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SUCCESSFUL DESIGN AND TEST OF ISO DIS 21299 ROPS STANDARD COMPLETED

Diagram of ISO DIS 21299 ROPS
standard application.

Photograph of ISO DIS 21299 ROPS
standard once applied to
actual equipment.

Custom Products of Litchfield, Inc. recently completed its first successful design and test of an economical, lightweight, non-folding, low vertical clearance ISO DIS 21299 ROPS (Roll-Over Protective Structure). The advantages of the ISO DIS 21299 ROPS design alternatives, versus conventional SAE or OSHA ROPS, may reduce turf maintenance machine users' resistance to the application of ROPS to their equipment.

ISO (International Standards Organization) recently published a new draft ROPS qualification procedure to enhance the safety of operators of powered ride-on turf maintenance equipment. Prior to this, there was no specific ROPS standard for these products. Under the support of OPEI (Outdoor Power Equipment Institute), a panel was formed that brought together an international group of ROPS experts that presented the best learned practices regarding off-highway vehicle operator crush protection. The result of this undertaking is a standard dedicated to protecting operators of powered ride-on turf maintenance equipment.

ISO DIS (Draft International Standard) 21299 will be the first ROPS standard specifically developed for turf maintenance equipment. It has factored in various configurations of powered ride-on turf maintenance equipment and is scaled to the weight and geometry of this specialized equipment.

The CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) recognized the 'tip-over' hazard associated with the use of 'riding mowers and garden tractors' over 30 years ago, states Jim Schmitt, Director of Engineering and Regulatory Compliance at Custom Products of Litchfield, Inc. "Yet the type or form of the recommended operator protective device is still undefined. This new standard will allow the industry to develop their own compliance standards, before the domestic and foreign regulators impose their own versions of appropriate mower ROPS standards."

The ISO DIS 21299 ROPS test model developed by Custom Products of Litchfield, Inc. will be on display at both the EXPO and GIE trade shows in October and November of 2006. Industry experts will also be on hand to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the ISO DIS 21299 ROPS standard.

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