Threepoint
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2014
- Messages
- 2,230
- Location
- No. VA
- Tractor
- Kubota B2150HST w/ LA350 loader, Kubota GF1800 HST, Kioti CK3510SE HST w/ KL4030 loader, Kioti NX4510HST/cab w/ KL6010 loader
Good discussion of pros and cons. I'm not a fan of do-it-yourself ROP mods, but at the risk of pointing out the obvious, a shortened ROPs that's always up gives a lot more protection than a fold-down ROPs that's always left down because of clearance issues.
I bought my Kubota B2150 used from a dealer with 60 hrs on it 22 yrs ago. The first owner was a landscaper who bought it for a big mowing contract that he promptly lost. Unfortunately, he'd chopped off the ROPs to mow around trees (it isn't a fold-down), so when he turned it back in, the dealer had to repair it. They used 1-1/8" thick steel mending plates as splices, one on each side of the tractor, tapped threaded and bolted (not welded) to the ROPs with Grade 8 fasteners. On my invoice they expressly disclaimed liability regarding the mod. Don't know if they would be comfortable reselling with that mod today.
In my case, the repair restored the ROPs to its original height. S219's point about shortening reducing the protection against full rollover, as distinguished from head clearance, is a good one.
I bought my Kubota B2150 used from a dealer with 60 hrs on it 22 yrs ago. The first owner was a landscaper who bought it for a big mowing contract that he promptly lost. Unfortunately, he'd chopped off the ROPs to mow around trees (it isn't a fold-down), so when he turned it back in, the dealer had to repair it. They used 1-1/8" thick steel mending plates as splices, one on each side of the tractor, tapped threaded and bolted (not welded) to the ROPs with Grade 8 fasteners. On my invoice they expressly disclaimed liability regarding the mod. Don't know if they would be comfortable reselling with that mod today.
In my case, the repair restored the ROPs to its original height. S219's point about shortening reducing the protection against full rollover, as distinguished from head clearance, is a good one.
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