ROPS modification

[5030]

The way I see it, there is no reason that a manufacturer couldn't supply engineered drawings showing where holes could of a certain size could be drilled and what could be fastened to those holes. Like a 1/4" hole drilled in the center of the beam to attach a light should not affect the structural integrity of a ROPS. If it does then the ROPS is built out of to light a material to begin with.

Some of the first 4X00 John Deere CUTs came with a non foldable ROPS. The local dealer took them to a welding shop and had the welding shop make them foldable if the owner desired. I'm not saying this was wise or legal, I'm just stating what happened.

In reality, it has nothing to do with the manufacturer and everything to do with the government and their operator safety rules.

OSHA sets the standards and the manufacturer has to comply or they cannot sell the tractor. How it works.

Just like the new T4 final tractors. The EPA sets the emission regulations and the manufacturer has to comply or they cannot see the tractor.

Mine is foldable on my M9 open station but I never fold it because I have a canopy attached to it and my barn door is 14 feet high so plenty of overhead clearance.

 

[SmallChange]

This “warning” fascinates me from a purely physics stand point.

I hear you -- and I'm an actual physicist.

I think there's a lot we could do to our ROPS without measurably changing the safety they provide. For example, what's one teeny little 3/32" hole for fishing a lamp wire up there going to hurt?

But the thing is, there's kind of a sacred cow involved here. We don't really know for sure. We could also trigger something unforeseen, like the magnetic car door signs did. And I'd have to guess it's kind of putting a red flag there for future buyers -- if I was shopping for a used tractor, I'd pass on any with ROPS or frame mods, unless I was desperate, in which case I'd push for a significant discount.

 

[5030]

Far as I know, no dealer can legally sell a tractor with a modified ROPS. If it is, it has to be replaced first and I believe that is an OSHA mandate. I do know that my dealer, if he takes one on trade, he reduces the payout price by the amount of a new ROPS or don't even take one in trade if there is no new ROPS available, which is why I maintain that if you modify the ROPS in any way, you own it forever.

 

[LouNY]

Well much ado about not much to me. I'm not concerned about resale value.
I'm not concerned about someone maybe / possibly sueing me if they buy something from me and
later on hurt themselves or someone else with it.
As far as I'm concerned I'm not liable for their incompetence and at my age and health by the time it would get through the courts
and actually get to the point were they could levy liens against me I could care less and they could kiss my__.

 

[Jimbo16720]

Shoooooo! What a snow job. OSHA rules only apply if you have employees, not home owners or personal use tractors. All it says is the tractor must have seatbelts--For employees. And it only means something if the employee/driver actually wears the seatbelt. Have you actually looked at a ROPS? I mean a factory ROPS, not a CROPS or CRAPS more like it. The CROPS are full of un-backed holes. I've included a pic of one of the CROPS you note below.

My factory ROPS came with "engineered holes" and there's no internal backing. And yes, it has a label attached. Hard to tell (signs of welding) in the video if there's backing since the paint job is so bad but I'd be willing to bet there isn't. One way to tell if there's factory backing is to put a bolt through it and start tightening a washer and nut on the other side. If you see the wall(s) start to deform, STOP. There's no backing.

I'll be using "pass-through tubes" at my factory top mounts to stop the compression. Mine are factory 1/2"+ holes so I'll use a tube through each hole with the bolts passing through the tubes and the ROPS. The compression force will be applied to the tubes, not the walls of the ROPS.

Incidentally, my new lawnmower came with holes in the ROPS and it doesn't have backing behind the "engineered holes" either.

View attachment 696292

That's basically what mine will look like. The difference is the attachment. I bought 4 square 1/2 inch ubolts to go around the axle and will weld the bars between the 2 pieces of angle iron which will be 1 on each side facing to the back.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Far as I know, no dealer can legally sell a tractor with a modified ROPS. If it is, it has to be replaced first and I believe that is an OSHA mandate. I do know that my dealer, if he takes one on trade, he reduces the payout price by the amount of a new ROPS or don't even take one in trade if there is no new ROPS available, which is why I maintain that if you modify the ROPS in any way, you own it forever.

This happened to me a few years back here in PA. I traded a tractor with a ROPS that had a 3/8" nut welded on it. It was like that when I bought it from a private seller. The dealer had to put a new ROPS on the machine before he could legally resell it. I took quite a hit on the trade in value.

Not sure if the law is the same in other states though.

 

[Jimbo16720]

I think you guys are going way overboard on this suing thing. Who's responsible for someone getting hurt on a tractor that never came with a ROPS? What if I sell my car and the brakes go out the next day and someone gets hurt? People sell older tractors all the time without them and I have never heard of anyone getting sued. It's more or less the person running the tractors responsibility to be careful and not try to do stupid things while running it. I have heard of people getting hurt but everyday you walk out the door there's a chance of that.

 

[Jimbo16720]

This happened to me a few years back here in PA. I traded a tractor with a ROPS that had a 3/8" nut welded on it. It was like that when I bought it from a private seller. The dealer had to put a new ROPS on the machine before he could legally resell it. I took quite a hit on the trade in value.

Not sure if the law is the same in other states though.

Northcentral Pa here.

 

[dj1701]

One of the reasons I bought a Kubota over a JD was the fact I could take the whole ROPs off in the spring when the BX turns into a full-time lawn mower.
In the winter it goes back on. I have modified it to my taste, and I don't lose any sleep over it.

Dave

 

[Jims1025R]

there is no reason that a manufacturer couldn't supply engineered drawings showing where holes could of a certain size could be drilled

One reason: Why would a manufacturer want to spend engineering time, and then accept more liability, for a modification, when "NO" is cost and liability free for them?

I spend my working life acting on behalf of the government authority, evaluating and approving mechanical modifications to the prevailing standard - because: The manufacturer chooses not to, the client wants it done, it's worthy, and the client is willing to pay the cost for the approval. Manufacturers have enough to do within their business plan without adding workload evaluating and approving one off modifications. Unless, you want to buy a hundred of the modified items, that might get their attention!

There are lots of worthwhile modifications, improvements on the manufacturer's original design, but being worthy does not mean it interests the manufacturer. On the other hand, there are lots of lots of modification ideas, which do not fully consider all of the design expectations. It is sorting the wheat from the chaff....