Looks like I need a heavier duty grill screen

[lyle11]

I recently started mowing with a 55 Lowboy which I really like after mowing with an FCub for 15 years. My property has some hilly spots so it feels more stable, plus I can get under lower tree branches now. After perhaps 20 total hours of mowing with this Lowboy, I mowed up to a small spruce tree and saw the tree snap back after I backed up from it so I knew the tractor snagged and released a branch.

After I got done I saw what happened. A small dead branch penetrated the grill screen all the way to the radiator. It appears to have contacted one of the vertical cooling tubes then slid off between two of them. I’m just glad it didn’t pierce it. It has an original IH radiator that has a plate from a shop in Canton OH so it’s been worked on at some point.

The grill screen was hardware cloth from Lowe’s. I’ve dented the early style mesh grill a couple of times and it bends but doesn’t break and easily bends back into shape.

I know there are numerous threads on grills and screen materials. I’m just sharing my experience that buying inexpensive hardware cloth doesn’t provide much resistance to an object. The grill also seems to get a lot more chaff behind it to blow out than the flat grill.

I have an 11 bar grill on another Lowboy that I just play with and keep looking pretty. Looks like that grill would not only look nice but would be more resistant to a small obstacle like a branch but I don’t really want to spend that kind of money when I already have two 4 bar grills.

[ScottyD'sdad]

I had a radiator punctured by a stick, while using the loader to pile brush. I bought some expanded steel mesh on Amazon, that I installed behind the grill, to protect it. Much stronger than hardware cloth. Expensive, but cheaper than a radiator!

Ed

[SamsFarm]

Ouch!

For instances like this I made up a slogan years ago......

Branches down low, gotta go......
Branches outa the way can stay another day!

At that height they would probably be easy to get with the chainsaw!

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

I don't think you need a heavier screen I think you need armor plating. All kidding aside, I have thought about making a grill out of used hammer mill screen.

[lyle11]

Ouch!

For instances like this I made up a slogan years ago......

Branches down low, gotta go......
Branches outa the way can stay another day!

At that height they would probably be easy to get with the chainsaw!

This was about a 10’ tall spruce tree with branches all the way to the ground so it’s not really an option to remove all the lower branches. Live branches are flexible but the dead ones aren’t and I didn’t see this one. I pushed the nose of the Cub into what I thought were flexible evergreen branches. Kind of off topic, but many blue spruces in this area (NW Wisconsin) seem to have a lot of lower branches dying with minimal overall tree growth and the trees look unhealthy. Odd because I have yet to see a tree on my property die after at least 10 years observing this but branches on the lower 1/3 are dead or half dead which ruins the look of the tree. Probably some fungus.

I mow roughly 4 acres on an 80 acre property. My mowing area is irregular and spans almost 1/4 mile in length next to brushy woods. And the trees and brush are in an old pasture that grows faster than I could keep up with. So, that’s a good slogan to abide by, but for me it’ll be a lot less work to get tougher material for my grill. I’m not fond of the appearance of the original flat style grill but, like I said in my original post, it does the job.

A grill guard might deflect the branches or, they might come right through if they’re long enough. I’m not out mowing recklessly, but I like to mow my field close to the woods or the brush will keep encroaching on my field. So, I’m sure this will probably happen again.

[lyle11]

I don't think you need a heavier screen I think you need armor plating. All kidding aside, I have thought about making a grill out of used hammer mill screen.

I don’t even know what hammer mill screen is. But, the last 2 Cubs I bought both had home made grill screens made out of the heavy metal material that consists of what looks like thin flat straps with diamond shaped openings. Kind of like you’d see on a heavy duty shelf that could support heavy stuff. I wanted to get back to a factory Cub grill and threw these in the trash, but maybe they were onto something.

[Clemsonfor]

Ouch!

For instances like this I made up a slogan years ago......

Branches down low, gotta go......
Branches outa the way can stay another day!

At that height they would probably be easy to get with the chainsaw!

This was about a 10’ tall spruce tree with branches all the way to the ground so it’s not really an option to remove all the lower branches. Live branches are flexible but the dead ones aren’t and I didn’t see this one. I pushed the noise of the Cub into what I thought were flexible evergreen branches. Kind of off topic, but many blue spruces in this area (NW Wisconsin) seem to have a lot of lower branches dying with minimal overall tree growth and the trees look unhealthy. Odd because I have yet to see a tree on my property die after at least 10 years observing this but branches on the lower 1/3 are dead or half dead which ruins the look of the tree. Probably some fungus.

I mow roughly 4 acres on an 80 acre property. My mowing area is irregular and spans almost 1/4 mile in length next to brushy woods. And the trees and brush are in an old pasture that grows faster than I could keep up with. So, that’s a good slogan to abide by, but for me it’ll be a lot less work to get tougher material for my grill. I’m not fond of the appearance of the original flat style grill but, like I said in my original post, it does the job.

A grill guard might deflect the branches or, they might come right through if they’re long enough. I’m not out mowing recklessly, but I like to mow my field close to the woods or the brush will keep encroaching on my field. So, I’m sure this will probably happen again.

To keep from loosening my field a little each year by pinching in each year due to branch growth, every few years I take my chainsaw on a stick as I call it, which is my pole saw. I keep the center piece into it which makes it was out 7 to 8ft tall. I cut all the branches off the edge of the field as far up as that can reach. Which for me being 6'2" tall makes it about a good 10 to 15 foot of clear mowing space. Branches don't hit me in the face and it looks better. I just leave them on the ground and run them back over with the bush hog. Bush hog behind my Yanmar , not the Farmall.

[Don McCombs]

https://extension.psu.edu/blue-spruce-diseases

There is no “known” cure for either of these diseases. They will eventually kill the entire tree. The best course of action is to remove the tree to delay spread to other, non-infected trees.

[CharlieK]

thanks Don for that info on blue spruce trees

[inairam]

I got a pole chain saw and a hay wagon just for this. I pull the hay wagon to an area and use it as a platform and trim branches and move it forward. Lossing a radiator is one thing losing an eye is something else.

Blue spruce do not do well in SE PA either. They last a while then die.

[lyle11]

Thanks Don for the information on the blue spruce diseases. I’d say 9 out of 10 look diseased so it’s too late to start cutting one down to save others. This is an old family property and my sister went crazy planting blue spruces. You used to be able to see 3/4 mile to the north until she blocked the view with these trees. I’d rather see the crop fields off in the distance than a bunch of spruces so the faster they die the better.

Good information on tree pruning. My problem isn’t head height face slapping branches. It’s brush growing along the edge that is Cub grill height or these spruce with low dead branches. I just need to get a stronger grill. The 4 bar looks to be the worst if you encounter a branch because rather than slide off it gets snagged by the grill bars. I might be best based on my usage to install the old style grill.

[indy61]

The 55 Lo-Boy would of had an 11 bar grille. The 4 bar came in 59 I think.
I would just try to be more careful around the trees.

[Bob McCarty]

Fasten some expanded steel like Lyle suggested on the outside of the 4 bar and attach with wire or wire ties. The bars will support the expanded steel.