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317 Cozy Cab Installation - Restoration

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22K views 42 replies 15 participants last post by  john_u  
#1 ·
After retiring the truck-mounted snow removal equipment, the John Deere machines(s) have had to step up to the task of snow removal and snow blowing for our various homes and properties. That said, having a face full of snow when the wind shifts direction has proven to be quite unpleasant. Therefore, I decided that the only reasonable solution was to find a cab.

I've been watching the local craigslist, and internet, then happened to come across this from a fellow WFM member (thanks John!). He brought it down to the Blunier Plow Day this past weekend.

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As you can see, this doesn't appear to be the later model 300 series cab, but does have a recess at the rear for the fuel filler neck, so perhaps it is a JD14X with modifications for an early 300? The model sticker is missing, so I'm not quite sure. I'm also not sure it matters to me given having a welder and being able to make changes....

It also has these neat internal hinges with integrated door travel limiting feature!

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My plan is to fabricate the required mounting and get it situated on the tractor for this year (given the late start I'm getting this fall). Eventually, I will remove all glass/plexi and blast, repair and repaint. I'm also going to insulate and sound-dampen the heck out of this thing to try to make it manageable and at least a bit quiet inside...
 
#3 ·
Slow progress, I need to take a day off work to get some time to build the mounts....

I picked up the vibration mounts and have an old switch box to use for electrical accessories:
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I removed the screws holding the roof on, partly to investigate how the cab is held together. 10 bolts and the roof lifts off. It's quite rusty and I'm going to clean it up to paint and insulate.
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The front and rear panels simply bolt onto the 1" square tube frame, this will make cleaning up and repainting much easier. Also, the tube is open on the ends, which will make routing the wiring harness MUCH easier. I'm also building a hardware list, so that I can replace all with stainless to hopefully prolong its life and improve assembly/disassembly in the future.
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#5 ·
John, Fehr Cab Interiors is only about an hour from me, they have a lot of acoustic foam with perforated vinyl over it. I want to use this for the ceiling and lower rear panel, and the insulated floor mat for the fender pan. If I find a spare fender pan, I'll permanently adhere the floor mat to it, as well as undercoat the bottom side.

Here's the material I'm looking at: http://www.fehrcab.com/RollAdhesive.asp
 
#7 ·
Dustin, I can appreciate your concern, however there are both multiple ways to approach this situation, as well as to the noise/thermal reduction/mitigation issue.

The concern of trapped moisture is valid, though proper installation of the insulating material would eliminate the possibility of corrosion on the topside of the fenderpan. A product like FatMat or DynaMat as a base material should provide a tight enough bond to the fenderpan to accomplish this. A good automotive/commercial grade of undercoating or even epoxy type liner applied to the bottom side would also encapsulate the fender deck and also reduce noise transfer from the frame and engine of the machine.
 
#8 ·
The cab is sitting on the tractor!
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While it's not actually attached to anything in this picture, it fits with minimal issue. I do have a bit of interference with the dual brake pedals (which is not unheard of). I'm going to trim the pedal/pad to give myself an extra 1" or so.
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Overall, I'm pleased with the fit, and can now start working on the front and rear mounting brackets. The larger rear brackets are bulky and won't fit well around my three point hitch, so I'm going to have to modify them, likely either trim them up a few inches to also improve the clearance to the fender pan, or remove them entirely in favor of a different mounting method behind the seat using the fender pan bolts/supports. I'd really like to build a rear support that would allow the cab to tilt backwards onto a cart or for easier removal.
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I ordered a new wiper motor kit from TMC.
http://tmcin.com/modeltmc-0091101-1412vheavydutymarinewipermotorwith2-13shaftandcomplete14wiperarmandblade.aspx

Next, I set to work on building mounting brackets for this thing. I finished the front, but still need to build the rear. I also went for a test drive and hooked up the snowblower.
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After riding around in this rattle trap for a few minutes, I'm convinced that the roof needs fatmat/dynamat as well as the foam insulation. In fact, I want to dynamat the doors and rear cab panel too. Wowsers it's loud.

This cab did not come with the front filler panels either, so I worked on cardboard templates. The front will be 0.220" plexiglass, the the bottom will be sheet metal. I have some heavy rubber mat that I'll cut and install over the top as the floor mat and help add additional seal and sound dampening.
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#10 ·
Dave, I'm not sure exactly. With the roof and doors removed, two of us were able to lift it onto the tractor with relative ease. Once dressed, I would bet it weighs about 200#, but I'll try to weigh it when it comes back off in the spring.
 
#12 ·
Ben, The deluxe seat suspension? That was purchased from Member here Matt Harbert (MattH) when he and Colin were manufacturing them. It's a bit too tall for use with the Cozy Cab, so I'm reverting back to the "u-spring" mounts for winter time.
 
#15 ·
Since my last update, I've gotten things pretty much buttoned up for this winter.
Front filler panels cut and installed as well as the lower floor panels. They are thin sheet metal which is a bit flimsy, but I think it will work for me, since its not really needed to be structural.
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Also mounted the wiper motor and arm, then made a little shelf for the top of the cab to hold switches and some electronics.
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Then cut some heavy rubber mat to act as a floor mat/fender pan liner.
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Moved the tractor back out of the garage to the shed - I enjoy getting into a warm truck in the morning, and the tractor can handle living back in the 'stable'. The lights need to be aimed/adjusted, but I think they work quite well.
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#20 ·
Merry Christmas all!

Joe, the tires are 26x12-12 Carlisle Tru Powers mounted on wheels from a 455.

Shady, embarrassingly enough, I did do anything with the rear mounts. I simply slit some rubber fuel line and slipped it over th cab mount to protect it from rubbing paint off the fenderpan. I'll build a better rear mount either this winter (since it's hardly a winter), or else in the spring. I'll duplicate the factory mount as much as possible, but will need to make some design changes to accommodate the different rear attachments I have like the 3-point, tiller, e-z vac, and hitch.
 
#21 · (Edited)
It's been a while since an update, so here's the latest: We received about 1/2" of snow one Saturday night through Sunday; hardly worth blowing, but wanted to try everything out before our larger storm set to arrive later than evening. Everything worked great, but I did learn that I am likely going to need to run the defogger fan from the minute I start the tractor. With the temps hovering at ~10°F, breath moisture condenses and freezes on the glass after about 15 minutes.


My wife and kids were watching from the front windows and took a couple pictures.
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I also got some video from the bigger storm




Here’s an update on the climate control in the cab: the little defroster fan I mounted isn't really going to provide the function I am after, so I picked up a 12v cab heater by RoadPro. Mixed reviews, but for this application, it should provide some heat and benefit.

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Now the tractor's charging system won't be up to the task of running this as is, so I'm going to need to upgrade the electrical system. As Travis had completed, I have given some thought to adding an alternator to the system, but I think a marine deep cycle battery with larger capacity added to the system would provide adequate electrical power to run the heater. This would require being put back on a charger after every event, but that's probably a decent interim solution. I'm Also thinking it would be good to fab up a mounting bracket and battery box for the rear. For a second battery. Basically, this is my thought: I bought this pre-fabbed battery box to hang off of the rear frame or weight bracket. I think I can integrate it to be temporary only for winter cab use. It should also allow me to mount a group 24DC battery (Duration AGM battery on sale frequently at Farm and Fleet).


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I have to say, I LOVE having a cab!
 
#22 ·
Digging this back up from the basement of threads...


I pulled the roof today to install the fatmat while the weather was still nice. I have headliner foam that I will install over the fatmat for additional sound deadening. I'm excited to get back in this thing, though I think it will be on the 400 this winter...


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#23 ·
I also wanted to include the online retailer I found for bulk cab floor mat and sound insulation foam headliner material. I purchased some of the 3/4" black from the folks at K&M Manufacturing for what I felt was a reasonable price.



https://www.tractorseats.com/c-52-bulk.aspx
 
#24 ·
Thanks, John for the update. I'll build a cab someday and I check out everyone's solutions for noise attenuation, heater options, wipers, etc. Only problem is that I keep putting these ideas in the back of my mind and I think my RAM might be full. Jay
 
#25 ·
Jay,
Sharing my experience, techniques, what works and doesn't work is part of the reason I like to document projects in build threads. The other reason, is so I can go back and reference what I did or where I bought something if I ever need to again. With all I have going on between work and home, I don't have enough storage capacity to keep it all straight without writing everything down. :unkown:
 
#26 ·
Another modification required to get this cab to fit the 400 is to rework the rear panel to allow clearance for the fuel filler neck - similar to the later model cabs. An easy enough modification, but I'm not much for sheetmetal work....

Before:
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After:
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#27 ·
Last night I mocked up the new overhead console/switch panel/wiring cover. I still need to drill all of the holes for the switches, sockets, gauges, and bolts before covering it with the upholstery vinyl.


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I also picked up a can of 3M Super77 spray adhesive for the headliner foam and installed it onto the roof panel. It doesn't curl around edges very well, so I ended up with a small pleat/crease where it curled onto the front face of the roof, but that will end up being covered by the front switch panel/console.
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