Is the ROPS really needed?

[ray66v]

Federal regulators are studying self deploying ROPS. These will work like air bags, and deploy in the event of a rollover. They will also add considerable cost to a new tractor, if they end up being required.

Every time you see an operator, driving around with a fold-able ROPS in the folded position, you can conclude why the Feds are probably going to eventually stick us with this.

 

[skyhook]

ROPs can be dangerous too. Well it is not ROPs it is inexperience. Our property is not only hilly but also has lot of scattered trees. When we got our new tractor my wife was bush hogging under the trees when the ROP hit a pretty thick branch and the tractor did a "wheelie" almost tipping back wards. I think it was the bush hog that stopped the motion.
Would I take ROPs off? Sure. Use common sense. It is you who takes the risk.

A friend of mine was driving his machine, cutting grass,, as he went near the barn, there was a beam
leaning against it, he drove under, not thinking about the rops, it caught the beam and it landed on his head, several stitches later he considered this very debate.
There are still allot of old farm tractors without them,
just like seat belt's, sometimes they save lives, sometimes they don't.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

My ROPS is often times catching a tree limb and causing it to smack me in the head but I'd rather have it do that and save me from a crushed head. I always wear seat belts in my cars and trucks and have since 1965.
I was sitting still when this happened, pushed down on FEL had my seat belt on and within less than a second I was on my side. Maybe ROPS kept it from rolling on over, I don't know.

 

[Gary Fowler]

My ROPS is often times catching a tree limb and causing it to smack me in the head but I'd rather have it do that and save me from a crushed head. I always wear seat belts in my cars and trucks and have since 1965.
I was sitting still when this happened, View attachment 392156 pushed down on FEL had my seat belt on and within less than a second I was on my side. Maybe ROPS kept it from rolling on over, I don't know.
View attachment 392156

Looks like a good time to change the HST filter.
Setting up side slope like that would do it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I also noticed that you didn't have the low side stabilizer down. You likely realize this now, but that should have been the first thing to go down so it levelled up the TLB, then the off side then the FEL bucket last when working on a slope. ON level ground it doesn't much matter, but I usually put down the FEL first because it will level front to rear easily.

 

[cartod]

I have not rolled a tractor before but with the lay of my land im not taking a chance. First thing I bought for this old tractor when I acquired it was a rops. After all this is WV and nothing is flat.

 

[buickanddeere]

Equipment safety protection removal is vital to society. This thins out the weak and dull witted from the gene pool.

 

[ultrarunner]

The ROPS on my CAT D3 Dozer was sometimes in the way and often thought I could do more without it.

Overtime I came to value the protection from the elements it offered.

Then, one day going through the woods on a flat level trail down by the creek with family nearby a huge BAY Tree picked that exact moment to topple and land squarely on the ROPs over my head.

Tree was 30" in diameter over the ROPS and I never saw it coming... there had been a lot of rain the week before and unknown to me the bank had washed out... don't know if the vibration is what triggered it to topple.

My then 75 year old Mom came running over and then my brother... they saw the whole thing and Mom was white as a ghost.

I was fine, the Dozer was fine and all I needed to do was walk back to the barn to get my saw to cut my Dozer free...

I'm certain it save my life and never saw it coming...

On the flip side I know had I been on the BX, I and the BX would have been squashed like a bug... might have survived on the Deere 110 ROPS with lots of damage.

 

[sandyc]

Just a couple of days ago there was a guy killed on Collins Road in Parsonsfield, Maine when his tractor rolled on him while pulling stumps. I do not know if he had rops but I doubt it.

 

[tcartwri]

The ROPS is the most dangerous thing on my tractor by far. It's sitting in my shed now.