Using only square tubing and plexiglass, Laine Blackburn built an all-glass cab for his 1995 Kubota tractor that keeps him cozy when he plows snow in winter. He has a propane heater inside, but rarely uses it.

"I got tired of staying out in the cold so I thought I'd make something neat. Now I'm able to plow snow on cold, windy days in my shirt sleeves," says Blackburn.

"I found an aftermarket cab that would work, but it cost about $1,500 and required tapping into the tractor's cooling system in order to provide heat. Also, the cab came as a solid unit that would be harder to remove and would take up more storage space."

He bought the plexiglass in 4 by 8 sheets at Menards for about $800. He used a Fein multi-tool with an oscillating blade to cut everything to fit. He used 1-in. wide by 1/4-in. thick steel tubing to build 4 sections for the frame. The back section fits on the rollbar with a length of screwed-on flat bar stock. The rest of the frame is bolted to the fenders, and to the front part of the operator's platform with L-shaped brackets.

"I didn't have to drill into the fenders at all. Instead, I removed the grab handles on them and used the existing holes to bolt the frame on," says Blackburn. "I did drill into the operator's platform, but the brackets are hidden under a rubber mat. I had to be careful when building it not to scratch the plexiglass panels. I applied weather stripping to the bottom of the cab where it meets the fenders."

Blackburn only uses the cab in the winter when plowing snow. The rest of the time, he stores the cab sections inside a building.

Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Laine Blackburn, 1519 Pump Factory Rd., Dixon, Ill. 61021 (ph 815 973-1943).