GeneR, you are sort of right in that a store bought-canopy is most effective at high noon. The problem with them, is that they use fairly heavy material (typically fiberglass), and if they were big enough to work for more of the day, the weight would get too high, raising the center of gravity of a little CUT too much, or, they would extend out too far putting them at risk from trees and stuff. As I mentioned in my earlier post, these problems can be avoided by making your own, with canvas over a wood frame. My canopy, made from these materials, is big and deep enough to provide excellent protection during the hours of aproximately 9:00-4:00, and adequate protection all day long. One thing to consider is that these are the hours when the sun does the most damage, and you need protection the most. I would not think a typical store-bought canopy that I have seen mounted on CUT's would protect much beyond the 11:00 - 1:00 hours, but they are still better than nothing. Unfortunately, I do not have the means of posting pictures, but if you want to make one, think about making it as wide as you can directly over your head with about 5 foot as the minimum width. Build some taper in it towards the front, to deflect trees and I would go with about 6 ft minimum in length. You will also want to make it about a foot deep over your head, so that you can bring the outer edges down a bit, providing some more afternoon and morning protection. I made mine as large as I could, so that it would not interfere with the loader at full height and not stick out beyond the tractor width (my tractor is just under 6 ft wide). On the JD 4120, it is supported by (2) 3/8" bolts thru the top of the rollbar (yes I drilled (2) holes here). I also used a little steel, in the form of 3/4" tube diagonal supports, that run from the center of both side edges, and back to the rollbar hinge where they attach with 3/8" bolts with big washers (to the larger holes that were already there on the hinge brackets). The frame itself is made from 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" pine (untreated 2x4's ripped in half), glued and screwed together. Cover is heavy, brown-duck boat cover canvas. The canopy also woks well in the rain, as long as it is not too windy. I like bush-hogging in a light rain because it keeps the dust down. As I said in the other post, the whole thing weighs about 30 lbs, has lasted 5 years needing no repairs, and I can have it on or off by myself in under 5 minutes. Tell me about a store bought one that can protect for as many daylight hours, and do all this.
