Old tractor, no ROPS

[rd_macgregor]

Every time I see another one of these antique tractor rollover deaths, I'm grateful for the modern safety features of my tractor.
Mounties release name of man killed in tractor accident - Agriculture - Farm Focus

BOB

 

[buickanddeere]

You will be soon jumped on by those who have a right to do what ever they want, where ever they want with what ever they want. No worries however about the tax payer who picks up the Emergency Services, medical , chronic care and welfare .

 

[MHarryE]

I agree with you, RD. part of my last job was accident investigation, mainly fatal accidents. When my wife and I decided to buy this farm from my dad and retire from our career jobs to farm, the first thing I did was get rid of his old Farmall H with loader. The neighbor across the road had the same type of pan or retirement, rolled his H pinning himself, and ending up spending his shortened retirement as a paraplegic. I gained a strong stomach examining autopsy photos from roll over accidents trying to recreate the accident and I don't really want to be in one of those photos.

 

[bcp]

Some states have a program to retrofit old tractors:

https://www.nycamhoutreach.com/ropsr4u/

http://extension.psu.edu/business/ag-safety/news/2013/looking-for-a-rops-for-that-older-tractor

Bruce

 

[yelbike]

When I had my Fordson super major a few years ago, I went and saw an old professional welder friend of the family. I asked him to built a rops for me but he discouraged me. He told me, you never roll that thing. I felt like I was be over the top with safety, which some times can happen. Nice to know I'm not the only guy who's safety conscious about old tractors.

 

[adirondackmtnman]

I had inquired about the ROPS retrofit program for my 1966 IH and of the $1300 cost, all but $400 would have been paid for. I woulda jumped on it, but this new rig popped into my head and lo and behold! She came with a fresh one already installed!!

Sent from my LGL35G using TractorByNet

 

[Birdhunter1]

I see it the same way, I like older tractors with their style and and all but the no ROPS on many of them turns me off. I really want an Allis Chalmers D 15 series II diesel but fitting a ROPS to one is a bit different. However the D 17's can be fit with them from a 170 or 180 and that may be in the future someday.
Till then I'll stick with my Ford 3910 and ROPS.

 

[Soundguy]

i didn't see it mentioned what tractor was involved. I also noticed it was a stump pull issue where the front came up.

sad.. it wasn't lack of rops that killed this guy.. it was lack of common sense.. pull from below the level of the rear axle to prevent the front coming up.. sad....

 

[Sysop]

I think ROPS is one of the dumbest looking parts of a tractor. Perch for birds to rest and leave presents in the seat. Folded down they look even more stupid, especially when being operated while down (although I've never considered the "why", it may just be the combined stupidity of the operator and the stupid looking ROPS bar in it's stupid looking folded position).

That being said I'd never own or operate a tractor on my land without one nor did I buy my tractor for looks. Living in the mountains you're quick to appreciate such things even if you think they're stupid looking. Also I'm not calling anyone stupid for not using ROPS or whatever unless you happen to have a tractor rolled over on top of you, then it may fit. There are many cases were such safety devices are silly. Folk out in Kansas probably cuss us mountain folk for tipping tractors and making it so ALL tractors had to have ROPS.

 

[MHarryE]

A study published last year by federal researchers found that deaths from tractor rollovers among U.S. agricultural workers fell 28 percent over the past two decades, dropping from 5.5 deaths per 100,000 workers in 1992 to 3.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2007. The data for 2008 and 2009 have not yet been analyzed to determine whether the trend has continued, said John Myers, a health statistician with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, who co-wrote the study. Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2010/09/05/1479253/tractor-safety-gear-curbs-rollover.html#storylink=cpy

The study showed 62% of the tractors in 1993 lacked ROPS and 40% in 2007 lacked ROPS.

 

[yelbike]

i didn't see it mentioned what tractor was involved. I also noticed it was a stump pull issue where the front came up.

sad.. it wasn't lack of rops that killed this guy.. it was lack of common sense.. pull from below the level of the rear axle to prevent the front coming up.. sad....

What may be common sense to some isn't so common to others. I didn't know about pulling low until I was told, than I read about it some more for clarification. I even looked at an engineer video look learn about the physics of it and why it happens so fast. In other words, if you don't know......you just don't know.

 

[Sysop]

There is some logic to the process; Pulling low is best for the center of gravity on the tractor, but pulling high increases the lift you put on what you're pulling. The main problem with most accidents is people taking things to the extremes and beyond. Sometimes you need a bigger hammer, and sometimes a hammer isn't the proper tool...

 

[NS Gearhead]

I know he was old, but what a hard way to leave your family : (

Not a tractor, but when we were in our starter home and purchased our current home's lot I borrowed a fouwheeler to get some logs to the street for firewood. Well tieing to the hitch didn't work well... the logs kept getting fetched up.... so I tied off on the rack. One big pople, and a steep grade later I'm looking up at the sky picturing the ambulance ride. As luck would have it the front rack hit a stump and rolled the fourwheeler away before it landed on me. I fell a good 5' onto the log I was trying to pull, but it could have been alot worse.

Oh yeah, and it cost me $1,600 to fix the bike. That's some expensive crappy wood!

 

[Soundguy]

There is some logic to the process; Pulling low is best for the center of gravity on the tractor, but pulling high increases the lift you put on what you're pulling. The main problem with most accidents is people taking things to the extremes and beyond. Sometimes you need a bigger hammer, and sometimes a hammer isn't the proper tool...

you can use the same attach point on the 'pulled' object. just use a lower than axle point on the tractor... pulling low on the tractor PLANTS the front end, and ultimately safety limits the traction the rear sees. a completely self limiting process if a geometry is applied.

Besides. you want more MA on the object pulled.. put something like a big tire rim between the stump and the tractor (close to the stump).. run the cable from under the tractor, over the rim and down to the stump.. you've changed the angle of pull at the stump.

 

[Soundguy]

What may be common sense to some isn't so common to others. I didn't know about pulling low until I was told, than I read about it some more for clarification. I even looked at an engineer video look learn about the physics of it and why it happens so fast. In other words, if you don't know......you just don't know.

one should not be operating equipment one does not know about. That's what manuals are for. I only have 1 tractor manual available to thumb thru at my work desk.. but low and behold.. there is a warning about stump pulling and attaching high on the tractor.... ... go figure.

Like i said. sad... lack of procedure and common sense killed that guy.. not lack of a rops

 

[yelbike]

one should not be operating equipment one does not know about. That's what manuals are for. I only have 1 tractor manual available to thumb thru at my work desk.. but low and behold.. there is a warning about stump pulling and attaching high on the tractor.... ... go figure.

Like i said. sad... lack of procedure and common sense killed that guy.. not lack of a rops

Hash it like you will, ROPS likely would have had him walk home with his tail between his legs and a good lesson learned.

 

[Soundguy]

Hash it like you will, ROPS likely would have had him walk home with his tail between his legs and a good lesson learned.

no dispute there. had he used a seatbelt, and had rops.. then his lack of procedure and common sense would have caused an accident.. but maybee not killed him. To be clear though. the absence of a rops on his machine did not CAUSE his death. (maybee could have PREVENTED it.. sure.. but did not CAUSE it. )

 

[oldnslo]

To be clear though. the absence of a rops on his machine did not CAUSE his death. (maybee could have PREVENTED it.. sure.. but did not CAUSE it. )

I would be willing to bet this us a true statement for the vast majority of deaths caused by roll over. I would be willing to bet that the operator was pushing the design limits of the machine in most cases.

 

[Sysop]

As humans, we do tend to be our own worst enemies at times.

 

[TomSeller]

What may be common sense to some isn't so common to others. I didn't know about pulling low until I was told, than I read about it some more for clarification. I even looked at an engineer video look learn about the physics of it and why it happens so fast. In other words, if you don't know......you just don't know.

Ever watch tractor pulls and wonder why the front tires bob off the ground? The drawbar is at the perfect balance spot, much higher and the back flip would be a blur.

If the danger of hitching higher doesn't make sense to you, imagine hitching to the top of your ROPS. When the object being pulled hangs up, the rear tires of the tractor will drive it right out from underneath the tractor and flip the whole tractor backwards