So I just got done sandblasting and painting the frame of my Thomas Protough 1700. It' was way more work that I thought it was going to be. The corrosion was so bad it was eating part way through the steel. My Case 580C is 20 years older and does not have near as much cancer. Mostly just surface rust with some minor pitting. It must be the grade of steel? For what it's worth all the steel is stamped Canada. The biggest problem is Thomas used 1 inch thick soundproofing foam all over the machine. Because it was cut tight to all 90 degree corners and basically a press fit between all adjoining steel parts the foam held water like a sponge and caused the corrosion. It did not rust under the foam sheet where they used full spread contact adhesive. Areas without foam still had significant corrosion, but not as bad as the foam edges. Do the other brands of Skid steers use sound proofing? I can't decide if I should reinstall it or not. Obviously I would shorten all my foam so it would not be in direct contact with adjoining steel. This would let the foam drain water and dry out. Steve
My ASV had about 1" foam insulation. Ripped it all out because the mice thought it was a perfect spot to nest. It really didn't do anything for the sound/heat anyway. Retained moisture too like you described.
The older case skid steers have insulation only on the cab itself. Very different designs between the machines, so its hard to make a direct comparison. You could try and put some dynamat (or similar) on the cab if you are concerned about noise. I don't believe insulation in other areas would help significantly.