Cab progress

fatjay · Dec 18, 2016

Work is a loose term, just clearing driveways for the elderly.

So, aluminum is a fairly huge PITA(Pain In the...). On the circular saw it's messy on a good day. With a jigsaw, it's also not very clean. Sawzall, boarderline dangerous. I'm thankful I don't have many more cuts to do.

fatjay · Dec 19, 2016

Radio, antenna, speakers, overhead mounting, and cab heater arrived today.

Cab heater is MUCH larger than I anticipated. Guess I should have measured first. Not sure where I'm going to position it, the dash is pretty much out at it's size. It's also a whole lot deeper than I anticipated. I think I'll mount at the rear, but that means running the water lines from up front all the way to the back, looking at 3' hose length vs about 8', a sizeable difference. I'm not sure if I'll lose heat a measurable amount of heat between running it all the way up.

Radio fit into the ceiling mount nicely. Antenna is bent due to poor packing, so no running strait up the rear of the cab. Not thrilled but it happens. Going to hook it all up to test later.

Another trip to the steel yard, another 4'x8' of 1/16" diamond plate aluminum plus 40 feet of 3/4"x 3/4" 1/8" angle iron.

torch · Dec 19, 2016

fatjay said:
Another trip to the steel yard, another 4'x8' of 1/16" diamond plate aluminum plus 40 feet of 3/4"x 3/4" 1/8" angle iron.

I don't know about the supplier you are dealing with, but Metal Supermarkets will shear plate to your measurements. Given the difficulties you had with the first sheet, maybe it would be worthwhile to ask?

fatjay · Dec 19, 2016

They offered, but I didn't know the measurements until I was ready to cut for the first sheet. The second will be door panels and lower areas of odd proportions. None of this was done on paper, so I'm sort of doing it as I go along.

torch · Dec 19, 2016

fatjay said:
None of this was done on paper, so I'm sort of doing it as I go along.

Yeah, that's how I fine-tuned the design of my cab too.

chim · Dec 20, 2016

fatjay said:
.....................looking at 3' hose length vs about 8', a sizeable difference. I'm not sure if I'll lose heat a measurable amount of heat between running it all the way up...................

I'm sure you won't lose enough heat to notice. One thing I'd have done differently - and do plan on eventually changing - is having hard piping in the cab in lieu of hoses. Someone posted a concern about blowing a hose and getting a 200 degree shower and that isn't something I want. It won't be too difficult to put a pair of 90's on the copper stubs to run the lines out the front of my cab. In the picture of your heater it looks like there are 90's on from the factory. Mine stub straight out of the bottom (being the bottom of how mine is mounted).

fatjay · Dec 20, 2016

I'd swear my heater is bigger than yours. It feels like it's to big, if that's even possible, for my cab, which is 42" wide by 48" long. There's a big fan nub out the back of it, and standing vertical with the fan facing me, the pipes come out the bottom.

Do you know the ID and OD of the hose you're using, and what the OD of the hoses coming off the engine are? It looks like 1/2" on the heater, but I couldn't get a good look at the engine without removing the alternator.

Edit: The heater is 5/8", looks like auto parts store has 6' sections. It feels like it will be to big where you have yours, it would block my throttle. I'll test fit tonight.

Grouse Feathers · Dec 20, 2016

It would be nice to mount the heater so you can direct the warm air to the windshield. My heater has connections for 2" hoses and I ran one to a plastic pipe, with holes, mounted under the windshield. When the window fogs or ices up from snow I close the other heater vents to push all the warm air to the windshield.

fatjay · Dec 21, 2016

I thought about ducting like that for the heater with pvc. If i put the heater in the back, I could run a T and blow warm air to the front on both sides. The biggest issue I have is cold feet, everything else is good at staying warm, even with double wool socks and boots. Putting the heat on one side wouldn't accomplish heating both feet, so I was trying to figure out a way to accomplish that better.

tcrote5516 · Dec 23, 2016

I'll second the need to put heat on the windshield. You really do need it not just for ice but for fogging. I have to direct my heat to the windshield when I first start working the tractor. Before the cab gets up to temp your breath will fog the glass quickly. Once everything inside is warmed up its not a problem but without air blowing on the glass you'll be fogged almost instantly.

If you don't want to buy a smaller heater and have to mount that one in the back I would recommend a small fan to blow air on the windshield. That would help dry the fog and get the air circulating.

chim · Dec 23, 2016

I'd have to go measure but I'd bet our heaters are the same size. I did make the cab as wide as the outside of the rear fenders instead of following the floor pan where it tapers in at the front. That would amount to roughly an extra foot in width for the front of the cab. The cab frame includes some triangle-shaped framing that extends from the side framing to the existing floor and fills in the floor area. The photo below was taken a while back to show someone how I used Lexan to go around the hood. You can see how the side of the cab runs straight forward from the outside of the fender.

The way my heater is mounted in the cab it blows hot air up and that little round chromed plastic diffuser can be rotated to hit te windshield. It takes no time at all till there's enough heat for me and the windows. After the first 10 minutes of running the heater fan provides plenty of heat on low, and if it isn't really cold outside I often need to turn it off.

I do have a two speed fan similar to this:

https://www.rvsupplyparts.com/catalog/rv-truck-12-volt-fans-174-1.html

I usually run it on low speed just to keep the air in the cab stirred up. It keeps all the glass defogged and the temperature in the cab more uniform.

jb62901 · Dec 23, 2016

Made this right after I got the tractor, $100 total.

Also did the heater.

jb62901 · Dec 23, 2016

Made 20 of these where I worked many years ago. Used them for oil coolers on Harley's.

With a 4" fan behind it.

Grouse Feathers · Dec 23, 2016

The lower front windows, below the windshield are important for checking the direction the front wheels are pointing while plowing snow. Often a plow or snowblower will push the tractor off the desired track and it helps to check the actual direction of the wheels. This is especially important on a tractor with power steering as steering wheel position has nothing to do with front wheel direction.

The lower windows also allow me to see the fel mounting brackets and pins when installing or removing the fel.

jb62901 · Dec 23, 2016

Plowing my 900'drive.

https://youtu.be/PQxoIGaV-y4

fatjay · Dec 26, 2016

Been a few days, busy with the holidays. Got a chance to get back into the garage today and made some progress. Got the left side framed and most of the right side. Last part before I am done the frame and start cutting panels.

Also hooked up the radio and started getting that together. Hooked it up to my 12v power supply and tested it out. Sounds great, but one oversight; no AM tuner. I'd never even considered that you could buy a radio without an AM tuner. I'd gladly trade that chincy little remote for one.

Some of the geometry is funny, but should be fine once everything is in place and painted.

Tooljunkie · Dec 26, 2016

Never saw a radio without am. Usually band button selects am or fm.

skeets · Dec 27, 2016

You musta got one of them radios made over seas,,,,
AM... American Music,,,,
FM ...Foreign Music
OK bad joke but really there has to be a button for AM, usually you click on the function button. Just keep pushin buttons till somethin happens

08quadram · Dec 27, 2016

Not sure I've seen a car radio without am, but my home theater system doesn't have am. Sucks.

Mike

fatjay · Dec 28, 2016

Got the radio mounted, supports done. Trying to figure out if I want to do a double ceiling or not. 1" gap would allow me passage for all my wires and wouldn't restrict headroom by much at all. Also may provide insulation with an air gap between the two panels. And since I bought that second sheet of diamond plate, I'll have the spare materials.

Today I finished up the wire framing for the interior and mounted the radio up. Got bluetooth pairing and bluetooth playback on the phone. Going to install a cigarette lighter to charge the phone, but need a nice phone mount. Also doing double cup holders, one on the door and one on the dash.

Up top the panels will have switches for heater high/low, flashers, flood lights. I'm not sure what else to do yet though. Dome light maybe. I'd like the cigarette lighter up top but it doesn't do me good for my phone if it's mounted on the dash, no good having wires dangling in front of me. But I also want everything on the cab completely removeable with the cab, so I don't want anything added to the dash, or anything that will interfere with knee's or getting in/out.

Tomorrow is what I've been putting off, cutting panels. Basically that's it, then I can paint, then wire the electrical up. My starter relays are in NY as of yesterday, so that will be perfect timing.

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