Barry Golley drew on his 45 years of experience in auto body repair, including 30 years owning his own business, to design and build a custom cab for his Deere 2320 utility tractor.
“Anyone who sees it thinks it’s made by Deere,” he says. “But the decal ‘Body by Golley’ proves otherwise.”
Golley says he had a vision of what the cab should look like before he started building it, but didn’t draw up any specific plans.
“I wanted the cab to be very sturdy, so I made it out of 1-in. square tubing with gussets at every corner for added strength. To follow the radius along the fenders, I cut the top of the tubing and bent it to the curve I needed, then welded the openings to keep it at the shape of the fender.”
The cab mounts to the tractor at four points. Golley removed the ROPS bar from the tractor and bolted the frame base to the ROPS mounting brackets on the chassis.
“If I was doing this again, I’d put rubber bushings under the mounting points to help reduce sound inside the cab,” he says.
The front of the cab is supported by 2-in. by 2-in. square tubing that rests on and connects to the tractor’s belly mower mounting points. Angle braces on both sides bolt to the tube and the cab to stabilize it. Door openings on both sides of the cab have hinges bolted to the vertical frame. A small piece of flat steel forms the door jamb. The sturdy doors can be easily removed for summertime ventilation by removing four bolts. Old-style metal barn door latches keep the doors closed.
“When I slam them shut, it sounds like I locked myself in a vault,” Golley says.
He made the walls, roof and door sheeting from 20-ga. steel. He primed and painted them all before installing them on the frame. Sidewalls are secured to the frame with metal rivets. Epoxy applied in the holes makes the mounting weatherproof, including over the rivet heads, which have a smooth, waterproof finish.
“The roof has small ribs to prevent the ‘oil can effect’ and make it a little stronger than flat steel. I also installed rubber insulation on the inside and covered it with a headliner,” says Golley.
He sealed the openings around the cab, making them snug against the tractor body, with pieces of flexible rubber. He says the material is typically used on the roofs of camping trailers.
“It’s strong, doesn’t tear, and it’s waterproof, which is ideal for this application,” Golley says.
Rounding out the build, he installed glass windows from old school buses on all sides. Windows near the front footwells, so he can easily see the front wheels, are made of plexiglas. Dense, grooved rubber weatherstripping holds all of them in place. Both the rear and front windows tilt open for ventilation on warmer days. A windshield wiper on the front window operates with a hand crank inside.
Amber safety lights are mounted at the top corners of the cab, and bright worklights are mounted at the front and rear. Mirrors on both sides provide plenty of visibility in all conditions.
Golley says he’s had people ask why he didn’t install a heater or ventilation. He tells them that when the tractor warms up, there’s plenty of heat inside the cab, even on the coldest days when he’s clearing snow.
“Without my labor, I have about $1,400 in materials to build the cab, which is far less than an $8,000 factory model,” Golley says. “If I had to build this again, I’d probably make it out of aluminum because this is heavier than it needs to be, but I know it’s sturdy and stable, and it’s going to last a long time.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Barry Golley, 40356 Stone School Rd., Wingham, Ontario, Canada N0G 2W0.