Small but annoying problem..

[Gem99ultra]

Hard nylon washers.

Or... a wavy washer would eliminate the slack/noise. Those are available on Ama... either single size or kits.

 

[Richard]

it's not a problem because I wear hearing protection for the noise, but I don't want to use them all the time when I shouldn't have to.

I know nothing about your machine so if it's otherwise super quiet... I didn't know and pardon my ignorant comment.

So you understand my point of view:

1. backhoe has a cab but all glass has broken over years so all engine noise comes to ears.
2. Tractor (International 1066) can make a ton of roar when at full throttle

My opinion is it's ALWAYS good time to wear hearing protection....ALWAYS.

So if hearing protection fixes your problem.... and it's advisable to wear hearing protection.... do you really have a problem?

Just make it a habit of putting them on and save your annoyance.

 

[thclimer]

I think this is something similar to the hinge he is refering. On the second or third day I owned my TC33D I cut strips from a old tractor intertube and stuck them between the hinge so that when they were compressed it really added tention in the joint. They have been there for about 20 years now and still work just fine to eliminated the clanking.

 

[scaredychicken]

rubber tubing from an inner tube might work, it would have some give so that it doesn't vibrate out

 

[etpm]

The ROPS on my tractor has a fairly large knob at each hinge. The knob must be loosened in order to draw out the pin that holds the top hoop in either position. The knob turns a bolt that pushes against the square tubing that the hoop is made of so that everything is rattle free. This link: Husqvarna ROPS Kit MZ/MZ-T #575274801 | Safford Equipment Company
shows a similar ROPS. The bolt just loads up the joint so that it doesn't rattle. The bolt is placed far enough away from both the pivot and locking pins that it has significant leverage which then puts significant force on both without someone needing to be Hercules to tighten the hand knob. You would need to drill two holes and weld a nut to the structure but the solution would be permanent and work well. Drop by a tractor place and look at what they sell. From looking online it seems that the knob is a common feature. Mine is on a Yanmar YM2310.
Eric

 

[MiserableOldFart]

I know nothing about your machine so if it's otherwise super quiet... I didn't know and pardon my ignorant comment.

So you understand my point of view:

1. backhoe has a cab but all glass has broken over years so all engine noise comes to ears.
2. Tractor (International 1066) can make a ton of roar when at full throttle

My opinion is it's ALWAYS good time to wear hearing protection....ALWAYS.

So if hearing protection fixes your problem.... and it's advisable to wear hearing protection.... do you really have a problem?

Just make it a habit of putting them on and save your annoyance.

It's true the Workmaster 40 is much louder all around than the very quiet TC26DA that preceded it, but It's still quiet enough at most RPMs to drive comfortably without hearing protection unless there is something noisy attached, like a box blade, etc. I generally have the ear flaps on board, but just don't like to use them when they're not needed. When mowing with the RFM, they're definitely needed. In the summer, they're hot, and in the winter, they can be a PITA with winter hats on, though with the rear blade, once there is a packed base, the blade makes very little noise. So, I enjoy riding around without them when I can, and it also allows me to hear any unwanted sounds coming from anything mechanical, that I might miss with hearing protection.
From my experience with these two tractors, it's obvious to me that there is a huge difference in the amount of racket CUTs generate. Took me a while to even track it down to the ROPS. At first I thought the rattle was coming from the pin-type things that replaced the turnbuckles on the lower arms. Years ago, when riding around on my uncle's farm tractors with hay balers and wagons attached, the noise was not all that much.

 

[oosik]

My ROPs has two bolts on each side. One is the hinge bolt - the other tightens the ROPs down. Maybe a little bit of welding to make brackets to tighten the ROPs down.

 

[GeneV]

I can't believe I'm actually asking this, but all previous attempts have failed.
I like my NH Workmaster 40, but one thing that is driving me batty is the racket generated by the ROPS at the junction where they are hinged. I've tried various shims and things which work for awhile but vibrate free, disappear and don't last. Finally today, I cut strips of neoprene and put them in between, clamped it down and it worked beautifully for about 15 minutes at which time the ROPS cut the neoprene strips in pieces.
Anyone out there know a material that would work for this? When mowing, it's not a problem because I wear hearing protection for the noise, but I don't want to use them all the time when I shouldn't have to. I've tried wood and plastic shims, and the neoprene. I was thinking maybe peelable caulk because I don't often put the ROPS down, but that might cut just as easily.. Don't want to use anything that would fuse the ROPS up permanently. My TC26DA never made any noise from the ROPS.

Yeh, this is a common complaint about folding rops. I have buna-n backup rings from work, so just fit that in there to take up the space (when I had the tops of the rops still on). Otherwise, Ace hardware or whatever has nylon washers in all different sizes. Just buy a few of those, fill up that gap with a one or a few of them, however many it takes, you'll be good to go.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

OK.. I thought about the inner tube solution but since they cut through the neoprene, they'd likely cut through that as well. Current solution that is working on 3 days is cutting fingers off of old leather work gloves and squishing down on them. So far, great relief! Time will tell.
The TC 26 DA had a completely different folding ROPS system and never made any noise at all.
I do a lot of moving firewood around running at low rpms and that is where it gets on my nerves. Mowing or dragging a box blade, of course, require hearing protection anyway.
Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[alexpops]

If the leather shreds, maybe try easing/rounding over the sharp edges with a file where it's cutting & go back to something squishy. or coat mating surfaces with liquid electric tape & see how that holds up after it sets up.