FOLDING ROPS - EXPENSIVE LESSON

Anonymous Poster · Jan 11, 2001

When I trailered my 4310HST home from the farm a couple months ago, I dropped the folding rops down. I didn't place the two bolts back in figuring the wire rope cable would hold the bolt and clip onto the rops. What a suprise when I got home, and one of the bolts, cable, and clip were gone. I guess the speed, or vibration, caused the cable to come undone. A bigger suprise was getting the price from a dealer today to replace the bolt, cable, and clip (kit). $51.00 +. Expensive lesson learned for not taking a few seconds to thread the bolt back in.

Wingnut · Jan 12, 2001

Don,
if you haven't yet replaced it, you may want to check out the archive for a mod to the folding rops. It was last year ... and I apologize to the poster - can't remember who it was (likely MarkC ... but it was one I immediately implemented.
Check for the post ... but, basically it's drill out the nuts, get a couple of springs and 5" clevis pins and you've got a spring loaded quick remove apparatus. I did, and I love it ... since I have to fold my ROPS when I drive in and out of the garage (when I don't leave the heavy tiller on the back for weight ... suprising how that weight will "lower" my L3710 by 1")

too bad that common sense ain't

john_bud · Jan 14, 2001

Don,

I have the folding ROPS also and agree the factory system could use some help. I looked in the archive and found the link WINGNUT listed.
http://hal-pc.org/~mbjacobs/rops.html/

John Bud

mbjacobs · Jan 15, 2001

According to my ISP some folks are not able to access the web page http://hal-pc.org/~mbjacobs/rops.html/
I'm not sure why this is because it works when I try it but I'm a long way from being an HTML expert.
You might try http://hal-pc.org/~mbjacobs/rops.html/index.html that should work also.

Maury Jacobs

mudisme · Jan 15, 2001

Maury, I loaded the page just fine. Thanks for the idea!

Steve

Anonymous Poster · Jan 16, 2001

Pete,
Thanks for an easy, cheap alternative !! It's great to have others input, and to offer an easy solution, to something I didn't think of.

mudisme · Jan 18, 2001

John,

Thanks for looking that up! My tractor won't fit into my garage without folding the ROPS...this alternative is great!

I know it has been said many times but I must say the "culture" of this board is awesome, many people willing to help others. If the rest of the world was like this board...what a wonderful place this would be.

Steve

TomWAiken · Jan 19, 2001

I used the idea last summer and now put the ROPS up all the time, it's so much easier and less time consuming. It might have taken all of 15 minutes to drill out the nuts and I was in business! Thanks again for the great idea!

Anonymous Poster · Feb 2, 2001

Pete & John,
I finally got around to installing the hitch pins this past weekend. Less than a 20 minute job. I purchased the pins and springs from Farm & Fleet, and drilled out the holes in about 15 minutes. Works GREAT, and is a lot faster, since you don't have to unscrew the pins every time.
THANKS FOR THE EASY, AND CHEAP TRICK !
Don

radman · Feb 2, 2001

Don, just saw your post. I did the same thing 1 month ago on my 3710. Dealer for my 5/8" bolt wanted $62! I bought a grade 5, 5/8" bolt four inches long, fine threads for $2.75. Welded a "D" ring on it for fifty cents. Drilled a small hole in the "D" ring for the cable and in the bolt for the the retaining key. I do like the idea of drilling out the threads. My JD 5300 has pins that just slide in and then fastened with a retaining key. Kubota should do this.