The original standards were written in the 1970's: ASAE (American Society of Agricultural Engineers) S383 "Roll-Over Protective Structures for Wheeled Agricultural Tractors"; and ASAE S310.2 "Overhead Protection for Agricultural Tractors - Test Procedures and Performance Requirements". I think they have been superceded by SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) J2194-200904 or others. You can purchase copies of the old and current standards.
If the tractors were made before the 1971 requirements for "Roll-Over Protective Structure" (ROPS) they are likely grandfathered in and do not require a ROPS.
A seat belt should only to be used with a cerified ROPS! The seat belt is only there to keep the operator inside an ROPS that's strong enough to protect him from being crushed in a roll-over. Without a sturdy ROPS to protect the operator, a seat belt will only trap the operator from escaping as the vehicle rolls over and crushes the operator's station.
A ROPS must be "cerified" as strong enough to protect an operator from being crushed by a fully weighted vehicle in a roll-over. There are specifice test procedures for cerification. It's best to purchase a ROPS from a reputable manufacturer and avoid trying to build a "home-made" one.
Modern "convertible" cars have seat belts and they are now required to have a "roll bar" to protect the occupants in a roll over. Motorcycles, ATV's, (golf carts?) and snowmobiles don't have roll bars and they don't have seat belts either. Any motorcycle police officer will likely verify that it would be very dangerous to use a seat belt on a motorcycle. Are any of the city's motorcycles or ATV's being used in the same parades as the tractors?
The city is probably doing this to limit their liability in case of an accident. Is the city more concerned about passengers or operators falling from the tractors instead of rollovers? A seat belt without a ROPS only provides a false sense of safety. If there is a roll-over accident with and the city only provided a seat belt without an effective ROPS to back it up and actually protect the operator, the city could potentially be liable for higher damage claims.
Antique tractors have long been "obsolete" for use by commercial farming operations, so there is only limited demand for any new ROPS to fit antique tractors. A ROPS designed to fit your specifice tractors could be hard to find and could also be expensive. Especially if it has to be custom made to fit your tractor and then has to be tested and certified.
To limit your own personal liability, you should discuss this with your city's attorney before you install any seat belts on those tractors. I would only add the seat belts if the tractors already have a factory built ROPS and the original seat belts have been misplaced.
I'm an engineer, not a lawyer, these are my opinions. I'm curious what a lawyer's opinion is.
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