Tires Took an electric glue gun to that lousy factory brush guard.

[MinnesotaEric]

My brush guard bends if you breath on it. I don’t know how many times I’ve pulled it out and away from the hood of my tractor. The brush guard is near useless and so finally I cut out the-frequently-bent-and-bent-back, 12mm plate that it uses to bolt into the frame of the my tractor, laminated two 1/2” plates and welded them into place. I recognize that the brush guard bolts into pretty flimsy frame material, but if that starts bending, I can cut that off as well and remake it with stronger, better material. I’d show some photos of the reinforced brush guard bolted on, but I had to order in 14-1.5x60mm bolts and I’m entertaining cutting out on my plasma table an Immortan Joe grill insert to match the “what a lovely day” Immortal Joe sticker that I have on my tractor’s rear window. Trouble is I'm just not that into skulls

 

[sea2summit]

That was on this list to get done this winter…guess it will happen next winter. I’d like to incorporate some expanded 3/4” or similar as well.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

That was on this list to get done this winter…guess it will happen next winter. I’d like to incorporate some expanded 3/4” or similar as well.

I videoed the process and this kind of thing is easy to edit together for a YouTube video, but I have a logjam, four-camera video I’m putting together with my Payloader stuck in front of this.

Anyway, when the bolts I ordered show up, I’m going to see it it make sense to weld on spring-loaded detents and pivot bolts in order to swing the entire brush guard down and forward and out of the way when the loader is held up by a loader lock (which I also make). Right now without the brush guard in the way, the engine is way more accessible, and I really like that.

Anyway, as I do more I’ll likely dump it onto this thread.

 

[BnRidge]

I'm looking at this and feel pessimistic. Where the guard angles up and away from your 2 1/2" plates is where bending occurs on mine. Not sure that beefing up the base plate would have any benefit. I can understand why they would design something weaker than the tractor framework, but just looking at it wrong and it gets all bent out of shape doesn't make sense. There has to be a better way.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I'm looking at this and feel pessimistic. Where the guard angles up and away from your 2 1/2" plates is where bending occurs on mine. Not sure that beefing up the base plate would have any benefit. I can understand why they would design something weaker than the tractor framework, but just looking at it wrong and it gets all bent out of shape doesn't make sense. There has to be a better way.

Here is the often bent and then bent back base plate that bolts onto the frame. It is a pretzel. At any rate, when the longer bolts arrive and I test fit this thing, I'll decide at that point if I'm going all-in on making a folding version that would necessarily require beefing by also laminating the sides in order to support the twiddly bits. As it sits, I'd kinda like to get at some other projects—especially swinging around to making some boat fix-it videos.

.

 

[jimglassford]

You know these a "Brush Guards" not dozer blades.

 

[seville009]

I've never bent my brush guard (MF 1540). Just curious what you are running into/over with it? I'd be worried about whatever it is bending under the tractor and ripping out lines, wires, etc from underneath. If I'm brush hogging tall growth, I keep my loader on at a lower level to bend saplings, etc first.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I've never bent my brush guard (MF 1540). Just curious what you are running into/over with it? I'd be worried about whatever it is bending under the tractor and ripping out lines, wires, etc from underneath. If I'm brush hogging tall growth, I keep my loader on at a lower level to bend saplings, etc first.

You cannot run an NX series tractor brush hogging without skid plates and guards protecting the hydraulic filter. The fuel line will get ripped out, and there is a bunch of wiring that is way to exposed on the underside, not the least of which is the throttle sending unit. The brush guard folds from stacking slash and getting bumped. Check it out.

My Buddies and I Burn the Place Down! (2020 October Slash Burn and Mensa Meeting)

 

[jimglassford]

Now that you posted the video, I stand by my previous statement. It's a brush guard, not a dozer blade. You are using the brush guard to push piles. That's a big difference from it bending by just breathing on it.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Now that you posted the video, I stand by my previous statement. It's a brush guard, not a dozer blade. You are using the brush guard to push piles. That's a big difference from it bending by just breathing on it.

No, the grapple is lifting and rolling material, not the brush guard that I could bend with arms. Go watch on a big screen tv so you can see what is going on.