referring now to the drawings , fig1 illustrates a perspective view of the device according to the present invention , generally represented by numeral 10 as positioned about a motor 12 . generally , the motor 12 includes a shaft 14 at one end and fan or impeller 15 at the opposite end . radial fins 16 radiate from the periphery of housing 18 . a junction box 20 is provided to facilitate connection with a power supply . the protective device 10 of the present invention provides a fan enclosure means 22 comprising a generally cylindrical body having an end plate 24 and a peripheral wall 26 extending therearound . the peripheral wall 26 , at a lower point thereof , includes an opening 27 defining an inlet to facilitate air intake therein to thereby cool the motor . an internal baffle wall 25 extends inwardly of the fan enclosure 22 at the lower most portion thereof . baffle wall 25 and end plate 24 cooperate to produce the air pressures necessary to provide adequate suction to thereby draw air into the enclosure 22 . as an attendant advantage , the arrangement substantially reduces inadvertent entry of material into enclosure means 22 . a filter means ( not shown ) e . g . screen , mesh , etc ., may be provided at the opening to prevent foreign matter from entering the fan enclosure 22 . in the example , a shield means 28 is provided which is connected by , for example , a bolt to peripheral wall 26 at a top portion thereof spaced from the opening . the shield means 28 extends longitudinally of the housing 18 to at least the shaft end and is arcuately shaped to at least partially surround housing 18 . as is evident from the drawings , the fan enclosure means 22 and shield means 28 are mounted such that the same are sufficiently spaced from the components they are adapted to protect to thereby facilitate unimpeded operation and air flow . mounting means of a suitable construction may be employed to mount the device 10 to motor 12 e . g . magnetic clamps , brackets , etc . in a preferred form , enclosure means 22 is bolted at 29 to motor frame 18 . in the example , an eyebolt 30 is employed ; this has an ancillary feature in that it permits rapid relocation of the motor 12 , when required , via suitable means e . g . winch means . the embodiment described herein is particularly useful in protecting the fan 15 and housing 18 from overhead spills thus overcoming the serious difficulty of material collection on the housing 18 and more particularly , between the radial fins 16 thereof . this arrangement reduces the intake of debris collecting on the motor 12 . fig3 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention in which similar numerals denote similar components from the previously described embodiment . in this embodiment , a gooseneck adapter 32 may be releasably connected for fluid communication with the opening 27 in wall 26 of fan enclosure means 22 . the enclosure means , in cases where the motor housing 18 and enclosure means 22 are symmetrical in cross - section , may simply be rotated 180 ° relative to the longitudinal axis of the motor housing 18 and the gooseneck 32 connected . in an alternative , the device 10 may be removed from motor housing 18 and the fan enclosure means 22 and shield means 28 rotated relative to one another . in the example , the adapter 32 is a hollow l - shaped member having an intake port 34 ; a second end 36 communicates with the opening of the peripheral wall 26 . optionally , port 34 may include filter means as discussed herein previously for opening wall 26 . the adapter 32 may include a flexible joint between port 34 and end 36 to permit convenient repositioning of the adapter to conform to the specific requirements of each application . connection between end 36 and the opening of wall 26 may be made by any suitable means e . g . friction fit , magnetic attraction , clamps , fasteners , etc . the arrangement set forth in this embodiment is particularly useful from preventing debris , originating from beneath the motor 12 , from entering the intake port 34 . similar to the previous embodiment , this embodiment advantageously permits the intake air to be dispersed longitudinally and axially over the fins 16 beneath the shield means 28 . accordingly , the motor may run cool for long periods of time . suitable materials contemplated for fabrication of the device 10 include , for example , cast iron , aluminum , steel , stainless steel , sheet metal , suitable composite materials , polymers and resins . in terms of the polymeric , composite and resin materials , the device may be molded as an integral unit ; where metal material is used , a two - piece unit may be fabricated . further still , the device may comprise a multi - piece unit and it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the precise number of elements constituting the device 10 is purely a question of design for particular intended application . fig4 shows a further embodiment according to the present invention . similar numerals are representative of common elements disclosed herein previously . in this embodiment , the shield means 28 comprises a suitable resilient material and includes adjacent each opposed longitudinal edge 38 thereof , a lip 40 extending inwardly for abutting and frictional contact with fins 16 , shown more clearly in fig5 . this feature will readily permit the shield means 28 to be longitudinally and axially slid on motor housing 18 to adjust the distance the same extends over the shaft end . this is convenient where the shaft end may require the connection of ancillary equipment for a particular application . although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above , it is not limited thereto and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications form part of the present invention insofar as they do not depart from the spirit , nature and scope for the claimed and described invention .