hats and finish mowers don't play well together...

Here is what can happen when you go under a tree and the tree gets your hat.

I was mowing with the 8N and a 5' finish mower. I went under (more like through!) a cedar trying to mow it close. A branch caught my boonie and lifted it off while I was busy pushing other branches out of the way and trying to run the tractor. Could not hit the clutch in time, and I heard a big "WHAP!" as it went under the mower.

This is the second time this has happened in 11 years - first one was a straw hat from Tractor Supply. That thing had a death wish, always lifting off my head in the wind like a kite. I have a picture of that one too. :p

Oh well. At least I wasn't wearing it at the time. Be safe out there.

Doug in east TN
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I have the same problem and have killed several hats. I now wear one with a string that goes under my chin. The hat does not fly away but now I get choked. Saves on hats but is really a pain. I hope some one else has a better solution.
 
Only way I know of is to remember to take the hat off when you're close to the branches.

I know that's hard to remember -- in my case it's been two sets of WorkTunes in 20 years.
 
I have come to expect that to happen every few weeks.
I ran a straw hat through a plot combine one year when we finished harvest. Put it back on when it came out the back.
Was a bit ragged.
Richard in NW SC
 
I'm in this club also. The bush hog usually eats a couple each year. The TSC straw hats are my favorite but I don't use the string. Seems if the hat got hung in a limb and it was tied to my neck it would pull me off onto or under the bush hog if I didn't get the tractor stopped.
 
Oh yea, I agree.

I usually wear the cheap TSC straw hats for that very reason. But one day a couple of years ago, in a senior moment, I put on my last surviving patrol cap, complete w/ Ranger eyes in the back & pin on jump wings in the front.

Sure enough, a crepe myrtle branch got it & the mower ate it. Worse yet, I couldn't find my wings. But, it dawned on me......I live close enough to the Cold Harbor battlefield that relic hunters w/ metal detectors are always around here looking for artifacts. So, I figure 50 years from now, some relic hunter will find my wings & conclude that the Confederates won the battle because they had Airborne troops! ;)
 
I also lost one this year to the brush hog. It was one of my favorite Sturgis caps, shredded it pretty good. I was going to hang it on my wall of shame but I think it was tossed out before I could. 😎
 
get yourself a couple of clips and a length of cord. one clip goes on the back of the cap and the other on your shirt collar. simple and no choker.
 
I am in the club too. My first year coaching lacrosse at my old high school, I was giving a hat that all the coaches wore. I was pretty proud about my coaching hat. Well, lets just say I should not have worn it while bush hogging my field.
Rob
 
Was up in Bruce's area last September, asking for directions at a "Stop and Go" type business for "Cold Harbor Battlefield N P , the local said, "now it is quite a few miles from here" (15) I told him, "I've driven up from Texas and a few more miles won't be be any trouble. Spent so much time getting the combatants view of the battle field, that I picked up a tick.
 
Lost my wallet once also. Riding along cutting briers and weeds I see some paper and think how unusual since I had not seen any trash. Then I spied a black wallet and think to myself, "Hey I have a black wallet too". Everything got chewed up, only about 1/2 my drivers license was recognizable. Lucky for me I never have cash.
 
To heck with hats that are eaten by a mower! I want one like that one that survived a combine cylinder! Now that would be a real hat!!!
 
I carry a limb cutter on my mower and when a branch is in the way it gets trimmed up. I am thinking about a holster for small chain saws for the bigger tractors. That stuff will grow back and it looks nicer when mowed close as possible to the bush and foliage. This may not go over in the fancier acreages. cleddy
 
I had my wallet go through a finishing mower a few years back. Not so good, but the best and most humorous part was calling the credit card company to explain why I needed a new card. The girl on the other end of the line had never heard of a card going through a tractor and mower before. She got a good laugh; I got a new card.
 

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