Build Thread: A heated cab from scratch

[ShaunRH]

It's a beauty all right. Love the design. I might fab up a fabric cage one for winter but the coldest my area gets is around 10-20°F. I might be able to get by with just an electrically heated suit.

If it gets really, really, really cold there, you might want to insulation wrap those coolant lines as they leave the engine area. They can be prone to freezing in sub zero weather. That causes all kinds of issues.

Read a post where one guy did this for a cab heater and ice broke loose from the external lines, hit the aluminum impeller of his water pump and tore it down... on a nice new tractor! I think an old steel impeller would turn ice into a margarita mix consistency, but aluminum... I could see it.

 

[tcrote5516]

Well we get colder then 10 degrees but not that cold. We bottomed out at -10 last yeary and with the Peak antifreeze I have in the tractor the freeze point is -35 so I should be ok. I also keep the tractor either in the garage or in a protected area under my deck so it's out of the wind.

 

[tcrote5516]

And I'm an idiot....

Well it wouldn't be a project of mine without a giant oversight and I found it when I wen't to mount the backblade I use for snow removal. This leads me to my next point: ALWAYS MOUNT ALL EQUIPMENT BEFORE STARTING A CAB PROJECT. I was worried about the two arms that raise up and COMPLETELY forgot how high the center link goes when I made my rear mounting bracket for the cab. It would have smashed into my cross bar after about 2" of travel.

Out comes the angle grinder....


Took some effort to keep everything aligned and supported but I was able to make a knockout and keep the structure solid.


Here it is with the new sheet metal bent up and in place. Now I just need to go back and respray it beautiful Kubota Orange!

 

[ShaunRH]

Re: And I'm an idiot....

Looks nice. I think I would've fabbed up the inside cover plate in plex, not metal, so I could see the linkages easily. I like to keep an eye on the pins and such, well, having lost a few around the property that would take Indiana Jones to find these days...

 

[coachgeo]

Re: And I'm an idiot....

Looks nice. I think I would've fabbed up the inside cover plate in plex, not metal, so I could see the linkages easily. I like to keep an eye on the pins and such, well, having lost a few around the property that would take Indiana Jones to find these days...

A well placed mirror could solve the vision lost.

 

[Lil Foot]

Well it wouldn't be a project of mine without a giant oversight

We've all been there. (except maybe Wildfire)
Nice recovery!
I used to work with a mechanical engineer who said:
"A good engineer seldom makes mistakes with an initial design….. a great engineer is one who can quickly & efficiently correct the inevitable mistake when it occurs."

 

[tcrote5516]

No plexi needed. This is the view from the seat.

 

[tcrote5516]

It's officially done! I'm ready for snow early and am actually looking forward to it now that I can go from wearing my snowmobiling gear to a Tshirt. Hell, my wife will be lucky if I even put on pants now

 

[BAP]

Great Looking cab. Where is the radio?

 

[skeets]

Good now that you have the proto type finished I ll load up mine and drop it off tomorrow

 

[tcrote5516]

Good now that you have the proto type finished I ll load up mine and drop it off tomorrow

Hey, I finished earlier than expected...I've got time for another!

Before I put in the radio I need to solve the ROPS (AKA: HST MEGAPHONE) problem. Damn thing is so whiney I feel like my wife is standing over my shoulder

 

[skeets]

With that hydro whine a set of ear phones might be a better idea

 

[tcrote5516]

Wanted to update this thread now that the temp has dropped and I've really got a chance to work it.

I had to move a big pile of leftovers from clearing tall pines, outside temp was 25. It took about 10 min to heat up the motor and the cab but after that the heater was on low and I pulled off my jacket and worked in a tshirt!

Even with the radiator intake sealed off I still get a pretty good vaccume (tries to pull air in from around the FEL levers). I'm OK with it because a small flow of fresh air in the cab will reduce the chance of fogging an and prevent exhaust gases from building up. TRhe important thing is the heater is MORE than enough to offest it.

This winter is going to be awesome!

 

[Leyland]

Nice Job! Looks great and surprisingly lighter than I was expecting.

 

[tcrote5516]

Had our first storm of the year on Wednesday and I'm in heated heaven! It's amazing how thankfull I am for something as simple as a dry seat! Add to that great visability, no fogging, no frozen hands or feet and its like driving a Caddy!

Better for my machine too, I don't have to work it so hard cause I can take my time and go easier on it.

 

[Tooljunkie]

-24. Truck plow hung and working. Tractor in the warm place. Really wish it had a cab. Yours is nice. Glad its warm enough.

 

[bearbait]

Now that's something to be proud of. Very nice work, congrats.

 

[skeets]

That's purrty ,, now how long before you finish mine

 

[tcrote5516]

That's purrty ,, now how long before you finish mine

Still waiting on that 50% down payment

 

[skeets]

Ya mean it hasn't gotten there yet???