Design, Manufacturing, and Strength Test of a 4-post ROPS Fitted on a Very Low-Profile Tractor (TRACLAS Project)

To improve the safety level when agricultural tractors work on slope under canopy, INAIL (the Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work) funded a research project, named TRACLAS, devoted to set-up a prototype of low-profile compact tractor, not exceeding 1.60 m overall height, equipped with a 4-post ROPS (RollOver Protective Structure). After the complete set-up of the prototype, some field and lab tests were carried out to compare its performance with those of some comparable tractor models already on the market, used in vineyards, orchards and greenhouses. A basic step of the TRACLAS project was the execution of the strength test of the customized 4-post frame (the ROPS) carried out in compliance with the OECD Code 4. The main features concerning the design, the manufacturing and the validation test of the ROPS are reported in this paper. The low-profile compact tractor prototype was obtained starting from a Goldoni E100 commercial tractor. The 4-post ROPS was tested successfully, being able to fully satisfy the desired requirement, i.e., the protection of the clearance zone, located with reference to the tractor driving place (operator’s seat and steering-wheel) during all the loads provided by the official procedure.