Custom Built Yard Tractor Cab
![](/images/resize.php?w=300&img=/images/articles/38/5/31963_l.jpg) ✖ ![](/images/ajax-loader.gif) |
Steve Cunningham is a retired optometrist whose home is at the end of a 1/4-mile long driveway reaching into 67 acres of New Hampshire woods. In the past 10 years he’s cut trees for timber, sawed his own lumber, built the home they live in, made cabinets and custom flooring, built a pond and orchard, landscaped a huge rock wall, and built equipment for his tractor to make yard work easier.
“When we first bought the property I looked at tractors with cabs because I wanted protection while in the woods and also against the cold of winter,” Steve says. “I wanted windows that opened, a door that I could take off and no air conditioning. Turns out I was dreaming because that doesn’t exist in the marketplace.”
So he bought a Kubota tractor and built a cab to his own specifications. The frame is made of metal tubing that’s reinforced at the corners for strength. It bolts to the tractor chassis with rubber cushions that minimize vibration and cut down on noise. The roof, siding and window frames are made of exterior grade plywood with custom-matched Kubota orange paint. Plexiglass windows open on the sides. The windshield, rear window and door are removable.
The cab roof is at the height of and supported by the rollbar at the rear. It has a headliner of Naugahyde backed with foam to reduce noise. The doors are the full width of the sides of the cab. They mount like a boat rudder on gudgeons and pintels. They’re easily removed by pulling a pin and then lifting the door up and out. Steve has two 55-watt halogen lights on the top, front and rear, yellow LED flashers on all 4 sides of the top, two ceiling-mounted LED cab lights, and a rear view camera with a dash-mounted screen. He heats the cab with a small catalytic propane heater. The window wipers are manually operated and he even has a marine horn on the cab.
“I probably didn’t save any money by building my own cab,” Steve says, “but I sure got what I wanted. “During the winter I’m protected from the snow and cold and in the summer I can strip it down and have just a roof canopy for protection in the woods.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Steve Cunningham, 351 Old Springfield Rd., Sunapee, N.H. 03782 (ph 603 763-4359).
![](/img/download-story.png)
Click here to download page story appeared in.![](/img/entire-issue.png)
Click here to read entire issue
Custom Built Yard Tractor Cab TRACTORS Cabs Steve Cunningham is a retired optometrist whose home is at the end of a 1/4-mile long driveway reaching into 67 acres of New Hampshire woods In the past 10 years he’s cut trees for timber sawed his own lumber built the home they live in made cabinets and custom flooring built a pond and orchard landscaped a huge rock wall and built equipment for his tractor to make yard work easier “When we first bought the property I looked at tractors with cabs because I wanted protection while in the woods and also against the cold of winter ” Steve says “I wanted windows that opened a door that I could take off and no air conditioning Turns out I was dreaming because that doesn’t exist in the marketplace ” So he bought a Kubota tractor and built a cab to his own specifications The frame is made of metal tubing that’s reinforced at the corners for strength It bolts to the tractor chassis with rubber cushions that minimize vibration and cut down on noise The roof siding and window frames are made of exterior grade plywood with custom-matched Kubota orange paint Plexiglass windows open on the sides The windshield rear window and door are removable The cab roof is at the height of and supported by the rollbar at the rear It has a headliner of Naugahyde backed with foam to reduce noise The doors are the full width of the sides of the cab They mount like a boat rudder on gudgeons and pintels They’re easily removed by pulling a pin and then lifting the door up and out Steve has two 55-watt halogen lights on the top front and rear yellow LED flashers on all 4 sides of the top two ceiling-mounted LED cab lights and a rear view camera with a dash-mounted screen He heats the cab with a small catalytic propane heater The window wipers are manually operated and he even has a marine horn on the cab “I probably didn’t save any money by building my own cab ” Steve says “but I sure got what I wanted “During the winter I’m protected from the snow and cold and in the summer I can strip it down and have just a roof canopy for protection in the woods ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Steve Cunningham 351 Old Springfield Rd Sunapee N H 03782 ph 603 763-4359