Re: I\'m Gonna Drill My Rops...
Curmudgeon,
You said....
<font color="blue"> If the ROPS failed, the manufacturer would certainly claim that. But the actual case is a little more complicated.
A forensic engineer would want to determine exactly what caused the failure. What load was the ROPS designed to carry? What load was the ROPS actually subject to? Did the modification weaken the ROPS in a way that contributed to the failure? For example, if you drove the tractor off a 100 foot cliff, landed it on the ROPS, and squashed yourself flat as a pancake, it would probably not be held that your 1/2 inch hole was a significant factor
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Yup. That's why I also said....
<font color="blue"> </font> <font color="red"> Example: If you have a landscaping business and an employee is injured or killed becasue a ROPS failed, you are less likely to be held negligent as long as the equipment had all of its safety equipment intact and in good working condition, as certified. Of course you might be liable from negilgence for putting the operator in some unsafe condition, but the upstream participants in the design and manufacture of the equipment are the ones in hot water for a ROPS failure unless you, or your employee, have modified the ROPS or some other safety device on the machine.
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When there is a breakout of the magnitude of liability from a variety of sources in any given accident, it is usually called "Contributory Negligence." The foreman and the company who had the guy operating the tractor next to the cliff in your example are in deep doo-doo. The tractor company and any of the resellers could argue that even a ROPS of original integrity and certification could not have saved our pancaked operator. It's the simple rollovers where the mods might count. Not the ones where you might have needed a parachute. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
BTW, I'm looking at that magnet solution. rather than be intrusive. If someone could post a picture, I would appreciate it. Just make sure it's the right size so I don't have to drill a hole in the side of my monitor to see the whole picture /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
