Removal of NX cab top

[MinnesotaEric]

Country, thanks for the tip! But, I was kind of looking forward to staring the dealer in the face when ordering a seal from them, noting that their "repair" job will, when all is said and done, cost me 5 extra hours of my life.

Only been able to peck away at this an hour or so a day.

RTV and foam. A HUGE mess:
View attachment 656032

After about 2 1/2 hours of work. Roof lifted. Have yet to clean things up (mouse nest should be obvious):
View attachment 656033

What a mess. Ask your dealer what on earth they thought they were doing?

 

[DieselBound]

What a mess. Ask your dealer what on earth they thought they were doing?

My e-mail exchange with the dealer:

Me: Did you guys RTV the top (on)?

Dealer: They use a sealer from the factory, but we added RTV - yes.

Me: No one that I've run across has had to seal their cab tops like this.

I'll scrape off everything and then go with the type of seal that Country noted: I've already ordered some; hoping that it's width of about 1/2" will be sufficient.

Oh, and to answer your question/comment on the use of straps to suspend the cab top: yes, I have the straps set up such that they should stay OK; just need to be easy with not knocking the top off the straps; probably use the loader to take down for cleaning and to raise back up (need to drop off the grapple and put the forks on).

Will be taking a close look on how to seal up things so that I don't have to chase mice out again. I'd be appreciative for any input on specific points to seal up and materials to use for such. I know that someone noted there's a hole in the firewall: I'll be looking for that; hoping that it wouldn't require removing the hood (my bandwidth at this point is severely stretched).

 

[countrybumpkin]

What a mess. Ask your dealer what on earth they thought they were doing?

My thoughts too, that should be sent to the local rep and kioti both. Not that it will probably do any good but that is what gives other dealers and brands a bad name.

 

[countrybumpkin]

I was thinking the same thing on the gasket as Eric, it’s a full rubber type than a foam. As for sealing up the cab , the pillars are open from top to bottom, Along with a few other places. Curios as to what you come up with to seal them with, as a few have wires and such running in them.

 

[DieselBound]

What would have been a hour's worth of time to remove and reinstall the cab is going to run me, I'm guessing (based on current time spent- 3 1/2 hours), a good 6 to 6 1/2 hours.

I ordered this seal: https://www.amazon.com/Linkhood-Universal-Stripping-Automotive-Insulation/dp/B07X7J9K92. Slow boat from China... won't get it until the 25th.

My adventures on dealing with mice is in this thread, which I'll note what I find and what I end up doing to mitigate future such issues.

In general I'd have to say that the lid removal is (when RTV isn't in the equation) pretty easy. That mine was "welded" on made it difficult to know whether the lid was free of it's true moorings.

I am currently contemplating how to repair the crack in the lid. I've extracted the piece of wood. I'd like to know what kind of plastic this is as I have a plastic welder that I'm thinking would work OK to, at at least, repair from the inside (maybe apply some sealant to help fill from the outside?).

 

[DieselBound]

Finished cleaning off everything. I figure that that took almost 8 hours (on top of almost 2 hours for removing the cab top).

Received the seal. It's a lot smaller than I'd hoped for, and not real rigid (softer than I'd liked). Will go with it anyway as we're heading out of the rainy part of the year.

Can anyone tell me if the front bezel is sealed from the factory? I am thinking not: the dealer sealed it as an additional attempt to cure the initial leak issue associated with the top's seal.

 

[DieselBound]

Well, crap! This seal won't do. The cab top hits its mounts before it comes into contact with the seal (no compression). Will have to replace with something better, sometime in the future (before Fall rains come).

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I was thinking the same thing on the gasket as Eric, it’s a full rubber type than a foam. As for sealing up the cab , the pillars are open from top to bottom, Along with a few other places. Curios as to what you come up with to seal them with, as a few have wires and such running in them.

When I get around to popping my top off to fix it and diagnose and sort out the shorting wiring that is draining my battery, I plan to shove a pile of stainless steel wool down the pillars from the top. I don't think piles of mothballs in the top has played out well.

 

[DieselBound]

I shoved steel wool in the tops of the rear pillars. The fronts are capped off by the cab top (they're not open to the inside of the roof).

The seal I got is rubber, it's just that it's pretty soft, as well as being too small.

Did a quick search on seals at McMaster-Carr and this is the most likely candidate: McMaster-Carr. That's $2.66/ft! I think the seal length is about 30": I can measure what I had left over from a 33' roll.

Was out mowing and it SURE is nice having a fan AND AC. Mouse odor is a good 90-95% neutralized. Someone in my other thread suggested cutting up slices of Irish Spring. I'll monitor how well the repellent stuff I got works; if not so good then I'll try the soap (which is cheap). BTW - NOT a good idea to use moth balls as they are carcinogenic.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I made a very short video about removing the cab top and what products I'm using to keep the mice out of the top of the cab.

Fresh Cab Rodent Repellant
Steel Wool Grade #00