Cab or No Cab?

[12.75AC]

I'm looking at both the B and L series tractors. One feature I really like is the cab option. How many people are using a cab tractor in either of these series? What are the advantages or disadvantages of having one? Is it something I can do with out?


Thanks,
Dave

 

[RFB]

I have a Kubota L5030HSTC; it has heat, A/C and filtered air.

All of my cars have heat and A/C.

All of my trucks have heat and A/C.

My house and shop have heat and A/C.

Not one time in my life have I ever thought: "Darn, I wish this was less comfortable".

Can you do without? Absolutely.

After having experienced the comfort, would you want to? Not hardly.

 

[ff1221]

I do snow removal commercially, and when I purchased my massey I didn't even hesitate to get a factory cab. I've used tractors with aftermarket cabs, although you save a few bucks, you give up your comfort. They are drafty and noisy. I can sit in my tractor when its 15 degrees out in a t-shirt, and in the summer when it's 95 it sure is nice in that air conditioned cab. My neighbour has a L4710, and when he bought it, he had originally thought of an aftermarket cab, but the price difference wasn't enough to warrant giving up the fit and finish.

 

[riptides]

I have no cab tractors and UTV's. My farm manager has all cab tractors.

Every chance I get I use his.

I would NOT put a cab on my B, unless I was using it a lot more in the summer time. And a lot more means 10 or more hours a week end.

-Mike Z.

 

[amigauser]

I have the Kubota B3030HSDCC cab tractor and I would not go back to an open station. The only advantage I see to an open station tractor is for backoe users as you need to leave the cab to use the backhoe and I imagine it would be a bit of a pain. Also if you are using the tractor for something were you need to get on and off the tractor often a cab might be less convenient than an open station.

For normal loader work, snow removal, mowing, etc. it is very nice to be in a heated and air-conditioned cab. If you have ever worked an open station tractor in the winter or in dusty summer conditions you will love a cab tractor .

Norm

 

[Conn]

i love all our open station tractors and love being outside. my allergies in the spring and summer are terrible, and i've never been able to put up hay at all due to this.

do most all of these "cab" tractors have a good air filteration system? that would be the only reason for me wanting one. wearing a full respirator while mowing isn't exactly comfortable. and it limits my head movement when taking in my surroundings.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I doubt that anyone will say that a cab is less comfortable than an open station machine, especially in temperature extremes, or when blowing snow. Other things that I would consider are the storage requirements, and environment that it will be used in. If you have a lot of low branches that you work around, or no storage place with high enough doors, of ceilings for example it might not work so well for you. Working in the woods can be a problem, as can the much higher center of gravity if you do any work on slopes. Backhoe use is another consideration. Fortunately for my wallet, I need to consider all those things......

 

[bandit67]

Is it something I can do with out?

A little tough to answer until we know where you are and what types of weather & temperature extremes you encounter.

For years, while sweating my tail off during the summers while doing a full day's worth of tractor work, I wished for a cab. In the winter, I'd think that it might also be nice to have a cab. I said to myself that if I ever moved to the mountains, where it snows a lot, I would then be able to justify a cab.
However, now that I live in the snowy mountains, I find that the summers don't get much above 85*, so a cab would only really be necessary in winter. Being tractorless right now, I've been handling the snow with a walk-behind snowblower and a ATV with a plow. I've yet to wish for a cab, though I long for the new tractor for snow removal.

I rented a full size backhoe with a cab for a long weekend this past fall, and I actually did not like the cab. I like being outside, and something about that cab did not sit right with me. I'm glad I rented that machine, because until I used it, I thought a cab was in my future. Now I've decided to buy a cabless tractor, and when and if I get wimpy enough in the winter one day in my old age, I can get one at that time. But since I go out running sled dogs in temps as cold as 25* below zero, I figure I can handle a cabless tractor. I have a friend who still runs his sleddogs at the age of 57, and he still doesn't wish he had a cab on his tractor, so I think it may be a while before I'm ready to bite the bullet on a cab.

I think if I still had to work in 105* summer heat, I'd be getting a cab. I'm a bigger wimp about the heat than the cold.

 

[bradv42]

Like any subject that is discussed on this forum- many of the answers to the questions are "it depends". My decision was based on my uses as I do not have a cab, I run the snow blower between 10 and 20 times per year, which is when I would like a cab. On the other hand, for most of the rest of the year I am at an advantage of not having a cab in the region that I live in. With no cab, I have better visibility, lots of fresh air, the ability to hear more of what is going on with the tractor and the ability to drive around shrubs and trees without contacting them when I mow!
The right answer is "it depends".

 

[big bubba]

Dave: what part of the country do you live? How many hours per year on your tractor? Do you compulsively have to have AC wherever you go in the hot weather? Are you making your living on your tractor in the cold? Will you be in tight woodsy spots that will tear up a cab? Do you have to bring your creature comforts with you on your tractor? Do you like the feel of the outdoors or feel safer/more comfortable housed in glass and sheet metal? really it's a personal choice unless you live in the Yukon or tropics. bb