Buying Advice To Cab or Not to Cab

[k0ua]

You are the first to catch that the ROPS is a DK40 and the Cab is a DK45. The reason for the "deal" is the owner will hit his "bonus" if he makes this sale before the end of the month. I don't trust any sales guy so I don't know if this is true or not. However, I did put calls into other Kioti dealers in the surrounding states and the price seems to jive.

The other part of starting this thread was to have some convincing evidence for the CFO on the acreage, i.e. the wife. Going to go sit in the machine tomorrow morning just to make sure it still "fits" me. :thumbsup:

I am sure it will "look good on you"

 

[grsthegreat]

my wife operates my dk45 cab and has no issues with it...cept she keeps changing the radio station

 

[grm61]

Cab, I sure enjoy mine.

 

[chubby]

After 900 hrs in the 3 years the only thing that has been damaged has been the antenna. But with all the pluses that have been mentioned the cab is the only answer. I do a lot of brush cutting, some 10 hrs at a time. On humid hot days it is so nice not to have your skin crawling with seed and criters. Or how nice it is when you have been pushing snow for 14 hrs and it is 3 degrees. Or those 40 degree rainy days that you are making a gravel drive and that you can keep working. Sure you can add a cab later, but look at pricing add your labor and you will be above the price of a factory cab, I did check it out and without a/c. When you figure resale over a rops divide by your 10 year ownership and I think you will find your cost per is less than 250.00 per year. Less than a dollar a day! Buy the CAB! no regrets!

 

[the old grind]

Well, I guess the cab idea won the election. I'll be 64 in a matter of weeks and this cold winter reminded me why I don't want a cab. It really sucked to push snow for hours at a time (5 snows) and 30-some hours in Jan alone with daytime temps only up into the teens a few times. That said, I could easily see what all four wheels were doing, including when ditched by drivers that hate to go much faster than you when they pass and have you cringing, or craning your neck to see if they ever will. (not my good side for that :hissyfit

I see a big advantage to a cab being that if something jams into the steering or falls off, a hose pops, oil or coolant starts leaking, etc you don't have much to worry about if you don't have to look at it. Then, when s__ doesn't work you can keep jammin' to the radio in heated or air-conditioned comfort and dial up some help on your I-Crutch. (I-Anchor 4 here, btw ) Well then there's service access, but I said 'advantage' ...

I grew up in the city and was the black sheep of the family, biker, boater, trapper, hunter. I moved out here to pee off the porch and get off my six once in a while (out-freakin'-doors) where there's so much more to do than on say on two city lots.

The hours I spent getting numb last month reminded me of how much I enjoy all the rest of my seat time, in touch with every rattle, squeak, clunk, passing bug or critter and natures elements as I would on my motorbike. No tedious mowing, now or never urgencies, vast fields to plow, or weekend warrior escapes, just a lot of climbing on/off, switching buckets/implements and getting too dirty to think that a little bug repellant won't wash off too.

I'm not knocking you cab guys, just embellishing a losing option and wanting to point out that we're all a bit different and I hope not many of us are making many of the big decisions just by digital consortium or 'me too'. Anyway, when I get my eye poked out on the trail because I don't have a cab you'll get the last laugh, huh? :laughing:

(I'd want a DK45 HST open station and keep looking. jmho)

 

[KennyG]

I have a soft cab because I mow under trees in summer and clear snow in the winter. Off in the summer and on in the winter. And a fraction of the cost.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I have a soft cab because I mow under trees in summer and clear snow in the winter. Off in the summer and on in the winter. And a fraction of the cost.

I have a soft cab also. No Ac or radio but it sure breaks the wind. I'm quite comfortable plowing snow at 10 below F and in strong winds with just the heat that comes of the iron. I have managed to crack the window plastic in the door opening it up when it was super cold so it does have a limited lifetime. I'm guessing seven to ten years if I'm careful with it.

 

[Athrawn17]

Well, I guess the cab idea won the election. I'll be 64 in a matter of weeks and this cold winter reminded me why I don't want a cab. It really sucked to push snow for hours at a time (5 snows) and 30-some hours in Jan alone with daytime temps only up into the teens a few times. That said, I could easily see what all four wheels were doing, including when ditched by drivers that hate to go much faster than you when they pass and have you cringing, or craning your neck to see if they ever will.

(I'd want a DK45 HST open station and keep looking. jmho)

I see where you are coming from. I have only operated open station tractors, and really didn't consider the cab option until the dealer gave me the numbers. Then it suddenly became an option. Makes it a bit more interesting of a decision. My original want was an open station DK 40, but I can swing the extra $$ for the cab. Hence the purpose of the thread. I love all the opinions.

 

[YardBikeBob]

The hours I spent getting numb last month reminded me of how much I enjoy all the rest of my seat time, in touch with every rattle, squeak, clunk, passing bug or critter and natures elements as I would on my motorbike.

Thanks, I really liked your post. I don't have acres of flat crop land to work nor miles of lane to clear of snow. Most of my 'work' starts out as "Cool! I get to use my tractor!" It seems I am often working on something that requires a lot of 'get off for a sec' chores. I get dirty. My ROPS station gets muddy. I can hose us both down. I have a lot of woods, too.

The OP stated 10 acres, half woods. How much actual seat time is he really gonna have in a day?

I never considered a cab for a moment. I like simplicity. You can't break it if you don't got it.

Bob

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I'm 39, I'm OK without the cab. . . . The factory cabs they make these days are nicer than the hardtop on my Jeep TJ, I neither want nor need the luxury and would rather spend that extra money on implements and a top-and-tilt-kit.

I'm 61, and I've adopted T. Boone Pickens' philosophy: At my age, a penny saved is a penny WASTED.

But seriously, I had the money to buy the cab model. So what should I do? Save the money so my kids can inherit it and p!ss it away on worthless junk when I'm gone?

Nah, I got the cab. And have zero regrets. None, nada, zilch.