Rotary cutter injury

maxwell99

Well-known Member
Was running my TO35 using my house rotary cutter this morning.
Cutter threw something out the front hitting my ankle.

Nice cut, so I put my toys up and came to the house for first aid.

What could I install across the front of the cutter to deflect projectiles, that would not affect the operation of the machine?
 
(quoted from post at 17:06:34 08/08/15) Was running my TO35 using my house rotary cutter this morning.
Cutter threw something out the front hitting my ankle.

Nice cut, so I put my toys up and came to the house for first aid.

What could I install across the front of the cutter to deflect projectiles, that would not affect the operation of the machine?

Most use pieces of chain hanging down in the front. They are usually 3-5 links long,hanging down in the front. Of course you have to cut up a long chain to get that many pieces mounted side by side hanging down. My solution would be not to cut up one of your good USA log chains, but if you have a harbor freight nearby get a chain there to cut up. Their chains are relatively cheap but plenty strong enough for that use.
 
GOOGLE "chains on the front of a rotary cutter".

Looks like some farm store chains sell kits to install them.
 
You are lucky they sure can send things out like projectiles, shrapnel or similar at times.

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time operating rotary mowers and one set up was a JD 2010 and a bush hog brand mower, with no guards. It sent a round rock out the front of the mower, the size of a softball or just slightly larger, up the backside of the tractor, just behind my head and it went over a hedgerow into an old pasture. It went a good 30 feet in the air, cleared the trees and its still there today I am sure. I have never seen anything like it since. I dropped that one and switched to our Ford rotary, as it had steel plate guards suspended by chain.

I suspect it was not adjusted properly, and no one taught me much about these, I had to learn on my own. It sure was a close call now that I think about it, that rock was at a deadly terminal velocity when it came out, there's no recovering from that.

There has to be a connection with the mower being tilted forward, an inch or so lower than the back, as I have seen a scant few things come out the front of my old SE-6 Rhino which has no guards at all, it should I'll likely add them even though it just does not send things out like that one did with the rock, and I don't cut very low where I know there are rocks or any kind of thick vegetation, saplings etc. or its questionable ground I don't know that could create projectiles, still you never know for sure.


Either you or the tractor could take a hit in the tire.
Rotary Mower Chain Guards
 

I had a similar problem with the 4' 6'' slasher behind my TED20.
The older Howard slashers [ brush hogs ] made in Australia have a gentle slope front and back and are prone to this .
The remedy was cheap and simple . I went to the local tyre fitter and was given two council ride on mower tyres for free , the textile radial type rather than steel belt . The sidewalls are easy to cut off with a Stanley knife leaving two six foot lengths of very tough rubber more shock absorbent than chain . Simply cut to length and bolt on to front and back . If you want to make a real job of it make a flat steel strap to sandwich the rubber between it and the slasher body .
 
Thanks guys for the replays,
For sure I am going to look into some type front guard system.

Most likely short chains or rubber strips bolted to the front deck brace of the cutter.

Years ago I noticed a piece of wire sticking out of one of my rear tires, the cutter
must have driven the wire into the tire, can imagine what that wire would have done to
my leg.
 
RE: attaching chains or strips to the front of my cutter

I did notice one thing, I had thought about this,
if I just attach some type chain or strips to the front edge of my Howse Brand cutter frame, the blades might connect with them as the grass forces the chain or strips back under the cutter.

this picture shows a Bush Hog brand cutter with front chain guard attached to a piece of angle out in front of the cutter frame,
I must insure I have rear tire clearance when I pick up the cutter.


the cheese becomes more binding as I get into this project.
a197854.jpg

a197855.jpg
 
look at what I found with a little more perseverance:
front guard made by Howse built for my 5 ft cutter

if its not too expensive, would be much easier to install rather than trying to build something myself. also cheaper than a trip to the dr or rear tire shop to repair a cut or puncture to either myself or a rear tire.

anyone have one of these guards in-place and does it work?????????
a197857.jpg
 
Friend has a piece of steel lodged in his arm below the elbow from the same thing. Xray showed it pretty deep and Doc said better to leave it. He can never have an MRI done now.
Richard in NW SC
 
I put a piece of real heavy rubber belting on mine. The stuff was in a scrap pile at a tire shop, not even sure what it was off from. Almost looked like it was maybe a worn out track from a skid steer. They
gave it to me. Was hard to cut, it is maybe 3/4 inch thick. Works very well.
 
I went by my local Howse dealer today,
the cost of the front chain guard is (are you setting down) $275,

I told the guy, I did not want a new deck for the cutter 5ft, I only wanted a front chain guard. WOW!!!!

he suggested I get an old baler belt and just hang that in front of the smaller cutters, what most people did, as the chain guards are so expensive.

so that is what I got, 5 1/2 ft of baler belting. $35
will see how it works.

I would not be surprised if someday they are not required to install the front and rear guards on all small cutters as they do on the larger ones.
price will sure go up.
 

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