Windows Keep Busting!

[Canadian_digger]

So I get a call from one of my employees today. He tells me that the back sliding window on the back of our 310SG broke when he raised it up to close it! The worst part is this is not the first time this happens. Twice last summer the same thing happen but it was when they slid the window to open them.

It is starting to get very frustrating, I own 3, 310SGs.

Has anyone else ever had this happen to them?

Do you think John Deere should do something.

Not only is it about $300 and 3hrs of driving for me when this happens. I think it is also a safety hazard for the person that is open/closing the window.




Can someone move this to the backhoe forum, I posted in the wrong section.
Thanks

 

[CBS]

buy a cat i just seen a deere case and a cat backhoe in pieces beside one another at the cat backhoe factory i can tell u i went with case and deere back hoe owners after seeing that and operating them they both said ther next backhoes purchased will be cat no questions asked

So I get a call from one of my employees today. He tells me that the back sliding window on the back of our 310SG broke when he raised it up to close it! The worst part is this is not the first time this happens. Twice last summer the same thing happen but it was when they slid the window to open them.

It is starting to get very frustrating, I own 3, 310SGs.

Has anyone else ever had this happen to them?

Do you think John Deere should do something.

Not only is it about $300 and 3hrs of driving for me when this happens. I think it is also a safety hazard for the person that is open/closing the window.




Can someone move this to the backhoe forum, I posted in the wrong section.
Thanks

 

[nickbowers]

what about replacing them with plastic ones that will ahve a bit of flex in it?

 

[Tinkerer]

Are they laminated safety or tempered ? In regards to plastic, I tried both acrylic and polycarbonate for replacements. In my opinion they are both garbage compared to glass windows.

 

[Dozerboy]

I would look into laminated safety glass. I bet they are tempered most stuff seems to be now days. I agree both both acrylic and polycarbonate suck and it cost the same or more as glass, but then you will be replacing because its all scratched up.

 

[willie59]

If the glass has any curve to it at all, you're probably stuck with buying the OEM glass.

 

[Canadian_digger]

They are curved and tempered.

Do you think that John Deere should come good for the glass breaking for no reason? I mean once or twice, but 3 times in less than 12 months.

 

[CM1995]

Can someone move this to the backhoe forum, I posted in the wrong section.
Thanks

Done.

 

[willie59]

They are curved and tempered.

Do you think that John Deere should come good for the glass breaking for no reason? I mean once or twice, but 3 times in less than 12 months.

There are several companies that custom curve tempered and laminated glass. But you would first have to provide them a template of the curve and shape of glass, or send them a factory glass as a template. And if it has holes in it for mounting latches, by the time you do all the particulars involved, it's not a large savings compared to OEM glass.

I don't know that there's anything Deere would do about it unless you could determine for sure that it's a design flaw with the machine. I know I know...it keeps busting the glass. I'm only saying you would have to determine exactly what's breaking the glass.

As for why it's breaking, tempered glass is very tough, has a high impact strength on the face of the glass, way more than laminated. But not around the edges. If you just bump one of the edges of tempered it will shatter. Or something that causes a pinch point on one of the edges will do the same. Also, if the slide tracks on each side are not exactly parallel, putting the glass in a twist, it will shatter. If your glass slides up and down with ease, I doubt that's the problem. But if it's stiff to slide, that's something to look into.

If it's the top glass breaking, and that glass fits into a weatherstrip molding, take a dull flat screwdriver and run it along the inside of the molding where glass fits, feeling for any high spots that would contact the glass in one little spot when glass is stowed and latched.

 

[cutting edge]

What's really happening is that the window latches are coming loose and letting the window fall while the guy is roading or digging and buddy thinks he did something to cause it.

On the next window,put a little blue loctite on the 3 screws that hold the latch to the window.

 

[nedly05]

We've had the same issue with our 410-G, both times when we were opening it. When it happened to me I just grabbed the latches and started to lower it and it exploded and there I was with the latches in my hands and glass everywhere. I dont think its a uncommon event with G series hoes.

 

[pconnelly]

I don't think it's a glass issue

We have a 410E and it's a great machine but the latch for the sliding back window is not as well made - or designed - as that of a Cat 416B that we had earlier. We haven't fixed the problem, but we usually open the window as soon as the machine is going through rough movement, driving or digging.

 

[shopteacher 1]

Several years ago, I had a log thrown through the rear window on my pick-up. the window was replaced and within a month shattered. Three more windows were installed (for free) and they too shattered. The last tech that came out checked the groove in the rubber gasket that held the window. In the bottom of it he found a small shard of glass that the new window was sitting on. He said it created a preasure point that would eventially cause the window to shatter. He removed it and installed a new window, and I have not had any trouble since.

I would look for something that might be creating a presure point on the edge somewhere .

John

 

[tuney443]

Canadian Digger---Are you sure it broke while your operator was raising it to close it? The reason I ask is because if the rubber cushions are missing on the bottom where the bottom of the 2 sliding windows rest,the glass will indeed break when they are being lowered if they're dropped too quickly.It happened on my 410G.IMHO,those stops should have more cushioning,I might rig something up as the factory ones look too thin.Unless there's a glass shard in the track as already mentioned to create a pressure point,It possibly could be this.

 

[Deon]

I'm no expert in the heavy equipment side of things but I have a lifetime of experience in the glass industry. I own a marine window manufacturing plant.
www.marinelitewindows.com You cannot install laminated glass instead of the tempered glass in this application. Laminated glass needs to be mounted in a frame to give it rigidity and to protect the edges. Laminated glass sitting in a track with no frame like in a backhoe window will break 4 times easier than tempered glass. About the reoccurring breakage, there is definitely a reason. Like already mentioned, not a proper cushion at the bottom stop, or metal contacting the glass somewhere, or latch that is mounted through the glass has bolt gouging into the glass due to plastic bushing missing or defective. What is important to understand about tempered glass is that it's difficult to break with a blunt object but easily shattered with a hard, sharp object that can cut through the tempered surface of the glass. Paramedics carry a hand held steel click punch in the emergency vehicles to rescue people trapped in vehicles. One click of the hard pointed punch and the tempered glass turns to 1/4" pieces. Find the hard object that is cutting into your glass and repair it. Your troubles will be over.

 

[Deereman]

Hate to hear your having a problem.. I have never had one brake where i used to work. Some of them slammed on accident and some on purpose. I wasn't easly with some of them b/c they were stuck and never seem to break one..