When hauling a cab tractor, what's the chance a rock breaks a cab window?

[pmsmechanic]

I would just haul it and not worry. Things sometimes happen when hauling equipment that cannot be helped. Years ago my company truck was being hauled on a drop deck lowboy to be used as flagger for a piece of equipment we were picking up, the glass was broken out of the pickup by something. Never did figure out what it was, there was no way it could have come off the truck pulling the lowboy unless a rock figured out how to make at least two 90 degree turns around the truck flaps and front bracing of the drop deck. As the old saying goes "Sh*# happens"

My buddy was towing a trailer with a pickup and a rock bounced off the front of the trailer and broke the back window of his truck. And the rock made it over the tailgate too.

 

[JasperFrank]

You could haul it facing backwards?

 

[Complete Turf Care]

got a picture or name of the company by chance?

I don’t remember the name of the company, but I just googled “tractor windshield protector” and came up with a few. Here is one. Windshield Protector for Backhoe

Here are pics of mine.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

got a picture or name of the company by chance?

I found the company I used. Here is a link to their website.

Colby Canvas Co.

Colby Canvas Co. Located in Colby, Kansas Custom Canvas Tarps Tents Graphics Awnings

www.colbycanvas.com

 

[2manyrocks]

Is there a coating on the cab glass that requires that you use something soft like canvas to prevent the glass from being scratched?

It occurred to me that maybe corrogated plastic sheeting could be use as a protector?

 

[K5lwq]

So is the back glass stronger than the front? I see several comments about hauling it backwards on the trailer and guess I do not understand why.

 

[Torvy]

Maybe people will run the tractor with broken back glass, but don't want to go forward with a broken windshield?

 

[amhicks21]

I can't imagine the scenario where its more likely that the glass of a tractor sitting on a trailer would be more likely to break than the tow vehicles windshield. I've been hauling cabbed equipment with the front facing forward pretty much daily for over a decade and never got even a single stone chip.

 

[John0829]

So is the back glass stronger than the front? I see several comments about hauling it backwards on the trailer and guess I do not understand why.

One of the reasons for hauling backwards is many of today's tractor have hoods that lift from the front. Haul the tractor backwards and wind cannot get under the hood were as hauling it forward you risk the chance of building enough air pressure under the hood ripping it off, especially if the latch should fail. Another reason is sometimes you can get a better weight distribution putting it on backwards.

 

[notaz3]

I've hauled my tractor from southern California to northern Idaho and back many times without worrying about rock chips; however my little car has a few on the hood from winter driving.
I haul the tractor backwards because of weight distribution and our large 615R sprayer backwards to prevent wind getting into the exhaust and spinning the turbo.