Roll Formed Tube Meets Strict Regulations

Roll formed tube materials are effective for building operator compartment structures configured as cabs or frames that are intended to protect equipment operators and motorists from injuries caused by vehicle overturns or rollovers.

Several federal and state agencies have developed regulations that require the installation of operator protective structures on mobile equipment used in mining, construction, agriculture and logging industries.

Roll formed components can be modified to client specifications with secondary tooling and processing operations like bending, sawing, laser cutting and hole-punching to save time and money for ROPS and FOPS manufacturers by eliminating their need to carry additional in-house resources.

These regulations cover many different types of vehicles, from small farm tractors to large rubber-tired front-end loaders, and require structures that help protect the operator from death or injury from vehicle overturns, from falling tree tops and logs, from falling rocks, and from tree limbs in clearing operations.

Two general types of vehicle operator protective structures have evolved over the past twenty years. The first of these is the rollover protective structure (ROPS) that is essentially a “roll bar” or “roll cage” that provides a relatively safe area for the vehicle operator if the vehicle should tip over and roll.