Semi-DIY ROPS

[ning]

Craigslist in my region often has ads for ROPS that are likely removed from orchard tractors - big orchards on the valley floor where it's utterly flat, my guess is they don't bother with ROPS at all.

Consider also that ROPS can also be mid-mounted

View attachment 2532483


This thread may be useful - the above pics are from it - is this what a ROPS looks like?

@ptsg is very knowledgeable about these systems.

 

[dicktill]

Please use that extra second to grab both arms around the upright arm on the other side of the ROPS; and pull your feet over too. You do not want your arms or legs or body trapped between the ROPS or the tractor and the ground.

Or you could wear your seat belt which obviates the need to jump.
Eric

 

[dicktill]

I agree that the seatbelt is a necessary safety feature, and that jumping is a no-no!

But it is still a good idea to pull your body away from the "down side".

 

[RayIN]

I agree that the seatbelt is a necessary safety feature, and that jumping is a no-no!

But it is still a good idea to pull your body away from the "down side".

FWIW, my operators manual from Massey Ferguson states to always wear the seatbelt with the ROPS upright; then never use the seatbelt with the ROPS folded down.

 

[ptsg]

Craigslist in my region often has ads for ROPS that are likely removed from orchard tractors - big orchards on the valley floor where it's utterly flat, my guess is they don't bother with ROPS at all.

View attachment 2531966

Consider also that ROPS can also be mid-mounted
View attachment 2531967View attachment 2532483


This thread may be useful - the above pics are from it - is this what a ROPS looks like?

@ptsg is very knowledgeable about these systems.

I second the mid mounted ROPS.

Being that those tractors don't really have a good base for a rear mounted ROPS, I would just build one that would tie into the loader mounts. Make it so it folds over the hood and you can work under trees and what not.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

The problem I would see in a DIY ROPS, is if you don't get things right, it can do more harm than good in a roll over or lay down situation, by bending and trapping the operator.

Folks, engineering a ROPS is serious business, and probably isn't a good candidate for a DIY project.

I'm a degreed and licensed engineer. I would be seriously hesitant to design a ROPS system. Too far outside my specialty area. Kind of thing I would have happily done in my youth, but as I have aged, and gained wisdom, I learned that only a fool thinks they are qualified to do everything, and there are things best left to others who are specialized.

 

[Renze]

Most ROPS on tractor's I've seen bolt to the rear axle assembly.

Ive seen drivers get killed because a home made ROPS tore a chunk out of the rear axle tube, because someone flanged it inbetween the fender bolts. Rops itself was fine, just the axle casting couldnt handle the pointload

 

[Renze]

I'm a degreed and licensed engineer. I would be seriously hesitant to design a ROPS system. Too far outside my specialty area.

I have designed ROPS structures, but the proof is in the pudding: Whatever you design has to be tested, with mounting points similar to the real life application. For wheel loaders back when i was still in that business, the standard was first a vertical load equal to the max registered weight of the machine, and then a sideway load: It didnt just gave to hold that load but it had to absorb energy by deformation, so a too stiff structure wouldnt be approved either.
You can just find the ISO norms on it. Problem as said, would be testing and registrating it.

Either way, no rops or a homemade rops is indifferent to me: Just dont do stupid things in which you rely on the Rops completely, as you'd be the first one to test it.

And does it make a difference in liability if it had no Rops, or a homemade Rops if you lend it out ?

 

[AntiqueIron]

The CDC had a homemade rops program a while back, called “CROPS.” (Cost effective roll over protection structures) for older tractors like a 3000 ford or TO-20 fergie.

It wouldn’t be a perfect guide for you but there’s some good design info on there.

As already mentioned by others, the strength of the final drives has a lot to do with it. The letter series Farmalls don’t have aftermarket rops for that reason.

 

[Ken45101]

Absolutely, a seat belt is a necessary part of ROPS.

The Canadian farm safety program has statistics on ROPS. There is a high DEATH rate without ROPS. With ROPS, out of 98 roll overs, zero fatalities or serious injuries.

According to the National Ag Safety Database (NASD): National data suggest that 1 of every 10 tractor operators overturn a tractor in their lifetime.

If you have an older model tractor on your farm that isn’t ready to retire, you may have the option to retrofit your tractor with a ROPS safely and effectively at a minimal cost. ROPS are a simple and highly effective way to eliminate the injury and fatality associated with tractor rollovers. ROPS in combination with seatbelts are 99% effective at reducing serious injury and fatalities from tractor rollovers. In Canada, the leading cause of farm-work-related deaths is tractor rollovers which account for 25% of deaths. Approximately half of all tractors in use in Canada are still being operated without a ROPS.