Yanmar / Tractor Newbie

mfish · Jun 12, 2006

Hi all, I am the proud new owner of a FX20D tractor. This is my first tractor ever! My wife and I own 5 acres and it was getting a "little" overgrown with weeds and we had to do something. So a tractor it was... I have enjoyed reading all the discussions and have learned quite a bit. Keep up the good work as I am sure I will need advice in the future.

FL_Jerry · Jun 12, 2006

Welcome, this is a great place to find answers,,,and parts

Jerry 2000BD, Koyker 120

BruceR · Jun 13, 2006

Welcome, mfish.

Lots of good folks and info here.

Bruce

YanmarFever · Jun 14, 2006

Welcome aboard !
Your F20 is a great machine, you will always get good advice here to /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Ernie

mfish · Jun 18, 2006

Have you heard of anyone building their own ROPS for the Yanmar? I am not concerned about OSHA but would like some protection. Pictures would be good!

Thanks

roxynoodle · Jun 18, 2006

Well, we haven't actually done it yet, but my neighbor is a welder and he was thinking of making a ROPS for mine. If he does it, I will be sure to post a pic for anyone who wants to see it. Have you checked to see if an OSHA approved one is available for your tractor? One for mine will hopefully be out in the next couple of months. If one becomes available before my neighbor makes one, I will probably buy it. Better safe than sorry is what I'm thinking.

LMTC · Jun 18, 2006

Heads up to anyone considering making their own ROPS....spend a couple hours Googling home-made ROPS, and ROPS in general. Given that high degree of fatalities in non-ROPS rollovers, it is probably prudent to assume a rollover without a ROPS to be a severe threat to life. Your life is worth a couple hours, right? What I believe you will find is that OSHA certification for a ROPS is NOT just about being STRONG....it also has to do with flexibility, and other factors. A ROPS might be incredibly strong, but if it doesn't flex to some degree it could tear the rear housing away in a rollover, leaving the operator unprotected. See the following article (sorry, I still haven't figured out how to post links in this new format) where just that happened, resulting in the death of a 14 year old boy.

http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/face/Reports/PDF-Reports/Rops-Rollover Final.pdf

I too used to think you could just make some incredbly strong structure and put in on the tractor, but I now know there is a lot more to it than that.

roxynoodle · Jun 18, 2006

Wayne is undoubtedly correct that there is more than strength involved in creating a ROPS. We do have OSHA for reasons. One example I can think of is the number of people who think it is ok to wear a bike helmet for riding horses. Sure, bike helmets are cheaper, but there are a lot of factors that go into helmet design and the simple fact of the matter is that falls from bikes are NOT the same as falls from horses. When you come off a horse you tend to go up before you start coming down! There are important design differences between the 2 types of helmets. Therefore, it is probably a good idea to buy an OSHA approved ROPS, if available. If one is not available for your tractor then a homemade one may be your only option. Anyone out there who has tips on making one if it is necessary?

tpthibodaux · Jun 18, 2006

I installed ROPS on my YM-2000 yesterday, I purchased them from Hoyt for $639, very easy to install. A little more than I would have liked to spend, but well worth it for the safety it adds to the Tractor.I thought about building my own, but with limited free time i knew it would never happened.

mfish · Jul 10, 2006

I understand the critical nature of the ROPS and fully intend to build one strong enough to handle a roll-over. My son builds roll cages for race cars and he will be the one doing the actual design and fabrication. I will be there for moral support and incentive to get it done.

Thank you all for your comments and support!