Has anyone built a snow cab for their riding mower??? (Pics please)

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Shari

Shari

Minister of Fire
Oct 31, 2008
2,338
Wisconsin
Since snow removal is up to me in this household, I'm looking for ideas to build a snow cab for our Craftsman riding mower w/attached snowblower for my creature comfort. I've gathered some parts, have few ideas but could always use input from someone/anyone more talented than me - because I have no talent in the structural building department! :)

You'd laugh if I told you the re-purposed parts I've gathered - so post pics if you got'em so I can see what others have done.

PS I waiting on one new part delivery and then I will be wiring a motorize chute control - now, how hard can that be considering I've never worked with 12v before?!!!!! :)
 
I'd be dead if the cab on a John Deere I was using wasn't a John Deere cab.

A few years ago my cousin lost his leg to diabetes. I went over to help him out plowing. I've run his tractor (large garden tractor w/ plow) before and many other pieces of equipment most of which are decades old (the farmall 450 I pull logs w/ in the "endless mountains" of Pa has no brakes). His tractor was 3 years old at the time and he maintained all of his things well. Regardless, while plowing I suppose I should have noticed that the hydrostatic transmission was acting sluggish. I didn't realize that when I was plowing I was only stopping because of the snow pushing against the tractor as I moved it. As it was, I didn't notice a problem and plowed as usual right up until I went to push snow into the old foundation off the side of his barn. That's when I realized when I was pushing the reverse pedal it wasn't happening when I wanted it to and couldn't get to the brake in time. I ended up driving the tractor into a 10 foot drop straight down onto the plow. The tractor then turned onto it's top. I was able to kick the side door open to get out then call the wrecker to pull me back up.

It was a few days later when I walked into sears and about went off on a salesman for having a similar sized tractor w/ a 2 tent pole / tarp over it for a winter cover while plowing. Had that John Deere I was on not had a cab I probably could have jumped out of the machine as it fell and been alright (assuming I could have reacted that fast). Had the tractor been equipped w/ a "cab" as was displayed at sears I would have been killed or badly injured since I would have been trapped in it and had the machine crush me.

Point is, nothing wrong w/ a cab on a tractor so long as it can support the tractor and contents in a worse case scenario. If it can't, it is safer to have a way to jump off w/out inhibition. Even if you don't have a foundation or steep bank to fall into, having an out of control car come down the road at you while at the end of the driveway is enough to make me wary of cabs. Anymore, I'll just throw the heavy coveralls on and maintain a quick exit!

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Shari said:
Since snow removal is up to me in this household, I'm looking for ideas to build a snow cab for our Craftsman riding mower w/attached snowblower for my creature comfort. I've gathered some parts, have few ideas but could always use input from someone/anyone more talented than me - because I have no talent in the structural building department! :)

You'd laugh if I told you the re-purposed parts I've gathered - so post pics if you got'em so I can see what others have done.

PS I waiting on one new part delivery and then I will be wiring a motorize chute control - now, how hard can that be considering I've never worked with 12v before?!!!!! :)
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Shari, I've got a feeling you can do anything you have a mind to. :)
 
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