ROPS question MX5100

[shelby5100]

I purchased this MX5100 late last year, about to put it into service and had a question about the ROPS. The tractor has a fold down ROPS, but the unit is split at the fenders. The upper half has a square tube welded inside and a bolt hole that goes through the outside and inside tube to tie them both together when assembled.

The farmer I bought it from didn't have the hardware, so I bought some grade 8 hardware, but the bolt holes aren't perfectly perpendicular to the tube. Is this a factory setup, or am I looking at someones custom fabrication?

 

[McMXi]

I purchased this MX5100 late last year, about to put it into service and had a question about the ROPS. The tractor has a fold down ROPS, but the unit is split at the fenders. The upper half has a square tube welded inside and a bolt hole that goes through the outside and inside tube to tie them both together when assembled.
View attachment 173238 View attachment 173239
The farmer I bought it from didn't have the hardware, so I bought some grade 8 hardware, but the bolt holes aren't perfectly perpendicular to the tube. Is this a factory setup, or am I looking at someones custom fabrication?

I would say not factory based on the MX6000HST I owned for about 15 months. I wonder what the motivation was to do that given that the ROPS folds. Did the previous owner park it under a deck?

With the grinder marks and weld prep it looks like it was being prepared for welding ... to me at least.

I don't have a great photo of the ROPS on my first MX but here's what I have the day it showed up at the dealer. I see that the cross bar on your ROPS is different.

I'm interested to read what others think about this. A bit of a mystery perhaps.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Well the MX5100 did have a bolted ROPS.

But yours is not factory!
It's been altered.
Sadly you won't know how good it is or isn't until you really need it, and when it fails it could be really bad!

 

[MapleLeafFarmer]

not my tractor but same model. no cuts like yours so I would say yours is after market adjusted.

 

[McMXi]

Well the MX5100 did have a bolted ROPS.

But yours is not factory!
It's been altered.
Sadly you won't know how good it is or isn't until you really need it, and when it fails it could be really bad!

It would be interesting to know the "why" ... to me at least. Perhaps the OP can ask the farmer why it was cut.

 

[whitetiger]

Is there another joint inline with the cross brace?