Deuce/5 ton ROPS Kit?

[Hot Duck]

This is what I have in the works for my M923. This first picture is a T Bar ROPS from a company in Australia. We are using this behind the cab in place of the current hoist and spare tire. We are also incorporating an extendable arm and pivot point with an electric hoist to be used to load things in and out of the bed. The T Bar attaches directly to the frame and has tremendous gussets in both directions so it should be plenty strong. Here is a side picture of my 923 so you can get an idea of where the T Bar will be mounted. I'll keep you guys up to date and I'll post some pictures as the ROPS starts to go on the truck.

 

[OverSizeHeavyHauler]

The T-Bar idea is probably best to protect the cab, just have the height 6" above the roof, and it'd also make a REEEEALLY convenient Convoy Light mount....Id fab one up up using 4x6 3/8" just to make sure..

I like it.

 

[swbradley1]

Saw this online--- something along the lines of what I have in mind for ROP

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLGxVZrlt78&feature=related[/media]

Put a large rock partway down the hill and when the cab hits it the rock is coming into the cab and so much for the operator at that point. If you think that rollovers only occur on nicely sloped grades with nothing else around you haven't been running equipment with my Brother and I.

I like the drawing of the rollover protection bar posted earlier. After seeing Gimpy's truck on its side at Haspin in '10 I can see it would have provided a benefit to the occupants if the truck had gone on its top, but only at slow speed and provided there was nothing that could poke into the cab area. At highway speeds and rolling over and I'm betting that bar folds up like a Buck knife.

You are never going to decrease your risk in one of these trucks to zero no matter what you do. Safe driving practices are going to be more helpful to you by reducing the chances you will be in an accident in the first place. If you aren't in an accident you don't have to worry about rolling over.

IMO

 

[OverSizeHeavyHauler]

Id love to just have a rope like I had on my 977K....6x6 3/8"...with 1/2" vertical bars.

BUUUUUT, something like that isn't practical on a truck.
Safe handling, an RESPONSIBLE driving. Cuz Ive done it too, got a Deuce an wanted to drive up Mt Rushmore.

 

[OverSizeHeavyHauler]

Id love to just have a rope like I had on my 977K....6x6 3/8"...with 1/2" vertical bars.

BUUUUUT, something like that isn't practical on a truck.
Safe handling, an RESPONSIBLE driving. Cuz Ive done it too, got a Deuce an wanted to drive up Mt Rushmore.

 

[73m819]

I have seen roll overs, both side and to the rear over the years, a good number, the ROPS folded ( a real soft,easy roll no), a ROPS is rated to SURPORT the WEIGHT, getting there seems to be the problem

 

[kastein]

All this has me considering something.

Wonder how easy / hard it would be to find a cheap-ish surplus LIDAR system and mount it under the tailgate, looking straight back? Then set it up to alert the driver via flashing light if something approaches the rear at more than say 20mph. Chance of this happening is extremely low, but the outcome can be very bad, so if I could find the parts to put it together for under about 300 bucks I'd probably do it just to save myself some stress and mirror-watching. Rather put my eyes on the road ahead than check my six that frequently.

It'd have to be fairly well aimed (ie. LIDAR, not RADAR, or RADAR with a very well designed feedhorn system to keep it looking perfectly straight back with no real side lobes to speak of) and would probably need to take into account road curvature, so I'm not even sure it's feasible without a significant amount of work.