My B2650 Grill guard is done.

[joearizona]

I welded my grill guard in place. and painted it. I used a 1/2" steel rod on top & the bottom is open. I did the expanded metal to weld in & hoping to get a grapple in the near future.

 

[DeepWoods]

Looks Great, and your right, if you are getting a grapple you will need one. Apparently you didn't have any problems with the dimension changing when you took the guard off the tractor? I know when I did mine, if I took the guard off the mounting brackets opened up and would have had problems getting it back on if I would have welded off the tractor, so I built mine mounted to the tractor.

After using the grapple in the woods I almost poked a hole in the hydraulic filter from a bush that had been cut off. So just cause you can protect the grill, be aware of other bad thing that can happen. I hope to fabricate a skid plate to protect the filters under the tractor this winter if I can find time.

 

[bird dogger]

that looks very nice! I like the round rod across the top also!!

 

[cliffboyer]

Nicely done.

What type of mirrors you got there?

 

[B737]

what thickness / gauge(?) are you guys using for the expanded metal part? Im not sure what to ask my supplier for, need something a novice like me wont blow through with the mig either.

 

[joearizona]

Nicely done.

What type of mirrors you got there?

The mirrors are just some i seen on amazon I used alum angle and drilled and taped the sides of the FEL. I had to make them very tight so they didn't vibrate and move, I use them mostly to watch the sides of my box blade so is not to hit anything. they sure come in handy.

 

[bird dogger]

what thickness / gauge(?) are you guys using for the expanded metal part? Im not sure what to ask my supplier for, need something a novice like me wont blow through with the mig either.

I measured my expanded metal and it appears to be about .150" thick. Might be 1/8 inch nominal thickness and after painting and rough edges it measures .150". At first I thought it might be a little too thin but the other scraps in the "shorts" bin at the welding shop were way to thick. As it turned out, once welded in place there's no doubt it's thick enough. I placed mine on the outside of the grill frame and its like trying to compress an eggshell inwards after welding it in place. I'm sure welding it in place on the back side gives the same results but I wanted all the room i could get on the back side for when opening the hood. On the B2650 there's not much space between the grill guard frame and the front of the hood.

Here's my grill guard: A $12 Kubota B2650 Grille Guard | OrangeTractorTalks - Everything Kubota

You won't have any trouble welding it in place. Even with the thin metal mesh....start your arc on the heavier base metal and move it to the thin expanded metal for just enough time to accomplish the weld.

David

 

[Henro]

what thickness / gauge(?) are you guys using for the expanded metal part? Im not sure what to ask my supplier for, need something a novice like me wont blow through with the mig either.

I did not make a grill guard, but I did use expanded metal to fabricate a guard that covers my hood and head. I think I used 10 gauge expanded metal.

Keep in mind there are two versions of expanded metal, the standard one that is best for a non slip surface, as it has sharp edges, and a flattened type that seems better for our uses on the tractor.

I think the pictures in this thread show the flattened expanded metal.

 

[B737]

good info and thanks for the link Dave!

 

[nbryan]

View attachment 51345 The mirrors are just some i seen on amazon I used alum angle and drilled and taped the sides of the FEL. I had to make them very tight so they didn't vibrate and move, I use them mostly to watch the sides of my box blade so is not to hit anything. they sure come in handy.

Nice mirror setup, but I'd need the mirrors when the snow blower is mounted on the front instead of the loader. Hmmm...

 

[drewzee87t]

What ya need there is "forward view" mirrors. So you can see forwards when going backwards.

Willy Wonka has just the thing....

 

[NHSleddog]

I added a little more beef before the mesh.

 

[B737]

That came out great NHS!

 

[joearizona]

Super nice.

 

[Tornado]

I did one on my L2501, all welded in place. I already busted the bottom of it with a log. I only have 80 hours on the tractor but most of those hours have been spent in the woods, pushing tree tops, stacking burn piles, moving logs to firewood pile, etc. Im often pushing and stacking piles as they are burning so trying to go in and out fast. At some point I got too close and put a log through my grill. It broke one side of the welds on the bottom portion, so its just kinda there now, dangling. It likely saved my tractor though so I guess it did its job. You can not be too careful doing this kind of work. I never felt at anytime I got too close to something like that, but I clearly did.

 

[B737]

finally got around to getting the brush guard squared away on the 2601, thanks for all the inspiration in this thread.

 

[Lil Foot]

Man, that looks stout! Nice!

 

[B737]

Ready to go crash sticks and branches into it

 

[bird dogger]

Ready to go crash sticks and branches into it

Now that is a nice looking, heavy duty brush guard!! I think you might have saved some time, though, by just mounting a locomotive "cattle guard". Maybe not quite as heavy duty but only orange paint needed!
david

 

[NHSleddog]

finally got around to getting the brush guard squared away on the 2601, thanks for all the inspiration in this thread.

I like the added beef.