Universal snow cabs or??????????

[DougC 2,641]

We all know how much it hurts to be plowing or blowing snow on a cold winter day or night with the wind howling and your teeth chattering and the runny nose turning into twin ice sickles and the snow and sleet on the glasses making it impossible to see where we are going, RIGHT!!!!!!!

We need a cab....... Soft or hard sided........Factory or universal, or..................... The dredded  HOME MADE MONSTROSITY.......... We need .......HELP!!!!!!

I have looked for the regular Wheel Horse hard top cab. very hard to find anywhere near Iowa anyway. I have seen outragious prices for old torn and broken ones on the popular auction site that begins with an e.  People that got em, keep em at least in the area I live in. Craigs list no help in Iowa. so....................

Has anyone had any experience with any kind of universal cab that is 4 sided? Any advice or suggestions?

Bercomac in Canada makes nice 34 or 40 inch wide soft cabs. $400 plus dollars +customs charges+tax only sell to there dealers. Still seems to big for 520H

Maybe I should just put a plastic 30gal garbage sack on and give the neighbors something to talk about. They think im nuts anyway

[KC9KAS 4,741]

My 1st "rain suit" for motorcycle touring was a black 55 gallon trash bag...worked quite well!

[Wishin4a416 2,190]

Husqvarna [Spelling] makes the one for 249.00 but I dont think it has doors. Looks cheaply made. I think it is just their sunroof with a added wraparound. I only see the 2 rear supports but I guess some front ones could be added. Would keep a person out of the elements anyway.

Edited October 19, 2015 by Wishin4a416

[rokon 64]

you may find this interesting, maybe worth reading  http://www.data-cut.com/projects/case/casecab.html

aluminum extrusions here http://www.8020.net/Default.asp

Edited October 20, 2015 by rokon

[cheesegrader 433]

I still have a soft-side Wheel Horse cab, but I wasn't completely happy with it.
The soft windows cloud up over time, and the vinyl sheeting seems to be wearing out at any point that it wraps around the frame.
Vibrating steel is not kind to vinyl
I looked at a couple of hard cabs, and finally bought a used Cozy Cab.
It took a whole summer to modify and mount, but I am thrilled with it so far.
THe 520 is a hard beast to fit.  You have to keep the gas cap clear to fill, and the seat hangs so far over the back that you end up with limited options to mount to the rear.
I have a 2" rear hitch receiver, and I think using that as the basis of the rear mount works best.  You might get a little help by resting on the seat pan, but it gets really tight, and you run the risk of blocking access to the fuel cap.  Front mounting can be attached under the sheet metal to the frame, but you have to think about where the lift bar for the snowthrower will fit.  The frame is so narrow that I had problems with the cab twisting side to side, so I ultimately reinforced the footrests, and moved my front mounts as wide onto the footrests as I could. 

[mikekot3 92]

What is the model of the cozy cab you have? I cannot find it on cozycabs.com
 

[JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,487]

you may find this interesting, maybe worth reading  http://www.data-cut.com/projects/case/casecab.html

aluminum extrusions here http://www.8020.net/Default.asp

i actually read that article a few weeks ago on a case / ingersoll site. I can only say this with 100 percent accuuracy. If I made it, it wouldnt look like that. LOL
some guys, like a lot of the fellas here on red square could build that, maybe even better. I am not one of them. Just the truth.

glenn

[boovuc 1,090]

Jeez Cheese! I like that. Painted red and that is a nice setup you have!

[cheesegrader 433]

There isn't a model number on the cab.  It is from a JD 20 HP garden tractor that was about 30 years old.
Most of the 20-23 HP garden tractor cabs that I looked at could have been modified to fit the 520.
It shouldn't be a tight fit--you need the air to cool the cab.
Don't block the air intake for the engine, and be prepared to cut your own lexan to fit around the hood.
The rest is just trial and error to get the mounts on without interfering with anything.
You gotta love shopping in junkyards!

[PaulC 341]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LD2E32?keywords=snowblower%20cabs&qid=1445431227&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2
I have been thinking about trying to pick up something simple like this and mount in to my . I put on snow gear when on snow duty so I don't get cold but the way my property is I can only blow one direction in certain spots, so when its windy I end up eating a lot of snow and that gets really old really quick. The fully enclosed cabs are nice but like you say hard to come by and expensive and personally have always seemed like overkill to me but I have no experience with them so im probably wrong. But for about 100 bucks having a windshield that would wrap around some would do me wonders I think. I will be starting to get all my  snow gear ready soon so I will probably find one of these and figure out how to mount it, I intend to make a thread about it when I do. Doesn't sound like its what youre looking for but just thought id throw it out there.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Toro-Snow-Cab-Kit-Accessory-for-Snow-Thrower-127-5960/205467551
toro makes a nice looking one also that is even the right color but its a bit more expensive. amazon has this also at a much better price of $178 but the link didn't have a good image so I used the home depot one instead.
 

[doc724 924]

Paul, you make a good point.  You may not need a complete enclosure, just something to deflect the snow blowback.  Kind of  like a motorcycle windshield but bigger.  I will be looking forward to future updates from you if you pursue this.

[PaulC 341]

Paul, you make a good point.  You may not need a complete enclosure, just something to deflect the snow blowback.  Kind of  like a motorcycle windshield but bigger.  I will be looking forward to future updates from you if you pursue this.

I have been thinking about this since last winter because we had a really snowy windy winter. I do think it would do the job I see them used plenty for walk behind snowblowers. I have done some searching but to my surprise it doesn't seem that anyone has done this before? I think the hardest part will be trying to figure out which one to buy, I plan to take some measurements and then I am going to see if I can find any on display locally to check them out good in person.

[Bosco 32]

This is how my cab ended up

[JERSEYHAWG / Glenn 4,487]

Bosco, dam nice job on that. A+

glenn

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

The old windbreak cabs that were used on tractors in the '50s may be an idea. Most walk-behind cabs may not be wide enough. Here is OTC cab on my Ariens 924DLE, and next to the 523Dxi.

 

[DougC 2,641]

I think maybe a conduit bender could rebend frame work to fit front of tractor and then build doors out of wood  and thick mill clear plastic for side and rear windows would do the job and a budget cab would be born. Might try that on my '88 520H.      

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

I think maybe a conduit bender could rebend frame work to fit front of tractor and then build doors out of wood  and thick mill clear plastic for side and rear windows would do the job and a budget cab would be born. Might try that on my '88 520H.      

A member did something similar to that last year. It looked pretty functional.

http://www.wheelhorseforum.com/topic/44639-homemade-cab/#comment-409334

Edited November 19, 2015 by shallowwatersailor

[DougC 2,641]

Wow he did a great job. I bet he is an electrician as perfect as that pipe is bent and aligns everywhere.

[cheesegrader 433]

Bosco,

That is nice.  The lower windows are really a nice touch.  
Being able to see the front tires is usefull when you are slipping around.
If I was making my own, I would add as much window space as possible.