HAVING TROUBLE WITH LEXAN INSTALL..

[escavader]

in my tractor cab i built .Igot the type of gaskets that zip up after you get every thing in place.It has an install tool ,it has a little roller on the end,well anyway ive figured it out ,BUT IT AINT EASY. Im having alot of trouble sizing the lexan.Ikept trimmiing and trimming[actually used my hand grinder[worked ok]til i could get the gasket in place.Imade all the windows with rounded corners so its one piece all the way around
QUESTION. Ishould be installing it on the tractor first,and then work the pane in ,or the other way? Ihave no idea how you would install an actuall pane of glass,i have to bend the heck out of the lexan to get it in place.
PLEASE GIVE ME ANY ADVICE!!
ALAN
PS IT took me 2 hours to install the windsheild ,and i still dont have it zipped up yet.At this rate it will be spring and i wont need the cab

 

[wedge40]

in my tractor cab i built .Igot the type of gaskets that zip up after you get every thing in place.It has an install tool ,it has a little roller on the end,well anyway ive figured it out ,BUT IT AINT EASY. Im having alot of trouble sizing the lexan.Ikept trimmiing and trimming[actually used my hand grinder[worked ok]til i could get the gasket in place.Imade all the windows with rounded corners so its one piece all the way around
QUESTION. Ishould be installing it on the tractor first,and then work the pane in ,or the other way? Ihave no idea how you would install an actuall pane of glass,i have to bend the heck out of the lexan to get it in place.
PLEASE GIVE ME ANY ADVICE!!
ALAN
PS IT took me 2 hours to install the windsheild ,and i still dont have it zipped up yet.At this rate it will be spring and i wont need the cab

I'll start.
Photos would be nice to see what you're talking about.
Wedge

 

[Rushvill]

The way I've seen it done is to install the weatherstrip on the glass first. Then put a small cord or twine into the outside channel and lube it up with soapy water. Start it into the cab and as you pull the twine to the inside it should pull the weatherstrip around the sheet metal and work your way around.
In my experience if you get it installed you won't need the cab, but if you don't get it installed it will snow until you do.
Mark

 

[Berniep]

in my tractor cab i built .Igot the type of gaskets that zip up after you get every thing in place.It has an install tool ,it has a little roller on the end,well anyway ive figured it out ,BUT IT AINT EASY. Im having alot of trouble sizing the lexan.Ikept trimmiing and trimming[actually used my hand grinder[worked ok]til i could get the gasket in place.Imade all the windows with rounded corners so its one piece all the way around
QUESTION. Ishould be installing it on the tractor first,and then work the pane in ,or the other way? Ihave no idea how you would install an actuall pane of glass,i have to bend the heck out of the lexan to get it in place.
PLEASE GIVE ME ANY ADVICE!!
ALAN
PS IT took me 2 hours to install the windsheild ,and i still dont have it zipped up yet.At this rate it will be spring and i wont need the cab

I think I understand the gasket you are talking about. I used to drive a freightliner with a window in the lower part of the passenger door that was like that. Lock your keys in and that was the easiest way into it without breaking anything. I always put the gasket in place then put the glass in place, it fit snug but wasn't very hard to work in. Your lexan may still be a little big, the problem is once you go too small you have wasted a big piece of lexan. Then it took quite a while to "zip" even this small piece in using a screwdriver. I think I remember using spray cleaner like windex or something to help

 

[RonMar]

Simple drugstore rubbing alcohol makes a good lube for rubber seals. When done, it evaporates completely and the seal, now dry stays put. I have always put the gasket on the glass and used the string method described above. Put the string in where the edge of the cab opening would go, and go all the way around till the string crosses over itself, and both ends hang out of the seal. Insert as much of the seal onto the cab lip as possible at the point where the string ends cross.

If you are putting in the window from the outside, the string ends must be inside the cab. Start pulling both ends of the string out of the seal. Eventualy as you pull the string along the seal, you will reach a point where the seal is outside the cab. As you continue to work the string out of the seal, the string will pull the inside lip of the seal over the lip of the cab. It helps to have an assistant holding the glass and the seal against the cab where you are pulling on the string, so the string pulls the seal over the lip. Your assistant also needs to try and push the glass toward the point where you started pulling the string from.

The alcohol makes things slip nicely and keeps you from ripping the edge of the seal as the string pulls the edge of the seal around/over the lip of the opening.

Good luck

 

[escavader]

SORRY I havent posted,read MARKS string idea and called and old friend and we went to work on it yesterday.Once we figured to cut the lexan exactly one half inch smaller than the metal opening it went well.Its all in,but i still have to zip it up.When i come in tommorow ill have a pic of that gasket and the install tool.Thank you all.
ALAN

 

[escavader]

HERES A PIC OF THE INSTALL TOOL AND THAT GASKET.After You get the install done ,you zip it up,it tightens the windows right up.
ALAN

 

[escavader]

Heres some pics of the lexan installed.The gaskets really dress up the cab.Pay no attention to the finger prints
ALAN

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Great job!! It looks realy good.Did you get the MR10 coating on the lexan. Make sure you clean it with soap and water or a plastic cleaner like Plexus. Be careful if you use any degreasers on the tractor,some of them will eat into the windows.
Bill

 

[escavader]

Great job!! It looks realy good.Did you get the MR10 coating on the lexan. Make sure you clean it with soap and water or a plastic cleaner like Plexus. Be careful if you use any degreasers on the tractor,some of them will eat into the windows.
Bill

THANKS FOR THE COMPLIMENT.Idont know what it is for lexan,i bought it at lowes.Thanks for the cleaning tips
ALAN

 

[scott_vt]

Good Evenin Alan,
Nice job, looks like youve got it all done and fitted well ! One word of caution, be very careful with cleaning that Lexan, it scratches very easily, I mean very easily ! Its great stuff to machine but when it comes to cleaning use a very soft cloth and make sure there isnt any dirt on there that could scratch it !

 

[scott_vt]

Good Evenin Alan Again ,
An addedunum to my last post.

A lot of people get plexigass and lexan mixed up ! Plexiglass or acrylic is much harder and more resistant to scratches but with a price, It cracks much easier and is not nearly as machineable as Lexan. Lexans' drawback is that it scratches much easier but you can machine it easily and in the thinner thicknesses of Lexan it bends quite easily, albeit a bit of memory which just means that you have to over bend to get the required angle your looking for ! Plexigas also requires that you use a water based solvent to drill and tap the material with out stress cracks !

Sorry for the rant, just an old modelmaker passing on some tips !

 

[escavader]

EVENING SCOTTY,
All the windows are lexan except the front.Iwant a wiper there and glass is the only alternative to the scratching.Ibought a peice of acrylic for the front for now,only because i wanted to make sure of the size for certain.The front windsheild glass is very expensive to have Made and i didnt want to screw it up.IMADE A TEMPLATE OUT OF CARDBOARD,ithought was perfect fit ,and almosttook it to the glass company.Instead i bought this temporary peice and cut it to the template.Iended up taking 1/4 inch all the way around ,because i didnt allow for the gasket.BOY IM SURE GLAD NOW I DIDNT GET THAT GLASS CUT!!Idont think ill need that front wiper til spring any how[rear snowblower]and the windsheild will be easy to swap out,because i bought the removeable gaskets.
ALAN

 

[Duke1]

Hi Excavader

I like your cab a lot, what a nice job you did on it. I'm also building a cab put a thread a couple days ago " New tractor cab " I'm at the point now where I'm awaiting rubber gaskets to mount the windows. I'm ordering the gasket from " Fairchild Industries " out of Ill. It's a Two piece gasket one being a locking strip, I hope it goes on not too bad. I will be cutting the windows from a 4 x 8 sheet of 1/4 inch plexiglass. Later I plan on getting a laminated glass windshield cut for it, however just like you I want to make sure I have the right size. I hope that you are happy with your cab it looks really really good. I'm not a meral guy so mine is made out of 2x2 2x3 and 1/2 inch plywood.

 

[escavader]

I never got laminated glass for mine .Ive been really content with the LEXAN.The main reason is it never fogs up.My neighbors glassed in 3030 cabbed fogs easy and she always has either fog or ice built up.Can see no disadvantage ,just becareful cause it will scratch easy.Hope to see your thread,ill check it out.
ALAN

 

[KBL3830]

I don't know how well it works on lexan but how about applying some plastic window tint to prevent scratches??