Are tractors with cabs becoming the norm?

[kiotiken]

My first tractor was an older JD 955 with JDP aftermarket cab. It was LOUD and a PITA to get in and out of. I sold it after a year and bought a 30hp Kioti open station cab, thinking I didn't really like having a cab. Within a year, I'd already sent it back to the dealer to have a Kioti cab added. The problem for both these cabs was no A/C. In less than a year of having a cab installed on the CK 30, I traded for a larger Kioti 45 hp with factory cab. There are a few days it would be nice to have an open station, especially getting on and off over and over, but the other 99% of the time, I would never go back.

 

[coobie1]

I have owned both.I prefer the non cab model for work in the woods.I currently have a cab and love it.

 

[coldfingers]

I almost bought one without a cab and then a friend of mine said before you make the last payment on it you will be trading it in for one with a cab. I use it more in the winter then in the summer, so I changed my mind and got a cab, I almost feel guilty when I clearing snow now as the other guys have said, its nice being warm when you get older.

 

[dragoneggs]

No doubt if I had significant snow to deal with I would have a cab. If hot days and it was part of my profession then also a cab with a/c. I am plenty enjoying the open air for my needs. I say all this living in a pretty mild climate.

 

[coldfingers]

I remember working for a farmer in high school where my father also worked and they had both open and cabbed tractors and my dad would take the open one almost all the time over the cabbed tractor. He would say, give me a nice umbrella for shade and I'm good.

 

[bumperm]

I envy you retired guys! :irked: I've got a few years to go yet.

Don't envy us retired guys, retirement, with no one but yourself telling you what to do and when, just means you get even busier, loading yourself up with stuff you "need" to do. I was bemoaning about this to a friend, and he opined that if you are a "go getter" during your career, it's not likely you are gonna be sitting on your butt much after you retire. For me that's very true, it's not my nature.

I prioritize stuff on my to-do list in order of importance, but then attack the list in order of what I want to do. The important (but usually less fun) stuff somehow loses it's priority as it waits endlessly for attention, sometimes dropping off the list entirely.

The only cons I've found to having a cab are:

If you're working with a helper, it's sometimes difficult to communicate with hand signals.

When you park in the hot sun, you have to leave the doors open so it doesn't become an oven - okay unless it's windy enough to damage the door (which it often is where I live) - the fix, cords with hooks so I can open the door and clip the hook to the inside handle so the door opens only a foot or so and doesn't become a sail.

If there's something blocking the left door, the right side door isn't nearly so east to use due to the joystick partially blocking the way - oh, it's doable, just not convenient.

For all of the reasons other's have mentioned, especially blowing snow, I love my cab!

I've noticed no reduction in power when running A/C, I know there is some, but it's not obvious.

bumper

 

[arrow]

One of the reasons I built my own cab was the door height of the shed. Having a warm place in the winter is a biggie for me. Sure is nice to be able to spend as long as I want clearing snow in a flannel shirt. My cab is sectional and not too difficult to get off and on. I removed it for the first summer, but left it on this year. I did lift the doors off and installed a 2 speed "bus driver" fan. Having the roof and tinted glass the cab was more comfortable than riding in the sun. Had skin cancer twice, so getting burnt isn't something on my to do list.

Cab looks grreat Chim. I'm not wanting to put a cab on mine but suffer from the same causative factor as to why you constructed your cab in the first place. Would like to construct some type of "cage" to replace the rops as a result as I do mostly logging with mine. Interested to know how you constructed and where you affixed your base points for the cab skeleton.

 

[oldpilgrim]

Don't envy us retired guys, retirement, with no one but yourself telling you what to do and when, just means you get even busier, loading yourself up with stuff you "need" to do. I was bemoaning about this to a friend, and he opined that if you are a "go getter" during your carrier, it's not likely you are gonna be sitting on your butt much after you retire. For me that's very true, it's not my nature.

I prioritize stuff on my to-do list in order of importance, but then attack the list in order of what I want to do. The important (but usually less fun) stuff somehow loses it's priority as it waits endlessly for attention, sometimes dropping off the list entirely.

bumper

you got that right. Yesterday I was out on my dirt driveway digging up stones that the frost heaved up. I wanted them gone before winter so I could plow without wacking them. Some turned out to be nearly 2 feet across and all I could see was a little bump in the road. Need the tractor for that work.

I've put off painting the house now for two years. Can't use the tractor for that.

 

[chim]

Cab looks grreat Chim. I'm not wanting to put a cab on mine but suffer from the same causative factor as to why you constructed your cab in the first place. Would like to construct some type of "cage" to replace the rops as a result as I do mostly logging with mine. Interested to know how you constructed and where you affixed your base points for the cab skeleton.

Thank you. The cab has 6 points where it connects to the tractor. Two bolts go through the existing holes in the rear fenders and don't do much of anything. There are two angle clips that take the weight of the rear and transfer it to the ROPS, with 2 socket head screws to keep them in position. On the front, the steel for the joystick seemed like it was made for the support, so I used that on the right side and made a mirror image bracket for the left side (shown in first picture below).

Since the sides of the cab are outboard of the fenders, the floor is enlarged on both sides with steel tube trapezoid-shaped sections. Flooring is made from a cow mat. The cab was ready for the snow that never came the winter before last.

It was removed for Summer 2013, but has been on continuously since Fall 2013. Doors were lifted off for this past Summer, and reinstalled this afternoon. The flexible material below the windshield in the pics below was replaced with Lexan recently.

Here's a link to a long-winded description of the build:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/263920-diy-cab-finally-decided-time.html

 

[bumperm]

Thank you. The cab has 6 points where it connects to the tractor.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/263920-diy-cab-finally-decided-time.html

Chim,

And the cab sides are sloped to help deflect incoming small arms fire, right?

I feel so alone and vulnerable in my straight sided cab.

bumper