The ROPS is coming off this winter...

[5030]

When I refurbish the sheet metal on my F series front mount deck Kubota F series, the ROPS is coming off and staying off.

It's a royal PITA when mowing under trees, always catching on branches so I'm gonna remove it. If I ever sell it, I'll have to put it back on but until then, it's coming off. Candidly, I really see no need for it anyway.

 

[Thomas]

Last year young man 20's mowing flat ground ROPS caught maple limb, spun zero turn into tree with front wheels up, he fell off and darn lucky he was hurt.

 

[LouNY]

And I went and bought one after I bought my F2000 because it didn't have one. Also a nice place for the canopy to mount too. I have a lot of side slopes and hills.

 

[Fixastuff]

I'd just trim the tree limbs higher?

 

[5030]

And I went and bought one after I bought my F2000 because it didn't have one. Also a nice place for the canopy to mount too. I have a lot of side slopes and hills.

It's flat here and unexpectedly when the upper ROPS is folded down, I cannot open the bonnet either, Real PITA. Just gonna remove it. Really has no use in my operation anyway.

 

[Ricn]

it's the lawyers again.

 

[5030]

?????

 

[jyoutz]

It's flat here and unexpectedly when the upper ROPS is folded down, I cannot open the bonnet either, Real PITA. Just gonna remove it. Really has no use in my operation anyway.

I thought you had a canopy attached to your ROPs? I enjoy the ROPs for that reason.

 

[5030]

I do on the open station, not on the mower.

 

[Brown Dog]

I'd just trim the tree limbs higher?

Same here. I hate low hanging limbs affecting my view off this hill.

I cut every limb on my property up 25ft high.

 

[5030]

That works on deciduous trees, and large conifers, not so much on arborvatie and I have a long row of them along the western edge of one of my hayfields and I've taken to using the F series to trim a clear path around all my fields. That way I can keep the offside edge of my discbine away from fence posts. Easier on the sheetmetal.

 

[arto98607]

We do not have big hills on our property and I removed my F-mower ROPS couple of years ago in order to have a better access under our fruit trees.

It would take some serious effort to tip over this thing on our property.

Tractor with a front end loader filled with wet clay is a different story...

 

[oosik]

My M6040 is open station. I only have the ROPS because it is where the canopy attaches. Yes - the ROPS/canopy can be a REAL pita when navigating thru/around my pines.

Nothing wakes you up like a pine limb slap across your face.

 

[LouNY]

My M6040 is open station. I only have the ROPS because it is where the canopy attaches. Yes - the ROPS/canopy can be a REAL pita when navigating thru/around my pines.

Nothing wakes you up like a pine limb slap across your face.

It's even more fun when they have thorns;
flowering crab, quince, locust and such.
opps, forgot one of the worst wild rose bushes, they reach right out and grab you.

 

[dodge man]

You can’t remove the rops, it’s like that tag on the bottom of your mattress, “under penalty of law”.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

My GR2120 has no ROPS, but I absolutely HATE the fact that ALL the "better" lawn tractors now have hydrostatic drives - NOT because I hate hydro but because they force a higher seat on the tractor and it makes it a nightmare to cut under our semi-dwarf orchard. The old Wheelhorse sat low to the ground, and I would love to own a decent quality gear drive tractor that sat that low now, but - they don't make 'em. This was true 9 years ago before I bought the Expletive Kubota. I bought it because it seemed a little lower in height than the John Deere model with the diesel engine and 4 wheel drive, along with being a little less expensive.
I don't understand why it's impossible to buy a decent lawn/garden tractor that doesn't sit so high.
In many other respects, the GR2120 has been a nightmare but this particular one isn't Kubota's fault - it's EVERY machine out there.
Years ago I used to sit behind a Locke 75 inch reel mower on a sulky that was just off the ground. The Locke didn't even require hand steering because it had a bar that allowed you to steer it with your feet. I didn't use the sulky much because it was only good on level ground and the Locke was a pleasure to walk behind anyway, it was mostly a novelty thing.
It seems the lawn care thing has only degraded over the past 50 years, and things have only gotten worse.

 

[MiserableOldFart]

It's even more fun when they have thorns;
flowering crab, quince, locust and such.
opps, forgot one of the worst wild rose bushes, they reach right out and grab you.

Hawthorns...

 

[arto98607]

My GR2120 has no ROPS, but I absolutely HATE the fact that ALL the "better" lawn tractors now have hydrostatic drives - NOT because I hate hydro but because they force a higher seat on the tractor and it makes it a nightmare to cut under our semi-dwarf orchard. The old Wheelhorse sat low to the ground, and I would love to own a decent quality gear drive tractor that sat that low now, but - they don't make 'em. This was true 9 years ago before I bought the Expletive Kubota. I bought it because it seemed a little lower in height than the John Deere model with the diesel engine and 4 wheel drive, along with being a little less expensive.
I don't understand why it's impossible to buy a decent lawn/garden tractor that doesn't sit so high.
In many other respects, the GR2120 has been a nightmare but this particular one isn't Kubota's fault - it's EVERY machine out there.
Years ago I used to sit behind a Locke 75 inch reel mower on a sulky that was just off the ground. The Locke didn't even require hand steering because it had a bar that allowed you to steer it with your feet. I didn't use the sulky much because it was only good on level ground and the Locke was a pleasure to walk behind anyway, it was mostly a novelty thing.
It seems the lawn care thing has only degraded over the past 50 years, and things have only gotten worse.

Not sure how low the branches are in your orchard, but perhaps one of these would help?
It works pretty good for us.

 

[5030]

I've taken the foldable part of the ROPS off already because that was easy and the rest will get removed this winter when I refinish the floor pan and the hood.

I needed to replace the molded rubber bulb gasket around the cowl that supports the radiator and oil cooler because it was shot and Kubota wants an arm and a leg for it so I went searching on Amazon and found the exact replacement for 1/4th the cost, right down to the metal clips that secure it plus I got a 20 foot roll which is enough to replace it 2 times. Cost was 35 bucks versus a hundred for the OEM Kubota part. Got free shipping too.

Replacing it really cut down on the vibrations produced by the 3 cylinder motor in my unit. I also upped the base idle RPM which also cuts down on the shaking at idle.