Protection Screen - thrown objects

[jiminsc]

New to forum and have been impressed with the amount of common sense advice available. I'm getting ready to use a 16' boom mower, 3pt hitch model on my Kubota M9540 with Rops & canopy.

I would like to fabricate a screen for protection from thrown objects. I notice in some of the state contract specs they mention 1&1/2", #9 expanded steel.

I am looking for a solution that is removeable when I'm not cutting.

Interested in any comments or suggestions you may have. Thank you.

[Treemonkey1000]

U bolts with wing nuts through the ROPS comes to mind off the top of my head. And it is great that you are taking that factor into consideration...

[J_J]

I would think 1/2 in thick Plexiglas in a frame, which bolts on to the cage. If you only use the 1&1/2 in grid mentioned above, you might get rocks , bolts, glass, parts of dead animals coming through the grid. I would use both.

Do you have insurance, and what so they require?

[wvpolekat]

The problem with most plastics is they don't wear real well. They will get scratched, yellow, crack, etc. It's great for a little while, but doesn't age real gracefully.

I would say that expanded metal would be best, you get protection from anything sizable enough to hurt you, but also retain visibility.

If you attached U bolts with straps so they stay on there, you could just put the "studs" through the holes in the expanded metal and use wingnuts.

[Lil_FarmerJim]

I would take JJ and Treemonkeys ideas and go one step further, get yourself 4 tractor work light mounts that wrap around the ROPS and use that to mount a steel/aluminium frame too. That way you are not damaging the integrity of the ROPS with drilling any holes in it.

Messicks has some nice ones -> http://www.messicks.com/dept46/Tractor/Work_Lights.aspx

[Soundguy]

yep... even u-bolt some perfed angle iron brackets to the rops, then use studs/wingnuts to hang some expanded metal on.. etc... could probably stretch some windo screeing on that expanded metal to help with dust and bugs.. yet let air still flow good.

painted up all black and i bet it looks nice.

soundguy

[sandman2234]

My boom mower has a piece of 1/2" lexan (plexiglas) bolted to the ROPS on the back edge and bolted to a piece of 1x1 angle iron that is mounted to the fender. Top of lexan is mounted to the underside of the canopy. It protects me when the cutting head is up close to the side of the tractor (rear mounted but will come up close to the fender when turned to the side). There is a wall of expanded metal across the rear of my head between the ROPS uprights, but I can't remember ever throwing anything into it, due to the amount of metal in the way (the arms/tank/etc). Probably a good idea also, but the lexan gets a workout when I trim trees along side the ditch.
David from jax

[flusher]

Originally Posted by jiminsc

New to forum and have been impressed with the amount of common sense advice available. I'm getting ready to use a 16' boom mower, 3pt hitch model on my Kubota M9540 with Rops & canopy.

I would like to fabricate a screen for protection from thrown objects. I notice in some of the state contract specs they mention 1&1/2", #9 expanded steel.

I am looking for a solution that is removeable when I'm not cutting.

Interested in any comments or suggestions you may have. Thank you.

I just use hose clamps to hold an expanded metal safety screen to the ROPS on my Mahindra 5525

[jiminsc]

all great ideas & advice so far, keep em coming and thanks.

[dirt ditch]

You could build a frame out of pipe or square tubing, notching around the ropes hinges and any thing else that needs it. Cut the expanded metal to fit the frame and weld them together. Then make shield mounts that bolt to the canopy mount u bolts. Hang the shield on when mowing take it off when done.