Soundproofing the B3030 Cab and found something interesting

[srs]

WaxMan, I don't have the foam under the steering wheel either like Bandit does. And I did notice awhile back when I removed the cover under the steering wheel it was very dusty with some dried grass clippings in there. I purchased my B3030 in 2008 so it seems like Kubota did improve the insulation part, but only slightly. The Handi-Foam looks pretty good too for sealing things up, certainly better then the yellow Great Stuff type they sell at Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

 

[bandit67]

Thanks WaxMan for the idea on the black foam. I'm going to get some of that, since it's too much work to get that lower cover off the tractor to replace the existing factory foam padding. They didn't put a lot up in there from what I can tell, so the black spray foam should help a lot.

The foam under the plastic steering cowl is essentially the self adhesive foam they put on the back of the cowl, with a different backer at the bottom so they could extend it an inch lower than the bottom of the cowl. The factory foam easily peeled off the cowl, so I acetoned the plastic to get the sheen off, and added some new 1/8" thick high density self adhesive foam sound absorber, then re-installed the lower density factory foam on top of the new foam.

 

[WaxMan]

Bandit, I was just going to put a dab for the little tiny holes at the corners of the panel below in your picture for dust coming thru, Are you saying you want to fill the whole cavity with the expanding foam?
Are there other openings on the bottom or elsewhere?

Because that foam is the messiest stuff known to man if you go wild with it. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger and drips all over, it's sticky as h*** and makes a mess that does not like to be cleaned up.
I could just see someone maybe having a drink or two or very tired before starting this job, destroying the whole tractor with just 1 can of that stuff.
Be carefull when using it.
I would not want someone just because I said to use this stuff (not meaning you Bandit, anyone) inside the cab thinking they are filling all the holes on the firewall and the next day open up the hood to find the rear of the engine incased in foam.

It does not come off without scraping it off. You can break chunks and pieces off but the residue is hard to remove. Keep in mind No solvent will dissolve it once dry. If you get it all over the wires etc. it stays all over the wires etc.
What you think you're putting down is not what you're putting down, if you know what I mean. If someone has never used this foam before, please be careful with it, just use a very little bit until you know what it does.

 

[bandit67]

No, I would have liked to put new sound absorbing foam mat up there, but it's too big of a job to get to it. I too only would like to foam spray the small holes, if I can't get any of the foam padding I have wedged up in there.

Yeah, some of that expanding foam can be a pain to work with. I got most of the machine done for now and put back together, but now I'm trying to get the stereo in, so I haven't started it to drive it around and see how it turned out.

I added adhesive backed foam sound absorber to the plastic lever housings to either side of the seat, and put rubber edging material on the plastic housings where they sit on the fenders to cut down on the squeaking. I also added some foam padding up in the ceiling. I have also added additional foam padding behind the 2 pillar covers between the door & side window, but I may add either self adhesive foam sound deadener to them since they still are a bit tinny. Not sure I should add butyl mat to those because it could add too much weight for the plastic fasteners to hold. I also foam padded the small plastic wiper motor cover that sits above the dash panel.

I have a bunch of foam mats, etc. that I may use to stuff into some of the cracks & crevices, or just install self adhesive foam weatherstripping to deal with some of the gaps that are left. Trying to do it so things can be taken apart down the road for repairs.

I actually had a tough time getting the fenders & seat pan pieces all lined up to re-install them. Not sure why, as some holes lined up perfectly, then the next hole right in line was out of alignment. I assume it may have been that way from the start. I'll add some pics of what my project looked like.

I did a couple of cell phone videos before the project, and will do matching ones after to see if the mic can catch any difference in the in-cab sound.

 

[WaxMan]

Bandit, sounds like you're making a nice quiet ride for your sound system. :thumbsup:
It makes it a lot easier to line up the holes if you put a round punch or a philips screwdriver in the hole your not putting the bolt in, and pry one way or another to line up the hole your putting the bolt in. The butyl mat does not have to cover the whole piece of metal your trying to sound proof. I found that just a couple of squares here and there are all thats needed. Like for those side panels.
The grills that I used are from the factory Kubota speakers, I made the spacers from 3/4 plastic board and shaped them to fit the curve of the headliner.
While the headline is down put in a dome light, I got this one out of a junk yard. I think from a Ford Excursion. The two side lights that are lit shine right outside the doors. The middle light not shown lit lights up the cab.

 

[bandit67]

I have those pics of from back when you did yours. I don't think I have the patience to do the plastic spacers, so I have some 3/4", 2.2lb black foam that I'm going to try to use instead. I plan to put the speakers in the same spot you did. If the Kubota dealer is open, I'm going down tomorrow morning to pick up the 4" speaker grilles I ordered. At least I should be able to get it knocked out quickly, and if I don't like the way the foam spacers look, I can go back later and spend the time to make some nicer ones like you did.

I'd just like to get the stereo in and start the tractor to see how all the soundproofing work turned out. Then try my new Alpine Bluetooth iPhone compatible am/fm stereo. Be nice not to have to wear earphones any more. :thumbsup:

I like that dome light. Might have to do one of those.

 

[bandit67]

Got everything buttoned back up today, while the wife was doing all the pre-Easter cooking. There are still some things I want to do to further improve the sound deadening, but I needed to get the tractor put back together since it's been torn apart for a week and a half, and need to do some work with it next week.

Soundproofing seemed to help some, though probably not quite as much as I had hoped. I can still hear the hydro whine, though it seems quite a bit more muted than it was before. Engine noise is muted quite a bit more.

It was a pretty involved project. Was it worth it? I guess every little bit helps, though for the amount of work & time in pulling everything apart, I would have preferred even more sound control. I am glad I did it because it did help with the overall noise issues, and the sound that does get in, get's absorbed more quickly, instead of bouncing around as much.

I really think installing a rubber backed outdoor carpet on the seat pan area would do wonders, but right now, I'm not quite ready to do that, with the seat frame and all the levers, it would be a difficult project. However, I think I am going to add something to the rear panel with the tool box in it, because I think that will help a ton with sound absorption. I also am close to pulling the trigger on treating the cab side of the pillar covers, but first I may try adding some self adhesive foam to the back side and/or butyl sound deadener - I did stuff the pillars full of foam, but the plastic fasteners don't hold the covers tight enough to keep them from sounding "tinny".

Also got the new stereo installed. I used foam spacers to mount the speakers since I could get those cut quickly. Doesn't look quite as good as Waxman's nice plastic spacers, but that's something I can do when I have more time. For now, the foam spacers are working nicely. The sound is impressive - much, much better than I was expecting, and apparently, these speakers need about 10 hours of play time to "break in".

I went with an Alpine mech-less AM/FM Bluetooth unit with sync that I can make/receive calls through the stereo (note the mic mounted on the headliner) and listen to music off my iPhone via bluetooth or USB cable. Pretty slick setup. I installed JL Audio Evolution C2-400x 4" coax speakers. I am very, very impressed with the stereo system, and am very glad I did this install, and think the soundproofing work helped quite a bit to create a decent listening experience. I spent quite a bit of time driving around at 2000 -2500 rpms to get a feel for how the stereo would sound with the engine running at working rpms and the hydro whine going up the hills, and can say that I am impressed. Glad to be rid of the earphones.

I also installed a ski boat rear view mirror because I didn't like the blind spot between the factory mirrors.

 

[WaxMan]

I think the rubber spacers for the speakers look good, good enough. The Bluetooth for the phone is a good idea, I have to get an adaptor for my Kenwood to do that.
I don't know how good the mike will work on the other end.

 

[bandit67]

I was bothering my wife & daughter making calls and they told me it sounded like I was calling them from my truck. Of course, I'll have to drop rpms down to idle when I talk, but I had to do that anyway before when I was speaking on the phone. However, if I have to turn the engine off to speak, then it shuts down the power to the radio since the accessory key position doesn't work the same as on a car unfortunately.

The sound deadening modifications seemed to significantly cut down on the engine noise getting into the cab, so at idle, it's a lot quieter, and I expect should be fine for receiving phone calls.

 

[WaxMan]

It's good to hear your cab is quieter, I just want to hear my phone ring. I think your radio volume will go soft when the phone rings, letting you know.
That is one feature I don't have.