Snow cab
- Thread starter Bullseye
- Start date
Had a good snow yesterday and finally tested my X300. The cab worked great; it didn't ice-up and my glasses were perfectly clean and dry. Twice the wind opened the flap-doors, I'll modify them with a latch tomorrow. The wheel weights and the concrete block on the back did not provide enough traction. I added another 4X8X16" on the back and it made a big difference. I am going to add even more when I scrounge around and find something in my garage.
I am very pleased with the cab, it was well worth the time and expense. Next year I may switch the snowthrower to my X390 if my health is good and I can afford the $300+ hydraulic lift kit. I'll use the X300 for sucking up leaves; it does a much better job at that than the X390. Two mower blades on the X300's 42" deck destroy the leaves. The X390 has three blades and my vacuum/shredder system doesn't pick-up everything with it - go figure...
~Lee
I am very pleased with the cab, it was well worth the time and expense. Next year I may switch the snowthrower to my X390 if my health is good and I can afford the $300+ hydraulic lift kit. I'll use the X300 for sucking up leaves; it does a much better job at that than the X390. Two mower blades on the X300's 42" deck destroy the leaves. The X390 has three blades and my vacuum/shredder system doesn't pick-up everything with it - go figure...
~Lee
Thanks, swiffer. Another pleasant but unplanned benefit to running the plastic to the front of the hood is heat from the engine.
So far there is no icing on the plastic or my glasses. ;-) I placed an extension on the exhaust pipe to run the fumes away
from the hood.
~Lee
Just an update on my little project...
A week and a half lying around with the nastiest cold I've ever had put me and the cab on hold. I did manage to add some make-shift magnetic latches to the flap-doors. I used small rare-earth magnets taped opposite each other on the over-lapping flaps. The outer magnet is on the outside of the outer piece and the inner magnet is on the inside of the inner piece. A little rubber cement on the vinyl, let it dry and then tape on the magnet with 3M's new clear duct tape (expensive, but strong-azz stuff). The magnets are strong enough to hold through two layers of the vinyl even with the wind beating against it. I always prime my tape-targets with rubber cement - unbelievable holding power and the tape won't peel away even in below zero weather or wet environments. I mounted the left and right-side magnet sets at different heights to see which height held best; each one held with no problems.
Today I felt somewhat better and got some seat time in clearing my drive. The cab was a blessing. I was out of the wind and the blown snow neither touched me nor my glasses. It was seven degrees outside and I had my gloves off and my glasses were dry and not fogged up. I still have to put some finishing touches on it; a permanent exhaust extension, make the magnetic latches look a little better, and possibly add some more weight. I also want to do a night-time run to verify the LCD lighting is sufficient.
~Lee
A week and a half lying around with the nastiest cold I've ever had put me and the cab on hold. I did manage to add some make-shift magnetic latches to the flap-doors. I used small rare-earth magnets taped opposite each other on the over-lapping flaps. The outer magnet is on the outside of the outer piece and the inner magnet is on the inside of the inner piece. A little rubber cement on the vinyl, let it dry and then tape on the magnet with 3M's new clear duct tape (expensive, but strong-azz stuff). The magnets are strong enough to hold through two layers of the vinyl even with the wind beating against it. I always prime my tape-targets with rubber cement - unbelievable holding power and the tape won't peel away even in below zero weather or wet environments. I mounted the left and right-side magnet sets at different heights to see which height held best; each one held with no problems.
Today I felt somewhat better and got some seat time in clearing my drive. The cab was a blessing. I was out of the wind and the blown snow neither touched me nor my glasses. It was seven degrees outside and I had my gloves off and my glasses were dry and not fogged up. I still have to put some finishing touches on it; a permanent exhaust extension, make the magnetic latches look a little better, and possibly add some more weight. I also want to do a night-time run to verify the LCD lighting is sufficient.
~Lee
bricooper78
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I would imagine you could sell your plans and measurements for 50 bucks a copy and easilty make your cash back, that is a great little project!!
Thanks, Bri! I am past that stage in my life. Every day I get out into my garage is a gift to me. Seat time on my X3xx's is more important to me than making money. At one time I would have put together a nice little booklet or .PDF but that time is gone. Now, if a neighbor wanted to build one, I'd be in on it in a heartbeat.
Have lots of fun on your John Deere. Do you have/need any wheel weights or rear weights with your plow set-up? I can't blow any snow without weights because of the weight of the blower teeters my rear wheels off the pavement.
~Lee
bricooper78
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Well,just the chains and my "maxed out for size of mower" buns on that seat do a decent enough job :laughing:
I've got that K46 tranny, and I've got myself spooked about it's reliability due to reading on here and other sites, so a little tire slippage doesn't concern me, I'm worried more about blowing it up from too much weight.
I completely understand you helping a neighbor vs trying to put up with a bunch of internet people trying to figure out pretty clear instructions... reading, it's tough, so many people can't figure it out! :laughing:
I'll be watching for your next project, have fun with your warmer, dryer seat time!!
I'm a big guy: 260 pounds. I thought that would suffice for traction, but nope! I probably am pushing the limits of my K46, but if (when) it goes I'll get a rebuild kit for it and hopefully get it going. I have great neighbors who can help me. I suffered a brain aneurysm a few years ago and it left me with a learning disability; I have to read instructions over and over to do something new. Things I've done before come easy, but new procedures take a while to learn.
Our daughter gave us an eight foot tall ornamental windmill. I am trying to figure out how to add a small generator to it to power a couple LED's. When I keep busy my bride of 49 years is much happier. :laughing: I'm thinking of a small generator like the old English racers (bicycles) had for powering lights in the '50's and '60's. The windmill is green and yellow so it's okay to write about it in this forum. :laughing:
~Lee
bricooper78
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:laughing: I am 261 myself!!! I would say that generator would be a perfect fit, since it's green and yellow, maybe if it found its way into the background of a picture of one of those x3's of yours....
I'm not sure exactly what it's worth, but I just have about 600ft of sidewalk, which is concrete, and a neighbor's driveway, which is really short, and concrete, and I run downhill (only like 8%, it's not much of a hill) on the asphalt to shove everything out of the way so the city doesn't plow us in. It is entirely possible I've got help from the concrete maybe? I really don't know anything about plowing, until I got this blade I'd never done it at all on anything, and after the 1st snow, I realized it was the 2nd best money I'd ever spent, first being this rider, I've never had one of these either. Absolute little miracles of getting things done!!:wink:
I'm not sure exactly what it's worth, but I just have about 600ft of sidewalk, which is concrete, and a neighbor's driveway, which is really short, and concrete, and I run downhill (only like 8%, it's not much of a hill) on the asphalt to shove everything out of the way so the city doesn't plow us in. It is entirely possible I've got help from the concrete maybe? I really don't know anything about plowing, until I got this blade I'd never done it at all on anything, and after the 1st snow, I realized it was the 2nd best money I'd ever spent, first being this rider, I've never had one of these either. Absolute little miracles of getting things done!!:wink: