OT: Need a means of cleaning/blowing off grass on mower

[Black Forest]

My mower has a cowl over the motor with a screen on the back. This screen gets blocked with grass cuttings when mowing. The weather has been dry for some time now and the screen gets blocked more often now. This causes the engine to get hot. I would like to somehow build a way to blow off the screen periodically. Mounting a compressor on the motor and plumbing nozzles to it so I can press a button and compressed air hits the screen was one method I thought about. Also I thought maybe I could mount two electric fans that would blow the grass off from the inside when I pressed a switch to turn on the fans. The motor fan sucks air into the motor compartment and that causes the grass to clog the screen. The fans possibly could be on a reversing switch so they blow air into the motor compartment most of the time and then when I press the magic button they reverse to clear the screen.....

Any ideas?

[alanganes]

How about a windshield wiper sort of thing with a brush to sweep the cuttings off periodically?

[flylo]

How about a pc of alum screen with magnets so you pull it off & shake the grass off & re-install quickly? Or the fans ar DC so you could wire a momentary switch to reverse them if they have the power?

[SteveF]

I've got a walk behind weed whacker with a similar problem. On my to-do list is to make a cylinder of screen about 18" tall that fits on top of the motor to increase the amount of screen surface areas by about 6X to minimize the problem.

Another low-tech solution might be a home-brew version of an Oneida Dust Deputy. Gravely used to sell something similar as an upgrade to their ZT mowers but I can't find it so I guess it was discontinued.

Steve

[Abner]

Not much different than a combine. I don't know if automating the process is the best answer. Guys out here build an air compressor into their farm pickup trucks using an automotive air conditioning compressor and a air tank. Using a long hose, a hand held blow gun with a long 3-4' copper pipe to reach in behind screens and blow it back out. The advantage is of course the control- having more air where more crap is stuck. That light fuzzy chaf gets interwoven to a certain extent but I'm telling you something you already know. The air conditioning units they used where a twin piston type. Semi truck air brake compressors would be another source.

[Willy]

The fans possibly could be on a reversing switch so they blow air into the motor compartment most of the time and then when I press the magic button they reverse to clear the screen.....

This is basically what a number of large equipment manufactures do in order to clear debris from coolant radiators. Some are electric, some hydraulic driven, manual and automatic, but it is an effective means of expelling foreign material from radiators if done correctly.

[Joel]

On the cooling air intake screen on my off-road rail buggy, I hung a piece of chain (dog leash size). It does a great job of keeping the crap from accumulating. You might need several. If your pastures are smooth as a golf course, this method may not work well enough.

Adding an additional coarse screen bent into several fairly deep 'v's to give lots of surface area, may be another simple alternative. Or possibly a large slightly convex one with the chain(s) added.
Both are easy and cheap to try (use zip ties, at least for the trial). This seems like a problem soluble with a low tech and non-electrical solution.

[JoeLee]

Sounds like a design flaw, or a poor design. Who is the mfg. of the machine.

JL.................

[Black Forest]

Sounds like a design flaw, or a poor design. Who is the mfg. of the machine.

JL.................

Jacobsen

[akajun]

All my tractors have a screen in front of the radiator that you periodically have to take off and clean. Depending on the time of the year and what your doing, cleaning the screen may be necessary every couple hrs. It's part of the job, plus gives you a break and a chance to walk around your machine and check for other issues , piss, etc.

[elf]

Why does a sheep master need to mow grass

[BCRider]

Assuming the clippings are sticking on the OUTSIDE of the screen perhaps watch it closely next time and see if the clippings are being directed at the screen. If so what about a sheet metal deflector to deflect the clippings away so they don't get stuck on the screen?If it's simply stuff floating in the air because it's dry and fluffy instead of the complexities you're looking at I'd suggest you modify the screen to make it easy to remove and snap back into position. Then once or twice while cutting the lawn when it gets covered badly simply stop the mower and remove the screen and knock or brush it clean or blast it with a hose. Then remount it and restart the mower and carry on. This would be FAR easier, but obviously not as deliciously techy, than trying to arrange for a blowback compressor and air nozzles.

[Keith_W]

There are a lot of different models in the Jacobsen range, which one is it as it could make it easier to offer a suggestion.

I had a laugh to myself visioning a whole row of sheep on a board on a tractor chomping away cutting the lawn, sure wish I could draw cartoons to illustrate.

Keith_W.

[Paul Alciatore]

Lazy sheep. He probably hand feeds them.

Why does a sheep master need to mow grass

[Tundra Twin Track]

On some MacDon swather windrower they use a brush that rotates slowly to brush debrie off the screen.It would be like a wood counter brush with 3/8" long bristles that would be attached to a slow motor like a windshield wiper motor.