ROPS Modification and Lights

[Hard]

Gomer, if you have the money for a very nice tractor, and you don't want to expend the energy it takes to put the ROPS up and down to fit your nice tractor into your garage why don't you enlarge you garage door or build a new structure that you can store your tractor without having to go to all that trouble of lowering your ROPS.

I just don't understand why someone would alter a very important safety feature such as a ROPS. You are not smarter than the engineers that designed the ROPS for your tractor. Now you, or someone you loan or sell your tractor to may die because you don't feel like getting off your tractor to lower your ROPS before you drive into your undersized garage.

Happy New Year

 

[whodat90]

Won't somebody please think of the children!

Rops mod looks good.
whodat

 

[MDM]

Use your ROPS how ever you like...JMO. None of the tractors I grew up on had one. How my grandpa ever got by without one, I'll never know. Common sense goes a long way I guess.

 

[Glowplug]

Use your ROPS how ever you like...JMO. None of the tractors I grew up on had one. How my grandpa ever got by without one, I'll never know. Common sense goes a long way I guess.

This just drives me completely crazy!! I almost never go on a rant but . . . . . None of the cars from the '70s had air bags either and they've been proven to save countless lives. Your grandpa got by without one like most people did, they just got lucky and didn't have a roll-over. Chances are you won't have a rollover. But if you do, and you don't have a ROPS, chances are you're gonna DIE! If you happen to have a rollover and you have a seatbelt and ROPS chances are the only thing that'll be hurt is your pride. Common sense has something to do with avoiding a rollover but not a lot. Sure, if you go down a 40 degree hill at 20mph with a full load you're asking for trouble. But I don't think that any of the hundreds of people that die in rollovers every year wake up that morning and think that they are going to die on their tractor that day. As I said earlier, I am a surgeon. The time I have spent experiencing trauma surgery at a level I trauma center totals countless months. I have seen my fair share of tractor rollover debilitating injuries and deaths. And they are usually someone who has no ROPS and is not doing something crazy but just going about their business operating the tractor as they always have. Things can change in the blink of an eye. You could be out enjoying the day on your tractor then something subtle, and seemingly benign, happens to cause a rollover. Next thing you know, you're dead. It's tempting even for me to think that it'll happen to someone else. But I've seen too many people's lives altered or ended suddenly, tragically, and unexpectedly to not take safety precautions with the absolutely utmost seriousness.

Good day.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

It strikes me that, in this specific case, the owner is TRYING to be safe.

• He apparently realized he should have a ROPS.
• He analyzed the situation and gave it a lot of thought.
• He did an excellent job in his work.
• He modified his ROPS so it could be easily returned to factory specs.
• His modified ROPS allows the ROPS bar to be in the UP position.
• He probably believed this was a safe alteration.

All that said, it is not a safe modification for a whole bunch of reasons but mainly because the triangle of safety is dramatically reduced and it is very likely that a rollover will result in a crushed head (unless the owner has a body with an extremely short torso).

Now in my mind, the owner would be better off just lowering the ROPS and not using it all. It would have saved him time and effort and probably been no more unsafe. He could have then kept it down when doing chores like flat land mowing, but raised it up for higher risk tasks like using the FEL to move materials in the front bucket or pulling a sub-soiler on the 3pt, etc.

Personally I feel that this is America and if people want to ride motorcycles without helmets, drive without wearing seatbelts, or operate their tractors without the benefit of a ROPS that is all fine with me. I do think, however, that they should understand the risks they take. Again, in this case I think the owner BELIEVED he did the right thing to protect himself. I simply want to show that it is not so. Beyond that, I don't care to debate the situation if he should be made to do something.


Here is a thread worthy of some thought. A person experienced in the task he was doing. Seriously injured in the blink of an eye. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/92693-i-hope-my-story-will.html

 

[Glowplug]

Personally I feel that this is America and if people want to ride motorcycles without helmets, drive without wearing seatbelts, or operate their tractors without the benefit of a ROPS that is all fine with me. I do think, however, that they should understand the risks they take.

Good point Bob. All this talk makes me want to change my mind and get a tractor with a CAB!!

 

[MDM]

Don't worry. If a surgeon stops by our farm and wants do drive one of our tractors, you can rest assured this country boy will put his butt on one with a ROPS and it will be in the up position.

 

[Glowplug]

Don't worry. If a surgeon stops by our farm and wants do drive one of our tractors, you can rest assured this country boy will put his butt on one with a ROPS and it will be in the up position.

Touche'. Fair enough!

 

[MDM]

I know your intentions are good and I understand what you are saying. Just having a little fun.

Good day. Enjoy your new ride when you get it.

 

[Gomer]

It strikes me that, in this specific case, the owner is TRYING to be safe.

• He apparently realized he should have a ROPS.
• He analyzed the situation and gave it a lot of thought.
• He did an excellent job in his work.
• He modified his ROPS so it could be easily returned to factory specs.
• His modified ROPS allows the ROPS bar to be in the UP position.
• He probably believed this was a safe alteration.

Bob,
You are correct and I appreciate your comments and suggestions