Evaluation of Foldable Tractor Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS) Clearance

Tractor rollovers are a leading cause of death in the agricultural industry. While rollovers continue to happen, Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS) have shown great ability to prevent or reduce the casualties and injuries associated with rollover events. Foldable ROPS provide a practical solution to various issues faced by tractor operators. However, a ROPS is not meant to be used in the folded down position, as they are commonly used.

This study determined the operator protection provided by ROPS in the extended and the folded positions relative to the applicable engineering standards. To accomplish this, six different sized tractors with different ROPS were analyzed to determine the measurements required to calculate the protection that the tractor and ROPS combination provides in both positions, folded and extended. These calculations yielded results that show consistent trends among all tractors measured.