Finally got the 7060 home

[Citydude]

I wore ear muffs while operating my L2501. Had too. That thing was too loud for my comfort.

I bike, drive tractor, and at times walk or run a boat. In ALL cases I consider headphones a major safety issue and a cause of accidents and near-disasters. Seen 100 examples. There is no benefit that justifies giving up your ability to hear and react when operating equipment in my view.

 

[Brown Dog]

... My arm is no where near the arm rest on the seat ...I assume that it may be the same for Brown Dog.

It is

 

[Brown Dog]

I bike, drive tractor, and at times walk or run a boat. In ALL cases I consider headphones a major safety issue and a cause of accidents and near-disasters. Seen 100 examples. There is no benefit that justifies giving up your ability to hear and react when operating equipment in my view.

I totally agree with this.

I only wear headphones mowing my stump & rock free tame ground that I’ve mowed for 23yrs.

I know every square foot of it well.

I don’t wear them Bush Hogging my steep banks or unfamiliar ground.

I hate to see people driving vehicles on the road wearing earphones.

 

[sandman2234]

I bike, drive tractor, and at times walk or run a boat. In ALL cases I consider headphones a major safety issue and a cause of accidents and near-disasters. Seen 100 examples. There is no benefit that justifies giving up your ability to hear and react when operating equipment in my view.

You can add me to the list of people who agree with you!
Always wonder what the repair cost is, with and without ear buds. Catch a noise sooner is often cheaper to fix!
David from jax

 

[Blaster7Romeo]

You can add me to the list of people who agree with you!
Always wonder what the repair cost is, with and without ear buds. Catch a noise sooner is often cheaper to fix!
David from jax

I hope the ones that are scared of ear buds still wear ear plugs or muffs. Because hearing damage is real and not reversible ... unlike the belt or gearbox you MAY be able to save because you THINK you can hear it sooner if something goes wrong..

 

[tradosaurus]

I hope the ones that are scared of ear buds still wear ear plugs or muffs. Because hearing damage is real and universalize... unlike the belt or gearbox you MAY be able to save because you THINK you can hear it sooner if something goes wrong..

I'm not sure what is being discussed here but ear protection is a must or your hearing will definitely be irreversibly damaged. I wear ear protection when I'm on the tractor, zero turn, AND operating a chain saw.

 

[JWR]

I hope the ones that are scared of ear buds still wear ear plugs or muffs. Because hearing damage is real and universalize... unlike the belt or gearbox you MAY be able to save because you THINK you can hear it sooner if something goes wrong..

I respect your views. And I disagree 100%. And it has nothing to do with detecting some pending equipment failure. I am 76, have operated chain saws, guns and tractors, ....guns and tractors since I was 12. And done a fair amount of ground hog hunting with a high powered rifle and close up with a shotgun. I will match my hearing against anyone -- I have very thankfully EXCELLENT hearing. And I never used an ear plug. [In retrospect I do recommend ear plugs for high noise level repetitive shooting like skeet and doing a large number of rounds of target practice with large bore weapons. That is about the only case.] Meanwhile I have seen bikers and people operating all kinds of machinery foolishly risking life and limb, unable to have reasonable situational awareness of what is going on around them due to ear buds and various forms of something stuffed in their ears. For another example, people walking, (almost always youngsters...) have to be yelled at when approached from the rear on a bike. These people are frankly stupid, just asking to be injured. Irresponsible.

So there is difference of opinion, not unanimous. I suggest looking at noise level standards and "what noise levels for how long an exposure" are considered harmful to your hearing by experts. [I'm the first to question 'experts' but at least they have data, studies, and decades of experience...] The Center for Disease Control (CDC) posts an informative set of info at

What Noises Cause Hearing Loss? | NCEH | CDC

Sound levels above about 100dB can damage hearing BUT it takes a lot longer for lower levels to cause damage than for high levels like firecrackers. Sound level meters standardized for the profile in spectrum of human hearing are readily available. If you are truly serious, thinking you need to protect your hearing using a tractor, invest in a sound level meter and see for yourself. I do not think there is any hearing threat reason to wear ear coverings on a farm tractor. I firmly believe you put yourself in harms way doing it.

Each of us of course does what we think is best...

 

[tradosaurus]

I respect your views. And I disagree 100%. And it has nothing to do with detecting some pending equipment failure. I am 76, have operated chain saws, guns and tractors, ....guns and tractors since I was 12. And done a fair amount of ground hog hunting with a high powered rifle and close up with a shotgun. I will match my hearing against anyone -- I have very thankfully EXCELLENT hearing. And I never used an ear plug. [In retrospect I do recommend ear plugs for high noise level repetitive shooting like skeet and doing a large number of rounds of target practice with large bore weapons. That is about the only case.] Meanwhile I have seen bikers and people operating all kinds of machinery foolishly risking life and limb, unable to have reasonable situational awareness of what is going on around them due to ear buds and various forms of something stuffed in their ears. For another example, people walking, (almost always youngsters...) have to be yelled at when approached from the rear on a bike. These people are frankly stupid, just asking to be injured. Irresponsible.

So there is difference of opinion, not unanimous. I suggest looking at noise level standards and "what noise levels for how long an exposure" are considered harmful to your hearing by experts. [I'm the first to question 'experts' but at least they have data, studies, and decades of experience...] The Center for Disease Control (CDC) posts an informative set of info at

What Noises Cause Hearing Loss? | NCEH | CDC

Sound levels above about 100dB can damage hearing BUT it takes a lot longer for lower levels to cause damage than for high levels like firecrackers. Sound level meters standardized for the profile in spectrum of human hearing are readily available. If you are truly serious, thinking you need to protect your hearing using a tractor, invest in a sound level meter and see for yourself. I do not think there is any hearing threat reason to wear ear coverings on a farm tractor. I firmly believe you put yourself in harms way doing it.

Each of us of course does what we think is best...

Have you ever had your hearing tested? I've had mine tested (mandatory) at work and have slight loss at the upper range in my right ear.

I also have the "ringing" in my ears when it is quiet. I'm 54 and really can't tell you at what point my hearing was irreparably damaged.

But if I don't wear hearing protecting when operating tractor, chain saw, leaf blower and zero turn the ringing in my ears will get worse once I'm done with the chores.

I probably wouldn't hear anything over the noise of the machinery I listed anyway so I use my eyes to keep awareness.

As the article you posted states "The decibel scale is logarithmic, which means that loudness is not directly proportional to sound intensity. Instead, the intensity of a sound grows very fast." Just a 5 db increase can put you into the range of hearing damage in 50 minutes. Not worth it.

 

[Brown Dog]

Well said JWR
I totally agree :thumbsup:

This new younger generation era & Engineer caliber guys has a totally different approach than us old sChOOL hands on guys lol

 

[deserteagle71]

Guess I've worked as a miner for too long...unless you work inside an office, the following applies:
Steel toe boots - mandatory
safety glasses - mandatory
hi-vis jacket/vest - mandatory
ear plugs - mandatory
gloves - mandatory

And those are Federal (MSHA) regulations, not because the mines want to spend money on safety items.

I never get on my John Deere without wearing ear plugs - the roar of the engine makes my ears ring otherwise. Same with chainsaw, lawnmower, etc.