nh1520
Member
Reading all the posts here on canopies and seeing that one of Bird under his - made me want one for my New Holland 1520. Problem is I'm cheap - but fairly handy - so here is my version. I don't have to remove mine where I store it so removing it often wasn't a concern. I used 1 1/2" x 3/16" angle for the frame, some decent 1/8" plate for the ROPS brackets, 1/8" diamond tread plate for the top. I cut off 2 1/2" inch wide strips from the 4' x 4' sheet and then welded them back on at a slight angle to make it look more finished. I bolted the top to the angle frame so I could take it down if I have to get the tractor in my house garage. I used 11 3/8" x 1" grade 5 bolts with stainless steel nylon lock nuts and washers to secure the top plate to the frame. The frame and brackets are all welded and secured to the ROPS with 3/8" x 3" Grade 2 bolts and small plates out of 1/4" stock. The bolts in the ROPS brackets have two welded to the bracket and two loose at angles to one another on each side. The purpose here is to allow me to lower the frame onto the ROPS by myself. The welded bolts angled to each other wedge the ROPS and the weight of the frame holds it where I want it to allow for leveling before adding the two additional bolts each side and the small plates with the flat and lock washers with nuts. The whole thing tightens up nicely and doesn't slip. Now mounting the top cover is another story. The plate weighs just shy of 80 lbs (the 1/8" thick steel plate weighs approximately 6 lbs per square ft). I have to press the plate over my head and slide it on from the rear onto the frame, line up the bolt holes and done. Not the lightest canopy I'm sure - but fairly heavy duty and I don't have to worry about ripping it off on a branch. I also can't resist the urge sometimes to "lean" the bucket on dead trees and push them over down in the woods - more than once I narrowly missed being beaned by a falling branch. This canopy should offer some light overhead protection too. Here is a front shot.
