objects flying from bushhog

deerefan · Sep 7, 2005

I am sure we have all experienced this a time or two.....I was bushogging on my 52 8N and ran over a small branch that was easily handled by the bushhog. During the process of cutting the branch a piece of it flew out and hit my shoulder leaving a nice wound. A couple inches over and it hits me in the head, probably knock me out and off the tractor. I cannot stress how important a set of chain guards are on a bushhog. Anyone else experience this?

slowrev · Sep 7, 2005

I have not had it happen, however I have noticed that the bigger the tractor is the less likely this is to happen to the operator.

Ben

deerefan · Sep 7, 2005

you are right ben...I just purchased a john deere 5103 with a 6ft bush hog and have yet to encounter this problem

Soundguy · Sep 7, 2005

Last time I mowed with my 5' KK and NAA that happened to me.. I added a brushgard to the KK mower.. works great.

Also.. the bigger tractor thing.. works too.. My 10' mower is completly out of the range of areas to throw something at the operator while on my nh7610s.

Here's my 15$ mydflap and perfed angle iron brush guard..

Soundguy

deerefan · Sep 7, 2005

alot cheaper than those overpriced chain guards! works pretty good?

Soundguy · Sep 7, 2005

Works very good. No debri hitting me in the back when mowing with my old fords. As a side benefit.. it keeps the dust and chaff from kicking forward.. keeps you just a tad bit cleaner. The mudflaps arrest even the big chunks fairly well.

Soundguy

greatrandini · Sep 7, 2005

Smart! Once again you have more energy than me!!! I probabally won't do anything until I get hit in the head....Good job!

penokee · Sep 7, 2005

deerefan - I got nailed one time too many so made a simple screen from expanded metal. Does the job. Picture attached.
penokee /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Soundguy · Sep 7, 2005

As penokee points out, anything is better than nothing.

As for energy to make.. you may want to give it a try.. this was like a 30 minute project.

It was a cheapy 4$ mudflap, cut in half, a 8' piece of that perfed angle iron.. has the pre-drilled holes in it.

A handfull of 1/4 x 3/4 hex head bolts , and a nut and 2 washers per bolt.

A few zip ties, a power drill with a 1/4 drillbit, or 5./16.. and a razor knife.

Cut the flap with the knife.

Cut the perfed metal to make the runner across the front of the hof.. use the scrap as the support bars.

Lay the main bar on the mudflaps placed side by side.. mark the holes about every 6" with chalk.. drill the flaps to match holes in metal.. bolt flaps on.. use a couple zip ties to lace the two halves of the flap together.

On my KK I was lucky.. the lower support for the 3pt aframe had 2 bolts that matched the holes in my perfed metal.. I simply had to ream out the holes to about 1/2 inch from the ?3/8 that they were.. Ran the nuts off my aframe mount.. installed the brackets.. re-nutted with loctite.

Use more 1/4 hardware to attach the main bar/flap to the support bar.. adjust for tire and lift clearance.

I think I spent about 15$ at tsc.. course this was a year or two ago.. might be right at 20$ for the materials now...

Soundguy

deerefan · Sep 8, 2005

everyone has some good ideas......hopefully noone gets whacked again b/c it hurts like ****....it would be a nightmare to be knocked off and under the bush hog by flying debris!

jimg · Sep 8, 2005

Thats a pretty neat idea! One q about the mudflap. How heavy/stiff is it? It seems it would certainly need to be heavy (as in thick) so its not perferated and perhaps stiff too to absorb enough energy to slow the launched object down enough so its not a hazrd to you or the tractor.

deerefan · Sep 8, 2005

from what i can see, it is just as thick as the factory rubber protector on my model 286 bushhog and it does the job fine. I like his invention for sure.

Soundguy · Sep 8, 2005

It's a semi-truck mudflap. i can't remember if I got it from TSC.. or from the local mack dealer.. in any case.. I do remember it was 4$

It's at least 3/8 thick.. heavy fiber core mudflap... it was a good task to cut it with a razor knife.. though drilled real easilly. It's heavy.. must weigh 5+ pounds per flap.. seems real good at reducing the energy of thrown objects. at least so far.. If I had to compair it.. it looks very similar to comercial conveyor belting... I've also seen this size material on a larger howse mower at an auction before.

Soundguy

jimg · Sep 8, 2005

Thanx for sharing this...its a very clever setup for sure.

ChuckT · Sep 9, 2005

I didn't get hit by it, nor did anyone else, but the brush deck picked up a chunk (Baseball size) of limestone one day. Made a h--- of a racket and the I re-painted the tractor seat brown.

cvt

LBrown59 · Sep 10, 2005

( it was a good task to cut it with a razor knife.. though drilled real easilly. Soundguy )
*******
A truck bed mat is pretty heavy stuff too.

I use a jig saw to cut them.
Makes the job a snap compared to a knife or snips.

Soundguy · Sep 11, 2005

I cut some horse stall mats with a hacksaw.. was way easier than a razor knife too.

Soundguy

LBrown59 · Sep 11, 2005

When we first started driving my cousin was making mud flaps for his 1948 ford.
He was cutting them out of truck mud flaps with a big hunting knife.
The mud flap was laying on the porch floor.
He was setting on the steps below it.
The hunting knife slipped bounced off the edge of the porch and plunged about 2 inches into the top his leg about 8" inches above the knee.
He went about 10 feet behind a shed and pulled down his pants to see how bad he was cut. By then his entire pants leg was soaked with blood.
His dad and Mom took him to the doc.
When the doc started to give him a tetanus shot he panicked as he was scared do death of needles and shots.
Can you imagine he sticks a 12'' hunting knife blade 2'' into his leg and it don't phase him but he panics over getting a shot.
He was laid up on crouches for about 8 weeks over this.

Maybe this is why cutting this sort of thing with a knife is not my favorite method.

Soundguy · Sep 12, 2005

( Maybe this is why cutting this sort of thing with a knife is not my favorite method.
)

Um.. well.. cutting it 'stupidly'.. I agree. Kinda like laying it across your lap and trying to cut it with a chainsaw!! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Should be no problem laying it on a work bench with a good disposable cardboard backing, and using a razor or utility/linoleum knife to cut it... keep inmind.. dont cut towards you.. etc..

Soundguy