Even if the cages effectiveness is limited , I am in the opinion of what US ordance department thought of M4 Sherman crews wilding tank tracks on the tanks for extra protection "If it makes them feel safer then it should be allowed".
A soldier will do what ever he feels might aid him in his survival ,spending extra energy and resources trying to contol what won't be contolled is just kinda pointless.
Tank tracks act like spaced armor. Plus, if a mine blows out your tracks, you know where to get a spare section. This trick is also frequently used by the Germans during WW2. As for the Shermans, they also do 'sandbagging' where the tanks are covered by sandbags.
The Russians put a lot of logs in between the grills, especially when it comes to armored trailers and to the MSTA-S SPG. From the top, these makes the vehicle look like a log truck. If let's say, you put a MSTA-S with logs on a trailer, it makes the trailer look like it's carrying logs from an aerial point of view. On top of this, the logs also act like extra armor against drones and fragmentation munition.