AI Glass and Cold Temps Don't Mix

newgenjdcollector · Feb 12, 2014

A month or so ago I bought a new back window for a soundguard cab I am re-doing. I have spent so much money on this cab, I thought perhaps I could save just a little by not going thru deere for the back glass. One of my suppliers carries the A&I verson and it's slightly less in price. Not significantly, but they deliver instead of driving all the way to john deere and back. So convenience factored into my decision and not just price. So I bought the A&I thru my supplier without putting a lot of thought into it. It's been on the tractor for a month or so, no problems to speak of. Looks real nice. Or it did anyway. Yesterday I go around the barn and something catches my eye. WTF, the new rear window is completely shattered into a million pieces. You got to be kidding me. The tractor has just been sitting there, not being used or anything. Why in the hell can"t they make a piece of glass that"s worth a crap? I have another cab tractor parked right next to it with an original 35 year old rear window in it that"s absolutely fine. So I know the difference is in the glass itself. Just wish there was a disclaimer on the A&I glass that says something like this: [i:d470199467]"by saving $38 on your rear glass, you accept the fact that your glass may shatter for no reason at all in temps slightly below zero". [/i:d470199467]

Just so ------ right now. Not only do I have to buy a new widow (which will be deere for sure), but I also have to buy the moulding again, which is another 50 give or take. Plus clean up the whole mess.

rrlund · Feb 12, 2014

Maybe it was a meteorite?

RayP(MI) · Feb 12, 2014

Any nicks or scratches or any damage on the glass before the incident. Can set up stress in the glass that causes it to shatter unexpectedly due to temperature changes or other stresses.

Larry NEIL · Feb 12, 2014

Got any meaN KIDS IN THEW NEIGHBOR HOOD THROWIN SNOWBALLS?

BillOHIO · Feb 12, 2014

If you haven't already, I would contact your supplier and A&I and tell them the problem. Maybe they got a bad batch of glass ? If so, they would want to know about it. They may make it right with you.

My dealings with A&I have always been positive.

Good luck, Bill

newgenjdcollector · Feb 12, 2014

Nope, no kids, no snowballs, bb guns, nothing like that. The glass appeared flawless when I put it on. Here it is right after I installed it. I hope they can at least refund me. I made a couple calls to my supplier's warranty department today, but naturally that guy had stepped out both times I called. I just painted this cab and now I have several bad nicks in my black paint :evil:

RGMartin · Feb 12, 2014

For what it is worth, A&I is Deere.

Ray · Feb 12, 2014

Insurance might cover it if you don't have a big deductible,otherwise it's a tax deduction.

jerrybigrig · Feb 12, 2014

And new tires it looks like

nybadlybent · Feb 12, 2014

To bad about your glass. You assume that nothing was around your tractor but one can never be sure.
However before you go blaming A&I for bad glass or start believing that JD glass is better I think you should know that A&I may belong to the John Deere company. I know for sure that the JD dealers will order A&I parts for you.
Something broke your glass but I doubt it was the cold.

samn40 · Feb 12, 2014

I am not saying your glass did not shatter with the cold.....But one day I was using my digger/backhoe in a field away from everything when one of the side windows just shattered for no obvious reason. I had to accept it and went and bought new glass. Fast forwards 3 years and I had to replace the battery, which is under the cab floor. I pulled up the floor matting replaced the battery, and when I was fitting the floor mat back in again, a .22 bullet rolled out. I was about 1/2 mile from a wood where hunters would shoot at birds or foxes when I lost the window?????????
Sam

T in NE · Feb 12, 2014

I wonder if having uneven torque on the bolts across the top could have put enough stress in it to cause it to shatter when it got cold? Or even one of the latches?

Steve@Advance · Feb 12, 2014

Tempered glass is some strange stuff. I've seen it bend, as in severely bent in wrecked cars, back windows of PU's, and not break. Seen people try to break it, only to have to hit it again and again...

But I've had car door glass explode without reason, sitting right by it, going 60 down the road! That'll get the old pumper thumpin'!

Just one of those unsolved mysteries...

tomstractorsandtoys · Feb 12, 2014

I had a 4230 window that looked like that last fall,but mine was caused by a rock from our discbine.Several weeks ago my wife came out of a store to find the rear window had shattered in our mini van.Never found a cause.

JMOR · Feb 12, 2014

(quoted from post at 17:36:49 02/12/14) A month or so ago I bought a new back window for a soundguard cab I am re-doing. I have spent so much money on this cab, I thought perhaps I could save just a little by not going thru deere for the back glass. One of my suppliers carries the A&I verson and it's slightly less in price. Not significantly, but they deliver instead of driving all the way to john deere and back. So convenience factored into my decision and not just price. So I bought the A&I thru my supplier without putting a lot of thought into it. It's been on the tractor for a month or so, no problems to speak of. Looks real nice. Or it did anyway. Yesterday I go around the barn and something catches my eye. WTF, the new rear window is completely shattered into a million pieces. You got to be kidding me. The tractor has just been sitting there, not being used or anything. Why in the hell can"t they make a piece of glass that"s worth a crap? I have another cab tractor parked right next to it with an original 35 year old rear window in it that"s absolutely fine. So I know the difference is in the glass itself. Just wish there was a disclaimer on the A&I glass that says something like this: [i:26c0a8c14b]"by saving $38 on your rear glass, you accept the fact that your glass may shatter for no reason at all in temps slightly below zero". [/i:26c0a8c14b]

Just so ------ right now. Not only do I have to buy a new widow (which will be deere for sure), but I also have to buy the moulding again, which is another 50 give or take. Plus clean up the whole mess.

&I meeting, "ok guys how can we slip out of this one?" "Blame it on the buyer!" "Hey, that's the ticket........claim incorrect installation!" "He can't prove he did it correctly......it is gone now!" Happy days are here again!!!

Billy NY · Feb 12, 2014

I do know a little about glazing and like was said, at times it can be unpredictable.

On the installation side, the DLO (day light opening) the opening and size of glass has to be correct, including the glazing gasket, setting blocks if any. Its hard to say what the problem is or was, inherent with the glass itself, an installation oversight, or what may have caused it to deflect enough to shatter. Now this is automotive type glazing, being more familiar with architectural glass, seems most of the same rules apply.

Here is a supplier of automotive glazing tools and supplies. I would look over that DLO and also see what the OEM or standard size was, point here being,see if you can find something odd. I would think the supplier would blame it on the installation, easy way out, but that certainly does seem strange if the installation went ok. I have seen defective glass from the factory, really hard to say.

You might be able to get some advice from this outfit, just to see if there is a problem or one that can be identified with the installation method.
C R Laurence

Traditional Farmer · Feb 12, 2014

You don't get what you don't pay for in this case quality glass.

Janicholson · Feb 12, 2014

I happened to be driving behind the wife of the president of a university where I taught. She was in a 90 Buick LeSabre. I was 1/2 block back when the rear window shattered, scaring her into a screeching halt. I was careful to look for kids or adults in the area, but there were no visible people. After getting her calm, we cleaned it up well enough to drive without leaving a trail of glass. This was in 1993. and the window was original, No bumps, no temp change, and lots of tiny cubes. Jim

Northvale - PA · Feb 12, 2014

we have a 94 Buick and have put 2ea rear windows in. Last one shattered in Dec when it got cold, just sitting there.

fixerupper · Feb 12, 2014

You have probably already looked around for pigeon feathers from a bird collision or some other outlandish reason. Was the tractor sitting where the sun could have come out from behind the barn real quick to cause a thermal shock? I am just thinking out loud of some really weird cause for the shatter. I drove a car into the warm shop on a cold day and the thermal shock shattered the passenger window a half hour later. I was leaning against the car talking to a neighbor and BANG! That was when I learned to roll a window down first. My gut instinct is either defective glass or an over torqued bolt. I'm not pointing a finger at you. Sometimes stuff happens.Jim

waltdavies · Feb 12, 2014

Most likely when you installed the glass you has a very small sharp object up against it when it got cold it was enough to put pressure on the glass. You have make sure the glass Chanel is spotless or this will happen again.
Walt

JD John · Feb 12, 2014

Is this on your 6030 you have in the project journal section? That is a mess to clean up (have done it before myself) at least there is no snow blown in the cab along with the glass! Makes ya want swear when something happens like that for no obvious reason! It is an easy fix just sucks you have to buy another window and fix the paint. That is an excellent job of restoring the cab and mounting it on the tractor...John

Bob · Feb 12, 2014

TOO funny, RG! You"re right... DEERE owns A&I, and it"s NOT uncommon to get a part at the DEERE dealer that"s a re-packaged A&I part, or the other way around.

ss55 · Feb 13, 2014

Maybe try making a flat window out of polycarbonate (GE Lexan)?

oldtanker · Feb 13, 2014

My wife can't stand blowing cold air directly at herself so when she would take my mom shopping in the summer she would turn on the AC but blow it through the defroster vents. She took mom to a doctors appointment one hot summer day, parked with the sun beating directly on the windshield. When mom was done my wife it the auto stat so the car would start cooling down and got to the car just in time to see the windshield crack about 4" from the bottom clear across the bottom.

Rick

Brown Swiss · Feb 13, 2014

Did you check with insurance, broke one in a tractor and the insurance adjuster told us they made it zero deductible for glass.

JDRAY · Mar 7, 2014

(reply to post at 14:36:49 02/12/14)

newgenjdcollector,

Can you tell me exactly what tires you have on the 6030 with the new style cab, they look real good, firestone has several models of the 20.8x42. Are they bias or radial. I can't see the name or size on them.
They look wide and mean.

newgenjdcollector · Mar 7, 2014

newgenjdcollector,

Can you tell me exactly what tires you have on the 6030 with the new style cab, they look real good, firestone has several models of the 20.8x42. Are they bias or radial. I can't see the name or size on them.
They look wide and mean.

They are Radial All Traction 23 degree. I needed a taller tire since the cab on this build would need to sit higher due to clearing the rockshaft and 3pt arms. I normally use good years for my restorations, but I knew I these would be less money and likely be better in the field.

As for the glass, I have since replaced the window with a deere glass and new jd seal and cleaned up the mess. My supplier worked with me on the broken glass and gave me a discount on a 4020 engine kit I needed. So all is well except for the little nicks in my paint.

JDRAY · Mar 7, 2014

They are Radial All Traction 23 degree. I needed a taller tire since the cab on this build would need to sit higher due to clearing the rockshaft and 3pt arms. I normally use good years for my restorations, but I knew I these would be less money and likely be better in the field.

As for the glass, I have since replaced the window with a deere glass and new jd seal and cleaned up the mess. My supplier worked with me on the broken glass and gave me a discount on a 4020 engine kit I needed. So all is well except for the little nicks in my paint.[/quote]

Great, thanks for the information, you have a cool interetsing project, I can appreciate the work you are doing. I just recently ordered those same tires and was worried I made the right choice. I have been looking at pictures of them (same size firestone) and some look too skinny, I can't figure out why they look so different. Maybe some people mount them on narrow wheels?
I have 18" x 42" titan wheels. What size width are your wheels?
I like the deep tread model firestone 23 too, they look nasty with longer treads, they appear wider, but more expensive and maybe not the best choice for all around use.

newgenjdcollector · Mar 8, 2014

Yeah I wish ppl would leave some comments in my journal. It is quite an undertaking and some encouragement along the way would certianly be helpful. But yes my rims are 18x42 as well. My camera has a bit of a wide angle lens so they look a tick wider in the pictures than in reality. I thought about using 14.4-42's but was afraid the 6030 would burn em off too easily. 20.8-38s would have been too short. So these seemed like a natural choice.

AI Glass and Cold Temps Don't Mix

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