# JD300 in Winter Dress



## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

Well this tractor is always in winter dress, but this year it has a cab. I had to 
add additional lights because the original headlights on the JD300 are almost
completely useless. A 2 joule strobe tops off the cab and 
250 lbs of added rear weight should help this guy grip.
Tire chains will be added shortly.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/aegt5000/JD300WD1.jpg">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/aegt5000/JD300WD2.jpg">

I got the cab on eBay, really cheep but the doors were in really bad
shape. The original setup had a left side vinyl door and a vinyl curtain
on the right side. This was a really cheesy set up and the vinyl was 
all ripped up. 

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/aegt5000/JD300WD3.jpg">

Taking the idea from the vinyl doors used on the Sims cab, I made metal door
frames. Then my son got me a sheet of yellow reinforced plastic. Its like the
material they make the kids plastic building blocks from. Feels like some kind
of mix of plastic / rubber and fiberglass.

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/aegt5000/JD300WD4.jpg">

After cutting the yellow plastic to match the metal frames, I cut window 
Openings into the doors and used clear lexan to make the windows. 
J.C. Whitney window gaskets were used to attach the clear panels to the 
yellow panels. 

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/aegt5000/JD300WD5.jpg">

Finally, I cut slots into the cab sides and mounted 2 large cabinet magnets to 
keep each door closed.


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

Great pics of the cab! I just might steal some of your ideas there, Good design!


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## chrpmaster (May 5, 2004)

Great pictures and really nice job. :thumbsup: 

Was the cab originally from a John Deere or some other tractor? I was wondering how easy it is to make them fit different tractors.

Andy


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

Andy,

The cab was for a JD but not for a 300. It was made for Deere by
Femco. If you look at the last pic, you'll see the back of the cab is
supported by a piece of Kindoff, which sits on the fender pan.
The front pads just bolted up under the foot rests.

I have put a Sims cab off a Cub Cadet on my Bolens HT-23 and
a Sims cab off another Cub Cadet on my Sears GT5000. 
Adapting a cab from one garden tractor to a different garden 
tractor is not a major project.


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

Great job on the doors! I like the weights on the back kind of a rocket powered or nuclear warhead effect!! 

I notice on this plow and on your 23 it appears to a rubber edge. What did use for this and where did you get it? Any idea how long it will last? I used my plow last week on about 2-3" of snow and left some nice scrape marks on the cement. I know the marks will wear off but the edge on yours looks more forgiving.


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

sixchows..

The wear edge on both plows is a piece of plastic 5/4 x 6 deck board
from Home Depot. I buy a 10 ft piece and cut it in half, each half 
yields 2 wear edges (you flip it over when one side is worn).
A 10 ft board costs about $16.00, that means about $4.00 an edge.
I plow 3 driveways, (mine, my brother and my neighbor) all 3 are
about 7500 sq ft. I can plow the 3 driveways two times on a single
wear edge. So it’s about $2.00 per snowstorm. I also do not use
chains on the HT-23 or the GT5000.


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## ducati996 (Dec 27, 2003)

Aegt5000,

Another awesome job!! Didnt know you had a Deere always thought your were a Bolens and craftsman dude!
I have found excersise workout rubber mats cut to length and attached to the bottom of a front or rear blade gives great scrapping ability.....simply bolt between current scaper blades cutting edge, or modify washers to hold the rubber squigy in place. You can find these mats at industrel kitchen supply
warehouses, or kits directly from deere (expensive). Just a thought....

In general how well does the deere or the craftsman work without chains? I removed (switched tires) my chains from my Cub today. I'm not happy that i can damage my driveway too easily, even with upmost care....42 lb wheel weights each side plus 4 suitcase (42 lbs each) for a total of 252 lbs.....
This of course does not include a rather adonis looking operator who weighs in at a svelt 225 lbs LOL  
I'm going to test this setup out the next storm. Of course it will be a pain to convert back to chains, if I find I need them quickly. But I have the ability to do that on the fly.....I just never not had chains on a garden tractor for winter use...
mg: 

Ducati


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

Duc...

I got the Deere too late last year to ever try it out in the snow. 
So I have no experience using the turf tires on snow without chains. 
I put the chains on the Deere this afternoon, but won’t use it unless 
I have some kind of catastrophic breakdowns with the other tractors. 
I really plan on putting it in my brothers garage and letting my nephew 
use it to plow their driveway. 

The Sears GT5000 and the Bolens HT-23 have Titan tire Tru Power AT
26 x 12:00 x 12’s on them, with no chains. I used this tire all last winter
and with the added weight , they preformed very well. IMO this is a 
better snow tire than Super Lugs. I have Super Lugs on the Bolens 1250
with FEL, the wide deep lugs are great in dirt. The Tru-Power AT’s have 
smaller, but many more lugs with sharp corners. At 8 psi, the smaller 
lugs flex and bite against the pavement really well. 

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/aegt5000/Tires.jpg">

Also remember both the GT5000 and HT23 have the tires filled with 
antifreeze (70 lbs per tire), 50 lb wheel weights, plus added rear weight
plus the weight of the cab, plus me.


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## ducati996 (Dec 27, 2003)

Impressive setup once again!! I noticed what I thought was hydrolic outlet couplers on the 300? does the front blade have hydrolic angling and lift? I guess all we need is snow just to make sure things will actually work (more for me). Yours will work for sure!

Ducati


P.S I added 1 extra suitcase weight today (5 in all plus 2 x 42 lbs wheel weights = total is now 294 lbs with Super lugs AG.
Running out of options besides fluid, need snow badly to test this out...


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## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

aegt5000, great looking job on the cab! :thumbsup: You are definitely going to need the chains for traction. With R-4 tires all around, 4 wheel drive, 110 gallons of Rim Guard in the rear tires, and about 300 lbs. of rear hitch weight; I could not climb a small hill after the sleet storm we had. I had to lock the rear differential and then let the rear tires eat through the snow/sleet pack to the ground to get traction and get up the hill. Chains are a must.


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

Duc,
That Deere 300 has the capability to hydraulically lift AND angle the front blade. It is the imediate predecessor of my Kohler powered Deere 316 which is equipped the same way. Separate pedals for each rear wheel brake too. And the front blade is 54" wide, no longer available for the current 300 series, have to go to the "X" 400s or up.


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## aegt5000 (Feb 22, 2004)

Thanks Joe.
100% correct on all points mentioned. :thumbsup:


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## LPBOLENS (Dec 20, 2004)

Beautiful job on the cab!! Nicely thought out and carefully executed, the mark of a craftsman. About the problems caused by steel chains on pavement: did anyone else see the "non-marking" chains on eBay that have rubber "cross chains"?


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