Chemical Totes Make Great Cabs

2023 - Volume #47, Issue #1, Page #03

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Mike Heron has found a great use for discarded chemical totes, repurposing them as cabs. His first tote-cab was made for a garden tractor and covered with plywood. Since then, he has used the plastic interiors to make cabs for several quads and a compact tractor.
“I have made them mostly with stuff I had lying around,” says Heron. “The totes are free for the hauling. The plywood for the first one was expensive, while the plastic interiors were free.”
Heron uses what he has available when he makes a cab. In one case, he made a front window from an old storm door. Side and back windows are made with the clear vinyl used for tablecloths and framed in with spruce.
“I use hinges to attach them,” says Heron. “They can be removed in minutes by pulling four pins.”
Heron cuts tote cages down to about 40 by 42 in. but maintains the full height. Finished cabs are about 6 ft. from the roof to the ground. Doors in the cabs are about 26 by 42 in. and framed in with 1 by 2’s. The front windows are roughly 24 by 25 in.
He saved the sections of the tote he cut out for windows and a door and reused them to extend the right side of the cab.
“It took a little planning and a little guesswork,” says Heron. “The tricky thing was figuring out how to weld the cutouts back to the cage and keep it strong. I inserted some cold rolled-steel shelving scraps inside the cut tubes before I welded them back together.”
The tote-cabs aren’t airtight, but they work. “We get some wicked north winds and cold temperatures,” says Heron. “If I can keep the wind out, the cold air isn’t too bad.”
Most of all, the price was right using totes. “I spent less than $70 on most of them,” says Heron. “I considered using steel tubing for a cab, but the price of steel is high, and there are totes littering the countryside.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Michael Heron, RR1, Site 1, Box 1, Main Station, Lloydminster, Sask., Canada S9V 0X6 (ph 306-307-8632; m.heron@sasktel.net).

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Chemical Totes Make Great Cabs SNOWBLOWERS Mike Heron has found a great use for discarded chemical totes repurposing them as cabs His first tote-cab was made for a garden tractor and covered with plywood Since then he has used the plastic interiors to make cabs for several quads and a compact tractor “I have made them mostly with stuff I had lying around ” says Heron “The totes are free for the hauling The plywood for the first one was expensive while the plastic interiors were free ” Heron uses what he has available when he makes a cab In one case he made a front window from an old storm door Side and back windows are made with the clear vinyl used for tablecloths and framed in with spruce “I use hinges to attach them ” says Heron “They can be removed in minutes by pulling four pins ” Heron cuts tote cages down to about 40 by 42 in but maintains the full height Finished cabs are about 6 ft from the roof to the ground Doors in the cabs are about 26 by 42 in and framed in with 1 by 2’s The front windows are roughly 24 by 25 in He saved the sections of the tote he cut out for windows and a door and reused them to extend the right side of the cab “It took a little planning and a little guesswork ” says Heron “The tricky thing was figuring out how to weld the cutouts back to the cage and keep it strong I inserted some cold rolled-steel shelving scraps inside the cut tubes before I welded them back together ” The tote-cabs aren’t airtight but they work “We get some wicked north winds and cold temperatures ” says Heron “If I can keep the wind out the cold air isn’t too bad ” Most of all the price was right using totes “I spent less than $70 on most of them ” says Heron “I considered using steel tubing for a cab but the price of steel is high and there are totes littering the countryside ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Michael Heron RR1 Site 1 Box 1 Main Station Lloydminster Sask Canada S9V 0X6 ph 306-307-8632; m heron@sasktel net

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