What To Use For Front Shields ON Brush Hogs?

[MagicMM]

Used round hay baler belt.

 

[5030]

I use chain lengths myself.

 

[ArlyA]

The OP was looking for dust reduction.

 

[ptsg]

On a brush cutter? Good luck with that. It's a brush cutter, it will make dust regardless of the type of shield used, unless there is a lot of moisture going on on the brush and ground. If it creates enough dust to become unbearable, then the cutter most likely just digging into the ground and needs to be setup better. Or get a cabbed tractor if none of that is enough.

 

[wirlybird]

On a brush cutter? Good luck with that. It's a brush cutter, it will make dust regardless of the type of shield used, unless there is a lot of moisture going on on the brush and ground. If it creates enough dust to become unbearable, then the cutter most likely just digging into the ground and needs to be setup better. Or get a cabbed tractor if none of that is enough.

I understand that. Been doing this a while.
Cutter is not "digging" into the ground. It is set properly.
The issue is that without any type of guard on the front, my JD brush hog shoots a huge amount of very fine cuttings and dust out the right front of the cutter (right side as sitting on the tractor).
The main problem is that this stuff then goes straight up between the right rear wheel and seat so you get it all in the ear and side of your head.
With a guard a lot of this will deflect back under the cutter and also to the ground.

My actual question was about what others have used to make a front guard. Just looking for inexpensive options rather than the pricy guards from the manufacturer.

 

[IndyJay]

Check out Tractor Supply. I bought this several years ago, it has held up pretty well.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/wcco-belting-baler-belting-2-ply-4-in-x-60-in?cm_vc=-10005

 

[cathy liebchen]

I understand that. Been doing this a while.
Cutter is not "digging" into the ground. It is set properly.
The issue is that without any type of guard on the front, my JD brush hog shoots a huge amount of very fine cuttings and dust out the right front of the cutter (right side as sitting on the tractor).
The main problem is that this stuff then goes straight up between the right rear wheel and seat so you get it all in the ear and side of your head.
With a guard a lot of this will deflect back under the cutter and also to the ground.

My actual question was about what others have used to make a front guard. Just looking for inexpensive options rather than the pricy guards from the manufacturer.

Chains will handle this

 

[jyoutz]

My new Landpride cutter came with rubber belting on the front.

 

[ptsg]

I understand that. Been doing this a while.
Cutter is not "digging" into the ground. It is set properly.
The issue is that without any type of guard on the front, my JD brush hog shoots a huge amount of very fine cuttings and dust out the right front of the cutter (right side as sitting on the tractor).
The main problem is that this stuff then goes straight up between the right rear wheel and seat so you get it all in the ear and side of your head.
With a guard a lot of this will deflect back under the cutter and also to the ground.

My actual question was about what others have used to make a front guard. Just looking for inexpensive options rather than the pricy guards from the manufacturer.

Understood. However, you don't need to buy the overpriced stuff from the manufacturer. I say for less than $100, you can have a chain skirt both at the front and back of the mower looking as nice or even better than the factory one.

 

[ParkWhite]

We use pieces of old John Deere hay roller belts.

 

[wirlybird]

Chains will handle this

I'll be interested to see how chains are, compared to nothing. I'm sure better. I have another JD cutter I am finishing up with new blades etc. Once ready I am going to test in the same field as the other to see how much the chains cut down this issue, if they do.
I'll be doing the rubber front shield next week once one more item gets here.
Then I can compare both types.

 

[wirlybird]

Thank you everyone for all of the good suggestions.
Metal part for mounting will be here next week so I'll get the front done and then test and report how it did.
We'll see how long the rubber holds up.

 

[Vigo327]

So im gonna be a bad forum user because im in a hurry and only read the first few posts and didn't read the whole thread yet, but...

Why not just use the tread section of tires? I think a lot of people don't realize that you can actually fairly EASILY cut away the sidewalls of car and light truck tires with a simple hooked razor blade. I've done it to a bunch of tires i used as 'rock bags' in a retaining wall.

Once you cut away the sidewalls, make one cut sideways across the tread 'loop' (i admit, this cut will be a bit of a pita) and you can flatten that out to a long strip 6-8 feet long. Pretty much any car or light truck tire from the last 30 years has at least one, but probably two layers of steel wire in the tread, along with one or more 'fabric' layers. They are very tough, but can still be drilled through with a normal drill bit for your mounting holes. A few bolts and washers later you've got a serious piece of rubber on there, and the cost is basically nothing. Even if i didn't have any sitting around, i usually drive by probably 10-20 tires a day set out in people's yards for pickup, or dumped on the side of the road.

 

[AWSubie]

I use the tire treads shedded from semi-trailers I find on the side of the road. I cut them to size with a portaband saw and mount them with bailing wire.

 

[Midniteoyl]

I'll be interested to see how chains are, compared to nothing. I'm sure better. I have another JD cutter I am finishing up with new blades etc. Once ready I am going to test in the same field as the other to see how much the chains cut down this issue, if they do.
I'll be doing the rubber front shield next week once one more item gets here.
Then I can compare both types.

You could always add some chain to reinforce the belt if needed (like every other or third hole) Nothing wrong with doing both. Belt for dust control, chains for more safety.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I mow commercially and seldom see a use for shields. I have never had anything fly toward the tractor and anything out the back only travels a few feet. If you are mowing around people, I understand the need. I think it is something that looks like it should be a problem, but is not.

 

[Midniteoyl]

I mow commercially and seldom see a use for shields. I have never had anything fly toward the tractor and anything out the back only travels a few feet. If you are mowing around people, I understand the need. I think it is something that looks like it should be a problem, but is not.

That said, I've had to replace a window in the Duplex when the rider picked up a screwdriver and threw it through it.

My BiL had to replace a car window.

My youngest g'kid got smacked in the forehead and gashed by a stick/debris thrown from my zero turn my next oldest g'kid was using.. That was almost an eye.

It never hurts to try and prevent something from going wrong, no matter how slight one might think the chances of it actually happening.

 

[IndyJay]

That said, I've had to replace a window in the Duplex when the rider picked up a screwdriver and threw it through it.

My BiL had to replace a car window.

My youngest g'kid got smacked in the forehead and gashed by a stick/debris thrown from my zero turn my next oldest g'kid was using.. That was almost an eye.

It never hurts to try and prevent something from going wrong, no matter how slight one might think the chances of it actually happening.

28 grams of prevention is worth 0.453592 kilograms of cure!

 

[wirlybird]

I mow commercially and seldom see a use for shields. I have never had anything fly toward the tractor and anything out the back only travels a few feet. If you are mowing around people, I understand the need. I think it is something that looks like it should be a problem, but is not.

I haven't had much actually get thrown. A few stick out the front but usually they are low and don't go far.
I am trying to control the dust and fine debris it is throwing out the front. It is an odd one. It all comes out the right/front side and normally that wouldn't be such a problem but it comes out then for whatever reason goes straight up between inner side of the tire and ME! Blows right up my right side and into the side of my face and blows right into my right eye.
It is like when you are on a riding mower and the chute is blowing right into the wind and all the clippings are blowing right back into you.

I thought it was just wind at first but I once turned around and looked I could see the dust coining out of the side of the front opening of the cutter and blowing straight up. Really odd.

 

[Vigo327]

That said, I've had to replace a window in the Duplex when the rider picked up a screwdriver and threw it through it.

My BiL had to replace a car window.

My youngest g'kid got smacked in the forehead and gashed by a stick/debris thrown from my zero turn my next oldest g'kid was using.. That was almost an eye.

It never hurts to try and prevent something from going wrong, no matter how slight one might think the chances of it actually happening.

My mother had both bones and every tendon and ligament in her right shin severed when she hit a flint rock with a push mower and launched some arrowheads out the back. I wanna say she was on crutches for 6 months.

We definitely took mowing seriously around here since my brother and I were 4 and 9 when it happened.