AM/FM headphones for music and protection.

Tallahassee Kubota Man · Sep 28, 2014

Anyone have experience and recommendations on radio headphones to use while operating your tractor? I've been using foam hearing protectors which work fine for protection, but would like to be able to listen to the radio while protecting my hearing. I am usually in rural areas when working so good reception is important. I do commercial work and the long days would be more bearable with some tunes. I've looked at the 3M TEKK WorkTunes which get fairly good reviews and seem to sell quite well. Here is one model on Amazon's site: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0EVAK5E2HDYQ4HR8ZXJF
Thanks for any comments.

koja · Sep 28, 2014

Myself I use noise canceling ear buds and my iPod , sometimes my phone if I'm in the mood for Pandora . It can get pretty loud when using the lawn vacuum so you definitely need some ear protection. When working with the loader or backhoe I like to hear what the machine is doing.

kubotaman574 · Sep 28, 2014

3M TEKK WorkTunes here, just carry Extra Batterys

olthumpa · Sep 28, 2014

I wear standard ear muffs with a 21 db sound reduction.

Like koja, I like to hear what the tractor and implements are doing/sound like.

zbhover · Sep 28, 2014

I got a cheap set of noise canceling muffs with AM/FM and an AUX input at Menards almost 2 years ago for like $10 after a $5 or $10 mail in rebate.

The AM/FM is decent, but I always run pandora off my phone and it sounds great and they were much cheaper than the 3m muffs.

Bluetooth would be nice because I've not been paying attention and go to turn my head or something and yank the AUX cord out, but I'm cheap.....

85Hokie · Sep 28, 2014

Tallahassee Kubota Man said:
Anyone have experience and recommendations on radio headphones to use while operating your tractor? I've been using foam hearing protectors which work fine for protection, but would like to be able to listen to the radio while protecting my hearing. I am usually in rural areas when working so good reception is important. I do commercial work and the long days would be more bearable with some tunes. I've looked at the 3M TEKK WorkTunes which get fairly good reviews and seem to sell quite well. Here is one model on Amazon's site: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0EVAK5E2HDYQ4HR8ZXJF
Thanks for any comments.

My BIL game me those exact pair, paid over $50 for them - I didnt want to tell him, but they did not have a good sound....radio reception was fine, but the clarity was poor. I have found that regular over the ear headphones and either mp3 players or cell phones - and you can listen to 1000's of stations on the cell phone if your bill allows it.

I find the mp3 music better without interruptions !

Tallahassee Kubota Man · Sep 28, 2014

Thanks for the comments. I like to hear the "noises" too, especially with loader work or other things requiring 100% attention. What I'd mostly use the radio headphones are jobs when I have a full day of mowing in a large flat pasture. In those situations boredom takes over after a couple of hours. I may try the 3M TEKK WorkTunes, $40 won't break the bank.

In Utopia · Sep 29, 2014

Bought these a while back.
I'm far enough from civilization that AM stations and most FMs won't come in most of the time.
These along with my iPhone I can listen to tunes, iHeart radio or Pandora.
Best thing is, there is no cord to catch on everything.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KZEE3J0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

dfh1977 · Sep 30, 2014

Plugfones work for me, I dislike foam and use silicone type at work. http://www.plugfones.com/

Otisdog · Sep 30, 2014

I've been using work tunes for years and I like them fine, but I do usually listen to news or sports talk stations. I agree the music quality isn't great

CaveCreekRay · Oct 1, 2014

I have used several varieties of headphones over the last decade and a half. Last year, Homey Depot had a closeout on Howard Leight AM/FM for $44. I grabbed a pair and fell in love with them. The batteries last forever, the sound quality is truly excellent and clear, and they cut out the ambient tractor noise just fine. Very comfortable too.

Loved them so much, I wanted a second pair. GACK! They are $70 online! But then, I noticed the Honeywells looked identical. They must be made in the same factory. Buy the Honeywells as they are a lot cheaper and are the same unit, except red.

amazon.com/Honeywell-RWS-53012-Hearing-Protector-Digital/dp/B00FOBPUUA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1412167274&sr=8-3&keywords=Honeywell+headphones

Rugged. Easy memory storage. Tap the on-off button and it switches between AM and FM. Hold On/Off down for three seconds and it goes off with a "BEEP." Great reception I am 35mi from the antenna with a mountain in the way and I get awesome FM and pretty decent AM with only an occasional momentary dropout. I really love wearing these while running the tractor. The sound clarity is amazing over all the noise you discover when you pull them off to talk to someone. One of my pairs live on the FEL lever. I wear them all the time.

Eldubya · Oct 1, 2014

I agree with you about wanting to hear feedback from the machine. When that's not necessary, I wear these:
http://ca.denon.com/ca/product/headphones/sports/ahw150bk
Usually with hearing protectors over top. Fantastic sound and no wires!
Don't listen to radio, but tunes through my phone.

gpreuss · Oct 1, 2014

I'm on my 2nd set of worktunes. I find the reception to be dodgy, at best. It gets better if you push the antenna up under the head band, but then you wear a hole in your skull, and your brans lek ou. I do much better with a shirt pocket MP3 player in the FM radio mode and a cable to the worktunes.
Based on CaveCreekRay's recommendation, I think I'll try the Honeywell set.

skeets · Oct 1, 2014

Good thing you guys werent out on any of my job sites, your boss would be figuring out how to pay the fine. While hearing protection is required on a lot of equipment hearing protection with a radio is a NO NO. Reason is operators become distracted, cant hear the equipment or any one around them, and then,, well you know what happens,, guys like me have to go out and figure out what happend and some poor sap is inthe morg, and the other one has to live with what he did,,,,, Just sayin,,, carry on

tcrote5516 · Oct 1, 2014

Well I think most are talking about use on their own private property. I use Bose noise canceling headphones and Pandora cranked up!

If your dumb enough to get hit by a loud tractor on topping out at 7mph some would call that natural selection.

In Utopia · Oct 2, 2014

tcrote5516 said:
Well I think most are talking about use on their own private property. I use Bose noise canceling headphones and Pandora cranked up!

Isn't that like an oxymoron?
Substitute one noise for another?

skeets · Oct 2, 2014

Not so 5516, accidents do happen and most times can be avoided,, IF,, everyoneis paying attention to detail. In 35 years of investigating accidents, the ones most heart brakeing are the ones where some one was inatentive, due to thinking about going on vacation or some pressing family issue, or just plain broedom. And thes have not always happend to some by stander, out on one job site a truck operator backed over a embankment where he was to dump coal refuse, and was killed. When we removed his body from the cab,,,no seat belts,,, we found that he had on a set of radio muffs, and they were turmed up loud. and upon the toxicocology test he was pretty well stoned too. The point I was making is that any thing and I mean anything that distracts an operator is something that can cause an accident,, resulting in an ahhh shyt or worse. I guess it has become engrained in my nature after watching how stupid man can be, with out even trying

D2Cat · Oct 2, 2014

skeets, what you're describing usually happens to those who declare how stupid one would have to be and how it won't happen to them! And somehow some day they make the local news with their actions.

Tooljunkie · Oct 2, 2014

I don't object to people listening to music while operating. Condition is- only one earbud. I can't stand not hearin what machine is doing. The hearing protection reduces stress, for me anyway. Tried driving with earbuds once, couldn't stand it. Gave me vertigo.i can operate with a radio playing in cab, but loud enough to hear music. Running a combine for instance, need to hear if something is about to splode. Entertainment devices not permitted while operating machines here at work.

MortalWombat · Oct 6, 2014

I wear the 3M Worktunes only when I'm mowing because it's so loud and monotonous, but not when doing loader or implement work.

AM/FM headphones for music and protection.

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