Noisy little bugger.

[Boondox]

I used ear muffs all the time on my B1750 since the revs had to be up there. But I find on the L3010 that with the exception of mowing (which I won't have to do till July or August when the snow is gone and the ground is dry /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif) the tractor does just fine at around 1700rpm. At those speeds, things are pretty quiet.

Pete

www.GatewayToVermont.com

 

[atk_man]

By noisy, I mean "the sound of marbles rolling around in a paint can", rattles, knocks etc. The typical stuff found in a diesel, except a bit louder because of the "compact" package. By the way, I heard a Satoh two cylinder run a few weeks back and it was way, way louder.

Yes I do own two ATK motorcycles - one dual sport and one off-road.

 

[GlueGuy]

A friend has a ~~95 B7100 that he always wears hearing protection for. However, with my 2000 B7500 (<font color=orange>Lucy!!!</font color=orange>, I have never felt compelled to wear hearing protection. My guess is (1) mufflers wear out, (2)older hydros are noisier, (3)etc.

Your mileage may vary.

The GlueGuy

 

[TresCrows]

I resemble that remark!!!!! This could be an area for real improvment--noise cancelling technology. I fly with a set of Lightspeed headsets which incorporate that technology and it is amazing how the noise dissappears. This technology can be tailored to specific sound ranges. It is the lower end of the hertz range that is most destructive to your hearing though it is the higher frequency stuff that is the most annoying. I wonder if someone makes a lightweight headset for a cd player or something--a conventional headset would just add the noise of the music to the already (too) loud tractor.
J

 

[dlc]

Like Hayden, I use earmuffs whenever I use any power equipment. Not only does it safeguard of my hearing, but equally important I find that loud noise causes me to rush a little bit, which is of course anathema to safety.

DLC

 

[PitbullMidwest]

Re: Noisy little bugger - hearing loss

A little info about sound monitoring, its important to understand how sound is measured and why hearing protection should be used.

Loudness is measured using a unit called the decibel (dB). The decibel system is logarithmic, rather than arithmetic. Sound intensity (loudness, or "sound pressure level") doubles every 3 dB, increases tenfold per 10 dB, and increases 100-fold per 20 dB. This means, for example, that 88 dB is twice as loud as 85 dB, that 95 dB is ten times as loud as 85 dB, and that 105 dB is one hundred times as loud as 85 dB.

Examples of Sound Pressure Levels

Jet engine (distance of 75 feet) 140
Riveting on steel tank 130
Ear pain is easily felt 125
Chainsaw 110
Press machine 95
Subway 90
City traffic 85
Normal conversation 60
Living room 40
Whisper 20
Threshold of hearing 0

Sorry I couldn't find a dB level for tractors. I have a sound meter but not a tractor, if anyone has both how about taking a reading and posting it. Any guesses?

Humans hearing ranges from 16 htz to 4000 htz and hearing loss from occupational noise almost always starts in the "conversation range" of 2k - 4k.

What might seem to be "not so bad" might be because you just can't hear it anymore.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Noisy little bugger - hearing loss

<font color=blue>...Sorry I couldn't find a dB level for tractors...</font color=blue>

Utility farm tractors average 91-96 db according to Nebraska Tractor Tests, and with cabs mid 70's to low 80's db...

 

[tbarber]

Re: Noisy little bugger - hearing loss

This is from a JD broucher {spelling}
670=85 db
755=89
770=87
855=87.9
870=86
955=88.4
970=90
1070=90
Tom

 

[atk_man]

Re: Noisy little bugger - hearing loss

I feel the conversation is digressing a bit. I said the tractor was noisy, not loud. There is a difference.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Noisy little bugger - hearing loss

<font color=blue>...I feel the conversation is digressing a bit...</font color=blue>

Oh you also wanted to know how the human ear works... /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

Remember this is TBN... you can find out just about anything...! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif