CHEAP shade canopy

[Chet]

After much sweating in the sun, I decided shade would be a good thing! I just could not choke down the $300+ cost of a hard cover. Plus I wanted something easy to remove, as I have to brushhog under and around a bunch of trees on occasion. After mulling it over for awhile I decided I had enough rebar and assorted steel scraps to engineer a canopy structure. As you can see, it ain't fancy, but it cost less than ten dollars to build and it is quickly removable, due to the convenient pin locations already on the tractor. The front supports are 51 inches high from the pin to the top. The rear supports are 18 inches high from the rops pin to the top. The horizontal section from front to back is about 60 inches. The piece of notched angle across the front is 40 inches long. The shade generator is an old single fitted sheet tied on with parachute cord. Makes good shade, but structure does waggle back and forth some, depending on travelled surface. I usually just grab the horizontal peice with my free hand to settle it down. Also wrapped a peice of inner tube around the FEL hyd lines to prevent chaffing agains them. Assembly was mostly great guess work on the initial dimensions. After making the front and rear vertical members, I clamped them in place on the tractor and then welded the top horizontal member on, laid the whole thing on the shop floor, reinforced the corners and then made a duplicate for the other side. I did not go above the ROPS because it just barely fits in the tractor shed as it is. Chet PS this is a Mahindra 4500 4WD.

 

[Chet]

This shot shows the detail of the right side aft vertical attachment to the ROPS pin. It was a peice of a Snapper 30inch mower blade. One blade will make both sides.

 

[Chet]

This shot is the front right corner showing the notched end of the angle as it lays in place to keep the front uprights seperated. The angle is 40 inches long and I torched the notch about 1 inch in form each end

 

[Chet]

And finally, this shot shows the left forward upright attachment on the large loader pin. the triangle plate was a leftover from another project.

 

[fivestring]

<font color="blue">"As you can see, it ain't fancy, but it cost less than ten dollars to build and it is quickly removable, due to the convenient pin locations already on the tractor." </font>

Hey, it works, doesn't it??? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Plus, you can change covers depending on the season or holiday!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[herbenus]

And you can Scotchgard the sheet to make it water proof. And oh yeah, you can get a set of John Deere sheets (whoops wrong brand).

 

[rdam]

If your tractor was capable of being embarrased...it would be.

Green flower patterns don't match the red.

How about a red flower pattern, or a classic red and white checkerboard tablecloth, or add in some blue for a patriotic look. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Slamfire]

Does your cfo get angry when she see's you toting off her fitted sheets. I could get away with it as we have gone to a differnt size bed. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[F350Lawman]

Wow, just when I thought the constant heat, sweating and possiblly developing cancerous lesions due to long hours in the sun on a tractor was bad... I saw your "canopy" /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Ouch, I'll take my chances /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[fivestring]

I saw a canopy like that on a jonboat last week.
LOL, I had to bite a hole in my lip to keep from laughing at them!!! I guess the fish don't mind.

 

[Bird]

It may not be the prettiest in the world, but who cares? In this Texas/Oklahoma sun, you just need some shade and that works as well as anything. With my first Kubota, before I got a canopy, I tried mowing while holding a golf umbrella over my head and what you've got sure beats that. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Chet]

Ya'll can rib me all you want, but that shade is sure a good thing!!!!! Yes, the shade generator does not match, of course the tractor is embarrassed- look how red it is. Hey, it was stuff that was handy at the time and I had to be in the field the next morning to cut hay, so I just grabbed up what was handy. No the wife was not too pleased about my selection of covering material, but she got over it. I do intend to find a better looking cover. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gifChet

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Chet,

For what it's worth, I'm sure not ribbing you about your canopy. I just returned from my third all day venture outdoors in 90+ sunny degrees and even my well tanned arms are feeling and showing the results.

Anything you can do to keep that sun off of your skin is a good thing. I just heard on the radio yesterday that farm workers were one of the very highest risk groups for skin cancer. This is not something to be taken lightly at all. I'm glad you made your bedsheet canopy. You're out there to work, not to enter some tractor beauty contest. Good for you.

 

[Mark_in_NH]

Necessity is the Mother of Invention /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Hambone]

It is good you can take some ribbing! I believe you have to here for sure!!
I would almost bet you kinda expected it eh?
Sometimes you do what you got to do!

 

[knucklehead]

I vote for a red-checked table cloth. With fringe.

 

[fivestring]

<font color="blue">"red-checked table cloth. With fringe." </font>

C'mon, knucklehead.....

That's for Sunday-go-to-meetin only! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Slamfire]

Would a red checked oil cloth qualify for every day? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Soundguy]

Not that I don't like the ingenuity ( believe me.. I love my welder more and more every day).. but sometimes I realize that I am trying to build a project that could be done cheaper / better by something sitting on a shelf.

A buggy top, or a sun umbrella comes to mind. Both are carried by tractor supply, and both are designed to clear rops.

Umbrella kit is 79$ and needs no mounting hardware. buggy top is 89 and may or may not need hardware mounting pack.. another 29 bucks.

I had a buggy top on my ym1700 for a long time, but I never use it, so moved it to the wifes horse buggy.. which gets used alot.

Buggy has easy 30 minute instalation .. and no drilling if your fenders have hand rails.. just use pipe clamps.. or if you have to drill.. just 3 holes in each fender.

Soundguy

 

[Chet]

Soundguy, those are some reasonably affordable options, but still cost more than what I put into this project. But the main driver at that time was the need to be in the hayfield the next day and it was already late afternoon when I got started on the canopy. And the nearest TSC is about 40 minutes away in Paris, TX. Plus I just love to build and engineer stuff and never have cared much about aesthetics vs pure utility /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gifChet