building a cab? you can do it!

[4bangdan]

thank you for all the great compliments. my motivation was the very high price of a sims cab that is made up of only sheet metal and glass. many people on here complain about the price and lack of quality. not many choices available. 4,000 dollars and if you add all the options like wipers, heater, no vinyl panels[all metal],lights, your knocking on 7000 dollars. thats half what i paid for a complete tractor with loader. i recomend you do the same for yourself. anyone can do this. this forum was a big help. lots of info from many talented people on here.

 

[toddbiss]

Have to say that came out really nice. Now you got me thinking that I need to build one for snow blowing. I have a CK20 and I think they are the same design, about how long did it take you to build and how long do you think it would take to remove it?

 

[sweep]

check out my cab build in the bobcat tractor forum. hope it gives you some ideas for yours. i got a bunch of great ideas on here from other people who built their own cab as well. was alot of fun to build and very happy with it.

Great fabrication job-looks factory!! What about ventilation/fume buildup? Do you have a way to circulate the air? Do you plan on putting in a heater etc.?
Also, is the cab removable?

 

[4bangdan]

Have to say that came out really nice. Now you got me thinking that I need to build one for snow blowing. I have a CK20 and I think they are the same design, about how long did it take you to build and how long do you think it would take to remove it?

thanks. its bolted down with 16 bolts and is removable. only problem is i sealed everything well with pieces of rubber inner tube and rtv sealant and would need a major mechanical breakdown to justify removing it. you could just skip that part and instal a larger heater if needed for cold weather. i have over 100 hours in it but i went all out for fit and finish. i really wanted to make it a lifetime cab. without rtv sealer i could have it off in an hour for sure. i would drill the roof and install eylets for lifting with a winch from the ceiling of my shop. i do not need to remove for summer grass cutting. i use another tractor for grass. hope that answers your question.

 

[4bangdan]

Great fabrication job-looks factory!! What about ventilation/fume buildup? Do you have a way to circulate the air? Do you plan on putting in a heater etc.?
Also, is the cab removable?

thanks. yes a fresh air intake heater is my fall project. sims wants 400 plus for the kit, and it is not fresh air intake. i will make my own instead.

 

[PILOON]

Some 10 years back I made a cab for my Mitsubishi MT180D.
It is kinda boxy looking but nice an warm.
Front and back windows are emergency exit windows from an old school bus that were free. I used the bus rubber mounting system (like old cars use)
The heater is also from the same bus, one that was under one of the rear seats.
The heater is actually made by Carter, about 6" X 6" X 3" and I modified it to use a 12 V computer muffin fan as the old fan was 6 volts, loud and drew lots of current.
The muffin fan draws a mere 1 amp or so and is much more efficient.
Luck provided me with both front and rear wipers at yard sales for modest prices.
Side windows are HD plastic as used in convertible rear windows.
I do recall that my cash outlay was about $200 at the time.
Just last week I replaced one of the side "windows" and that set me back $40.00
If I recall I had maybe all of 2-3 days work in the cab.
My frame is 1.5" sq tubing, etched primed and painted with tremclad.
All my panels are 16 g galvanized sheet cut on a sheer to size as is the roof which has a 1.5" fold down at about 100 degrees to act as gutter.
I made the roof somewhat longer than the frame to have the 'eyebrow look' as well as to keep snow/rain away from the glass, it also protects my work lights.
I opted for galvanized sheet stock as down the line I did not want a rusty old cab look, and that has proven to have been a smart move.
Today it is as nice as the day I installed it, however the tractor frame is starting to want some paint.
The flat sides/roof were attached with HD sheet metal screws.
B4 attaching my roof, I sandwiched a headliner to prevent condensation dripping as well as to prevent metal drumming.
The headliner also has some foam insulation that helps on cold or hot days.

 

[4bangdan]

Some 10 years back I made a cab for my Mitsubishi MT180D.
It is kinda boxy looking but nice an warm.
Front and back windows are emergency exit windows from an old school bus that were free. I used the bus rubber mounting system (like old cars use)
The heater is also from the same bus, one that was under one of the rear seats.
The heater is actually made by Carter, about 6" X 6" X 3" and I modified it to use a 12 V computer muffin fan as the old fan was 6 volts, loud and drew lots of current.
The muffin fan draws a mere 1 amp or so and is much more efficient.
Luck provided me with both front and rear wipers at yard sales for modest prices.
Side windows are HD plastic as used in convertible rear windows.
I do recall that my cash outlay was about $200 at the time.
Just last week I replaced one of the side "windows" and that set me back $40.00
If I recall I had maybe all of 2-3 days work in the cab.
My frame is 1.5" sq tubing, etched primed and painted with tremclad.
All my panels are 16 g galvanized sheet cut on a sheer to size as is the roof which has a 1.5" fold down at about 100 degrees to act as gutter.
I made the roof somewhat longer than the frame to have the 'eyebrow look' as well as to keep snow/rain away from the glass, it also protects my work lights.
I opted for galvanized sheet stock as down the line I did not want a rusty old cab look, and that has proven to have been a smart move.
Today it is as nice as the day I installed it, however the tractor frame is starting to want some paint.
The flat sides/roof were attached with HD sheet metal screws.
B4 attaching my roof, I sandwiched a headliner to prevent condensation dripping as well as to prevent metal drumming.
The headliner also has some foam insulation that helps on cold or hot days.

i opted for the large compuer fan for the same reason. i wish i could find some good used wiper motors for mine. i put one in front from surpluss center and it lasted about 3 hours. any idea what kind of junk vehicle to pull them out of or where to get new ones for a decent price? atleast better than the china made junk i found. ps. my tractor never sleeps outside so it should never rust, i hope.

 

[davcog]

i opted for the large compuer fan for the same reason. i wish i could find some good used wiper motors for mine. i put one in front from surpluss center and it lasted about 3 hours. any idea what kind of junk vehicle to pull them out of or where to get new ones for a decent price? atleast better than the china made junk i found. ps. my tractor never sleeps outside so it should never rust, i hope.

How about the rear window wiper motor from a mini van?

 

[roygage]

i opted for the large compuer fan for the same reason. i wish i could find some good used wiper motors for mine. i put one in front from surpluss center and it lasted about 3 hours. any idea what kind of junk vehicle to pull them out of or where to get new ones for a decent price? atleast better than the china made junk i found. ps. my tractor never sleeps outside so it should never rust, i hope.

Very nice cab build, looks factory. As for wipers, and heater i am going to put a link in to my blog where I have a pretty detailed post with pictures of the cab I built last fall for my L3000 Kubota. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/200309-link-homebuilt-tractor-cab-kubota.html


Anyway, wiper off a 93 Dakota worked well for me. Heater was cheap unit from fleet store drawing fresh air from below. Find the blog and lots of pictures, click on the pictures and they go full size allowing much better look at details.

As for weatherstripping, found stuff off junk cars was best.

 

[fatsam]

great great job looks factory made!