ROPS Protector

Tollster · Nov 7, 2006

I have the BX23 and often have the ROPS folded down due to low head clearance around my yard. Anyway, I found the roll bar is getting scratch to ****. Has anyone found anything to put on the bar to protect the finish. I was thinking somthing like a black piece of D shaped plastic.

bigdad · Nov 7, 2006

How about a piece of (slit) ADS pipe?

RobJ · Nov 7, 2006

Wait isn't a BX23 a tractor? I can only offer this...

1) Let it alone... Your tractor will eventually age, consider these wisdom wrinkles. Put on some makeup. if you like.
2) cover it as mentioned but then you have to look at the cover all the time. Maybe some type of Bra on the front to help out there to.
3) Never take the tractor out of the garage, it'll never get scratched. Unless your wife bangs it with the car door.
4) remove the ROPS and only put it on when company is coming over (company of all colors...orange, blue, greene). Here come the ROPS police.
5) Trade in your BX for a Sears mower. You won't worry about the scratches and with the money you save you can put your kid through almost a year of college. But we all know you can't go back now so forget this one.

OK I'm just funning with you. It's a tractor, not a piece of art and it'll get some scratches, most folks here keep a case or 3 of touch up paint handy.

Good Luck and enjoy!!

HomeBrew2 · Nov 7, 2006

I keep a heavy coat of dust on mine. What color is the ROPS anyway?

MOPAULY · Nov 7, 2006

foam pipe insulation would work, at least for a short time period.

Dusty · Nov 8, 2006

1) Improve the head clearance.
2) Let some air out of the tires.
3) Lower the ground around the low clearance items.
4) Get a push mower.
5) Learn to live with the scratches.

N80 · Nov 8, 2006

Well, I'll take a different tack because I understand where the OP is coming from. You drop a bundle of money on one of these things and even though it is incredibly useful, for most of us it is still a luxury. And like a pick-up truck or a jeep, we might even take a little pride in it and want it to stay looking nice. Or like me, you know it is a luxury and that if times get tight it will be one of the first things to go so you want to keep resale value high. For the type of person who is going to buy one of these little tractors, paint and looks are important for the same reasons I described above but also as an indication of how well the machine was cared for. Paint that looks good = cash. Who doesn't like cash?

In any case, I'd also think foam pipe insulation would help, or even strategically placed foam tape at contact points. I don't fold mine down but it is already showing paint loss in places with a little rust. I just touch it up with Kubota Gray spray paint. Expensive but it should last a few years at this rate.

teachdocs · Nov 8, 2006

Tollster said:
I have the BX23 and often have the ROPS folded down due to low head clearance around my yard. Anyway, I found the roll bar is getting scratch to ****. Has anyone found anything to put on the bar to protect the finish. I was thinking somthing like a black piece of D shaped plastic.

Just remove it and keep it in a safe place in the garage.
Let your head take all the scratches and dings.

Volfandt · Nov 8, 2006

I can't stand the ROPS on my BX23! I mean the thing gets in the way when it's up or when it's down and being that it's such a pain it gets abused continuosly

i.e. Tree branches, fencing, brush etc etc etc, everything seems to want to reachout and scratch it

Matter of fact, when I was giving the ole BX23 it's "done with leaf mulching/pickup" bath, I then noticed just how scratched up mine was too.
I did wipe it down a bit tho

The best recommendation I can offer is to either buy the Kubota gray paint or a close equivilent to keep it touched up as unfortunatly due to it's position and use, it's gonna take a beating and of course it is bolted to a tractor......

Volfandt

Dusty · Nov 8, 2006

Mine gets removed for the winter and is stored in the garage. Not much chance of turning the BX over when you are snowblowing a paved driveway that has very little incline. Dusty

Jay Hilliard · Nov 8, 2006

You could remove ROPS and get it powder-coated grey. Powder coating is a very durable and tough finish.

RobJ · Nov 8, 2006

Volfandt said:
I can't stand the ROPS on my BX23! I mean the thing gets in the way when it's up or when it's down and being that it's such a pain it gets abused continuosly i.e. Tree branches, fencing, brush etc etc etc, everything seems to want to reachout and scratch it

Matter of fact, when I was giving the ole BX23 it's "done with leaf mulching/pickup" bath, I then noticed just how scratched up mine was too.
I did wipe it down a bit tho

The best recommendation I can offer is to either buy the Kubota gray paint or a close equivilent to keep it touched up as unfortunatly due to it's position and use, it's gonna take a beating and of course it is bolted to a tractor......

Volfandt

Let it out man!!! I bet you even waxed it after the herbal bath.

nh_bota · Nov 8, 2006

I'm thinking of applying some spray-on truck bed-liner to my ROPS. It should keep the scratches away quite well.

Volfandt · Nov 8, 2006

Let it out man!!! I bet you even waxed it after the herbal bath.

Well..... I NEVER wax and tell

'sides, I don't want to spoil the ole orange machine, cause you know it's still just an ole tractor

Hummm, wonder if Mequiars is considered overdoing it

Volfandt

RobJ · Nov 9, 2006

Volfandt said:
Hummm, wonder if Mequiars is considered overdoing it

Volfandt

Just don't tell me you are using a clay bar!!!

Then you'll need help.

MadReferee · Nov 9, 2006

RobJ said:
Wait isn't a BX23 a tractor? I can only offer this...

1) Let it alone... Your tractor will eventually age, consider these wisdom wrinkles. Put on some makeup. if you like.
2) cover it as mentioned but then you have to look at the cover all the time. Maybe some type of Bra on the front to help out there to.
3) Never take the tractor out of the garage, it'll never get scratched. Unless your wife bangs it with the car door.
4) remove the ROPS and only put it on when company is coming over (company of all colors...orange, blue, greene). Here come the ROPS police.
5) Trade in your BX for a Sears mower. You won't worry about the scratches and with the money you save you can put your kid through almost a year of college. But we all know you can't go back now so forget this one.

OK I'm just funning with you. It's a tractor, not a piece of art and it'll get some scratches, most folks here keep a case or 3 of touch up paint handy.

Perfect.

What we have are tractors not Mercedes. A tractor is supposed to get scratched and dinged. If it doesn't then it's not doing its job. If you don't want it to get scratched and dinged then go buy a wheelbarrow and shovel and use them instead.

N80 · Nov 9, 2006

MadReferee said:
What we have are tractors not Mercedes. A tractor is supposed to get scratched and dinged. If it doesn't then it's not doing its job. If you don't want it to get scratched and dinged then go buy a wheelbarrow and shovel and use them instead.

Bull.

Its a tool like any other tool. You can treat it any way you want to from waxing it like a car it to bashing it like a pulpwood truck. But there is nothing about a tractor that says it needs to be damaged, or is made to be damaged, whether its sheet metal or hydraulics you're talking about. It depends on the owner and the machine's intended and actual use.

I'm not so sure what is hard to understand about resale value. Are you going to tell us now that tractors aren't made for resale? Are you going to tell us that a nice looking CUT isn't going to fetch more than a beat up one that is just as functional?

We can inject this macho idea of "its supposed to look like crap because it proves I use it like a man" all we want. But that notion isn't any less silly than keeping one clean and shiny just because we like the way it looks.

RobJ · Nov 9, 2006

N80 said:
Bull.

Its a tool like any other tool. You can treat it any way you want to from waxing it like a car it to bashing it like a pulpwood truck. But there is nothing about a tractor that says it needs to be damaged, or is made to be damaged, whether its sheet metal or hydraulics you're talking about. It depends on the owner and the machine's intended and actual use.

I'm not so sure what is hard to understand about resale value. Are you going to tell us now that tractors aren't made for resale? Are you going to tell us that a nice looking CUT isn't going to fetch more than a beat up one that is just as functional?

We can inject this macho idea of "its supposed to look like crap because it proves I use it like a man" all we want. But that notion isn't any less silly than keeping one clean and shiny just because we like the way it looks.

George... no one is saying to trash a tractor just because. But you mentioned tools, I have a bunch of hammers and a beat the crap out of them. They are made to hit things. Now take an private airplane (say a Cessna). They are not made to hit anything. If they do they suffer a lot of damage. A tractor is made to do tough jobs, jobs that might give it a scratch or 2. Despite of what people think, tractors were not made to push snow or mow a perfect lawn. They started in the fields, woods, places of work.

You keep mentioning resale value. That's cool. If a person uses a tractor like they are always going to have to sell it tomorrow, then a person it probably not going to use it to it fullest usefullness. "...cut a new ATV trail? Sorry can't, I might hit a tree and damage the sheetmetal or scratch the paint. How about doing it by hand?...."

Maybe I think this way because I bought a 5 year old tractor and saved a crapload of money doing so...that I use mostly for some fun to the tune of 50-75 hours a year if I'm lucky. But when someone needs a new ATV trail...just get behind me!!

rdsaustintx · Nov 9, 2006

OK OK stop swinging your purses and messing-up your mudpacks. Here's my shaggy dog story:

At about 10 hours I rolled a stump BACKWARDS off the FEL (just like the little cartoon guy on the left FEL warning sticker). Sucker creased my hood, all the way across and maybe 4" deep. Man I felt sick about it.

I banged it back out pretty good, but left a hickey maybe 1" across. An old friend of mine, VERY country fellow with a couple of big JD's, came by one day and I told him my story.

He looked the machine over and said, "where's the dent?" I showed him the hood and he replied, "Dent? That's not a dent, it's a beauty mark."

Thank gawd for good friends

Russell in Texas

PS: Paint it when ya sell it. It's not like a ROPS is gonna rust out....