Convertible Cab Made Out Of Wood

2014 - Volume #38, Issue #5, Page #42

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Glen King can have as much cab as he wants on his UTV. His convertible cab is made from 6 wooden panels connected to the rollover bars of the Polaris Ranger.
    “I use it for hunting in the mountains and around the home place, but at 67, I’m not interested in riding in the wind and rain,” says King.
    He was also not interested in paying the high price Polaris wanted for their cab. “I saw some aftermarket units that were real nice, but they cost almost as much as the machine itself,” says King. “Plus, I can trailer my machine down the road at 70 mph with no problem. I’ve seen commercial cabs blow off on the road.”
    A retired cabinetmaker, King did a little woodworking to make his UTV cab. He cut out the panels to match the bends in the ROPS and the 5-ft., 7-in. width of the UTV. Most panels are made from 3/4-in. plywood. He started at the rear with a solid 20.5-in. wide panel, followed by an 8 1/2-in. wide panel with 3 holes cut into it.
    “I cut the holes out with my jigsaw and covered them with plexiglass,” says King. “I used some silicone caulk to seal them and screwed them in place.”
    The next panel was 15 in. wide. It was cut beveled at about a 5-degree angle where it would be slightly overlapped by the 32-in. wide roof panel. At the front the roof panel overlapped a 7-in. wide panel, also beveled at 5 degrees. This panel overlaps the 29-in. tall front window panel.
    “The window panel has a top edge that matches the 5-ft., 7-in. width of the other panels, but comes in about 3 1/2 in. on each side where the windows start to better match the hood,” explains King.
    The front panel has two glass panes that are each 19 1/4 in. square. They are framed in on the plywood panel, much as King would have framed in a glass door on a cabinet. Each panel was framed in with dowel pegs, glued and clamped in place with a few screws for reinforcement.
    “I attach the panels including the roof section, using U-bolts,” explains King. “I can take the entire thing off in 20 min. or just take off pieces.”
    The glass pieces for the front window panel were the most expensive parts of the entire process. Much of the rest came from King’s salvage supply.
    “The glass cost me about $60,” says King. “I built the whole thing for about $125, plus my time.”
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Glen King, 10106 Clear Lane, Dardanelle, Ark. 72834 (ph 479 576-2577).

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Convertible Cab Made Out Of Wood ATV S Glen King can have as much cab as he wants on his UTV His convertible cab is made from 6 wooden panels connected to the rollover bars of the Polaris Ranger “I use it for hunting in the mountains and around the home place but at 67 I’m not interested in riding in the wind and rain ” says King He was also not interested in paying the high price Polaris wanted for their cab “I saw some aftermarket units that were real nice but they cost almost as much as the machine itself ” says King “Plus I can trailer my machine down the road at 70 mph with no problem I’ve seen commercial cabs blow off on the road ” A retired cabinetmaker King did a little woodworking to make his UTV cab He cut out the panels to match the bends in the ROPS and the 5-ft 7-in width of the UTV Most panels are made from 3/4-in plywood He started at the rear with a solid 20 5-in wide panel followed by an 8 1/2-in wide panel with 3 holes cut into it “I cut the holes out with my jigsaw and covered them with plexiglass ” says King “I used some silicone caulk to seal them and screwed them in place ” The next panel was 15 in wide It was cut beveled at about a 5-degree angle where it would be slightly overlapped by the 32-in wide roof panel At the front the roof panel overlapped a 7-in wide panel also beveled at 5 degrees This panel overlaps the 29-in tall front window panel “The window panel has a top edge that matches the 5-ft 7-in width of the other panels but comes in about 3 1/2 in on each side where the windows start to better match the hood ” explains King The front panel has two glass panes that are each 19 1/4 in square They are framed in on the plywood panel much as King would have framed in a glass door on a cabinet Each panel was framed in with dowel pegs glued and clamped in place with a few screws for reinforcement “I attach the panels including the roof section using U-bolts ” explains King “I can take the entire thing off in 20 min or just take off pieces ” The glass pieces for the front window panel were the most expensive parts of the entire process Much of the rest came from King’s salvage supply “The glass cost me about $60 ” says King “I built the whole thing for about $125 plus my time ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Glen King 10106 Clear Lane Dardanelle Ark 72834 ph 479 576-2577

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