Kubota TLB cab project

[rScotty]

I have a M59 - I am having a boat cover company fabricate a Cab. He is going to use a Auto Glass Wind Shield and the rest will be high quality boat canvas and vinyl windows. i just need to come up with a heat solution. Just purchased a HLA 3000 Hydraulic snow blade for the FEL. 1 Km driveway to keep clear. I will post pictures when it is done later in October.

I'll admit there are days when a having a cab on our M59 would sure be nice. But taken all together, there is only perhaps a week during the year when I would dearly like to have a cab on the M59. The rest of the time I prefer the visibility that you get with an open station. And honestly, for most of the year the either the weather is wonderful and I'd prefer not to have the cab....or the weather flat sucks, and I just have to pick my days. As I said there's really not much of the time when a cab is necessary compared to when it is a detriment. Of course that's easy to say during Indian Summer....

What a good idea about the soft cover! Be sure to post pictures.
What I never liked about most soft covers were how poorly they were made and how crude they looked. But I know that it doesn't have to be that way. Some of the marine shops are exceptional at one-off work. We had boat canvas shop build a full dodger for our sailboat and the quality and fit was excellent. It had windows of some sort of soft flexible transparent plastic that held up real well even in snow storms. I'd imagine they could make one just as nice for a tractor.

Another option would be to just to have a lexan or glass windshield made for it, and perhaps a soft side made to velcro onto the right side. That would give a lot of blowing snow protection.
Hope to see some photos,
rScotty - sailing in a snow storm

 

[moparrob]

With winter coming and a tattered seat anyway, I'm considering reupholstering the seat with an electric heating element just like my truck has. 12v wiring is easy, and when it's switched off you'll never know its there. That and a hot cup of coffee in the cup holder and I'll be doing pretty well!

 

[majorwager]

Know of a case where soft vinyl enclosure sides were made for makeshift cab, the clear plastic "windows" distort the depth perception to the degree that distance to objects is wholly distorted. Fine for boats, tractors not so much. The canopy Kubota uses a 4 post ROPS so an aftermarket cab is NOT practical.

It was mentioned that Kubota offers a cab option for M 62. It is expensive, no A/C option.

I added an AGRITAL cab to my tractor. The factory provided ports to connect the Heater work well, doubt a warranty issue would be applicable.

 

[LouNY]

Years ago canvas wind breakers where available for the tractors.
They had a small cabin type enclosure around the operator with side skirts along the engine.
Some had tops and some didn't but once the tractor was warmed up the engine fan moved a
considerable amount of heat back to the operator.

After I posted I searched for tractor wind breakers, they are still available for some makes and models;
Kubota | Heater Cabs | All States Ag Parts

 

[lamarbur]

I had vinyl sides, rear and regular auto motive glass for the front,

 

[lamarbur]

For some reason I sent a chopper picture that has nothing to do with the subject, If you look close, there is a metal panel on each side with auto glass and a large auto glass windshield within it's own frame and using existing bolts and no drilled holes. I do not have the machine any more to take exacting pictures, but this system worked exceptionally well. For heat, I bought the Curtis branded heater,, Easy to install and operate

 

[Yamforlife]

I am brining it in on Saturday Oct 13 - I imagine he will have for at least a week. I also followed a post about how to plumb in a heater on a M59 - someone here posted a very detailed account installing a Laurin Cab and Heater with pictures. Thats the route i will go once i get the cab installed. Last winter it was -45C for a couple of weeks with lots of wind and snow. At 58 years old I need to be at least out of the wind...LOL. Thanks rScotty!

I'll admit there are days when a having a cab on our M59 would sure be nice. But taken all together, there is only perhaps a week during the year when I would dearly like to have a cab on the M59. The rest of the time I prefer the visibility that you get with an open station. And honestly, for most of the year the either the weather is wonderful and I'd prefer not to have the cab....or the weather flat sucks, and I just have to pick my days. As I said there's really not much of the time when a cab is necessary compared to when it is a detriment. Of course that's easy to say during Indian Summer....

What a good idea about the soft cover! Be sure to post pictures.
What I never liked about most soft covers were how poorly they were made and how crude they looked. But I know that it doesn't have to be that way. Some of the marine shops are exceptional at one-off work. We had boat canvas shop build a full dodger for our sailboat and the quality and fit was excellent. It had windows of some sort of soft flexible transparent plastic that held up real well even in snow storms. I'd imagine they could make one just as nice for a tractor.

Another option would be to just to have a lexan or glass windshield made for it, and perhaps a soft side made to velcro onto the right side. That would give a lot of blowing snow protection.
Hope to see some photos,
rScotty - sailing in a snow storm

 

[rScotty]

I am brining it in on Saturday Oct 13 - I imagine he will have for at least a week. I also followed a post about how to plumb in a heater on a M59 - someone here posted a very detailed account installing a Laurin Cab and Heater with pictures. Thats the route i will go once i get the cab installed. Last winter it was -45C for a couple of weeks with lots of wind and snow. At 58 years old I need to be at least out of the wind...LOL. Thanks rScotty!

Wow! That is cold! It can get cold here too, but not that cold! Actually we are lucky in that it is rare here in the Colorado Rocky Mountains to have a cold snap that lasts more than a few days. Even in midwinter there tends to be a few days each week that are sunny. And at our altitude, sunshine warms things quickly. Our snow tends to be powdery rather than wet or heavy.

What I tend to do about plowing is just let the snow sit there while we get by with our 4WD vehicles until a sunny day when I can put on the snowmobile suit or winter gear and enjoy plowing some snow.
If we had a Great Lakes or maritime climate and needed to plow everyday I'd definitely have a cab on the M59. But with our milder winters I like the handiness of being in an open cockpit machine.

If I ever get around to it, I'll make the M59 a flip up windshield just for fun. But most of what we do here we can handle with good winter clothing.
rScotty

 

[Yamforlife]

Wow! That is cold! It can get cold here too, but not that cold! Actually we are lucky in that it is rare here in the Colorado Rocky Mountains to have a cold snap that lasts more than a few days. Even in midwinter there tends to be a few days each week that are sunny. And at our altitude, sunshine warms things quickly. Our snow tends to be powdery rather than wet or heavy.

What I tend to do about plowing is just let the snow sit there while we get by with our 4WD vehicles until a sunny day when I can put on the snowmobile suit or winter gear and enjoy plowing some snow.
If we had a Great Lakes or maritime climate and needed to plow everyday I'd definitely have a cab on the M59. But with our milder winters I like the handiness of being in an open cockpit machine.

If I ever get around to it, I'll make the M59 a flip up windshield just for fun. But most of what we do here we can handle with good winter clothing.
rScotty

Cold .....sat on the seat of my L39 and it just cracked and shattered ......Had to tarp the machine and leave the block heater on for 6 hours ....by mid day had it running.

 

[rScotty]

I have a M59 - I am having a boat cover company fabricate a Cab. He is going to use a Auto Glass Wind Shield and the rest will be high quality boat canvas and vinyl windows. i just need to come up with a heat solution. Just purchased a HLA 3000 Hydraulic snow blade for the FEL. 1 Km driveway to keep clear. I will post pictures when it is done later in October.

I am bringing it in on Saturday Oct 13 - I imagine he will have for at least a week. I also followed a post about how to plumb in a heater on a M59 - someone here posted a very detailed account installing a Laurin Cab and Heater with pictures. Thats the route i will go once i get the cab installed. Last winter it was -45C for a couple of weeks with lots of wind and snow. At 58 years old I need to be at least out of the wind...LOL. Thanks rScotty!

The more I think about using marine canvas with clear marine double-polished scratch-resistant viny on back and sides...and a glass windshield.....well, that's sounding better and better. How's it going?
rScotty