Hearing Protection w/Radio

[D7E]

That's the same arguement I've heard from oldetimers as to why they don't wear hearing protection AT ALL in the woods. BTW, most of these guys have suffered quite a bit of hearing loss by the time they're 60. It gets old having to raise your voice to nearly a level of a shout to have conversation with them. I don't want to be like that when I get old. That's why I wear hearing protection for nearly everything I do that's even remotely loud.

On the "crunches and grinds" you can usually 'feel' them as much as you can hear them if you're attuned to it (no pun intended).

Having a radio just makes it more enjoyable.

When a tree is 300ft behind you on the end of a rope you need to hear it and see it ,I spend 6 days a week sawing or skidding or on a dozer and i have lost 50% hearing in left ear (At 32 years old)...I have always used "FULL" kit when sawing...?
I'm all for hearing protection ..Not for distraction.
As for feeling a crunch or grind is a laugh when a machine weighs 30ton and is 20ft behind you and a bearing the size of a yoghurt pot falls apart...A little squeek is far better warning than an expensive repair?

 

[ragkar]

I think that you logger guys are making the case for no distractions, and it's a good case. But you only have two ears and they have to last for a lifetime. Maybe you should look into headphones with active suppression of noises above a certain threshold.
As far as the rest of us pushing lawnmowers, using weedwhackers, pressure washers etc, it's boring and if entertainment can be added to hearing loss protection, then it's a good idea.
Changing the subject - I ordered and received today a pair of Peltor model WTD2600 digital ear muffs. I used them for about an hour and from time to time switched them with my analog AOsafety/Peltor ear muffs.
My lawnmower is a bit quieter with the digital muffs.
Station pull in capability is about the same for marginal signals.
There was no tuning drift with the digitals.
The digitals can store five stations and you can change between them without removing the muffs - pushbutton.
Both sets use conventional knob volume controls.
The digitals have a jack, and a provided patch cord, so that you can plug in your mp3, walkman, scanner etc. I haven't used it yet.
The digitals have an lcd frequency display and the analogs are very poorly marked.
Both sets weigh the same and the digitals are black whereas the analogs are yellow and black.
The digitals have a pushbutton frequency scan capability.
The ear cups on the digitals are slightly bigger and in hot weather wearing either type could be uncomfortable.
Both types have a toggle switch am/fm selection capability.
Both types use two AA batteries.
Both types have a six inch rubber antenna which could get in the way if you're ducking in brush.
Because of the antenna on both types, you can't wear a farmer's wide brim straw hat unless you wear the headband behind your neck instead of on top of it. However a baseball cap will work.

 

[scuvnut]

Tractor Cab with built in radio/CD.

Get the wife to do the trimming.

Its a reasonable solution to it all.

 

[IXLR8]

Tractor Cab with built in radio/CD.

Its a reasonable solution to it all.

I am afraid that my checking account would not see that as a reasonable solution.

 

[allenr]

Thanks Ragkar & Farmwithjunk for your critique of the Digital Peltor and the Husqvarna.
Farmwithjunk - I like oldies too, does the Peltor have more volume than the Husqvarna?
Both - what did you pay for the Peltor?

 

[allenr]

Just had a look at the Husqvarna website, theirs are FM only.

Won't even consider them, I want AM(MW?)/FM.

 

[dtd24]

I have the peltor worktunes, but its not the digital set. I like them, but I really want the digital set because it is very hard to set the station and then keep that station. I don't feel them to be a distraction because I keep the radio down to just hear it a bit. I use them for any work I do alone, mowing, weed trimming, tractor work. It's actually amazing to me how less fatigued I am by using ear protection. I rarely get on my tractor without them now.

Sometimes I feel like I am practicing for the next american idol with them on. My wife has caught me several times singing away!!!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Just had a look at the Husqvarna website, theirs are FM only.

Won't even consider them, I want AM(MW?)/FM.

Mine have an AM/FM switch and AM capabilities..... I listened to a baseball game broadcast on AM radio just yesterday. Maybe a different model?????

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Farmwithjunk - I like oldies too, does the Peltor have more volume than the Husqvarna?

The Peltor has just a tad more volume, but the Husqvarna has just a bit better sound quality. More or less a wash..........

 

[madpogue]

I have a pair of AOSafety Worktunes like those posted above, but with an mp3 input jack. Just used 'em last weekend mowing the prairie (JD790), and they were perfect. Just enough noise suppression (< Peltors, 22db IIRC) to keep the 2700 RPM from rattling my brain, and I didn't have to turn the radio up high to hear it, and I could still hear enough outside sounds (like when I ran over the rake I left in the field; see my photo section....).

I also have a pair of muffs that have a microphone on the outside, that let you hear outside sounds. It has a sensor that, when it picks up a sound above a certain db level (80?), it cuts off the microphone. It'd be perfect for a chainsaw, but it's a stand-alone muff, though, so you couldn't use it with a helmet or face guard. It's perfect for shooting; you can carry on a normal conversation with someone, but as soon as you pull the trigger, it goes quiet. Forget the brand, but I think I got them at Harbored Fart.... er.... Harbor Freight.

What would be REALLY cool would be something like the Peltor or AOSafety muffs, with an input jack, that you could connect to a two-way radio (walkie-talkie). It's really helpful, when I'm mowing with the brush hog and my wife is doing herbicide, or running the DR, or what-not, for us to be able to "call" each other. Or, for that matter, someone should make one with a FRS/GMRS two-way radio built-in.