# My latest creatioin for my JD



## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Don't really know what you would call it, but I have a lot of barbed wire and a heap of electric fenceing run to contain my goats. I usually try and place the one side of my mowers deck up and under the lowest strand of wire so I can trim up and under it so it does not short out the fence, but most of the times the deck height adjusting wheels support shafts or some other part of the deck like the discharge chute gets up under the wire and then you have to shut down and pop the fence wire out off whatever it got hung up on. So what I did was to make a guard that slips on the 1" shafts that are used to adjust the height on the decks anti scalp wheels and extend up approx 8" and prevent the wire from getting entangled or caught on any mower deck or tractor parts. It even keeps the wire from having the front wheel tread catch it and rolling it up. Since my anti scalp wheels mounts are 1" diam shafts I used a piece of 1" iron pipe about 2 inches long. On one end of this piece of pipe I cut it at a 60 deg angle. I used 4 of them, one for each anti scalp wheel adjusst shaft stub. These shaft stubs stick up anywhere from 1" to 3 inches depending on what height I have my deck set to cut at, so there is always a minimum of 1" sticking up above the mounts. I then bent up a piece of 3/8" rod that is in the shape of |_________|

Of course that asci drawing is upside down so folip it over in your mind. I then welded the short legs of the piece on the angled cut pieces of the 1" pipe. The distance between the short legs of the bend is the distance between the shaft stubs on the deck. NOw all I have to do when I cut along and under the fence is slip these two guards on over the shaft stubs, and mow away. The guard keeps the lower strand of fencing from getting entangled in the deck and mower, and I can actually move the tractor in even further under that lower wire and cut more area without getting tangled up in fence wire. I'll post a pic when I can......First off I have to go bury my one goat. I woke up this morning and noticed all the others were out eating, but she was laying up under a tree. She turned her head to me and did not make any effort to get up but she is an old brood doe of about 10 years of age and often lays down taking it easy, so I did not think nothing of it. About 2 hours later after making the guard and playing with it, I noticed she was sprawled out on the ground under the tree, and her three kids and a few opther goats were all just standing there by her, and on checking her out she was dead.........I don't think she was sick or anything like that, but she did have problems with the last batch of kids (three of them) and had trouble supplyinig them with enough milk so we have been bottle feeding them to help her out.........but at least they are weaned for the most part now, but anyhow I think the goat just died of old age, and the stress of kidding a few months back as well as the heat we have been having. She went about 160#........really nice full framed doe, and its sure gonna be different without her as she was the boss of the herd. She never let anyone else eat until she had her fill. And if she made her mind up she was not going to move to where yu wanted her to you had to hook up the L & G tractor and drag her, so I think she might have been a cross between a mule and a goat! It's just to darn hot to be out there digging a darn hole today!


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## waynl (Jun 2, 2004)

Sorry to hear about your doe, Chipmaker. I know how it is to lose and old friend from the herd, although mine were cows.

Interested in seeing your concotion since I do some similar mowing along electric fences.

waynl


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

:ditto: on the goat hate to hear that. Post some pictures of your thing of mabob:lmao: would like to see it.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

*Images of wire guard attachment*

Here is an image of the contraption up and under the lowest wire on the fence, it moves the lowest wire up and forces it out (within reason) and prevents the deck annd machine from getting tangled up in the wire.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Another view of attachment from further away, so yu can see how far it actually moves wire. My wire is the poly type for most of my fencing, but I do have steel high tensile wire also. I have heavy trampoline springs attached to it so it always has constant tension applied to it and not rely on tension of stretched wire. SInce it gets so hot here, unless you use springs wires always seemed to slacken up, but the heavy springs eliminated that, plus its a lot more forgiving if you do happen to snag it somehow.

By using this guard, I am now able to get really close to posts to cut as well. Before I had to ease in and under and it usually left a strip of uncut grasss approx 3 or 4 feet on each side of the post. Now I can get it within 6 or so inches and not get tangled.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Here is the guide removed. Left and right sides are identical except for the length of the guide. It is not attached by way of any fasteners to the deck and merely slips on over the stub ends of the gage wheel adjuster mount shafts. I am sure this concept could easily be applied to most any mower deck if need be.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

This is a pic of the discharge side of the deck with guard installed. I fastened a short rubber bungie cord to the deck (used to be the bungie to hold on my bagger on my old JD180) to one of the studs originally used to secure the deck spindle pulley guards. No holes other than a 3/16" hole in the deflector chute was made in the machine, and that was to secure an eyebolt for the hookend of the bungie to clip into to h9ld the chute up. I hate drilling into any parts of the tractor or other equipment if its at all possible to mount things another way.I run my machine without these pulley guards, as its impossible to clean out from under them with air or water, and the debri always built up ann was creating a lot of friction on the belt. I even had smooke cominig from under one guard one day just from grass clipppings getting packed up against the belt. Poor design n JD part on the pulley gaurds as the machine overall is a great machine. Its been my only complaint so far on a machine less than a year old and having over 125 hours on it so far.

I decided to make the chute to be held up as in some sections I need to get close with that side of the deck and I used to use my picker upper thingie to hold up the chute. Also comes in handy to hold up deflector chute for cleaning under deck and changing blades. Yea, I know my tractor is filthy...........


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

That is cool it moves it a good bit and its easy to remove and install. Chipmaker your good at coming up with ideas:thumbsup:


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## Ernie (Mar 18, 2004)

Hey Chipmaker that may be a worth while venture into a patent office By the way I have to say that I have heard of but never saw a remote controled tractor esp. a jd :furious: :furious:


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## waynl (Jun 2, 2004)

I like it, simple yet effective. Good idea, Chipmaker. Thanks for the pics.

You're right about those JD deck guards. I do maintenence on a local cemetery's JDs and you won't believe how much garbage gets packed under them. I wonder if that is a similar prob to most of other makes of mowers out there? 

waynl


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

waynl:
I dunno, but it cost me a complete set of guards already. I had the brain storm and support of my best friend who suggested "Why not cut out the belt slot opening larger so you can blow or washo ut the trash easier. The idea sounded fine. So I opened up the slots a bit larger, did not work, so I opened up the sections some more, still not enough, next thieng I had some guards that may as well have been left off than installed as there was so little left of the support skirt on the sides all it did was trap longer pieces of grasses and still collected lots of smaller stuff..........so I bought new guards which remain uninstalled and still hanging in the shed unused, just incase I ever do need them. I have had numerous small twigs etc get in the guard and scrub on the belt. The back of my belt is scored beyond belief from built up grass and junk rubbing on it, and like I posted previously have had smoke and fire on occassion from this friction.

I never had the problem of getiing built up debri on my 180 or 317 deck, but they were flatter on top without as deep of recesses as this 54C deck has, so I think thats one of the main problems, as well as the blade spindle pulleys bottom edges run extremely close to the decks surface. There is not enough room to even get a pencil under them. The other decks I could easily run my fingers under if need be. I guess its all in the name of reducing material use in manufacturing and compactness in design.

Running without the guards is not a big deal really, and even though stuff still gets up and around the pulleys it does not get compressed and packed in and around the pulley and belt.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Nice idea on the guard it looks like it works real well. Sorry to hear about your Doe that is too bad, maybe it was just her time.

A lot of pictures you see posted on some of the pro sites have the guard removed above the spindles and pulleys. Maybe they didn't have them in the first place? Thanks again for sharing.


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## waynl (Jun 2, 2004)

Chipmaker,

Gotta agree on the older Deeres. I have a 120 (An old 120) that rarely gets anything built up under the guards.

All in the name of progress. You know, one step forward, three steps back...

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

waynl


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

hey chip sorry to hear about your goat...


Is the baby goat that got caught up in the fishing line doing ok?


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by simple_john _
> *hey chip sorry to hear about your goat...
> 
> 
> Is the baby goat that got caught up in the fishing line doing ok? *


Yep, doing fine, just like nothing ever happened. She is one of the triplets from the doe that just died. To be honest, she is a real pain in the butt. Thats what happens when you bottle feed a goat. you have a friend for life, and they just assume they have to be with you all the time, so there is no keeping her little butt behind the hot wire when she see me or the wife...........she just sucks it in and charges the fence, usually getting zapped in the process, but she gets to where she wanted to go.....the wife or me............as long as she does not see us she will stay behind the fence...........


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## steventhomas42 (Jul 8, 2004)

I'm just glad Chipmaker has opted to use his powers for good! :truth: 

Seriously, Roy, you need to consider marketing your inventions. If not a manufacturing level venture, perhaps a "buy the plans here" sort of thing.

Your inventions are just too good to let some shyster steal and make money from.

Steve


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

I second the "Buy the plans here" thing! There is a fella on Ebay selling plans for a cab enclosure for the 300 series Deere tractors for $20 each incl. shipping. He is making money, and so can you.


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