Dane
08-19-2012, 03:54 PM
I'm somewhat cheap so I bought my 550 pretty stripped so I did not buy the Deere skid plate or A arm guards. The front ones are pretty well covered from the factory so I'm happy there. The rear A arms however are quite open in the center with the flexible brake lines right there, ready to get caught by a big stick.
I took a piece of cardboard and held it up underneath the A arm and pushed hard so the one protruding bolt would leave a mark and then I traced the outline and bolt holes. At my shop I had a scrap piece of .200" thick aluminum just big enough to make the two covers. Just a simple matter of cutting out my traced template and then tracing around it onto the aluminum, mark the holes then cut them out and drilled the holes. It's a pretty easy project for anyone that has access to some scrap steel or aluminum plate since it only requires a saw and drill.
http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad67/pilotdane2/2012/Gator/A%20Arm%20Plates/AArmPlate2.jpg
http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad67/pilotdane2/2012/Gator/A%20Arm%20Plates/AArmPlate1.jpg
The brake lines are still exposed to the rear so I will have to be careful if ever backing up over brush or large sticks that could get at them.
I took a piece of cardboard and held it up underneath the A arm and pushed hard so the one protruding bolt would leave a mark and then I traced the outline and bolt holes. At my shop I had a scrap piece of .200" thick aluminum just big enough to make the two covers. Just a simple matter of cutting out my traced template and then tracing around it onto the aluminum, mark the holes then cut them out and drilled the holes. It's a pretty easy project for anyone that has access to some scrap steel or aluminum plate since it only requires a saw and drill.
http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad67/pilotdane2/2012/Gator/A%20Arm%20Plates/AArmPlate2.jpg
http://i922.photobucket.com/albums/ad67/pilotdane2/2012/Gator/A%20Arm%20Plates/AArmPlate1.jpg
The brake lines are still exposed to the rear so I will have to be careful if ever backing up over brush or large sticks that could get at them.