everywhere!!! Of course, I only paid $20 for it.

And by the way, that BX with the cool tires is just WAY TOO CUTE.........I mean that in a REAL GOOD WAY.

Bob Pence