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ROPS for thiokol/lmc??

tomelroy

Member
Qwest recently determined that thiokols snowcats (and others) without factory ROPS were to dangerous to keep. Is ROPS really that critical? Is your snowcat equipped with ROPS?
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
ROPS are pretty much an OSHA work requirement for employers to have on their equipment. In many ways I think OSHA would require men to wear both a belt & a set of suspenders.

My Snow Trac is a 1972 unit. Its not rolled over yet. In fact its the most stable vehicle I've ever encountered. So is ROPS required or is it dangerous to operate without a ROPS? Clearly no. On the other hand, if I was an employers sending my guys out in an old machine when every new machine manufactured has a ROPS and when OSHA requires them on every commercially operated machine from lawnmowers to tractors to forklifts to whatever, then I would very likely not take the risk of being sued in the very rare event that my employees rolled their snowcat.

QWEST, being a very large communications company, publicly traded on the stock market, does not want to risk the wrath of OSHA, which, from what I can tell, is worse that the wrath of a woman scorned.

JMO
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
29 cfr part 1926.1001 will spell out the requirements for rops on a tracked vehicle it's not something you could fabricate. if you wanted to use it in the work place , a google search will turn up companys that can do custom rops . for personal use i don'think yoou could get a snow trac to roll my a Dad worked in the enviromental health department in the airfoorce when they had 601's and had sevral documented rollovers of 601' on the dew sites. a local 601 owner has had his in a position that his slid down a hill sideways and broke an axle before it would flip. my opinion is its unnecessary weight and could make a rollover more likely but you would be better protected if one did happen. i have seen several bombies and bv 206's on their side in deep snow these were on level ground while making turns in deep snow wasn't any damage to either one other than pride.
 

Bulldog1401

Anybody seen my marbles?
SUPER Site Supporter
My imp has a "sort of" rops in the form of 2" square tube inside the cab by ther rear wall. Nothing to keep the windshield area from collapsing though. I have seen many groomers that have, basically, "brush deflectors" in the form of frames made out of pipes on the exterior of the cat that keeps branches from tearing off the beacons and lights, ETC.. that would serve well as a sort of ROPS protection.
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
My imp has a "sort of" rops in the form of 2" square tube inside the cab by ther rear wall. Nothing to keep the windshield area from collapsing though. I have seen many groomers that have, basically, "brush deflectors" in the form of frames made out of pipes on the exterior of the cat that keeps branches from tearing off the beacons and lights, ETC.. that would serve well as a sort of ROPS protection.
What you described in my opinion would work just fine but to be compliant with 29 cfr it would have to be engineered tested and a data plate attached to it with the proper information so if there was a failure they osha knows who to blame for the injurys and the layers know who to come after.
 

ray green

New member
Most tracked vehicles will support twice their weight in their cabin structures.The Gotracts nodwells and formosts that were equipped with heavy duty cages was to protect the passengers from the cargo. The only imp body that was damaged went over a 40 foot cliff and landed on its roof still on the trailor.The cabin was damaged but not badly deformed.We used to make 6000,8000,10000 and 30000 lb capacity units. The customers would almost double the load in the field. When they came in for a rebuild you could see the damage in the suspension framing.Bent suspension stops. Twisted frames .Etc.The only 2100 I know that flipped went over a waterfall just after a rebuild.Driver had minor bruising. Minor cab damage
Ray Green
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
ithink most of the osha rops stuipidity is more for falling objects on costruction equipment i have had some loaders and dozers on inclines so steep you have to hold on to something to stay upright and my snow trac i think is almost un tipable like you said i had a moose tied down on top this fall almost as much weight as the whole vehicle
 

northeastheavy

New member
Now you are talking two different systems, ROPS and FOPS or Falling Objects Protection system. You find them on Forestry equipment and quarry equipment.. The oddball Rops systems are on Excavators. The roll over protection is the main boom not the cab. The only osha requirement on excavator cabs is that all doors and windows operate properly. An excavator cab can be a FOPS though!!! As to Rops on snowcats?????????? Rolling over in soft snow does not seem too bad, but down a waterfall is another thing!!
 

ray green

New member
I have about 20000 hours on machines bombardier 200 250 300 302 j5 sw 48 muskeg,nodwell 15,22 60 100, built gotrack 200 300 600 800 1000 3000 b6 b8 b15 the full range of thiokols from the early sprytes and imps 2100a b c 3700s. I have been caught in avalanches slides broken axles spins of 4000 ft down a mountain. But I have never rolled one. Flopped a couple of tuckers after breaking an axle on steep pitches after sliding on the ice then snapping the axle when it caught in the hard snow after the ice. Took a couple of fast rides in 2100s with broken axles but never flipped one.
Ray Green
 

JimVT

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
My bombi rolled without any damage on it's bar s on the cab. I don't have any experience about the machines your asking about.
 

ray green

New member
Jim
When we built these types of machines the cab is designed to support at least twice the weight of the machine without deforming. that is what I was pointing out.
Ray green
 
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