Farm & Farm Machinery - March Ed. 2006.

Melbourne based company Hercules ROPS, has launched an impressive range of certified and competitively priced roll bars onto the Australian farm tractor market.

Roll Over Protection Structures (ROPS) have been a compulsory piece of equipment on new and used tractors sold in Australia, since 1982.

The demand for ROPS has to date been met by products that are costly and have perhaps been ‘knocked together’ in the local rural engineering shop.

The range of the new Hercules ROPS provides the ideal solution to farmers. Compliant with the Australian standard AS1636, all Hercules roll bars are labelled as being tested and certified in accordance with this standard. Each bar is labelled with a test number and a serial number, the customer’s assurance of both compliance and quality.

According to Martin Cooper, MD of Hercules ROPS, investing in quality design and rigorous testing to secure compliance with the Australian Standard, has been at the cornerstone of the development of the Hercules product range.

“We retained Frank Ford as our chief engineer to develop the Hercules range,” Martin said. “Frank is the acknowledged authority in Australia in this field with more than 30 years ROPS experience. Over his career, Frank has tested and certified more than 300 ROPS and FOPS units.”

Few engineers or farmers completely understand the principal of ROPS. Most look upon a structure of this type as being an exceptionally rigid and sturdy structure. When designed correctly, the ROPS should absorb the energy of a rolling tractor, in the same way that a crash helmet or the crumple zone of a modern car absorbs the energy of an impact…

Since the introduction of ROPS legislation in 1982, there has not been a single fatality involving a tractor fitted with a compliant ROPS. By contrast, over the same period, there have been around 80 fatalities involving tractors without ROPS equipment.

When a tractor rolls, a properly engineered ROPS will break the fall, lessening the likelihood of the tractor pole vaulting down the slope. A rock solid ROPS will not absorb any energy. Rather it transfers the impact of a roll to the weakest link, the tractor to which it is fixed.

“With Hercules ROPS we bring to the market the ultimate combination of safety, quality, certification and affordability,” Martin said.

“Whereas competitive products in the market sell at a variety of prices, none is anywhere near our starting RRP of $389 including GST. Many are more expensive units that are not even certified.”

“The Hercules products are certified and very affordable!” The initial Hercules product offering comprises ‘Easy Fit’ designs for Kubotas up to 35hp, including Japanese domestic models and a range of Massey Fergusons. Additional ROPS models soon to be released will suit Yanmar, Iseki, John Deere, Ford, International, plus other popular models.

Hercules roll bars are powder coated in grey and are supplied with all mounting hardware, including plated, high tensile bolts.

Hercules ROPS are available Australia wide with direct sales available at both the wholesale, retail and consumer levels.