Cab pros and cons

[MChalkley]

Andy - I thought about it when the idea of having a cab on my EF-5 first presented itself - thought about it a lot, in fact - but I don't think the extra 400 pounds makes too much difference in a total of 10,000. In fact, I can easily get more than that in liquid ballast, if I need to.

But, I had forgotten to mention it as a con in my post, and I'm glad you didn't. As you say, it could be very significant on a smaller, lighter compact. Excellent safety point.

 

[radman]

I wonder if a cab is overall safer in a rollover than a ROPS? Body parts (arms and legs) are probably more likely to be injured with a ROPS than cab. Also, how many people always wear a set belt while operating their tractor? No seat belt with a rollover and ROPS is asking for serious trouble. No seat belt and rollover with cab - trouble but probably less.

 

[MChalkley]

radman - That's a good question - I've wondered the same thing. Some of the points you mentioned would seem to make a cab safer. On the other hand, I don't particularly like the idea of glass flying around. One of the biggest, though, is the one you mentioned: it would keep all your parts inside the structure, at least initially.

Another factor, but not really related to your question, is that cabs are often FOPS (Falling Object Protection System) as well as ROPS, which is a big plus in my book.

 

[Gatorboy]

Re: MChalkley 100,000th POST (I think)

Mark,

I believe your post (which I am replying to) was the 100,000th one!

 

[Gatorboy]

Re: MChalkley 100,000th POST (I think)

Yes Mark, I was correct. This was verified by Muhammad!

 

[MChalkley]

Re: MChalkley 100,000th POST (I think)

Yep, gatorboy, you were absolutely correct. It didn't occur to me to check that way. Of course, it was past my bedtime...

 

[glennmac]

Re: MChalkley 100,000th POST (I think)

I like the feeling of being outside. In the heat. And in the snow. It feels natural, and part of the good earth. To me, a cab is an artificial environment, intolerably reminiscent of my intolerable office jobs, that filters out the sights, sounds, smells and windfeels of Mother Nature. Maybe I'd feel differently if I had to make my living on a tractor or if I lived in a more extreme climate zone.

 

[MChalkley]

Re: MChalkley 100,000th POST (I think)

glennmac - I used to agree with you, until I had the opportunity to plow snow and do other stuff in the cold and rain, with just a long-sleeve shirt on. Then, I was mighty glad to have it.

By the time July gets here, I might be agreeing with you again... /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[hwp]

As Andy noted, the issues can be quite different between the big boys and the pretenders. From the attached you can see that I have a cab on my Kubota F2400. It is only on for the winter. Once the snow stops, the cab comes off and I go with natural air conditioning. For snowblowing, the cab keeps the snow out of my face and the heat in the cab. When I am snowblowing, I am on relatively level ground and rollover is not a concern. However in the summer when I am mowing grass, I get onto some fairly steep sidehills, including ditches, and the weight of the cab would make the machine top heavy. But overall, I wouldn't be without a cab again.

 

[Hillbilly]

Re: MChalkley 100,000th POST (I think)

I bet your car is a convertible. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif