I have been planning for a while to build two engine guards for the

                Henry

Hello, I have been planning for a while to build two engine guards for the front of my Yanmar engines. The new Yanmar designs come with plastic covers over the front of the engine to keep fingers, tools and other objects away from the moving parts and belts. I have contacted Yanmar and they do not have a cover that will fit my engine. SO - I am considering building a cage panel for the front of the engine. Two Kee Klamps flanges to the stringer of the boat. U shaped tubing or steel tubing with two more Kee Klamp elbows. And then some sort of wire mess or guard material. This is where I am not finding what I want. Ideally it would be power coated aluminum or steel and then attach to the tubing with straps. Suggestions? Fair winds & following seas, Henry

I have been planning for a while to build two engine guards for the

"Henry" <hjdennig@hotmail.com> writes: > I have been planning for a while to build two engine guards for the >front of my Yanmar engines. ... > Suggestions? Yes, a couple of suggestions. I also had a couple of similar problems. My main engine had no guards on the alternator belts, and my genset also came with no belt guards. For the main engine, I was bemoaning my lack of guards at a local engine shop, and the foreman pulled out a guard that they had taken off a new John Deere when they installed a custom hydraulic pump. He gave it to me for free, and after a bit of welding to make mounts and then a quick trip to the powder coaters, I had a beautiful custom-looking dual-alternator belt guard: http://www.islandeagle.net/systems/00052BD2-008583DB.8/DSCF1455-1.jpg My genset was a bit simpler, I just made a template out of cardboard, used a jig say to cut out some 1/8" aluminum, and then bent a 90 degree angle on one side. Add a bit of powder coating and Bob's your uncle, as we say up here: http://www.islandeagle.net/systems/00052BD2-008583DB.6/DSCF1409.jpg I would not bother with Kee clamps and the like. Also the guards should be mounted to the engine, not the beds. Just make a cardboard template, bend up some aluminum, and get it powder coated. You might also want to check local marine shops to see if they have any junker guards lying around. Scott Welch FirstClass Product Manager www.firstclass.com "Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden