Homebrew Guard for Rotary Cutting

Mogombus · Jul 9, 2004

( The guy that fortunately lived to tell about the stick that went in his back and came out the front of his chest, apparently now has a lexan shield on the back of his tractor...)

Henro,

Now there's a disturbing image.

Wouldn't there be a factory optional shield available if this was truly common? And maybe there is and I just don't know about it... wouldn't be the first time I didn't know about something. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

MicroPilot · Jul 9, 2004

( [....The guy that fortunately lived to tell about the stick that went in his back and came out the front of his chest, apparently now has a lexan shield on the back of his tractor... )

Darn it!!! Thats all I kept thinking about last evening when I was bush hogging my front field!!!!

slowrev · Jul 9, 2004

Henro,
The taller the tractor the less likely you are to get stabulated by hog thrown debris.

Henro · Jul 9, 2004

The taller the tractor the less likely you are to get stabulated by hog thrown debris. 

Slowrev,

I don't doubt that at all. Gatorboy has a pretty tall tractor...I remember he posted a picture of it...he pulls a bat wing rotary cutter...and has a pretty good rear shield as well.

Slim chance of injury due to something hitting one? Yep, I suppose so. Slim chance of winning the lottery...yep, I know so... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

But someone does win. Personally I don't want to be the winner in both cases...I settle for the lotery and do my best to avoid the other... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

GV40U · Jul 10, 2004

Years ago I used JD 420 and 430 tractors to maintain my father's orchard. I'd pick up the larger limbs and skid them out of the orchard after the trees were pruned. Then I would mow the smaller limbs and brush. My dad purchased a new heavy duty brush cutter, and about 15 minutes after I began using it I headed to the shop /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif. Using my (marginal) high school shop welding skills I cut a steel drum in half and mounted it behind the seat on the tractor. I cut various notches and used wire to fit it around the 3pt arms and extend down to cover the back of my legs as that was the area of highest impact (and pain). I could tuck my self down into the seat and keep my elbows in and feel fairly protected /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Perhaps not as classy as Henro's work but it served the purpose.
The orchard experience was kind of like volunteering to be the target of a commercial wood chipper /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif. I'm planning to build a screen for my tractor this winter as I will be cutting more brush on my property. My mowing now consists of grass and my wife's shovels (I've hit two) /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gifand if she keeps planting tools for me to mow I'll be looking for another steel drum instead of the lighter weight perforated metal that I planned to use /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif.

Freds · Jul 10, 2004

Pretty neat idea, Henro. I know I get hit in the back once in a while. Nothing has "stuck" so far, though.

In the first pic, sitting on your lawn tractor trailer, it looks like a portable grill.

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

MarkStewart · Jul 16, 2004

I could have used one of those guards on my bedroom window to my house . I was bushhogging one day about 100feet from my house and I shot a golfball sized rock through my bedroom window. It landed on the bed about 5' inside the window. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
It's amazing how quickly and forcefully they can propel objects in any direction. Be carefull.