Might be getting back into a Yanmar

[cpy911]

Oh I bet the other forum member is happy too!

First of all Johndeere3720 is a class act! Great guy to deal with and extremely talented! Highly recommend him and his work!

Love the tractor...but had a setback. I'm a novice user and with the hills here, want to add a roll bar to the YM186D for extra sanity check and safety, especially for my teenage boys to drive.

I had already seen that Hoye and Fredericks sold them and figured it would be OK to buy the tractor as roll bars were readily available (so I thought). Went to place an order and out of stock. No problem I think, but alas, they had a ROPS mfg build 50 only and all have sold out. I called the mfg and the tooling is long gone, no more production samples. Fredericks and Hoye have no plans to order anymore.

I then started hitting the salvage market. Found Farmland down in Tangent, OR near me had a 186D with a roll bar. Great I thought, but they wont sell it to me because the original nursery owner modified it.

Found a Gray market supplier next state over "Tractor Co" that was selling 1510D's (gray version of the 186D I believe) with some sort of ROPS on them. I asked the guy if he would just sell me a ROPS, but have not heard back. He did say probably not worth it for him, but to send him an email with the request anyways.

Supposedly Hercules via justtractorparts.com has a 1500 series ROPS that might work. http://justtractorparts.com/rolloverprotectionstructuresropsforyanmarymseriestractors.aspx but they have not called me back...said they are going out of business, but still plan to sell manuals and ROPS. That is my last hope.

I left a message with Yanmar corporate to see what can be done, as this was a US model that had the ROPS as an option. I heard that John Deere started making ROPS for older 650, 750, 850 models and selling them, maybe Yanmar might someday follow suit.

I am going to keep looking at the salvage market. You never know what is out there. I am sure I can become comfortable driving it without the ROPS, but such a fairly straightforward piece of equipment seems like a no brainer if easily obtainable. I would not let my boys drive it without a ROPS though.

Not sure of my plan right now...the machine may end up in new hands that lives on flat land or with a more experienced operator. It is such a nice machine! I would just be more comfortable as a novice to have a ROPS.

Any thoughts, suggestions or input would be appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[bmaverick]

First of all Johndeere3720 is a class act! Great guy to deal with and extremely talented! Highly recommend him and his work!

Love the tractor...but had a setback. I'm a novice user and with the hills here, want to add a roll bar to the YM186D for extra sanity check and safety, especially for my teenage boys to drive.

I had already seen that Hoye and Fredericks sold them and figured it would be OK to buy the tractor as roll bars were readily available (so I thought). Went to place an order and out of stock. No problem I think, but alas, they had a ROPS mfg build 50 only and all have sold out. I called the mfg and the tooling is long gone, no more production samples. Fredericks and Hoye have no plans to order anymore.

I then started hitting the salvage market. Found Farmland down in Tangent, OR near me had a 186D with a roll bar. Great I thought, but they wont sell it to me because the original nursery owner modified it.

Found a Gray market supplier next state over "Tractor Co" that was selling 1510D's (gray version of the 186D I believe) with some sort of ROPS on them. I asked the guy if he would just sell me a ROPS, but have not heard back. He did say probably not worth it for him, but to send him an email with the request anyways.

Supposedly Hercules via justtractorparts.com has a 1500 series ROPS that might work. Roll Over Protection Structures / ROPS for Yanmar YM Series tractors but they have not called me back...said they are going out of business, but still plan to sell manuals and ROPS. That is my last hope.

I left a message with Yanmar corporate to see what can be done, as this was a US model that had the ROPS as an option. I heard that John Deere started making ROPS for older 650, 750, 850 models and selling them, maybe Yanmar might someday follow suit.

I am going to keep looking at the salvage market. You never know what is out there. I am sure I can become comfortable driving it without the ROPS, but such a fairly straightforward piece of equipment seems like a no brainer if easily obtainable. I would not let my boys drive it without a ROPS though.

Not sure of my plan right now...the machine may end up in new hands that lives on flat land or with a more experienced operator. It is such a nice machine! I would just be more comfortable as a novice to have a ROPS.

Any thoughts, suggestions or input would be appreciated.

Thank you!

Hercules is based out of AU (down under). They too were near bankruptcy a few years back. They pulled out of the USA around 2016-ish and only a few places could order and have them shipped here.

I've ALWAYS stressed to people NOT to modify ROPS. Sure, using U-bolts and brackets work, but no drilling.

The John Deere ROPS for the 50 Series were not foldable types like the Custom Products who makes them for Fredricks and then to Hoye.

In a pinch people have made their own. The only issue is, it has no real rating if it's overkill or under to kill in a rollover or other type of accident event.

Have you reached out to ALL STATES with 10 salvage yards across the USA?

Why people take ROPS off and scrap them is beyond me. It adds resell value to the machine overall.

With the network here on TBN and the Yanmar Tractor Owners group, I bet a ROPS can be found. It could take a bit of leg work of time though.


In the mean time look at this . . .
$15

Yanmar YM140 thru YM336 Tractor ROPS Installation Manual Original! | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Yanmar YM140 thru YM336 Tractor ROPS Installation Manual Original! at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

$120 (ouch)
Yanmar RB186 ROPS YM186-2 YM186-4 Tractor Install Operator Maintenance Manual | eBay

 

[bmaverick]

Fredricks has this on their site for an OE ROPS type system.

IF you had to DIY, some of the ZERO-TURN and other machines would have something very close for the top section. The bottom section looks more like thick SQ tube with welded plates.

If it was a JD version, it would just be one solid goal post setup in GREEN. This one is a mere $175+shipping. You would need to take measurements.
john deere F911 ROLL BAR ROPS f910 F932 F-935 F-912 | eBay

 

[cpy911]

bmaverick, thanks for the encouragement, I will keep looking. I may post a want ad here on TBN to get the word out. Is there an appropriate place for that?​

​

It is too bad the Farmland outfit would not sell me the modified ones, that would be something to start with to fab something.​

 

[kenmac]

if you're saying a 1500 may work, why not check with fredricks to see if they have a 1500 series ROPS they would sell you ?

 

[cpy911]

if you're saying a 1500 may work, why not check with fredricks to see if they have a 1500 series ROPS they would sell you ?

That is the for the family-2 ROPS which is out of stock and no plans for new production. It is for both 1510 and 186.

 

[bmaverick]

bmaverick, thanks for the encouragement, I will keep looking. I may post a want ad here on TBN to get the word out. Is there an appropriate place for that?​

​

It is too bad the Farmland outfit would not sell me the modified ones, that would be something to start with to fab something.​

Here are a few ROPS for Yanmars . . .

This is from the early 2000s when the Yanmar Tractor Owners Group was on Yahoo. We moved to GroupsIO in 2019 . . . .

 

[bmaverick]

That is the for the family-2 ROPS which is out of stock and no plans for new production. It is for both 1510 and 186.

Here is the install for the Fredricks' ROPS made by Custom Products. The images would help and the 2D drawings.

 

[bmaverick]

bmaverick, thanks for the encouragement, I will keep looking. I may post a want ad here on TBN to get the word out. Is there an appropriate place for that?​

​

It is too bad the Farmland outfit would not sell me the modified ones, that would be something to start with to fab something.​

Found a Yanmar OE red machine with OE ROPS. Surprised to notice that the ROPS are also made by . . . Custom Products from even back then!

It mounts very similar to the JD green one I had posted earlier. hmmmm Yanmar and John Deere have a looooong history together.

 

[cpy911]

bmaverick, I actually called that manufacturer enquiring about the custom ROPS that Fredericks had them design (Family 2 ROPS). The mfg. said the tooling is gone and can not make them. We do have rapid prototyping technologies now that you could laser cut the steel and weld together that you could get around the hard tooling.

It is hard to believe Custom Products did the original design back in the 80's. I suppose tooling from the 80's is long gone too! Talk about re-inventing the wheel. The whole history is fascinating.

There are three holes on each side of the rear end housing that are tapped where it mounts. I wonder if a John Deere 650 ROPS could be modified to work?

 

[bmaverick]

bmaverick, I actually called that manufacturer enquiring about the custom ROPS that Fredericks had them design (Family 2 ROPS). The mfg. said the tooling is gone and can not make them. We do have rapid prototyping technologies now that you could laser cut the steel and weld together that you could get around the hard tooling.

It is hard to believe Custom Products did the original design back in the 80's. I suppose tooling from the 80's is long gone too! Talk about re-inventing the wheel. The whole history is fascinating.

There are three holes on each side of the rear end housing that are tapped where it mounts. I wonder if a John Deere 650 ROPS could be modified to work?

Possible.

And I did attach the YM1510 install manual.

The SAME machines that can BEND custom mufflers can also bend and shape a ROPS. Some of the ROPS out on the left coast are round tube and not the SQ type. So, this is a possibility too. Thus, take the Fredricks'/CP drawing and see if something can be formed. There is enough images here and you have the machine to measure to be successful now.

It would be nice if someone does have a YM1510 or YM186 ROPs on a machine to take measurements.

Amazing how tooling can just get tossed. I really don't understand it in the USA. It costs more than 50K at times for a medium prog die and after the end of production run it's scrapped. A toss away society that ignores the real meaning of recycle by refab or retrofits.

Keep us posted on your endeavors with the ROPs. The machine is a nice one. Hate for you to loose it.

 

[Smokeonthewater]

Maybe try the place with the modified rops again....
Explain to them that you want it for a yard art project on a machine that will never be operational....

They'll know it isn't true but may consider an email to that effect enough to mitigate their liability....

Just a thought

 

[cpy911]

Maybe try the place with the modified rops again....
Explain to them that you want it for a yard art project on a machine that will never be operational....

They'll know it isn't true but may consider an email to that effect enough to mitigate their liability....

Just a thought

That is actually a good idea. I might try that. I just need to talk to the boss this time.

 

[California]

If you have to fabricate a ROPS from scratch - Here's my thread installing the YM2000/YM240 Custom Products/Fredricks ROPS, with photos showing how it attaches. Note that it bolts to the back of the transmission for strength as well as to the axles.

ROPS for YM240 (YM2000) - pictures

ROPS for YM2000's are now available from several suppliers. I bought one for my YM240 (US version of YM2000) from Hoye. The main attachment is into four empty threaded holes surrounding the pto. There are also tabs that bear down on top of the axles. Attachment: View from the rear.

www.tractorbynet.com

And a comment on what you can do now: On my YM186D I mounted the wheels outboard of the axle flanges - after sanding the flanges flat on a bench belt sander. It urned out they were near flat and it was mostly just paint that came off. And I added wheel weights that were large enough to be mostly external to the wheels. My description:

Wheel Weights for YM186D

I found a pair of cast iron wheel weights on Craigslist. 75 lbs each, 15 inch diameter. Application unknown. He wanted $20 for the pair. I'm too cheap to pass that up. :D They are a good fit on the YM186D, after I removed some metal to let the valve stem pass by without touching. I also...

www.tractorbynet.com

I think both of these measures improved stability. But don't turn the front wheels over to extend outward. That stresses the outer wheel bearings. And anyway the tractor will already be on its way over before the hinged front axle hits its stops.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Cpy911 I think Ive got what you’re looking for. I’ll fill everyone else in. Today I went down to farmland tractor in Albany, OR to get a driveshaft tube for my 226D. When I got there I asked if I could see everything they had for Yanmars since there were a couple other things I wouldn’t mind getting such as ROPS for my 226D as well as the side panels that sit below the hood. Everything they had would fit on about 3 pallets and covered a number of models (155, 169, 186, 187, 226, 336). For those wondering they had more 155 parts than anything. Nonetheless upon browsing out in the yard I found a set of ROPS that definitely came off a Yanmar and I bought them even though they didn’t have any markings indicating what model they were off of. Now that I’m back at the shop it’s becoming more and more clear these are the ROPS for a 186. Ironically enough I’m doing some brush cutting for Cpy911 next week so as long as the dimensions I texted him match his tractor I think I’ve got his ROPS search coming to a close.

Last picture shows the pallet with the most Yanmar parts in the salvage yard. Please contact Farmland Tractor in Albany, OR if you see a part in the picture that you need. (Picture taken 7/8/21. Phone is acting up so there’s also a picture of my 226 in it’s current state.

 

[bmaverick]

Ironically enough I’m doing some brush cutting for Cpy911 next week so as long as the dimensions I texted him match his tractor I think I’ve got his ROPS search coming to a close.

View attachment 705152

AWESOME.

But WAIT, now you are going to make him look everywhere for the official Yanmar tool box that fits in the ROPS holder right there.

Would this one fit ???

Yanmar SEVERAL Compact Tractor Tool Box, Plastic; 11.500" X 4.750" X 4.250"

Yanmar SEVERAL Compact Tractor Tool Box, Plastic; 11.500" X 4.750" X 4.250"

www.jensales.com

 

[Johndeere3720]

AWESOME.

But WAIT, now you are going to make him look everywhere for the official Yanmar tool box that fits in the ROPS holder right there.

Would this one fit ???

Yanmar SEVERAL Compact Tractor Tool Box, Plastic; 11.500" X 4.750" X 4.250"

Yanmar SEVERAL Compact Tractor Tool Box, Plastic; 11.500" X 4.750" X 4.250"

www.jensales.com

View attachment 705159

That might actually fit, there’s 13” between the ROPS tubing.

 

[cpy911]

Johndeere3720 came over last week to run his Bobcat T62 + brush hog over a lot of blackberries on the property we bought last year. He got a lot of the brush down to a level where the little Yanmar 186D can maintain it with a rotary cutter.

The roll bar he found is indeed the original factory ROPS. It is missing a couple small brackets, fasteners and needs a strip and paint job, but it is SOLID. Will post pics of progress.

 

[cpy911]

Got out the flapper disc to see what might happen...I think it might work. A little bit of naval jelly and some steel wool should finish off the tight spots. I am thinking of painting it Yanmar red.

 

[Menagerie-Manor]

Got out the flapper disc to see what might happen...I think it might work. A little bit of naval jelly and some steel wool should finish off the tight spots. I am thinking of painting it Yanmar red.
View attachment 707577
View attachment 707576
View attachment 707575

Have you tried using Evap-0-Rust, the smaller brackets soaked overnight will be clean in the AM, usually available at HF and TSC.