canopy support dimensions

[moeh1]

I am interested in making my own canopy from diamond plate aluminium. I borrowed a picture from Pineridge showing some canopy supports and that gives me the basic idea but I am still being lazy. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Can anyone measure the height width and thickness of the side plates and the dimensions and wall thickness of the long supports. I tend to overengineer sometimes and that adds more weight than necessary. Thanks.

 

[PineRidge]

Marty when I go out to the barn tomorrow I'll take some measurements for you and get back to you then.

 

[moeh1]

Mike,
glad to see you on-line. I have one other question, there is enough detail in your photo to show the tilt adjustment feature. Did you use this? I was inclined ( pardon the pun) to tilt the front up slightly so I woudn't end up with rain dropping all over the steering wheel. Any directions or preference on this adjustment? I am going to try and make my frame flexible enough to add lights now and maybe attach homemade cab sides eventually, but that is down the road. So many ideas, so little time.

 

[JerryG]

moeh1,
I have a diamond plate canopy by Wells Ag. It has either 1.5 or 2"" angle side rails with two cross rails of the same. The cross rails have a slight bow in middle to help shed water. BTW, it also has 5/8" black board insulation sandwiched between the frame and the diamond plate.

 

[PineRidge]

Marty since I took the original pictures I added length of angle iron between the side rails in the front and in the rear. I plan on mounting some high intensity lamps pointed in both directions.

The top can be easily adjusted so that it pitches backward shedding all rain behind you. When I got it from the dealer it was set up dead level. After a good rain I jumped on the tractor moved it a couple of feet and when I hit the brake all the water from the rain channels came down in my lap. I was soaked & cussing for an hour. I now have an open drain hole on each rear corner of the drain channel. Trust me water running off the back is a lot better.

 

[PineRidge]

Marty attached is a hand drawn picture of what you will be needing to help you complete your project. The rails are made from 1-1/2" X 1-1/2" X 1/8 " tube. Each is 40" long but you can adjust that length to suit your top requirement. The two side plates are cut from 1/8" stock. If you have any trouble locating the U-Bolts you can purchase them from Firebird Fiberglass who also makes the tops. Firebird Fiberglass

If I can be of any further help just shout. Good luck with your project.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Just a question, because I was looking and never really considered this before, but if the tractor rolls with a canopy on it, will the canopy collapse on the driver? Or is there canopy reinforced to prevent that?

 

[PineRidge]

Bob the canopy doesn't take the place of the ROPS. My canopy is made of fiberglass and I'm sure in the event of a roll over it would be destroyed. But that is not what a canopy was intended for. It was made to keep the sun & rain off of you.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I'm sorry my previous post may not have been very clear, I did realize that the canopy is not structural, my question is more directed as a safety question.

If the tractor rolls, and the canopy crushes down, will it crush down on the driver and potentially injure the driver? A fiberglass canopy would likely shatter or crumple; but the leading edge might fold down far enough to crush the legs or lower torso???

I've also seen metal ones, I presume if they collapsed, they would fold down onto the driver?

It is from that safety standpoint that I was curious if there was a structural component in the canopy.

Personally I like the idea of a canopy and thougth about putting them on 2 of my tractors, but my ROPS bars are hit by so many tree limbs that I figured I just end up ripping the canopy off as I mowed or worked in the woods. But I also have hills and slopes and for what ever reason, today I read this thread and wondered what would happen if I put a canopy on and then rolled the tractor. And while I have never rolled a tractor, I do constantly worry about it when I am working in some parts of my property.

 

[moeh1]

Mike, Jerry
That's exactly the input I needed. I spied some thin diamond aluminum at the surplus yard last week, sounds like a road trip /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif The diagram/ measurements are just what I needed. I would have/may still go a bit beefier depending on what I find available. I really plan to use it more in inclement weather so I want to think hard about how I might intregrate some homemade cab sides later. The trick about adjusting the tilt was obvious in the photo, I am sure I wouldn't have put that in homegrown design until I saw it. I am still thinking about how I might put some bow in the top given the way I was going to bend the aluminum /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif Looks like a long cold winter up here, so I have some thinking time anyway. Really appreiciate all the help! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[PineRidge]

Bob if my tractor rolled the canopy may or may not be an additional problem for me. It is not structurally reinforced in any way that I can see. They do make metal canopies that protect the operator from falling objects but I'm not even sure how those would hold up in a roll over situation.

I have never heard of any injuries caused by a canopy bolted to the ROPS. Maybe some other TBNers out there have heard or seen something that they might contribute to this thread.

I will say that I am perfectly comfortable with the fiberglass canopy. I don't see it as a threat to my well being as long as my ROPS remains intact.

 

[JerryG]

moeh1,
I don't know, but it might be cheaper to just get one from your dealer. I believe I paid $300 for mine. I can't remember the address to Well Ag, but they have the best made aluminum canopy that I have seen. Bird could tell you the address, he had a steel one and knows where they are.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Bird could tell you the address )</font>

Wells Ag Company, 617 S. McLennan Drive, Elm Mott, TX 76640, (254) 829-2822

McLennan Drive is actually the I-35 northbound service road and Elm Mott is just north of Waco. And if you do a search for "Wells Ag Company" on this forum you'll find more than you want to read, but of course, I still think they make the best canopy I've seen. And nope, I don't work for them and don't get any commission, but after receiving a number of inquiries from forum members, they did recently check out TBN themselves and sent me a "thank you" e-mail. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[JerryG]

Bird,
Did they ever get a web site?

 

[Bird]

Jerry, it's been at least a couple of years (maybe more) since I stopped to visit with them one day to ask about that and they said they were working on it. I hadn't thought about it until you asked now and I found this. So I guess they're still working on it, but at least they have something now, and they have an "800" number that I didn't know about before.

 

[moeh1]

Jerry,
I looked at a couple of commercial units on-line, thought I could probably use the money I saved to add the lights etc. and have what I wanted when I was done. I figure I can make one for about half of buying one , I can get access to surplus metals reasonably here in town, have the tools and don't put a price on my time (when I am having fun). The main thing I worry about is over kill or underkill, so it is worth looking at what the commercial folks have made work. We don't have alot of access to look at tractors in my neighborhood so TBN is the best place to go!

 

[JerryG]

Thats good reason to build one. In my area the diamond plate would eat me up. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[txdon]

Moeh1, here is a photo of my canopy. The brackets are attached to a metal frame which is attached to the metal top with a layer of insulation in-between.

 

[moeh1]

Jerry,
the diamond plate aluminum is usually pricey here too, but I often slum around a local metal surplus shop, they got some damaged sheets recently. Unfortunately, before I stopped back today, they had sheared them into 48" squares, so my canopy will be a little shorter than many of the commercial ones. I was looking for a 42x 60 piece, but for $20, I couldn't pass one up. Figure another $10 for the steel, and a couple nights of fun in the shop when its warmer, and I am way ahead. Going to think hard about that bow in the cross rails. Thanks also to Don for an alternate bracket shape!

 

[JerryG]

Way to go Marty. My cross rails look like they just clamped them and pulled. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif