Tractor radio?

[4shorts]

If I had to wear headphones in a tractor to listen to music I'd do one of two things. I'd never listen to a song or I'd sell the tractor. I use those noise canceling headphone on my zero turn and hate them. To hot on your head and to heavy. I installed a Sony Xplod with Infinity speakers in my Kubota 4240 and this past week into my new tractor. I can listen to my MP3's, USB thumb drive and AM/FM while still hearing the low sounds of the tractor. IF I had to put those headphones on my head along with using my iPhone or iPod I'd say frig it and sell it all tractor and headphones

Thanks Matt for your kind words and for the record your shop is not a mess and you have some cool tools.

 

[Soundguy]

i have a fender mount radio on one tractor, and in another I mounted a radio in a plastic ammo box and hung under the rops canopy.

both have speakers.. but I wear big muff style headphones to block out the tractor noise.

soundguy

 

[mjncad]

Thanks Matt for your kind words and for the record your shop is not a mess and you have some cool tools.

Trust me my friend, my shop is a disorganized filthy mess that could be classified as a safety hazard in spite of the tools.

Back on hearing protection.

Earmuffs pro and con: Quick and easy to put on and take off. Get in the way of hats and hardhats. The cheaper the muff the worse it hurts my ears. Heavy.

Ear plugs without cord: If inserted correctly, do a good job of reducing noise. Light weight.One time use. A nuisance to roll properly for some. Can push ear wax further down the ear canal.

Then there is this style I've thought about trying. Anyone try them?
Amazon.com: Allen Company Light Weight Low Profile Sound Sensor Hearing Protection, 2320: Sports & Outdoors

If I had a quiet cab; the heck with wearing hearing protection.

 

[scnebraska]

I totally agree...Your hearing is critical for many other reasons...Tony

Tony,

I agree with both you and ham, at least in concept. I like to have the radio on very low in the background for just that very reason. Mainly, I want to listen to what's happening with the tractor on the job I'm doing but want to be very aware what the tractor/implement is telling me plus the cab on this 3240 is surprisingly quiet.

Maybe I have a psychological thing about knowing if humanity is still "out there", as sick as that may seem. :confused2:

scnebraska

 

[scnebraska]

Not all of us like headphones. If a cabbed unit is quiet enough, I'd rather have a good old fashioned car stereo setup over headphones.

mjncad,

I think that's the crux of the matter. I just don't care for headphones unless they are the input I have to be concentrating on above all else and that's not the case when I'm driving the tractor. I've spent years talking on two way radios and never even came close to having a problem but that was because my mind was on my driving and the secondary topic was what was happing on the radio.

An important part that many folks don't realize when you are communicating in a professional situation, the other party realizes that you have a more important job to do (driving, flying, etc.) than giving them an immediate answer and will usually stand-by while you do that job.

In short, if I'm relaxing and want to lock the world out and listen to some music then headphones are wonderful. If I want to be aware of what's happening in my surroundings then to me anyway, it's imperative to be able to HEAR what's happening around me. It's been proven to me many times.

All of these points are very important and I appreciate each and every one of you bringing them up. Hopefully this discussion will help others in the future when it comes to this or a like topic.

Still looking. . & I'll keep you posted.

scnebraska

 

[sandman2234]

Just west of Marianna, Florida a dumptruck pulling a trailer with a hoe on it had been pulled over with a set of blue lights. I noticed that the hoe's bucket was sitting on the ground behind the trailer, and the bottom of the bucket worn away. Figured it bounced off the trailer and dragged for a while. I stopped up the road for a bite and an officer came in. I asked him if he knew what was going on with the dumptruck, and he said he had just written them a ticket. He said it took two miles for them to pull over after getting lit up, because the driver was in la la land with the stereo cranked up loud. He said the bucket was trash and the end of the boom was going to need some repairs.
Just another reason not to listen to a radio, at least not a loud one...
David from jax

This dumptruck and hoe belong to any of you guys????

 

[Soundguy]

naw.. wern't the radio's fault. twas the itiot behind the wheel.

soundguy

 

[E/S]

Now that's the truth !
E/S

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Some of us can walk and chew gum at the same time.... Listening to a radio/headphones/ect, and driving a tractor at the same time might be a great feat of athletisism to some, but MOST people don't have a problem. I just spent 9-1/2 hours bush hogging johnson grass that had to be 10' tall. Slow and steady....on and on and on....

Had I not had music to listen to, a long day would have been an eternity. No, I didn't feel the need to shatter the windows with volume. I wear noise reduction headphones when I'm on an open station tractor. Ipod when in the cab tractors.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. I wear a big set of insulated ear muff / headphones. blocks the noise and lets me listen to low volume music either radio or mp3 thru the radio jack from my player.

soundguy

 

[foreman Etexas]

When I bought the kubota m7040 it already had the speakers,so just ran down to wal-mart and got a sony($100) and the install was very easy already had the wiring.Made shredding all day so much better,using the cell phone with head phones wasnt as comfortable.

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

Limited experience so far with factory stereo in JD 3320 CAB. Sound quality is not that great even when engine off. At low RPM audio is "usable" but certainly not great. At mowing RPM - stereo is a wast of time.

If ordering new cab - probably would skip the stereo option.

 

[YanmarFever]

I have a friend who tractors for a living all day long, here's what he does.

He wears earmuffs and puts 1 earphone on along with the earmuffs, (just 1) that way the other ear can hear what the tractor is doing.

He hears the music in only 1 ear, but they are both protected by the muffs.

 

[scnebraska]

naw.. wern't the radio's fault. twas the itiot behind the wheel.

soundguy

I totally agree. See too many people still using cell phones and they scare me to death.

If you're going to drive, then drive. If you're going to chat on the phone of attempt to perform some other task that requires you to channel your one tract mind to something other than driving then for heaven's sake, pull over, take care of that business then go back to driving.

scnebraska

 

[scnebraska]

When I bought the kubota m7040 it already had the speakers,so just ran down to wal-mart and got a sony($100) and the install was very easy already had the wiring.Made shredding all day so much better,using the cell phone with head phones wasnt as comfortable.

Well, I've decided that for the time being I'm going to do the same thing. Maybe not Sony but an AM FM radio with a USB port for my thumb drives and as 4pants has done, upgrade the speakers. At least this will give me some tunes and news while I'm out working.

I'm totally against the headphones for two reasons. First off, I hate the extra headgear especially in the heat even though the cab has A/C and they are a pain in the ***** when you have to leave the cab briefly to open a gate or maybe hitch up to a load of some sort. Secondly, even noise-canceling headphones, at least in my opinion and in this application, are useless as their main reason for existing is to cancel external sounds and they are exactly what I want to hear. I want to hear that section of wire that just got picked up in the blades of the cutter, not just feel it. Same goes for that hunk of wood or concrete that I just clipped. I want to hear it when it happens and not count on the cutter jumping all over the place when it's out of balance.

With the weather being what it is (hot & muggy) and the amount of work I still have to do before winter, I just have to slide my search to a later date when I can spend more time on this project.

As a side note, I've decided to add a completely different radio to receive weather warnings/alerts because I've already read the forecast and have a good idea of what the day will have to offer.

Thanks for your replies as they show there is interest in this topic. Each and every one of them are very appreciated.

scnebraska

I'll post what I finally end up with.

 

[4shorts]

Well, I've decided that for the time being I'm going to do the same thing. Maybe not Sony but an AM FM radio with a USB port for my thumb drives and as 4pants has done, upgrade the speakers.

Does this mean I have to wear 4pants instead of 4shorts ? .

 

[scnebraska]

Hi Paul,

My most sincere apologies. A slip of what's left of my memory I guess. Way past my bed time but I was watching TOP GEAR on BBC and answered during a commercial.

Now that you mention it, I've been out in some weather here where I had wished I had 4 pants on. Don't know if I told you or not but I'm a CA. guy new to the Nebraska weather and quite frankly have almost frozen off the portion of my body that makes contact with the seat of my new L3240 HSTC but that was before I had it so I guess I'll have to wait till next spring to let you know how that worked out.

On another topic, I've watched all of your videos and enjoyed them tremendously as well as your documentaries on the construction of the upgrades to your tractors. Very high quality productions that I hope you are very proud of as you should be.

Because of tracking the progress of you new "toy" I've ordered cast iron wheel weights for both the L2800 and the L3240 as opposed to filling the tires, at least for now.

Again, sorry for the slip.

scnebraska

PM'ed you on OTT back on 2-18-11

73
Pete

 

[4shorts]

Hi Paul,

My most sincere apologies. A slip of what's left of my memory I guess. Way past my bed time but I was watching TOP GEAR on BBC and answered during a commercial.

Now that you mention it, I've been out in some weather here where I had wished I had 4 pants on. Don't know if I told you or not but I'm a CA. guy new to the Nebraska weather and quite frankly have almost frozen off the portion of my body that makes contact with the seat of my new L3240 HSTC but that was before I had it so I guess I'll have to wait till next spring to let you know how that worked out.

On another topic, I've watched all of your videos and enjoyed them tremendously as well as your documentaries on the construction of the upgrades to your tractors. Very high quality productions that I hope you are very proud of as you should be.

Because of tracking the progress of you new "toy" I've ordered cast iron wheel weights for both the L2800 and the L3240 as opposed to filling the tires, at least for now.

Again, sorry for the slip.

scnebraska

PM'ed you on OTT back on 2-18-11

73
Pete

Oh Pete no need to apologize. I should be thanking you for the good chuckle it gave me when I red it this morning :laughing: I really got a good charge out of it so thanks for that.
Glad you've enjoyed seeing some of my stuff in the threads and video's. It's always nice to hear folks enjoy seeing them and it really do encourage me to keep doing it.

I don't remember your PM on OTT's. Hope I answered it. I get a lot of emails asking me about everything from welding to restorations and I do try and answer them all.

You'll like the wheel weights. Great setup in my opinion. You made a good choice in your radio set up as well. If you have any questions just email me.

Keep well sir and thanks again. 4pants :ashamed: I mean 4shorts :laughing:

 

[mjncad]

I totally agree. See too many people still using cell phones and they scare me to death.

If you're going to drive, then drive. If you're going to chat on the phone of attempt to perform some other task that requires you to channel your one tract mind to something other than driving then for heaven's sake, pull over, take care of that business then go back to driving.

scnebraska

"Hang up and Drive" or "Park and Talk!"

Hi Paul,

Way past my bed time but I was watching TOP GEAR on BBC and answered during a commercial.

scnebraska

Anybody who watches BBC's Top Gear is A-OK in my book. New season starts 8/22!

 

[mchildress]

Sounds like a good way to tear up a machine or get hurt I want to hear what the machine is doing. A lot of times it will let you know before its too late if you listen. But to each his own.