Deere Tractor Cab Warms Up Caterpillar Dozer

Deere Tractor Cab Warms Up Caterpillar Dozer TRACTORS Cabs 24-3-30 Running his D-7E Cat in the cold and wet weather could be a real bear, so Steve Vogel, Yale, Iowa decided to add a cab. He had an old Hiniker cab off a Deere 4520 tractor that he decided would look just fine on the Cat. " There are a few companies that make aftermarket cabs for Cats, but nothing with the visibility and ease of getting in and out that the cab offered," explains Vogel. Of course it wasn't just a matter of setting the cab on the Cat platform. The cab had to be torn apart and then reconstructed inside an existing ROPS structure. Then there was the shape. The original cab was too narrow at the bottom and taller than needed. Substantial re-working of the cab was needed. "The toughest part of the process was trying to keep physical dimensions of the corner posts and window frames small enough so we didn't lose visibility," reports Vogel. The front window became the back window, and while the side windows stayed the same, a new, shorter front window was made to accommodate the control panel. Front side windows were made larger to increase visibility of the dozer blade and the ground. Where the original cab was narrower at the bottom than the top, Vogel reshaped not only the front side windows but the bottom sides as well, swelling it out to fit the Cat platform. Rubber bushings insulate the cab from the vibration of the tractor. A rubber floor mat helps absorb a lot of the engine and transmission noise that comes up through the floor. The entire project cost less than $400 out of pocket and most of that was for window glass and welding supplies. His project isn't finished yet. Although he can pop the windows in and out in five minutes, he's looking for an air conditioner from another 1300 Hiniker cab to install on his modified Cat. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Steve Vogel, 1813 A Ave. Yale, Iowa 50277 (ph 515 439-6661).

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