EA Xtreme Gearbox Hood for Brush Cutters: Simple, Affordable & Brilliant (

The stock gearbox shield on my Land Pride RCR1860 brush cutter has been a source of aggravation and frustration for years because it provides very limited access to implement end of the PTO shaft, limiting my ability to maintain it and making even simple tasks way harder than they should be.
Fortunately, Everything Attachments has a simple, affordable and brilliant solution to this common problem with their Xtreme Gearbox Hood for Brush Cutters. Credit where credit is due, I first learned about this from Chris on his Watershed Overlook KZbin channel. There's a link to his video below.
EA Xtreme Gearbox Hood for Brush Cutters: www.everything...
Watershed Overlook KZbin Channel Video on the Gearbox Hood: • 028 - Everything Attac...
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#diy #outdoors #tractors #rurallife #kubota

[@temotu518]

Just been trying to design one over the last week...all the hard work done with this unit .... excellent idea.

[@jimbrown2604]

It was probably your video that convinced me to replace my LP bush hog gearbox shield with the EA one. That was an easy sell (as the EA design was so much better). But I’ve got to really thank you for showing that plastic shield removal (with saw)…that probably saved me hours of frustration. I just cut plastic shield off from the get go and the rest of the swap out was a piece of cake. THX!!

[@FromSteelToWood]

I like that design! Much easier to access for maintenance and also to fix the snap ring needed to avoid CHAOS, DEATH & DESTRUCTION... lol! Thanks!

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi Joe! Me too. As engineers, we both can appreciate a simple but brilliant design so as to avoid CHAOS, DEATH & DESTRUCTION. 😄 Thanks for stopping by!

[@johnharrison9303]

Thank you for this video Martin! I purchased the EA hood and installed it today. It makes maintenance so much easier now. I love this thing! I really enjoy your videos. Thanks again!!

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi John! Glad the video was helpful to you! Yes, the hood is an AWESOME upgrade. Thanks for watching!

[@AnomadAlaska]

I'll be looking hard at Everything Attachments for a bush hog and box blade when I buy a larger tractor. They thought that shroud out. I love and cringes at Ted's testing videos. What a character.

[@DIYMyWay]

Yes, EA makes great stuff. Expensive, but worth it, IMO. Thanks for watching!

[@AnomadAlaska]

@@DIYMyWay They're just down the road from me. I might save a few bucks on shipping.

[@DIYMyWay]

Shipping is free, so no you won’t, but call before you head there to make sure they have them in stock.

[@AnomadAlaska]

@@DIYMyWay I thought they had a discount if you came to them?

[@ralphyoung5443]

I love your cool and calm demeaner in explaining all that you do. Looks like a usefull product I think I will will get one.

[@DIYMyWay]

Thanks, Ralph! Glad to hear you are going to get one! I think you’ll love. Thanks for watching!

[@3pRanchTx]

Thanks so much for posting this! I have a 72” Frontier cutter with a slip clutch that is supposed to be adjusted annually. I have never been able to do it because of of the stupid shroud. Even my professional mechanic son couldn’t figure out to access the slip clutch without destroying the shroud. I love how you cut yours off. I’ll be doing the same after my Xtreme Hood arrives!

[@DIYMyWay]

You are very welcome! So glad to know it was helpful to you. Yep, slip clutches need regular maintenance to stay effective. I’m sure you’ll really enjoy cutting your old hood off. Thanks for watching!

[@redclover51]

I have that cutter and have experienced every problem in the video. Great solution.

[@DIYMyWay]

It sure is! Thanks for watching!

[@charlesrose7212]

How satisfying to take a sawzall to that ridiculous shield! Well done. 😂

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi Charles! It SURE was. Thanks for watching!

[@av-il6bf]

Spectacular!...You channeled the OG Willy Wonka with "...not going to speed this up, you will have to suffer with me". Bravo!!

[@chrisandjaneonnarrowboatpo3917]

Really enjoyed watching your lovely video. Really hope you are well and having a great Wednesday. Many thanks from Chris and Jane 💕👍💕

[@DIYMyWay]

Thank you! You too!

[@watershedoverlook]

Thanks for the kind shout-out Martin. This is a perfect illustration of the video I SHOULD have made! 😉Great job as always. 👍😎

[@DIYMyWay]

You are very welcome, Chris! Thanks for call my attention to the gearbox hood in the first place.

[@tonycox3427]

Thanks Martin. Gonna get one.

[@DIYMyWay]

You’re welcome Tony! I think you’re gonna like it.

[@Robert-tw9ig]

I BOUGHT ONE OF THESE AND MODIFIED IT TO FIT MY BETSCO FLAIL MOWER. MUCH BETTER

[@DIYMyWay]

Glad you could make it work! Thanks for watching!

[@mrfurb73]

I bought one of these EA hoods a few months back and had the same issues removing the crappy 'shield' on my LP cutter - did the same thing you did and cut it off so I could get to the bolts. I love the EA hood and I've finally been able to fully service my cutters shaft and connections now. Great video once again.

[@DIYMyWay]

The EA hoods are a MUST HAVE upgrade for any brush cutter with one of those sh*ty shields, IMO. Thanks for watching!

[@phillipowen7199]

Thanks. I just bought property and the seller included his Kubota L4701 with Land Pride brush cutter. The cutter had the plastic housing cut away just like you had to do. I think I might buy the EA extreme cover. Other other resources on grease, grease guns, grease fittings, etc. I'm new to this as a new land owner.😊

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi Phillip! Congrats on becoming a land and tractor owner! I hope the seller left the manual and maintenance records on the tractor. If you’re new to tractors, you may find my tractor maintenance video series helpful. Just look at the playlists on my channel. That EA hood is a great solution to providing both safety and easy access to the PTO shaft. Thanks for watching!

[@StarboardOar87]

Thanks so much for this video too! I even specifically looked for information about replacing that shroud and couldn't find anything useful. Most search results got confused and seemed to think that I was referring to the safety shroud on the end of the PTO shaft -- not the one on the gearbox. I must say it's somewhat comforting and I feel a certain brotherhood with you having suffered through this same experience. I got a new PTO shaft for my RCR1872 and it took me about 5 hours total to fully remove the old one, properly grease/maintain the new one, and install the new one. I was fully expecting you to realize the reason you couldn't remove the shaft was due to the snap ring being there... something I figured out the hard way -- but yours was gone! Once I removed my snap ring, I still had trouble from rust because the that zerk had not been greased in far too long (or at all?). I spent a couple hours hitting it with penetrating oil and ultimately had to use a ratchet strap to help me get enough force to break it free. I think if I am willing to cut off the old shroud like you did, it might be possible to get to the screws and remove it without having to remove the pto shaft :). I will try it that way. By the way, if you can believe it, my shroud is an older version of the one you had that has even smaller access! Also, am I the only one torquing shear bolts to spec? The manual on my cutter says a grade 2 shear bolt with 13 tpi should be torqued to 49 ft lbs. I'm new to all this so I might be overthinking it :). Looking forward to watching some more of your videos. I appreciate you.

[@chiefmik9108]

Hi Martin, I have the same unit and am looking forward to installing that cover on my RCR1860.. I had the same issues with getting to the fittings and I haven't checked if my snap ring is installed... Thanks for doing a video on the EA Shield...God Bless and Keep SAFE...Chief {NYS/ADK}

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi Chief! Glad you stopped by! Good luck on you installation!

[@samengler539]

Lol I knew it was something to do with a brush hog martin. Cheers. Good job

[@DIYMyWay]

😄 Well you were in the ballpark, Sam. Thanks!

[@ProudPapaw88]

Very informative video, Martin. Thanks for sharing !!

[@DIYMyWay]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the visit!

[@crappiefishingmississippi]

Thank you for the video! Just ordered a gearbox hood from extreme! 👍

[@DIYMyWay]

You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@davidcharles3131]

Boy, am I glad you found snap ring missing. That could have been disaster. I found no need for flower pot on my tractor supply cutter and I shortened it to install shear bolt and to lubricate. The silly thing was probably there because someone stupid got hurt and sued. Enjoy your videos. Thank you.

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi David! Yes, me too. I knew it was missing the first time I took the PTO shaft off, but could see that it was impossible to put a snap ring on with that terribly designed hood. Now it’s a snap. (Pun intended.) Glad you enjoy my my videos! Thanks for the visit!

[@martyb3783]

Very nice! I have a birthday coming up and will tell the wife that about this! I need to look at my Bushhog brand brush cutter to see if it fits. Great video as always Martin. Thanks for making it!

[@DIYMyWay]

Happy birthday in advance, Marty! Thanks for stopping by!

[@RCAFpolarexpress]

Good day Sir 🌞Chris ( watershed overlook ) is an Truly an Outstanding gentlemen 👍😇👌You have a Great sence of humor 🤣👌👍Nice Suspense Music 🤔🤣👍Ho HO THE SAWZALL Enter In Action with an OUTSTANDING satisfaction from the owner 🤔🥴😉🤣👍👍🚧🚧Ho Boy, I Still Remember Your Very First Video about Chaos, Death and Destruction 🤣👍🚧🚧Have a safe week Sir Cheers 🍻🍻

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi Dave! Yep, Chris is a great guy. Glad enjoyed the humor! Yes, it was VERY satisfying to cut that wretched old hood off. Hope you have an Eggcellent week too. Thanks for watching!

[@daveknowshow]

I was wondering where that retaining clip was at. that was what I thought was holding it on making it impossible to remove. I built a custom safety shield to replace mine years ago. its round and is held on with two wing nuts. makes servicing much easier.

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi Dave! Great to hear from you! Hope you are doing well. I remember watching your video on your safety shield. It was early inspiration to find a better one for mine brush cutter. Thanks for stopping by!

[@The_Squirrel_Samurai]

I actually pulled the cover off mine a few weeks ago when trying to service my cutter. I thought it was such a stupid design. Now that I know this is an option I might get one. Not that I'm personally around the cutter while it's running but I'm now always worried that I'm going to back into some brush with with low clearance and get stuff wrapped up in the PTO. I didn't have to cut my old one off so if I ever sell the cutter to upgrade tractors then I can take it with me for the next one.

[@DIYMyWay]

I don’t blame you at all since it is such a stupid design. It would definitely be worth getting the EA hood for easy access and to keep brush from getting wrapped around your PTO shaft. Thanks for stopping by!

[@GrampiesWorkshop]

How's she goin'? You are right on the money with your assessment of this shroud Martin. A much better solution to a problem and like you have shown, with easier access, the maintenance and safety features can be addressed and made operational. Take care!!

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi Mike! Yes sir, it’s an awesome solution to the terrible design of the stock gearbox hood. Thanks for stopping by!

[@sustainablelife1st]

you had me at reciprocating saw! I need that cover. mine is busted and a pain. $90 is cheap.

[@DIYMyWay]

😄 Yes, cutting that freakin’ old hood off was very cathartic! Considering all the aggravation the new gearbox hood eliminates, it is ABSOLUTELY worth $90. Thanks for stopping by!

[@tractortalkwithgary1271]

Good afternoon Martin. That shaft was stubborn. They all are. I painted the pto on a tractor once and got it hooked up to an implement and thought I would never get it unhooked. Too bad the Land Pride engineers didn’t put their thinking caps on like EA did. But then again, Land Pride engineers will never have to work on one of their own out in the field in the real world. If they did, there would certainly be some changes in design. Well doneMartin.

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi Gary! It seemed impossible with that old hood on but wasn’t too hard to get off once I’d cut away that POS stock hood. It might have been more of the lawyers’ fault than the engineers. There enough blame to go around. 😄 Thanks for watching!

[@houndsmanone4563]

Martin, did you ever notice how a somewhat simple 30 minute job turns into a frustrating hour-long job? At least that's how things seem to go around my place. I'm not as agile as I once was but I slowly get things done. I sure like that brush cutter gearbox hood. Man you made my back hurt after watching you in that bent-over position for such a lengthy period. Glad this hood solves your access problem. Enjoyed your install video. Great explanation throughout the process, ha, even the frustrating parts. You made things look quite simple though my back is still twitching from watchning you bent over throughout. I see you have quite a bit of bamboo in the back. I helped a Marine friend remove large patches of that stuff from his backyard and he was so tickled to finally have it gone. Boy, it was a task in itself. Alright my friend, take good care of yourself. Don 👍🏽🤠 10/15/23

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi Don! Oh, yes I have. My projects take a lot longer these days and I have come to accept that. Yep, love that new hood already. I can stay bent over like that because I do daily stretches including toe touches so that didn’t bother me. We have several stands of Bamboo, all deliberately planted and we love it, but it does take some effort to keep it in its designated areas. Take care and Thanks for watching!

[@davidcarpenter1406]

Watched your video and got excited about remedying this problem with my Bush Hog. Went to their website and even tried to call. Apparently, their company is in a whole lot of legal problems and they have pretty much ceased to function. If you know of any other cover manufacturer, please let me know.

[@robwhite2282]

That poor mower needs a wash bad!

[@DIYMyWay]

Yep, it sure does. I’m gonna use soon so it will get cleaned up afterwards.Thanks for watching!

[@robwhite2282]

@@DIYMyWay interesting fact Martin. The only warranty claim I have ever made on my L 3901 is that same mower plastic guard that got cracked when the sheer bolt broke

[@DIYMyWay]

@@robwhite2282 All the more reason to get rid of it, Rob! The EA hood is SOOO MUCH better!

[@TheButterflyGirl7]

Thank you so much for this excellent video! I just broke a first shear bolt in my first 10 minutes of mowing, I am a complete beginner. I am trying to watch videos and read the books and figure everything out. I could not figure out what or how to get around this huge safety shield on the rotary cutter and so this has helped tremendously. I'm just going to take everything very slowly *** Do you have a video showing how you check the oil and grease up inside of the gearbox on your Land Pride rotary cutter? Also, I tried to click on the link for that extreme hood and the link was broken. That seems like it would be worth a good investment

[@DIYMyWay]

Sorry, I don’t have such a video, but your brush cutter gearbox should have a simple dip stick on the top to check the gear oil level. Sadly, Everything Attachments has apparently gone out of business rather abruptly. It’s a shame because they made really good attachments. Thanks for watching!

[@TheButterflyGirl7]

@@DIYMyWay oh wow that is sad to hear they went out of business! I ended up having to use the sawzall to cut enough room in my plastic shroud so I could finish installing the new shear pin. Also, everything was very dry so I started learning about greasing the zerk spots. However, one zerk appears to be broken so now I need to figure out if I can replace it.

[@ItsaboutMakingnotBuying]

Martin If that doesn’t protect it nothing will. Later

[@DIYMyWay]

For sure, Mech! Thanks for watching!

[@johnstobbscpa8081]

BTW, I have the same brush cutter and since I need to keep my shroud in tact, sharing what the bolt sizes for removal would be most helpful. Thanks

[@johnstobbscpa8081]

I figured it out, hit and miss, the shroud made it difficult but it is a 14mm

[@DIYMyWay]

I don’t remember what the bolt size was but I probably mentioned the size in the video.

[@samengler539]

I think you would of been just fine after you cut the old one in half to leave it as is.. been done with it.

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi Sam! Nah, remember that I HATE the old one. All of it had to go. Plus, I recognize the safety value of a good gearbox hood like the one from EA. Thanks for stopping by!

[@arepadetrigo]

Not a good look for Land Pride. No thought of the customer's need to do routine maintenance. Bad design for sake of cheapness and avoiding liability. They could have prevented this trouble but wanted to have the cheaper brush cutter. But if you have to spend money to retrofit, is it really worth it? Maybe. Maybe not.

[@DIYMyWay]

Not just Land Pride. Other brush cutter manufacturers use these crappy “flower pot” shields as well. And is it worth it because other than that, my brush cutter is well designed, very sturdy and has served me well. Thanks for watching!

[@gsracing38]

I did this upgrade to my rcr1860 earlier this year. Absolutely love the accessibility. I wish it would fit on my tiller. I'm surprised to see yours didn't have a slip clutch. Could you imagine having to replace a shear bolt with that thing in the way?

[@DIYMyWay]

Yes, it’s a GREAT upgrade! Slip clutches require maintenance that I probably wouldn’t do reliably, so I prefer shear bolts. Knock on wood, I’ve never had to replace one, but now it will be easy and I can do it in the field since I carry spare shear bolts and tools on the tractor. Thanks for watching!

[@SwampSawyer]

Did I hear a turkey yelping in the background?

[@DIYMyWay]

You might have, but I didn’t. It’s quite possible, though as turkeys often pay us a visit. Thanks for watching!

[@mackz44]

It seemed like the new metal gearbox hood had a potential for rattling when you installed it. Did you notice that it added noise when you engaged the PTO? Thanks for your videos. They are very well done.

[@DIYMyWay]

Their thoughtful design makes a tight fit and I don’t notice any rattle from it. Thanks for the kind words and for watching!

[@johnstobbscpa8081]

I'd love to buy one of these even if the price is now $99 but they want to charge $100 shipping for a part that cannot be a foot square and weigh less than 10 pounds. :-(

[@DIYMyWay]

$100 dollars for shipping??!! That’s outrageous!

[@bonsukan]

Hey Martin, Thanks for sharing this video. My rotary cutter is also a Land Pride, model RCF2072. It looks very similar to yours but larger. Do you think that it’s safe to say that I’d have to remove the PTO shaft to install an EA hood like you did? I had no idea you had a bamboo forest? I was thinking of growing some but I’ve heard that they can be quite invasive and high maintenance. Is that your experience? Thanks! Dave

[@DIYMyWay]

Hi Dave! If you are willing to cut off the existing hood, you can probably get the bolts out without removing the PTO shaft. The EA hood is design to be installed without removing the PTO shaft. We love our bamboo! We have stands of golden, black, and Moso bamboo, which is the kind you see behind me in the video. You can keep it contained with a plastic barrier trenched in around it, like we did for the stand near our pool. It has never crossed the barrier. Thanks for watching!

[@bonsukan]

@@DIYMyWay Well Martin, I finally joined the ranks and got the gearbox hood installed. Like you, I had to cut the existing hood because I simply could not get a ratchet in to remove those 4 bolts. I love this EA gearbox hood.

[@joeyw4442]

I hate that "flower pot" sheild on my Land Pride cutter, as well. Wish they all came with something like the EA sheild. But now that EA is out of buisness, anyone have an idea, or modification, to make the maintnence job easier at the gearbox end?

[@johnstobbscpa8081]

Day two of trying to get the back of my pto to disengage from the gear box. How did you finally get yours to release? Thanks

[@DIYMyWay]

If you have removed the shear pin and the pto free spins on the shaft but won’t pull off, then look for a snap ring on the end of the gear box shaft. It is a safety feature to keep the PTO shaft from coming off if the shear pin breaks. Good luck and thanks for watching!

[@johnstobbscpa8081]

@@DIYMyWay Thanks !

[@johnstobbscpa8081]

@@DIYMyWay Thanks, you talked about that in one of the videos but isn't the universal joint in the way? Isn't the snap ring 'inside' where the shaft inserts into universal joint and it faces backward toward the gear box?

[@DIYMyWay]

The snap ring is on the end of the gearbox shaft and has to be removed before the universal joint can slide off.

[@johnstobbscpa8081]

Yes! 3rd time viewing I carefully noted your assembly steps. THANK YOU!. The snap ring step begins at minute 12 and you have already installed the PTO shaft and shear bolt. You do so thru the 'hole' in the U joint. Thing is the shroud has to be absent to do so but the plastic shroud cannot be removed [in tact] as long as the u joint is still installed. Like you, I'll have to cut off the shroud to reach the snap ring. It is a Catch 22.

[@dougowen7962]

I like the gearbox hood but it seems EA has gone out of business. Do you know anywhere else to get one?

[@DIYMyWay]

Very surprising that they suddenly went out of business! They made such good products! I don’t know of another source for them, but the dimensions of it was on their website which is still online at the moment. Maybe you can capture those images of the dimensions and either make one yourself or have a metal fab shop make it. Good luck and thanks for watching!

[@mikemcangus8561]

@@DIYMyWay Do you have the URL for the dimensions? I can't find it on their site. I have a metal fabber just down the road from me.

[@DIYMyWay]

@mikemcangus8561 The URL is www.everythingattachments.com/www.everythingattachments.com/Brush-Cutter-Gearbox-Hood-p/ea-xdbc-hood.html. If you click on the Larger Photo link and go to images 9 and 10, you see the dimensions they provide. Good luck!

[@mikemcangus8561]

OK, now I see what went wrong. The URL under your video that you labeled as "EA Xtreme Gearbox Hood for Brush Cutters:" has a ".htm" extension instead of a ".html" extension. That is why, when I clicked the original link that you supplied I got a "404 - Unknown" error. Unfortunately, searching the site for "Xtreme Gearbox Hood" also returned a 404 error. Thank you for the working URL.

[@exodipus]

Does anybody make something similar? EA is defunct right now.

[@DIYMyWay]

Not that I know of. Thanks for watching!

[@gckshea]

My Bush Hog BH6 has that same ridiculous, aggravating, idiotic, frustrating, exasperating, irritating, vexatious, pestiferous, galling, rebarbative contraptions, and I have yet to deal with it. Something in me kept me from taking my recip saw to it....a guard is good and needs to be on, right? Nope! Not at my expense of procrastinated maintenance. No one is going near the spinning hardware anyway...I don't care that it gets aired out now. Problem solved. Except a cover like EA's would help keep rain out, and some chaff. We'll see.....

[@DIYMyWay]

Great choice of adjectives regarding those stock gearbox hoods! By all means cut it off but do consider getting the EA hood because besides keeping low-hanging brush from wrapping around your PTO shaft, it keeps that end of the shaft out of the weather. That’s especially important if you have a slip clutch. Thanks for the visit!