Hi folks, I have a 2004 TB175 Takeuchi hoe. The Plexiglas window above the operators head is cloudy. Can't see the stick & bucket when in the air. Is there any buffing compound to clear this up? Thank you, DaveG
Any Polishing Compound should help. It's very fine grit. Barely rougher than auto wax. Will require a lot of elbow grease. Army trick, helicopter crews use Pledge Furniture polish on windows to hide scratches, etc. Down side is has to be done repeatedly.
Nice thing about a Lemon Pledge applied window is that when it gets dusty you can wipe it with a gloved hand and it wipes clean with no scratch or stick. We used it for years on our goggles while racing long distance off road events. It easily lasted for 20 wipes on a 100 mile race.
They say toothpaste is a way to take the cloud off of headlight lenses. Maybe that'll work there. Like mentioned above, very fine grit to remove oxidation. Start maybe 300 and move finer. Use water the entire time you work on it. Vary the direction of your strokes. You should end up at 600 or maybe even 800 if you want all of the scratches gone. Then pledge or even just a good wax to protect and prevent future oxidation.
There are some good products on the market for doing this that any good auto store would have. Mcguires and Mothers are 2 brand names that come to mind with different grades for scratch removal to polishing.
Plastic Polish (like for headlights) if it’s just cloudy sandpaper and polish if you need to remove scratches.
I just replaced my skidsteer plexiglass with glass. There were hairline spider scratches between the panes of plexiglass that couldn’t be buffed out. Couldn’t see out when facing the sun or in bright snow. So.....you may not be able to get it clear if you have the same situation
I would try an aeromotive parts shop. Small planes have plastic windshields. I remember getting some good buffing compounds to do my motorcycle goggles years back at air shops.
Have you considered replacing it ? Unless you do demo work maybe replace it with glass.
I usually replace Plexiglass (acrylic) with Lexan (polycarbonate). The Lexan is easier to work with, doesn't crack so easily when you drill/cut it. You still have the problem with scratches but it's very impact resistant. It costs more than Plexiglass, though. Much safer than glass.
Use the cleaner sold that airplane parts stores used for small planes.
Well, first, that polycarbonate is curved, coated, and over $900. The cloudiness is more oxidation of the UV/ scratch restant coating, than actual abrasion, or, at least that's the case on mine. If you replace it, use Sikafkex 255FC or equivalent, not "urethane windshield adhesive". First, soap and water wash, then clay bar to clean the pores, then, I use Finesse-it paint polishing compound and a foam bonnet on a buffer. Moderate pressure, moderate speed, and constant moving to keep heat down. If you buff through the coating on the outside, it will cloud and scratch tremendously faster. But, a light buff will work wonders if the coating is intact. If you find a source with them for less, pleae share, as I could use FIVE of them, 4 on a TB180FR and one on a TB53FR.