ROPS Rack

[Harv]

On the vague chance that anybody cares, here's an update on the magnetic ROPS rack --

I was pleased enough with the magnetic hold-down concept that I went ahead and filled out the entire length of the rack with magnets. I only have two ammo-boxes set up as potential passengers, but I loaded them both up with stuff and had them on there for the entire 3 days of tractorin' over Thanksgiving.

Like the Chalkley Cup, there is no amount of bouncing or jarring that can budge the ammo cans once placed on the rack, yet by tilting them by the handle they come right off. The idea here was to be able to quickly attach whatever I wanted to bring along that day, but I also found that it's really handy to be able to pop one off and set it down somewhere at the job site for easier access to the contents.

The ammo boxes work great, but I'll probably fix up a tool box to carry back there also, since I'm starting to think about a hydraulic top & tilt kit, which will probably require mounting the controls on the fender where my present toolkit now rides.

Picture attached.

 

[JerryG]

Harv,
I think the majority of us like to see your projects. The ones that don’t are in the minority.
Wouldn’t it have been just as useful with fewer magnets? These are the 75-pound pull ones, are they not? That’s 600 pounds of magnet force. Don’t drive by any thing that is steel and mounted in the ground solid/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif.
JerryG

 

[Harv]

Jerry -

Certainly I could mount ammo boxes with fewer magnets (yes, these are the 75-pounders), but I'm finding that with tractor stuff there is no such thing as overkill. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Actually, the main reason for having an entire row of magnets is so that I can attach any size or shape doodad in the future without worrying about exact placement. Now if I toss something on the rack it pretty much has to contact one or more magnets.

As it is now, I think if I drove the tractor into a steel barn, the rear wheels might just come off the ground. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[RobS]

Harv, I hope you're not keeping your digital camera in one of those boxes with all that magnetic flux floating around!
/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Rob

 

[RobS]

Harv, I hope you're not keeping your digital camera in one of those boxes with all that magnetic flux floating around!
/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Rob

 

[WVBill]

Harv (and others) How DO you guys find time to do "ROPS Racks" and all your other "tinkering"!

Like you, Harv, I only get to play on my Tractor on the weekends and there's just barely enough hours in the two days to get my honey-do list done!

I bought a bunch of those magnets with dreams of following in your footsteps and doing all kinds of neat things and as far as I got was sticking a couple of them on the fenders to make nut/bolt/pin/misc. small parts holders. It works great: pull out a lynch pin and toss it onto the fender anywhere near the magnet and it sticks! No more groveling in the dirt for dropped hardware. Not nearly as elegant as your inventions - but functional.

WVBill

 

[bpence]

Harv, this recent post on your ROPS rack explains a lot of things for me. I was out hunting last week in the wilderness of Michigan's UP and had to navigate quite a bit with map & compass. The number of magnets in the center of the ROPS rack definitely explains the change in magnetic declination to the West I experienced last week!!!! No wonder I kept ending up miles from where I thought I should be.

Actually that looks like a cool set-up. If you like, I'll loan you my B7100 and you can attach it via those magnets to the ROPS rack. Just in case you need a spare tractor when working out in the boonies.

In response to a post you made on one of the B7100 pictures......screen, garden hose, baling wire, etc.....I thought those items, along with an industrial size supply of duct tape, were the staples of any decent repair shop. If you can't make what you need with that stuff, I don't think you need it.

Bob Pence

 

[Harv]

Rob -
<font color=blue>I hope you're not keeping your digital camera in one of those boxes with all that magnetic flux floating around!</font color=blue>

Don't think I haven't thought about that. /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif I actually have the glimmer of a plan for carrying the camera and tripod in a shock-absorbing mount attached to the loader frame. So many projects, so little time...

WVBill -
<font color=blue>How DO you guys find time to do "ROPS Racks" and all your other "tinkering"!</font color=blue>

I share your frustration with this "weekend warrior" routine. In fact, I'm lucky to get up there twice a month.

Like you, I hate to waste any of my precious tractor time on tinkering, so I do most of the tinkering at home here in the 'burbs. I take lots of measurements and pictures so I can do most of the fabricating without the tractor. I also try to design attachments in such a way that there are few, if any, critical tolerances. Occassionally I have to save the final drilling of mounting holes until I have it clamped on the tractor, but that doesn't eat up much time.

Bob -
Sorry 'bout messing up your compass readings. I should have realized there was a problem when I sucked that satellite out of the sky.

I agree with you about the baling wire and duct tape. I always keep a good supply of both around. The magnets are the newest addition to my inventory of tinkerer stuff. I think between the two of us we could pretty much build a tractor from scratch, no? /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[bpence]

If we were going to build a tractor from scratch, I think we'd need to get hold of Mark C to handle all of the hydraulics and such. He's talking about things relating to hydraulic flows, valves, and spools that the guys at NASA aren't even up to speed on yet.


Bob Pence

 

[gerard]

Harv,
I don't know how I missed this post before but the similarity between what you did and what I did (Independently) is uncanny!!. I have to get a digital camera. The back of my tractor looks like a mirror image. I did the same thing for a rops rack, angle iron bolts, and 45 mil rubber sheeting for cushioning. Only difference was for the shelf I used a piece of 3/4 plywood and drilled through the bottom of the ammo boxes (taller than the ones you used) and secured with bolts. like yours better since the removal is a nice option and the wood will rot out eventually but since I garage it that'll probably be a LONG time. I also have another toolbox but I have it on the left fender mounted with some velcro. (In fact I probably could have used velcro to secure the ammo boxes too......... hhmmmmmmmmm) PS It looks like you painted the angle iron after cutting/welding - this si twilight zone material!!