Comparison Smaller Cab Tractor vs Larger ROPS Tractor

[foggy1111]

I just traded for a cab tractor for all the reasons stated. I could not be happier. Fun to operate regardless of conditions. We have lots of tics in the spring, then deer flies, and lots of wasps and hornets.....not to mention dust, dirt, allergies, hot, cold, rain, snow, sun, and so many more issues that don't affect me when I am in my CAB. Much safer too....as I dont worry about getting hit by a limb or flying debris.

After getting my wooded property "tamed" over ten years.....the cab fits nicely through my timbered trails and food plots. Nice not wearing hearing muffs, staying clean, and listening to the radio too. Did I mention I love my cab? . Buy a cab.....and don't look back.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

I guess once my property was fully "tamed" that could work. But do I really want it to be fully tamed?

I bought some good earplugs to deal with the horrific engine noise. I mean, it doesn't SEEM that loud but after a couple of hours your ears are ringing. Not good. But I was surprised to discover how important my hearing was to my situational awareness, and therefore my safety. Changes in engine note, the sound of the implement touching the ground. Weird, but with earplugs I feel too cut off from what's going on.

I can see on the "flats" how a cab is nothing but an advantage. But on the steep, in the woods, in the rough, IDK but I want to hear and see everything as I feel that is much safer. Plus of course our climate is pretty temperate. You guys that live in awful climates that get super hot and ridiculously cold, I totally understand why a cab is necessary.

 

[Tractorable]

Thanks for all the recommendations folks! I’d say our property is mostly tamed but it’s a constant work in progress to prevent nature from completely taking over. Don’t get me wrong, I love nature, but we just need to maintain healthy boundaries, like a good relationship.

I’m definitely leaning more towards the cab version but the brawn of a larger rops tractor always has its appeal.

Ariel view of the eight acre property.....

 

[DerbyRunner]

Suppose you keep your new tractor 10 or 15 years. What model do you want at age 57 or 62?

 

[Tractorable]

Suppose you keep your new tractor 10 or 15 years. What model do you want at age 57 or 62?

Good thinking, I want this to be my first and last major tractor purchase. 10-15 years from now I’ll definitely be less able and more crotchety than I already am so a cab tractor is sounding nice.

 

[foggy1111]

^ Regarding the hilly land. I owned a JD 3320 prior to my Kubota with a cab. Both have rimguard in the rears. I believe the Deere is more "tippy" on sloped land than the cabbed Kubota. Why? The Kubota is about 6" wider than the similar sized Deere's. If I had bought a Deere I would have put wheel spacers on the rears to get about the same width as the Kubota. Although my land is pretty flat, I still have lots of concerns at times when lifting heavy loads on sloped land. Not sure what my choice would be on mountainous or hilly property......but I think safety would trump the comfort of a cab?

I gotta take care of my hearing....or what little is left of it. The cab is definitely better in that department. I always wore a "work tunes" set of muffs on my open station. Not needed any more.

Regarding the "tamed" land comment. I have 120 acres of woodland which includes about 8 acres of food plots and a few miles of trails thru the woods. I've taken some time to clear overhanging branches from some of the trails to allow the tractor to pass thru. Seems that that cab is not a major deal on my land.....but it does require some extra effort to keep my trails cleared for the cab. Not as big of a deal as I expected. If I slow downs most of the leaves and branches just slide past the cab. I suppose the brush will scratch the tractor a bit....but the same is true with my old open station. I don't let a few scratches stop me. Grin.

 

[Texasmark]

I'm torn between two tractor options for my eight acres in Virginia; a 3000lb cab tractor or a 3500lb ROPS tractor (bare tractor weights). I have a personal preference for Japanese tractors with a name on it that is the actual company that built it, so that leaves me with Kubota or Yanmar.

Specifically, the Kubota L3560 ROPS or the Yanmar YT235 Cab, they both cost the same and are at the top of my budget ($27K). I'm going to have to buy about $6K worth of implements on top the cost of the tractor. I have two Kubota dealers and two Yanmar dealers nearby.

The tractor will be used to maintain my mostly flat property with some gentle slopes; no new construction or land clearing required; there is one steep hill on our gravel driveway. Most of the property is open and there will be little woods work except there are about a dozen dead trees around the perimeter that need to be taken down and removed.

Tasks include:

- Maintain 1/3mi long gravel driveway with box blade/land plane/rear blade; one steep hill on it
- Move/drag/load dead trees with grapple onto utility trailer for removal. We don't have a fireplace so firewood is useless to me. Would prefer to not burn trees/brush
- Bush hog 5 acres of pasture
- Clear snow off gravel lane; In VA it may not snow for 2-3 years but then sometimes we get 2.5ft of snow
- Maintain horse riding ring: currently don't own horses but maybe in the future
- Move mobile chicken tractor with 3pt or FEL ball hitch every few days. Chicken tractor weighs ~800lbs but is on wheels, only lifting one end and pulling/pushing it around pasture
- Dig 70 post holes for 3-board horse fence
- Must be wife-friendly and easy to use. Wife doesn't know how to use a clutch and may get intimidated by too many levers/buttons/options, or if it's too big.
- Assist with gardening projects around the house
- Do not/not have to move round bales

Lifestyle: I'm 47 years old, work full time, commute 100mi/day, and travel for work. Time is my biggest limitation. When I need to use the tractor I need to use it. I don't have the luxury to wait around for nice weather like my retired neighbor.

Cab Option: The more I think about the YT235 cab option the more I like it. I already got skin cancer once so some sun protection would be nice. In Virginia it seems like we rarely get nice weather in the spring anymore, it just goes from cold/windy/rainy winter to hot/humid summer. During the dog days of summer Virginia is just as hot and humid as the deep south which means that tractor work is a hot, sweaty, dusty, bug infested activity. Also, I sometimes travel for work up to a few weeks at a time which means the tractor will most likely sit in the barn. I like how the cab protects the tractor. It bothers me to think of birds using the steering wheel as a perch to poop all over the dashboard, wasps building nests in crevices, and dust/dirt/grass getting into all the controls. Also with the cab, I like how it can be left out in the open like a car without concerns of exposure.

ROPS Option: I test drove the L3560 ROPS and really really liked it. It's a heavier more capable tractor than the YT235 in almost every respect and I it allows for more flexibility in the future to handle bigger jobs. The HST+ transmission is awesome. I like the weight and the 71 inch wheelbase which is about perfect. The LA805 loader is significantly stronger and lifts higher than the YT235 loader as well. I anticipate the fully loaded operating weight of the YT235 Cab to be about 4500lbs and about 5500lbs for the L3560 (20% more weight for the Kubota).

Garage door: It'd be a bonus if whichever tractor I get can fit in my garage with a standard 84" door, thereby giving me multiple storage options. If not, then it'll have to go in the barn and live with the birds, bugs, snakes, and other critters. Specs for the YT235 Cab say that the roof is 83.6" high and I measured the L3560 with folded ROPS to be about 82-83" high, so it's a gamble whether either of these tractors will fit. However, it'd be a pain to fold the ROPS on the L3560 every time I want to put it in the garage, so it'd probably stay in the barn.

What would you guys do? Go for the benefits of the cab, or go for the tractor with more capability?

I ran open station tractors for 30ish years and still have and use 4. In 2007 I decided I was retired and wanted some comfort so I bought the 6530C. Sometimes it's more than I need/want, like on a cool morning when dust is blowing the other way. However, that isn't always the case, especially in the hot summer when baling hay and hay dust is so thick you can hardly see, much less breathe, hot and sweaty.......that's where the cab shines........ and putting out rolls of hay in the winter.

 

[Jchonline]

L3560 cab. Did you hear Kubota is actually removing some comfort features from this tractor in 2019 and reducing the price by 2500 or so? You might be able to get a more competitive price.

I test drove the L3560 cab, what a great little tractor. Also drove the MF, LS, TYM, JD. I still liked the Kubota the best. I didn’t have a Yanmar to test. Kubota had the smoothest HST and FEL to me.

 

[mred2]

I have driven both. For times that I am on the tractor for long periods, a cab is great. For clearing and clean up, I prefer open. Biggest reasons not to get cab is price and low tree limbs. Test drive both, get what you want. Something that you don't add or take off. This may be something that you keep for years, take your time. Good luck.

 

[BAP]

We ran tractors in the woods all the time and never broke any windows. It’s pretty tough glass they use. I have logged many many hours in both open and cabbed tractors. In a nice day, good breeze, no dust an open tractor is nice, but rain, hot, cold, snow, dust and so on makes a cab really nice to have. Plus, the seats are usually nicer, radio, heat, A/C and room for lunch box are great features.