ROPS= look out for the garage door!!

Trev · Feb 18, 2006

I think many of have done this.. fortunately I always *creep* into the garage so the second I felt something hit I was stopped and the only damage was a 1/4" ding in the aluminum (it's a pole barn.)

Someone here years ago posted an innovative solution. They have a big mound of dirt or something in front of the door, such that as they are backing in, or driving out, the front wheels go over this mound, raise way up in the air, and cause the ROPS to then drop enough to fit under.

Of course a bigger door would be the best answer.. but lacking that I simply close the door whenever I take the tractor out.. so I can NOT back in without having to get off.. and of course that's enough to remind me of why I put myself through this each time. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Buckie · Feb 18, 2006

heycrazylare,you've got a fine boy there! sounds like he is being raised right. Tell him that banging the ROPS is just part of being initiated into the Tractor Club. Can't tell you how many times I have banged, dented, bumped, scraped, and otherwise mangled structures with my 3720. (and a 2210). Had the new 3720 two days and backed up over a wheelbarrow.....flattened it. One trick I learned about the ROPS.....I have a thing rope hanging from the ceiling down so that it hits right at my eyelevel when I start to come into the garage. I can't get past the rope hanging down without seeing/hitting it. It is a reminder to STOP and look back, before I come any further into the garage. Has saved me more than once.

crazylare1 · Feb 18, 2006

Hi Tom, funny you should mention branches. I used to work for the city of Big Rapids, and some times I got out of the garage (mechanic) and got to mow in the parks with an old ford tractor and flail mower. I've had my watch yanked off my wrist and put through the mower, so I got a pocket watch, then the chain on the watch got snagged and went through the mower, and lastly my hat went through the mower. Needless to say all 3 things were beyond use after getting shreaded by the mower. Branches have a mind of their own /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif. Thanks for the post! Have a great day tomorrow!
Larry
by the way where in nw MI are you from?

crazylare1 · Feb 18, 2006

Hey Trev how's it going, Well I'm thinking that the really convieniant garage door remote that I keep in the tool box has got to be put back in the garage. That way one has no choice but to get off and go inside to hit the door button, I'm thinking that and some of the other suggestions might work. Thanks for the reply! Have yourself a very good night!
Larry

TMcD_in_MI · Feb 18, 2006

( by the way where in nw MI are you from? )

Larry

I live up a little north of Harbor Springs, where I had a pretty good time blowing all our snow Friday and today.

Tom

crazylare1 · Feb 18, 2006

Well hi Buckie how's the weather down there in NC? Funny you and I had posts on another thread awhile back and we talked about the rops and the garage door...lol. When the boy wacked the door, one of the first things that came to mind was our posts on this matter. So your solution to it was to hang a thin rope down to remind you of the rops. I think that when the temp. gets back up to at least 30* I'm going to get my step ladder out and hang a small plastic sign on thin rope on the door sill that says ROPS! on both sides that way I can't miss it coming in or going out. I see that you guys down there were suppost to get freezing rain and some other bad weather this last few days when we were getting it, did you end up getting some nasty weather? We got very little snow where we live, but lots of ice. We had to cut lots of limbs down just to get back to the pole barn. Sure was pretty though! Everything looked like an ice sculpture! Lots of power outages but since I took the time to wire my generator into the welder plug and filled it with gas etc. no power outage, sure was cheap insurance. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Well buckie it was nice to hear from you! Have a jolly weekend and a great week!
Larry

crazylare1 · Feb 18, 2006

hey Tom, is that close to Muskegon or Ludington? Here just south of Big Rapids we didn't get enough snow to say so, lots and lots of rain, thunder, and lightning, and then hail. The boy and I went out at 10pm and plowed the slush just so that when it got cold we wouldn't have a frozen pond. It was like plowing thick muddy water, I'm glad we did though because now that it's frozen it's kind of rough and crunchy, instead of smooth and slippery. As much as I hate to say it, I do kinda miss plowing snow, I still hate plowing slush though. Well take care Tom. Talk at ya later.
Larry

5030tinkerer · Feb 19, 2006

I had the loader raised for something that I had just finished doing IN the garage previously. I needed to take the tractor out of the garage, turned around to back VERY, VERY slowly out of the garage when all of a sudden I noticed that the garage door was coming down on top of me - I had forgotten to lower the FEL and the bucket had hit the back of the overhead door opener (at all of the 0.1mph that I was going). It sure didn't take much to turn the rail into a 'U'. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

It took about an hour of pounding each section with a sledge to get the rail straightened out again. Hopefully your boy is reading these posts to know that he is not alone. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Ed

TMcD_in_MI · Feb 19, 2006

( hey Tom, is that close to Muskegon or Ludington? )

Nope, its a lot farther north - across Little Traverse Bay from Petoskey. Sorry to hear about your rain and other miserable stuff.

Tom

crazylare1 · Feb 19, 2006

Hi Ed, the youngen told me this morning that he registered as a member just after he done it. He reads tbn alot, and from what he told me a few minutes ago, he's already made some replys of his own....makes me proud! He's my girlfriends son but we get along better than he does with his pa. I think that he likes working with me on all the various things that I do.
I think that I have come up with a solution to the rops thing: I'll hang a tennis ball with a string on the rops just long enough to bop me on the back of the head when ever I'm on the tractor, after getting bopped for awhile I just might think about the rops being there, What do ya think about that idea, do ya think it will make me more aware of the rops? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Larry