To remove, or not remove...

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Jul 22, 2017
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A lot of the JD decks come with only the left side guard on and that one has to be on there.... If it is off it will throw the belt off.... It acts as a belt guide and keeper ~!~!
 

kraky

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Jun 21, 2015
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I think it is Deere's new accel deep deck now have the guards on spring loaded hinges kind of like a mouse trap... lift them and blow them out and let them go back down.... pretty neat idea...simple... not that expensive and a great selling point.
 

Darryl G

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My covers stay on. It takes all of 10 seconds to blast any debris out with a blower.
 

Tomster

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Oct 27, 2014
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I have used someone's mod that has wing nuts to allow for easier removal of the guards. I was also just thinking that one 5/8 hole at the end would allow an air nozzle to get in there and blow it out.
 

bertsmobile1

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I have used someone's mod that has wing nuts to allow for easier removal of the guards. I was also just thinking that one 5/8 hole at the end would allow an air nozzle to get in there and blow it out.

Quite right.
I drill a couple of 3/8" holes at the end and use a long air duster.
 

mhavanti

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Oct 12, 2014
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Reason I did the multi hole version is no sense to drag out a air hose if you already use a blower to clean off the drive, just hit the end with the blower if you see something in there. Since the multi hole modification, I never see anything in there anymore.

If you're using compressed air, that will work as well.

Whatever works for you is a good modification.

Max
 

gene_stl

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I am not a safety nazi nor a lowest common denominator kinda guy. I mostly make all my own decisions regarding safety matters after due consideration.

However this thread does make me want to mention what happens when a human limb of some kind tries occupy space that belongs to a rubber belt and pulley driven by a 20 plus horsepower gasoline engine.

It is called a degloving injury and all the flesh gets torn off the bone which later has to be amputated. I worked in a machine shop in college and there was a guy there who had that happen to him on a farm. He had a huge index finger and thumb, the flesh having been stripped from his other three fingers. This happened in the forties or fifties after wwii so I am sure there was no safety anything. Later in life I had a career in the orthopedic injury area.

Therefore when I remove belt guards to clean underneath I tend to replace them, eventually. It's just safer that way. I do like the notion of drilling them and may try that on my fleep-up.

Google "degloving injury" to read more about them if you are interested in looking at some gory stuff.
 

mhavanti

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I own Max Hughes Machine. I am adamant that my folks and any visitors are properly protected from doing stupid things because as far as I can understand, machines have absolutely no understanding of the damages they may do to us humans and to be honest, I don't think they would care.

Loose clothing, ties, even gloves can help a lathe suck you into the turning chuck or piece being cut. Not a pretty sight at all. Drill presses are the most dangerous for the unsuspecting as everyone wants to slam down their work piece, go to drilling without securing the part to the table. It is amazing how fast the part can become a spinning, flying object that is looking for a victim.

Mowers are simply another way of doing harm to one's self. One of my old old mentors always said: "Stupid is as stupid does." Boyeeeeeeee was he right.

Guards can save a finger or toe and it may be your own.

Max
 

Kremeneon

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Apr 17, 2014
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After a few install/removes the bolts on my covers started to get buggered up. So I bought new longer ones and installed them from the underside of the deck and put a nut on top of the deck to secure them, then I put on the covers and used a wingnut to secure each location. Now the shrouds are spaced up off the deck by the thickness of the nut on each side, this is a nice enough gap to get air from my blower in there and get most of the grass out. What fails to be removed can be easily accessed by spinning the wingnuts off.
 
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