Ear Protection

[Bob999]

I have found this model to be good.

Pro Ears - Shooting Sports Store

 

[MikePA]

Mike, any suggestions as to where a fellow might find a pair of those headphones? (Other than on your head)

I can't recall where I bought them, although I know I bought them online. Cabela's sells them for $220.

 

[mudcat]

Here are a few that are budget friendly.Harbor Freight Tools

 

[archerynut]

This is what I use for long days mowing.

JVC - Marshmallow Ear Bud Headphones - Blue - HAFX33A

There are a lot others but for $20 these have worked well for me.

 

[IslandTractor]

I have at set of Sennheiser PXC250 noise cancelling earphones. They are on the ear type and very effective. I think I got them for just over $100 via amazon so they are not so pricy as to be scary to use on the tractor. Only downside compared to the Bose is that the battery and electronics are in a little pen shaped appendage that slides into your shirt pocket or clips to your jacket. You can obviously run the Ipod through the headphones while in noise suppression mode just like the Bose.

 

[Oleozz]

Huh?????



Point being, I need to keep what hearing I have. I HATE hearing aids. (Feels like I have a finger in my ear)

Dang thing is just a bit more expensive than a set of headphones though.

My hearing is bad, right ear was bad enough that the ear doc told me that a hearing aid would not help. I do have a Beltone aid in my left ear and you can't tell it's there. It's just a small device that fits behind your ear and a very tiny tube fits in your ear canal. 35 years of dog training and shooting loud blank guns over every point I think is the main culprit for my loss but also being around noisy tractors and mowers didn't help.

 

[patrick_g]

I have quite a collection of muffs, ranging from HF cheapies on up. I try to always buy the ones with the highest NRR. The difference in cost for similarly rated units is often quality of construction (relates to longevity) and long term comfort.

I try to have muffs scattered around the shop so whatever loud abrasive cutoff saw, miter saw, grinder or whatever I use I have a set of muffs close at hand. HF are good for this as they are CHEAP but work. They ARE NOT comfortable for very long and I could never wear them long enough to do much with a tractor.

I have some that are way more comfortable for long term use but are no more effective unless you count comfort that lest you actually wear them for more than a few minutes as improved effectivity.

In really extreme cases I put the sponge type in my ears and then put on muffs. Not particularly comfortable for long but darned effective.

For tractoring I recommend something with a fair (or greater) degree of long term comfort. Otherwise the pain will build and you will just take them off. That is my only objection to recommending the cheaper HF units. If they are not comfortable to wear during a long tractor session, you won't!

Pat

 

[bones1]

Here's a nice collection.Earmuffs

 

[jbrumberg]

I have been using those foam ear plugs for years. The ones I use are NRR 29 rated. They do get pretty nasty looking after many uses , but are easy to clean with soap and water. When I use them in conjunction with my Stihl protective head/ear ware I can barely hear anything. Jay

 

[patrick_g]

Jay, I have a Husqvarna brand safety helmet for logging ops. It has a plastic "Lawrence of Arabia" cape thing on the back of the helmet to keep sawdust and debris from going down the back of your neck. It also has a metal mesh flip up visor to protect your eyes. It has attached muffs that can fold up out of the way or just pull them away from your ears and they snap into an outer position. Then to prepare for making noise you just push in on them and they snap over your ears. The muffs are pretty effective. I have a 32 inch bar Husky with an engine like a small dirt bike and this sucker is loud. If I were to use it for long I would sure want to stuff the foam inserts in and use the muffs too. Id your Stihl like this? I haven't seen other brands besides Husky.

NOTE regarding buying plugs, muffs, etc. The NRR (Noise Reduction Rating is not LINEAR. It is logarithmic. It gives noise reductions in dB. So if you see one set of muffs listed as 26 and another set at 29 don't be fooled. the higher rated set is not just a little over 10% better. Each 3 dB is a doubling of power level. A set with a NRR of 29 cuts the sound down twice as much as a set rated at 26.

Our ears are also logarithmic in response and things that sound twice as loud actually have a much greater difference. Our perception of the loudness of sounds is not accurate and judging when sound is loud enough to harm you is not easy. Netter to be safe than sorry.

Oh, by the way... When life hands you lemons, get some tequila and salt and call me!

Pat

 

[LoneCowboy]

I have been using those foam ear plugs for years. The ones I use are NRR 29 rated. They do get pretty nasty looking after many uses , but are easy to clean with soap and water. When I use them in conjunction with my Stihl protective head/ear ware I can barely hear anything. Jay

You can buy 2000 ear plugs for about $20 to $30 just about anywhere on the web.
The box lasts forever
My rule is no more than 8 hours in the ear (lots of long distance motorcycling in my past), so one job and I throw 'em away.
I get as much NRR as I can get. 29 is about as low as I"ll go. Currently on a box of NRR33's.

 

[Z-Michigan]

You can buy 2000 ear plugs for about $20 to $30 just about anywhere on the web.
The box lasts forever
My rule is no more than 8 hours in the ear (lots of long distance motorcycling in my past), so one job and I throw 'em away.
I get as much NRR as I can get. 29 is about as low as I"ll go. Currently on a box of NRR33's.

Agree with Lonecowboy on all points. I have been bulk buying earplugs for a while now for motorcycling and shooting. (Seems like all my hobbies are bad for hearing - I'm also a pilot, but I have dedicated noise reducing headphones for flying.). There is a Yahoo store for earplugs and little else that has an incredible selection and good prices (no link handy at this moment). For motorcycling up to 2-3 hours I have some reusable rubber plugs with a NRR of 29 or so. For longer trips I would use foam plugs with a 33 NRR. For me the most comfortable plugs are the ones made of heat-sensitive foam, which are sometimes available at Home Depot in the safety aisle (they are green and come either way too pricey in 2-8 packs or at a better price in a 60 count block). Foam plugs are intended as single-use. You can wash and reuse them a few times, but not too many. Not good putting dirt deep down in your ear. FYI, in case anyone reading doesn't know this, foam plugs need to be about 80% inside your ear canal to work properly. I see people stick them loosely on the outside and not realize they're getting a NRR of like 2 or 3 by not using them right.

So far I've been using my shooting muffs for tractoring and pretty happy with that. My tractor is rated for about 90db so I only need 5-10db reduction to be safe. The muffs I'm using are 24, I think. Motorcycling is typically a lot louder - and since I wear a full face helmet, muffs are not an option!

 

[mcruc]

Peltor Alerts won my personal shoot-out.
AM/FM that can have the ambient noise mixed in
so you can hear somebody speak without taking them
off. Also can plug in a phone/Ipod whatever and
that also can be mixed in.
Peltor Alert AM/FM Radio Headset

 

[Z-Michigan]

Here's the yahoo store I mentioned earlier:
Ear Plugs, ear phones and white noise machines for everyone, Earplugs for Musicians and Swimming!

I purchased from them about 18 months ago. Everything arrived timely and was as advertised. I do not have any affiliation with them.

Here's a good site with info on earplugs:
Ear Plug - Earplugs - Hearing Protection - webBikeWorld

 

[patrick_g]

Maybe some of you bikekrs can answer this. I think I recall a helmet with active noise cancellation in it and external audio input so you can listen to the radio. There are electronic boxes that let you listen to sounds from 2 or more inputs. There is a priority channel for a 2way radio or cell phone. If that input is active it kills the other inputs like iPod, or whatever you are listening to. Uses a fast attack slow decay VOX circuit to automatically switch to the priority channel when it becomes active and then when it goes silent for a few seconds the unit automatically switches back to whatever you were listening to befor.

I think something like that would be very good for tractoring if used with noise canceling headphones. You could listen to your tunes but if your cell went off or mama gave a shout over the two way you'd get the call.

Pat

 

[mjarrels]

Ear protection? I spend too many years sleeping under the number three wire on aircraft carriers... Huh?

mark

 

[Soundguy]

I wear a big set of muff style headphones when i am on the tractor. i got them at radioshack I -think-.. They have a 1/8 stereo plug and came with a 1/4 adapter.. and have a sliding volume control inline. I use these either with my fender mounted radio.. or an arm band radio. the muffs block out the sound real good, and i can hear fine.. even on my 95 hp tractor with a 15' mower behind me.

Sometimes i just use them as muffs.. no radio...

Soundguy

 

[patrick_g]

Soundguy, You got a RS model number on those phones?

I have discovered that one of the many sets of muffs I have (one of the most comfortable) seems to resonate at one of the frequencies prevalent in my tractor operation and doesn't reduce THAT noise. Very annoying. What you describe sounds like what would be good for my needs.

I want good suppression without resorting to in the ear plugs since I want headphones instead of just muffs so I can plug into an audio source (mixer panel with VOX) so I can listen to tunes and incoming 2way radio transmissions will mute the tunes and have priority.

Pat

 

[Soundguy]

I'll check them for a part number tonight.

Yep.. I've done the same with vocal priority... works great.

Soundguy

Soundguy, You got a RS model number on those phones?

I have discovered that one of the many sets of muffs I have (one of the most comfortable) seems to resonate at one of the frequencies prevalent in my tractor operation and doesn't reduce THAT noise. Very annoying. What you describe sounds like what would be good for my needs.

I want good suppression without resorting to in the ear plugs since I want headphones instead of just muffs so I can plug into an audio source (mixer panel with VOX) so I can listen to tunes and incoming 2way radio transmissions will mute the tunes and have priority.

Pat

 

[dtd24]

I just bought the peltor am/fm set up. No plug in for anything else. They work good. I wish the tuner was digital, but it works good. I am actually impressed with the lower level of fatigue when using ear protection. Caught myself signing away last night like I was practicing for American Idol. Lucky the tractor is loud enough so no one can hear. LOL.