Easier way of pulling down ROPS for storage

[txdon]

Hey All,

I just got an L4701 and the ROPS are like 1 or 2 inches too tall to get the tractor in the barn. In any case, I went to take the pin and bolt out and it was a beast to get unscrewed and screwed back in... so much so that my tractor is currently parked outside because I really dont want to spend 20 mins getting the bolts on and off to store the tractor.

So, posting my first post here... becuase I'm 100% there is a trick to making that proccess easier. Do i need to grease that bolt, iuse a tool of some sorts, build a bigger barn? Whats a functional way to get that ROPS up and down but only take a few mins to remove/replace that bolt?

Thanks,
DC

 

[jimh406]

Build a bigger barn.

Seriously though, I don't have any experience with taking a ROPS bolt out. Maybe you can buy a bolt with the right thread and use a power wrench to spin it out/in.

 

[fried1765]

Build a bigger barn.

Seriously though, I don't have any experience with taking a ROPS bolt out. Maybe you can buy a bolt with the right thread and use a power wrench to spin it out/in.

2nd vote!
Bigger barn!

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I know better than to say this out loud....but since my screen name is "Runs With Scissors" it shouldn't be totally unexpected.

I went to TSC and bought 2 linch pins and ground the end down to to fit.

Now its just pop the retaining clip and pull it out. Takes 4 seconds per side.

 

[Rdrcr]

I know better than to say this out loud....but since my screen name is "Runs With Scissors" it shouldn't be totally unexpected.

I went to TSC and bought 2 linch pins and ground the end down to to fit.

Now its just pop the retaining clip and pull it out. Takes 4 seconds per side.

I did the same.

Yes, I want/need a larger garage but, that project keeps getting more and more expensive. It’ll happen someday but, pins were much cheaper.

Mike

 

[txdon]

I know better than to say this out loud....but since my screen name is "Runs With Scissors" it shouldn't be totally unexpected.

I went to TSC and bought 2 linch pins and ground the end down to to fit.

Now its just pop the retaining clip and pull it out. Takes 4 seconds per side.

Thanks! Yeah, that sounds like it would do it. Surprised there isn't a faster way to take the bolt out as is. I would use a dewalt but that paticular end that unscrews is a half circle end - probably meant for unscrewing by hand but I have to stick a screw driver in there its so tight turning it.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I know better than to say this out loud....but since my screen name is "Runs With Scissors" it shouldn't be totally unexpected.

I went to TSC and bought 2 linch pins and ground the end down to to fit.

Now its just pop the retaining clip and pull it out. Takes 4 seconds per side.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

 

[D2Cat]

I modified mine by leaving it down.

 

[DustyRusty]

smaller tractor or larger barn, whichever is less expensive.

 

[ve9aa]

My BX has folding ROPS with a pin. (I know nothing about an L4701) and I have to remove it and install it every-single-time I enter or leave my garage....it's that low of a ceiling and door!

If it was a bolt.....I'd probably move. LOL. There is no option for a taller door.

Shorter Answer: PIN !

 

[mikester]

The cheap option

The more satisfying option

 

[DustyRusty]

Milwaukee isn't cheap, nor is a Miller product. Horror Fright is cheap!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re:
There is no option for a taller door.


yes, a shorter ROPS....

OK, mine is technically a sunshade/LED headlight attachment(SSHLA). Made of same type steel but inches shorter.
I ain't concerned about ROPS( got rid of the seatbelt too ). SSHLA clears garage opening by 3/4", keeps Mr. Sun off my head. AFter 5+ decades of operating all sorts of 'off road' equipment,long before ROPS came along.... I'm OK with rolling the dice.after all if I do lose, I'll never know.

 

[tacticalturnip]

I know better than to say this out loud....but since my screen name is "Runs With Scissors" it shouldn't be totally unexpected.

I went to TSC and bought 2 linch pins and ground the end down to to fit.

Now its just pop the retaining clip and pull it out. Takes 4 seconds per side.

That's a great idea, and I may follow suit! I just smack the pins with the adjustable wrench I keep in the toolbox.

 

[NCL4701]

I rarely put mine down. The bolts are pretty tight, I suppose to keep the ROPS from rattling? If I had to do it routinely I’d probably replace with a pin.

Only modification I’ve done is they came stock with a little piece of wire rope on the ring welded to the bolt head so you can’t lose the bolt. That wire rope made it a major PITA to R/I the bolt since it’s too tight to turn by hand and the wire rope was forever winding up around the bolt so I removed it.

Still a couple minutes per side to remove or install, which is fine for my infrequent use. But yeah, I’d go with a pin and put up with any resulting rattle if I did it every time I took it out.

 

[bird dogger]

My rops was about an inch or two to tall to go in/out my shop's OH door. The rops was made of standard sized (1" x 3" ?) thick walled rectangular tubing. I removed the top half and fabricated a new one.....about 2 inches shorter. Now there's no worries and fussing with the OH door. The top of the new rops is flat and square. I can weld or drill/tap for mounting anything to it and not worry about spending the rest of eternity in purgatory for doing so.

The original rop's top sits tucked away in the shed, ready to go back on the tractor if the tractor ever gets sold or changes hands. As thin as the original metal is where it's bent at the top corners.....I'd wager the top I made is as strong or more without the bends and the additional small gusseted corners. It's just an inch or two shorter. It still folds like the original, if needed.

 

[bbxlr8]

I also looked at this and actually bought the pins from TSC but didn't like the extra play in the slightly reduced diameter. Now I know they are tough but the thought of going over and needing it took me back to using the factory bolts. I use the extra pins with other stuff now.
FWIW I am on a ridge and ALL of my property is somewhat sloped...

They should not be that tight after a few uses and some judicious application of WD40/liquid wrench/silicone spray (i.e. whatever you have handy)

I do mine by hand and can do it pretty quickly, definitely under a min for both sides. I keep my equipment inside if at all possible.

edit - I removed the wire from one side when I was going to use the pins and never reattached it - there is an art to spinning with the wire and I find it can make it quicker on that side. Bubba is in my gene pool somewhere!

 

[mikester]

re:
There is no option for a taller door.


yes, a shorter ROPS....

OK, mine is technically a sunshade/LED headlight attachment(SSHLA). Made of same type steel but inches shorter.
I ain't concerned about ROPS( got rid of the seatbelt too ). SSHLA clears garage opening by 3/4", keeps Mr. Sun off my head. AFter 5+ decades of operating all sorts of 'off road' equipment,long before ROPS came along.... I'm OK with rolling the dice.after all if I do lose, I'll never know.

Technically there IS and option for a taller door. My neighbour raised his garage roof so he could fit bigger doors and park his RAM3500 Dually Long Box. You just gotta have your priorities!

 

[OntheRidge]

Hey All,

I just got an L4701 and the ROPS are like 1 or 2 inches too tall to get the tractor in the barn. In any case, I went to take the pin and bolt out and it was a beast to get unscrewed and screwed back in... so much so that my tractor is currently parked outside because I really dont want to spend 20 mins getting the bolts on and off to store the tractor.

So, posting my first post here... becuase I'm 100% there is a trick to making that proccess easier. Do i need to grease that bolt, iuse a tool of some sorts, build a bigger barn? Whats a functional way to get that ROPS up and down but only take a few mins to remove/replace that bolt?

Thanks,
DC

I had the same issue on my 2501, bolt was super tight. I ran a tap through it a couple times and now I can easily unscrew it by hand. Didn't want a pin in there figuring it would rattle and drive me nuts.