Brainstorming again..... Whadya think??

Hey Folks,
The soft sides on my "cab" are about shot. The see through part is half gone on one side and the other just not see through anymore (pics are a couple years old and in better shape). Was thinking to just cut a sheet of 1/2 or 3/4 inch plywood and fasten it with quick pins (like the hood pins on hotrods) at top and bottom (bolt a couple small L brackets to the fender). Cut out windows and either cover with plexiglass or clear vinyl. Would give the dogs a safer place to ride and give me a place for a beverage holder and fire extinguisher mount (and any other necky things I come up with :roll: ) What's on there now looks like a pair of handmedown pants with one leg too long...

Bad idea???

Dave

I think it would work just fine, and the dogs would love it. cheap too.

I'd go for it. I'd also look over on tractorbynet.com. They have a "build it yourself" forum there for tractor projects.

Example:http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/124539-homemade-cab-deere-2320-compact.html?highlight=homemade+cab

I couldn't get a direct link? ( not smart enough!! ) but it is a pretty good source of ideas.

The windshield for my Cub Cadet soft cab split. I could never get plexiglass to work well for me. I could never get a hole drilled without splitting and cracking. When I tried to bend it in a slight curve, it cracked pretty easy and distorts the view. A glass shop here recommended Lexan. It is durable and has held up for several years.

I think that you should join your wife in supporting the economic recovery, and jack up that shiny hitch ball, and back a brand new New Holland complete with scratch free solid glass under it.

1970--Reverse grind the outside tip of your drill bit and it will go right through plexiglass like mild steel. It work well on copper and brass but it is no good for steel or stainless unless you grind the bit again.

I just pryed out 200 bucks for some tire chains......... Don't think I could justify a new tractor. Maybe I'll quit procrastinating and spiff this one up some.


Dave

I'd use a boat shop to make a replacement, if the tractor rolls, you can claw your way through canvas and plastic, than through plywood, that's wedged in tight.

Hey Dave. Got a suggestion on the plexiglass windows.I did a 1975 Ford.truck 350 dash guage insert used new plexiglass cut it with a band saw(fine tooth) heated it to curve it with a HEAT GUN to bend it on low heat .Worked out great. viola new dash glass. If need holes. (heat old drill bit the size you need ,pair of vicegrips to hold drill bit ,your in business. It won't crack.We used a 16D nail on our dash to put in hold down pins for the dash. Now about your tractor,??????.
Why not make the cab from plywood, cover it with sheet metal,Coat of paint. Canvas door. .POP HOLDER ASHTRAY would be different. Haven't seen those options on any other tractor. lol
LOU.

Why do you want to spiff up the tractor? You'll only make it ugly, not to mention the embarassment you would go through while driving it to and from where ever.

BayWa used to sell a universal replacement canvas cab. Not sure if they still do as this was about 15 years ago. Neighbor used one on a Deutz and you could hardly tell it was not custom. Price was reasonable as I recall.

(quoted from post at 18:34:20 01/12/10) BayWa used to sell a universal replacement canvas cab. Not sure if they still do as this was about 15 years ago. Neighbor used one on a Deutz and you could hardly tell it was not custom. Price was reasonable as I recall.

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I can pick up a whole set like I have about anytime, and get the curtains remade, just like the idea of being able to actually see out a window and have stuff ready at hand (kinda like a Swiss Army Tractor with a place to hang gadgets) and more fender room for the dogs...

Dave

There was an old fella near me some years ago, in his eighties, bad ticker lookin to sell his VAC and D15 after his wife of most of his life passed away. He kind of just lost interest in life for the most part and was lookin to get himself ready. Thing is, he took me over to that D15 and was showin it off to me, how he framed a cab similar to yours, and enclosed it with plexiglass, and made power steering for it using push-pull cylinders and a hydraulic pump a few years before cause it was gettin hard for him to turn. The more that ol' fella showed me and talked about it, the more he smiled and kind of forgot his issues. I didn't buy either tractor cause I really didn't need them, and just didn't have the heart to make him see me carting that part of his life off. I stood there and shot the bull with that fella for a couple of hours, and he told me how that plexiglass enclosure nearly baked him out in the winter, and I bet that it did. Never went back and saw that ol' fella ever again, and hope that them tractors ended up in good hands, and that if he's gone, his wife if pouring him a tall glass of lemonade on a warm sunny day, as he gets that old VAC and D15 pair ready to cultvate something up there in heaven.

My point? Try plexiglass, cause an old farmer that knew what he was doin told me so, and I still respect my elders for the most part. There's a lot to be learned from them.

Mark