Jd 4720 woods canopy build

[andy1981]

Well after reading a few threads on here and being inspired by Rustyiron, and Dieselcrawler I decided to start building my own canopy for my tractor . I have two deere 4720s and they get used what I consider comercially from April to November for a variety of tasks in maintaining a campground such as mowing lawns , maintains roads , moving and spotting trailers, ect. This spring I puchased a skidding winch and plan to use it this winter extensively for fire wood and some hemlock saw logs for redecking a 300 ft walking bridge.
Being that I will be working alone this winter I figured i should make it a little safer for myself with this canopy but I also want it easily removable for the rest of the year when I'm not working in the woods.
My factory rops are made from 2"x3" 3/16" box tubing so that's whan I'm going to build the framework from and I think I will end up using 1/4" plate for the roof panel .
I spent most of the day today mocking up the frame work out of 2x4s that I ripped down 1 1/2 x 3 to get me as close to the size of the box tubing as I will be using. I figured it would be easier for mock up to use some lumber that I spent about $35 on instead of screwing it up with expensive steel. Here are some pics of what I got so far, let me know what you guys think.

 

[1stDeuce]

Cool design! It looks like it would keep the weather and sun off you pretty well too, and be a great place for some work lights!

If you'll pardon an opinion, I'll suggest that 1/4" plate for the roof may be a bit beyond overkill... I should think that 14 ga would be fine, especially if you add a brace across the middle to keep it from oil canning or caving in... Even just going with 1/8" would be somewhat overkill IMO. (We are talking about steel, right?)
Plus, a 4x5' sheet of 1/4" plate weighs 200lbs... Not exactly going to make install/removal an easy task.

Just an opinion from a guy who built a flatbed out of 1/8" steel, and wishes he'd used 14ga. 1/4" is just a LOT of metal...

Keep us posted on the build!!

 

[andy1981]

I was thinking 1/4" to stop a widow maker from spearing through the top , this is more to protect me from a falling object then for shade or weather protection maybe I can get away with 1/8" or 3/16".

 

[dieselcrawler]

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery! *grin*

FYI... Cycle the loader, I had some clearance issues with the limb riser and bucket level indicator rod.

I agree, 1/4" steel plate is WAY too heavy, you dont want that much weight up that high. Maybe aluminum sheet as the top skin, lighter and just as strong, and 11 gauge.

Looks good!

 

[andy1981]

Yes I seen that I am going to have to modify the bucket indicator, it barely clears it but I don't like how it looks, and I am going to use 1/8 plate at the most for the roof panel, this thing is going t be heavy. I got the the frame work for the roof panel welded up yesterday.

 

[andy1981]

Today I strarted by removing the John Deere grill guard and started facing the new one it sticks out quite a bit further but allows me to open the hood a still clears the loader. The factory one you had to pull a pin and it pivoted forward to clear the hood. Here is what I got so far

 

[andy1981]

A little more progress today , some more work on the grill guard and I got the radius cuts for the front posts on the canopy were they sit on the loader mounts

 

[dieselcrawler]

Looking forward to seeing how you do the mounts at the loader brackets. Thats one he!! of a hole saw.

 

[andy1981]

I used a 4-1/4" hole saw , my drill press wasn't to happy with it. I plan on bending a piece of 3/8 by 2-1/2" bar in a u shape around 3-1/2" steel tubing , that is the same size as the the tube of the loader mount the the box tubing that was cut with the hole saw will get welded to the curved part of the U and I plan to put a nut and bolt through the end of the U to clamp it to the tube of the loader mount

 

[andy1981]

Well I got a little progress tonight, I made a jig to bend the flat bar around as I heated it with a torch. I'm happy with how the mounts fit together. I also made the pieces that are going to clamp the canopy to the factory ROPS. Hopefully tomorrow night I can get the canopy on for a test fit and tack together some mounts for the front posts.

 

[andy1981]

Here are some pics of the last couple of days progress, I got the main frame work done.

 

[dieselcrawler]

Nice progress... Looking good.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Great fab work and design, but I too am worried about top heaviness. Be careful on hills. Be sure to put a sheet of insulation under your roof so you don't get solar heated out. I vote that the top skin to be aluminum too.

Not knocking your hard work and idea at all. You will have a nice protective cab. I would have tried to buy aluminum, and incorporated the original ROPS too. But I understand that you might not have the welding supplies for aluminum.

 

[andy1981]

Well it does add some wieght but it is definatly lighter than a the same tractor with a factory cab. I also plan on spacing out the rear tires because I have them in the narrowest position now, not only for stability but also for tire chains. more than likely this canopy will be taken off in the warmer months so I'm not to worried about solar heat. Thanks for all the compliments everyone, this project is taking a lot more time than I originally thought but so far I'm very pleased with the results, and if I were to do it again I would use 1/8" tubing instead of 3/16" .

 

[stuckmotor]

I want one. Even the wooden one would be an improvement on none at all which is what I have now.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Well it does add some wieght but it is definatly lighter than a the same tractor with a factory cab. I also plan on spacing out the rear tires because I have them in the narrowest position now, not only for stability but also for tire chains. more than likely this canopy will be taken off in the warmer months so I'm not to worried about solar heat. Thanks for all the compliments everyone, this project is taking a lot more time than I originally thought but so far I'm very pleased with the results, and if I were to do it again I would use 1/8" tubing instead of 3/16" .

spacing your tires out wide is a good thing. Thanks for posting your project.

 

[andy1981]

Yesterday I got the mounts for the front posts drilled and welded on. This afternoon I put the loader on and checked for clearance issues. I have a couple of small things to tweak but nothing major. As Dieselcrawler mentioned to watch for clearance on the bucket level indicator I had to loosen the lock nut and spin the adjustable rod 180* , and I also have to trim the front of the limb risers were they bolt to the front bumper because the heads of the mounting bolts just barely catch on some hoses. You can see were I marked what I have to cut off in the one picture. All in all everything fits really well and I have enough room to open the hood. Tomorrow I plan on tasking the top of so I can take it and get a piece of 1/8" steel sheared for the roof . I am going to get an 1" overhang all the way around and have it bent at a 45* angle to act as a drip edge. I also need to finish up the front grill guard with some vertical bars and a heavy screen material, and then some tabs for lights, a grab handle , a spot for a chainsaw scabbard and an overhead gun mount are some things on my list.

 

[Rustyiron]

How'd I miss this one? Real nice design & execution Andy!
You say that you think you'll be taking the top off in the summer, I put an electric fan up high and between that & the shade, it's pretty nice in the summer sun. If you have the room up against the "roof" it's also a good place for a small electrical panel for extra light switches and a radio. Jensen makes a tough little radio for tractors & skid steers that's self contained and will take a aux connection and has a headphone jack. The speakers are worthless with the machine in operation.
If you have a place nearby that can shear and bend up a sheet of 1/8 for the roof, have them "cross break" an X through the top to dampen the vibration that is bound to happen. Also a small 90* bend at the sides makes a handy little gutter to keep's the rain dripping to the front or back.:thumbsup:

 

[andy1981]

Tuesday I dropped the frame for the canopy of at a local fab shop to have a piece of 11 gauge sheared and the edges bent for the roof. Tonight I got the corners welded up and drilled and mounted it to the frame with some 5/16 thread cutting screws. I also got some elastaform which is a flashing for rubber roofing made by Carlisle rubber, it is about an 1/8" thick and has adhesive on one side . I am going to use this between the roof frame and panel and any other metal to metal points of contact between the tractor and rops to help with vibration. I also picked up some paint today and hope to have this finished up by next weekend.

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

Excellent progress and workmanship. Can't wait to see it completed with the winch on it.

Matt