Jay4200
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2005
- Messages
- 2,028
- Location
- Hudson/Weare, NH
- Tractor
- L4200GST w/ LA680 & BX2200D w/ LA211
A little late for this, but I use my 'lil Snapper to blow snow in the winter. When I first started to use it last season, I quickly realized that a cab is not a luxury, but an absolute necessity. After pricing out generic vinyl cabs and seeing how crappy they looked, I decided to make one. I didn't need a full cab, just a shield that would keep the snow blowback from turning me into the abominable snowman after 5 minutes. Vinyl panels cover the top, front, and partial sides of the cab frame. I was going to put more on, but never got around to it and I never really felt the need for more coverage.
I was going to use PVC pipe, but didn't want to be limited by couplings, so I used 1/2" metal electrical conduit instead (it is only about $1 for a 10' length). I welded up the frame, then shot it with $0.96/can black spray paint. I made window panels out of clear vinyl that I got from WalMart's sewing department for $3/yd. I reinforced the the panels by gluing 1" strips of vinyl around the edges using PVC cement, then punched holes and secured the panels to the frame with zip ties. I started using grommets, but found that they did not give any extra support, so moved to simply punching holes with an awl and stuffing the ties through.
Might not be the prettiest thing in the neighborhood, but it works, and total cost for conduit, vinyl, paint, ties, and mounting hardware: $29.
It just finished it's second season, including a 70MPH trip in the back of my pickup truck for 40 miles, and is still holding together fine.
JayC
I was going to use PVC pipe, but didn't want to be limited by couplings, so I used 1/2" metal electrical conduit instead (it is only about $1 for a 10' length). I welded up the frame, then shot it with $0.96/can black spray paint. I made window panels out of clear vinyl that I got from WalMart's sewing department for $3/yd. I reinforced the the panels by gluing 1" strips of vinyl around the edges using PVC cement, then punched holes and secured the panels to the frame with zip ties. I started using grommets, but found that they did not give any extra support, so moved to simply punching holes with an awl and stuffing the ties through.
Might not be the prettiest thing in the neighborhood, but it works, and total cost for conduit, vinyl, paint, ties, and mounting hardware: $29.
It just finished it's second season, including a 70MPH trip in the back of my pickup truck for 40 miles, and is still holding together fine.
JayC
