NH TC40A Brushguard Buildup "Mad Max" Style

[dfkrug]

we've been trying to decide if we should go black or nh blue. i'd rather it be black so it was less noticeable and easier to repair if anything needed to be straightened or replaced. as soon as we make the final adjustments and get the latch on, it'll be off to the powdercoater.

.

Nice design and implementation! I hope you went with black.

You say you bought a new hood? Wasn't that over $1000?
It is amazing how inexpensive the brush guards look after denting
the hood.

 

[joes_427_vette]

Did this design meet OSHA tractor crash standards? It looks great but I wonder how much force the rods will withstand. I went more on the strength side vs design style using 2" x 2" tubing and steel uprights. I'm going to add some heavy mesh when I find the proper piece. Whatever gives you the proper protection works for me. Are you going with powder coat ?

 

[rdln]

pretty cool

 

[Mcfly89]

Hey, McFly


Which color did you decide on for the Brush Gaurd?

Any Pics of it installed after Paint?

Dan

its still not painted, i havent found a latch mechanism that is as slick as the build....lookin for something simple, but different

plan is to paint it black....now we're trying to decide...powdercoat for toughness, or our own enamel for its repairability. in case we decide to change something on it, or need to heat it to bend a tube...powdercoat would get ruined...where our enamel would be a simple sand and fix.

 

[Mcfly89]

Nice design and implementation! I hope you went with black.

You say you bought a new hood? Wasn't that over $1000?
It is amazing how inexpensive the brush guards look after denting
the hood.

yes it was over $1000 (thank God for insurance and a dealer that recommended it)

and we toiled over what material to make this thing out of and argued their strengths and weaknesses for weeks before deciding on this design. after seeing it all together, i think 1.5" tubing would be easier to hurt than this one. each extra piece that was welded on made the whole design stronger and more rigid. i knew what the end result was supposed to be, but i have to say...i was more than impressed with its durability and design. its already been tested with stobs, brush, an auger, and the side of a trailer...not a scuff yet....gotta love it.

 

[Mcfly89]

Did this design meet OSHA tractor crash standards? It looks great but I wonder how much force the rods will withstand. I went more on the strength side vs design style using 2" x 2" tubing and steel uprights. I'm going to add some heavy mesh when I find the proper piece. Whatever gives you the proper protection works for me. Are you going with powder coat ?

i saw several brush guards made like yours and would have originally built it that way, until i started doing calculations and taking measurements. the headlights on these tractors with a loader are virtually worthless anyway, and i didnt want anything that would further impede their use. the distance between your uprights makes it difficult to find a material (mesh) strong enough to resist a reasonable sized stick of brush, or in our case, steel scraps. not trying to knock your design, just wanted to let you in on my thought process.

this is what you get when you put a rock crawler junkie and a dune buggy builder in the same garage for a few hours.

after the beating it has taken in just the first few months..i think even OSHA would be proud

 

[Deerlope]

You were really impressing me with that grill guard until I got to the pic where you put that expanded metal in. Why build a guard that stout only to put light weight expanded metal in. You have done a very nice job. Now go to a gravel company and get a piece of crusher screen. They usually give the damaged stuff away. I would say 1/2" would do nicely.

 

[Mcfly89]

i thought the same thing about the screen, until i bounced a 12" auger off of it. with the bends and angles and the width between the uprights...this things gonna be VERY difficult to hurt.

 

[Deerlope]

You did do a very good job on it. Good to hear that the expanded metal can take abuse.
What brand & size plasma cutter do you have?

 

[Mcfly89]

we use a hypertherm 600 for most jobs, and a hypertherm 1000 for the heavy stuff....when we can get it to work.

im as unimpressed with the 1000 as i am impressed with the 600. from my experience with the smaller unit, i would have recommended hypertherm to anyone...but after having the bigger one, id be happy to look elsewhere and tear off the rear view mirror. its soooo stinkin finicky. input air pressure CAN NOT exceed 120 psi, MUST be totally dry air, the internal regulator is a JOOOOKE. we've been severely disappointed in the 1000....although when it does cut, it does a beautiful job. we had to cut quite alot of 3/4" and 1" material when we built our log splitter and it did a fantastic job...when it worked at all. most times it just makes u wanna throw it thru ur dealers window.