Standards Announced For Testing Tractor Roll-over Structures

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) announces the revision of two international standards that provide the testing requirements for roll-over protective structures (ROPS) on narrow-track tractors.

ISO 12003-1:2008, “Agricultural and forestry tractors — Roll-over protective structures on narrow-track wheeled tractors,” parts 1 and 2, were recently published in English and French for the international community. These documents apply to tractors 600 kg to 3000 kg and provide procedures for both the static and dynamic testing of roll-over protective structures for tractors of less than 1150 mm (~45 inches) track width. Part 1 applies to front-mounted ROPS, part 2 to rear-mounted structures.

Technical experts from Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and South America, working through a committee of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), participated in the development of the revised standards. The work was coordinated by Dr. Roger Hoy of the University of Nebraska, chair of the committee.

Testing of ROPS for tractors is intended to minimize the likelihood of driver injury resulting from accidental overturning during normal operation of the tractor. The strength of roll-over protective structures is tested by the application of dynamic and static loads that simulate potential accident loading. A variety of configurations and situations were considered when the testing requirements were defined for these standards.

For information on this new standard or other ASABE activities in ISO, contact Ted Tees at ASABE, (269) 429-0300 ext. 305, ted@asabe.org. ❖