“Tilt Back” Cub Cadet Cab

“Tilt Back” Cub Cadet Cab TRACTORS Cabs David Hanscel Marysville Ohio wanted to equip his Cub Cadet 1641 garden tractor with a cab that could be quickly removed for summer use The “tilt back” cab he built measures 48 in long by 39 in wide It has doors on either side that come off “I use the tractor with a front-mounted snowblower and blade during winter to remove snow from about 15 local senior citizens’ driveways and neighbors and to mow grass during summer ” says Hanscel “The ‘tilt back’ design saves time because I can quickly drop the cab back out of the way onto a wheeled cart and then store it in my shop ” The rear part of the cab attaches to the tractor with a 30-in long 3-in wide door hinge attached to a steel mounting plate on back of the tractor “I unhook the cab from the front then roll it over backward onto the cart It takes only about 5 to 10 min to install or remove the cab ” says Hanscel He used 1 1/2-in dia pvc pipe to build the cab’s frame and covered it with 1/2-in thick plywood All wiring for the cab’s lights runs through the pipe “I have 2 LED headlights mounted on top of the cab along with a pair of yellow LED strobe lights ” says Hanscel “On back are 2 LED yellow strobe lights 2 LED red strobe lights a light bar and a backup light Also there are 3 LED running lights on each side ” A homemade control panel equipped with toggle switches mounts inside the cab and is used to control the lights as well as the chute and deflector on the snowblower and the blade The front part of the cab is held in place on both sides by a pair of 10-in high 1/2-in dia vertical steel rods attached to metal brackets that bolt onto the tractor’s foot steps The rods are fitted with washers and stop collars that extend up inside the pipe frame as the cab is tilted down “The washers are the exact same size as the pipe which keeps the cab solidly in place ” says Hanscel A pair of nylon straps one on each side are bolted on inside the cab about 8 in from the bottom The straps run down around the vertical rods and back up to couplers The door hinge that the cab pivots on was purchased online at www e-trailer com “I needed a 30-in hinge but the next closest size I could buy was 5 ft long so I cut it down ” says Hanscel He drilled 2 holes into the bottom half of the hinge then bolted it to a length of angle iron that’s bolted to the mounting plate on back of the tractor The upper half of the hinge bolts to the cab To remove the cab from the tractor Hanscel removes the vertical metal rods and unhooks the straps then tips the cab backward and onto the cart To put the cab back on he re-attaches the rods then tips the cab forward and straps it down He used 2 by 4’s to make the cart and covered the top with furniture moving pads “The pad-covered wood surface keeps the cab from getting scratched up ” says Hanscel The cab is fitted with 20-mil vinyl windows on all sides except for the front window which is made of Lexan He made the control panel using plywood on back and metal on front He drilled holes through the metal to mount the switches and then bolted the panel to the dash Hanscel also welded a 2-in receiver hitch and drawbar onto the mounting plate “The receiver hitch is handy to move my landscape trailer around ” he notes Contact: FARM SHOW Followup David Hanscel 14130 Weaver Road Marysville Ohio 43040 ph 937 642-3638; dhanscel@embarqmail com

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