ROPS regulation

[rambler]

Re: Yep, RobS, that clarified it!

You've missed all the warnings. On all of them. Stickers on the rollbar/ tractor, & about every 3-5 pages in the manuals.

Have you taken the ROPS apart, is there something inside the 2 halves? There is very little stress on the top of the roll bar anyhow, all the stress is in the long sides. The top can be weak. The sides will want to bend & deform long before the top section.

The hood will crush a bit, but the engine is sturdy & mounted to the frame. That is the front anchor point of a roll-over, not the hood.

The roll bar is long & lean. It has to take a lot of lateral stress. Holes in it weaken it a little bit, and lateral stresses on something that long can make a big difference.

Most likely a couple small holes won't matter, but for all the liability the manufatuerer must absorb in this crazy sue-happy country we are in, of course they will require that you _not_ modify it in any way. Only common sense in a wold mostly devoid of common sense.

--->Paul

 

[Mrwurm]

Re: Yep, RobS, that clarified it!

Paul, yes, I have taken the ROPS apart. The only thing inside the two halves is the thin strip of metal I mentioned.
Also, checked my tractor for warning stickers about ROPS. None to be found. I'll double check my manual. I've read it over a few times and don't remember seeing anything about the ROPS.

 

[Soundguy]

Re: Yep, RobS, that clarified it!

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Anyone got any photos of a CUT that's rolled that shows damage to the ROPS?
)</font>

Close. The construction company I work for uses some large earthmoving equipment called scraper pans. We had one roll off a hillside a few years ago.. unit had a fops.. and was cat 623b scraper pan.

There was no apparent damage to the fops after the roll. Seatbelt saved the operator, save for some small bruises.

Soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

Re: Yep, RobS, that clarified it!

If it is a NH tractor, it should most deffinately be in the owners manual. Also, there should be a rops certification decal or plaque on the rops frame -somewhere-.. could be hid/painted over/scrapped off. Usually the decal also mentions no mods, etc.

Both my manual and my rops have the info i spoke of on my 1997 NH 1920.


When I had my dealer add a sun canopy to my tractor they did it all with ubolts.. etc... no drilling / welding.

Soundguy

 

[RobertN]

Re: Yep, RobS, that clarified it!

If it were such a big issue, most 4x4 custom shops would probably be out of business.

Look at a Jeep. One of the first things a lot of folks do is put in a full roll cage. Even though the new Jeeps have forward bars, they do not have a front cross support; the windshield frame is the support.

I've seen a lot of folks with custom cages inside thier truck cabs. Being in proximity to the Rubicon trail, I have seen a bunch of trucks with ecto skeletons too.

Another thing to look at is race cars. Look at all the cages and Petty bars and engine loops used. All are at least semi-custom. You can get some kits for certian cars, but they still require some mods generally.

I would not advocate hacking into a ROPS. However, I do not see issues with most of the mods mentioned on this board. A couple holes for lights, or tabs welded on for lights should not be a big deal. The person welding though, should have an idea about what they are doing though.

 

[mountain_man]

I don't know whether this idea was presented. Have you considered using a piece of threaded round stock bent in a "U" shape around the ROPS frame to attach the light? Or buying a ready-made "U" shaped clamp at the local home center/hardware shore. This would give you an attachment point without affecting ROPS strength.