The polycarbonate door on my Cat 279C2 is so opaque from sun exposure over the years, I can barely see through it. When working toward the sun, I can't see anything through most of the door. Has anyone used one of the restoration polishes or compounds that actually work to clear the "frosting" on theirs? Don't really want to spend $700 on a replacement if I can get this one to where I can at least see where I am going.
You need to find the lexan that doesn't fog up with age. Be careful what chemicals you use on it though. Certain things like contact cleaner will destroy it. Trying to clean your existing door I think is fruitless. You'll end up with a zillion scratches on it that won't be much better than being fogged up.
The same thing happened on the windshield of my Goldwing. I got a product called PlastX that is made by Meguiars and used it. It's a cleaner / polish that worked pretty good. It takes some time and elbow grease and time but was a lot cheaper that a new screen.
You could see what these guys offer and cost. I've heard their name come up in the past from the forestry mulching and land clearing guys. http://www.racingshields.com/
I am surprised the cost is only $700 for new Lexan.
Yeah, only $700. The tempered glass option is about 1/2 the cost but raking, pushing, grapple hauling and piling the mesquite I am clearing in my pasture could take out the glass pretty quick.
Thanks, I'll see what they have.
I've seen a couple of videos using this stuff. For $15 it's worth a try before I buy another door. Thanks.
Danny if you decide to use that Meguiars product be sure to post back and let everyone know how it worked (or not as the case may be).
Will do.......
Might depend on how bad it is but worth trying to polish. The back window on my skid steer is plastic incase of an emergency and you have to kick it out. You could barely see out of it. A buddy said the hardware store had small sheets of lexan that doesn't age/yellow so I made a widow out of that. Worked great and was about $35 at the time. Have to very careful cutting it though so it doesn't get little cracks on the edges.
What part number is the OEM? 258-4071? 258-4081?
I've used the novus stuff with excellent results on flat polycarb and acrylic. https://www.novuspolish.com/
Auto head lamps are made of polycarbonate with a UV protection coating. I used "3M Advanced Headlight Restoration System" that restored the clarity on a VW. The kit has sanding disks that grind the degraded polycarbonate away, then progressively finer grits / polish to restore clarity. I also used Meguiar's Keep Clear Headlight Coating to protect the newly cleared poly. This was done April 2018 with constant exposure, the lights are still clear. I would suggest a trial at the bottom or very top of the door. Before: After:
258-4071 is the tempered glass door, 258-4071-14PC is the polycarbonate door.
I've watched several videos of different polish products and decided to order the Novus Kit. When it comes in and I get around to trying it out I will try to remember to post the results. Thanks to everyone for their responses.
i have bought a lexan door from a john deere dealership that sells diamond mowers attatchment they sell lexan doors way less than john deere doors and i putted it on myself it is pretty nice well worth the money n its half inch thick n doesnt seem to scratch up at all yet
Well, I got the Novus 3 part kit in. I tried it out on the door according to the directions. I applied the #3 twice and the #2 twice and the#1 once and I guess it might have made it a little clearer but not much of an "Oh wow!" moment. The sun damage and scratches would probably eventually clear up some with this stuff but, I think to save time and not having to buy another Novus kit, I am going to pick up some 1500 and 3000 grit sandpaper and give the door a wetsanding and see if I can't improve the odds.
What about using an electric buffer/polisher like they use on cars? There are types of Lexan that don't yellow.
I buffed the roof skylights ($900 ea) on my 5 Takeuchi excavators. I used Finesse-it finishing compound and a foam finger bonnet on my 9" buffer. Kept the speed down. Didn't do half bad, but, these are coated, and the coating is the worst part as far as opacity goes. Someday, I'll replace them, but, @$900 ea, it's gonna be a while.
Thought about that. I have a buffer attachment on my cordless drill that I tried today. May look for a dedicated automotive polisher.
This bears repeating...From my post on page 1 of this thread. If you grind / polish off the yellow and the UV coating on polycarbonate, you must re-protect the poly or it will rapidly yellow again. I can vouch for the longevity of Meguiar's Keep Clear Headlight Coating
Well, fudge. I got busy and let this door thing go for several months. Now I need to use my loader quite a bit and I just don't think that I'm going to waste any more time or money on polishing. I've tried several polishes and methods and can't tell much of a difference. I'm going to just bite the bullet and order one from Racing Shields. Thanks for the input guys.
This one?
Yes, I found that one and really considered it. However, it is .250" thick and the old one on my machine is .375". I just didn't want to go down in thickness and this .375" one from Racing Shields was just about $37.00 higher than Safe Harbor's .250" version.
I have a .5" door from Racing Shield. Works well, had it on for a year and it hasn't scratched at all yet. They had a booth at ConExpo that was pretty convincing and their pricing is reasonable.
Good to hear. Thanks.
I got a 2019 259D with an open cab.. Does anyone know if I can buy the glass mounting parts (latch etc) from either Cat or aftermarket company so I can put a Racing Shield Glass on.. I just contacted Racing Shield and they say they only provide glass and no accessories..
I am guessing you would have to buy the door frame and components from CAT. When I put the Racing Shield Lexan on my machine, I had to buy longer bolts on the door latch to work with the thicker material. I am not familiar with how the CAT door latches work, but if CAT offers a separate door for their Lexan/demo door, that is likely what you would want and just use the Racing shield lexan. I would hate to see that that door will cost from Cat. If might be able to find a door from a salvage company, but imagine those are first things that go on those machines.
There is already a company in Canada who already does this complete but they are charging an arm a leg and a wing.. https://skidsteerdoors.com/ I don't feel comfortable paying $1700.. I would be really happy buying a door for $700 and maybe get the frame and accessories for maybe $300-400.. Also I am ok with a 1/4 or 3/8 glass which is in the $500 range
I bought one of their doors for a 465 Case. The door sucked.
Thanks for the feedback.. did you buy anything else besides the door?
I it was all the gear necessary to mount it. A rental company also bought several for their machines and they were not happy either. Seemed like a good idea, even at 1700 its cheaper than OEM, just doesn't work as well.
You are not going to be able to own a Cat machine and think you are going to decide what you want to pay for parts. There is very little aftermarket support, and Cat isn't going to negotiate on prices. The full door assembly with glass from Cat is about $2,000. The glass is only about $400 of that.
If you think that’s expensive wait until you see the price of the Cat door parts even minus the "glass"…!! There are three different retrofit "Cab Door & Mounting" Kits with Lexan windshield available but they are very Serial Number dependent. To know which one is applicable to your particular machine would require the Serial Number. "2019 259D" won't work. Even though it will include the glass pre-installed in the door the applicable kit might be a cost-effective option over buying a long list of individual parts from somewhere and the Lexan from somewhere else. I wouldn’t imagine any aftermarket company will offer the door or the hardware for it.
CAT0259DAFTL23636
Rather pay $2000 then $1700 for aftermarket
In that case the appropriate kit is apparently Part Number 514-9112. Confirm that with your local Cat dealer. Attached the inslallation instructions which could come in useful even if you choose a different purchase option, because there is a lot more to the job than simply installing a door.
This is exactly what I am looking at right now.. I am also looking at the cab heater as well and if it is compatible with my machine
Can I suggest that before jumping in with both feet that you have your local dealer confirm the Part Number of the kit you need for your specific Serial Number.
Anything in the attached pdf help?
Yes I have a local dealer where I can confirm before moving forward
Thanks for sharing.. From what I see on the diagrams it appears that maybe all i need are to bolt on the hinges and attach any glass.. and I also need to buy the handle
Current Caterpillar glass and poly door kit pricing.
There are actually a surprising amount of parts involved. The $2000 number is from Fabick Cat; a few months ago I pretty much demolished everything related the the door on my 289D . . .
A pic of the poly kit
looks pretty straight forward installation
The glass door kit also has stronger struts for lifting the cab.
Everything in the glass door kit
Did the rental company ever considered the vinyl cover? I mean that is a huge step down