Thanks for the comments about the pond Todd. I agree that my pics of the tractor are not a very good example of how to be safe running a tractor. I normally would have some type of weight on the back of the tractor for example a roto-tiller, but in this case the tiller would have prevented me from backing up once I pushed the rocks out into the pond. I got in a few situations where the tractor had to climb back over builders and this would have been impossible with equipment on the back. It was a very sticky situation, but really the only way to get the job done. I run the tractor without the ROPS most of the time as I work in open flat fields and they do not fit through the door of the barn where I park the tractor.