To cab or not to cab? Tired of being cold snow plowing

[LouNY]

While you where at the fair did you check out the Zetor or Bransons at JC tractors?

 

[Al 2]

Some have mentioned this but safety in the bush and on the rest of your property should be your number one concern . Get a ROPS cab. You don't see any open stations in the logging industry.
Al

 

[shooterdon]

So I once owned a Kioti DK40SE that I loved. In an effort to get more HP and ground clearance for skidding logs to supply the wood boiler and sugarhouse I "upgraded" to a Mahindra 5035 (with about 350 hours now). Both of those tractors are open cab tractors. I like the tractor but the fit and finish isn't nearly as nice as my Kioti, simple things like leaking hydraulic fittings, a shredded front differential (replaced under warranty), poorly run hydraulic lines that frayed on the frame and needed to be replaced. In general it's been an okay tractor, but not quite as nice as I had hoped. It's also a tier III so engine wise it has been pretty bullet proof. My dealer service is impeccable, they come right to the house, they're reasonably priced and dead honest (Capital Tractor over the border in NY)

I use the tractor for grading the driveway, snow plowing with an 8' snow pusher, some brush hogging, skidding logs, moving pallets of firewood, and lots of food plots pulling a 7' plotmaster as well as a small two row corn planter. I do run in to some spots on the food plots where clearance/height because of low branches is an issue. I also have an old international 460 Utility that I could use for food plots and brush hogging if needed.

I have been leaning towards a cab tractor because I'm sick and tired of freezing my rear end off clearing snow here in VT. My driveway is about a 1/2 mile long and gravel. I'm at 1500 FT and we get probably 20+ plowable snows every year.

This weekend was the fair, and in talking to my Mahindra dealer they can add a factory cab for about 6k. Alternatively my local Kioti dealer was there and he has a NX5510 with a cab for about $36k (not sure if that a good price), which if I sold both of my tractors I'd need to add about $10k to upgrade, but it's new. The kioti dealer doesn't do on the road service though....He also has a used NX5510 Cab with 500 hours for $26k

Any thoughts? I'm concerned about breaking glass in the cab when winching logs and in the woods, but I'm tired of being cold plowing snow. I guess I could buy a plow for my truck, but it wouldn't fit in the garage with a plow on it

What are you folks doing that face a similar dilemna?

Fortunately, my Mahindra dealer was not interested in selling me a tractor.....never called back with pricing after two visits so I went elsewhere.

That took me to LS and they were not on my short list until then.

The LS cab tractors are $4k more than open station. I real bargain when you look at what others charge. No Kioti dealers near me so I cannot comment on their prices. If you have an LS dealer near you they are worth looking at. My XR4140 with cab, HST, larger turf tires (loaded with RG), radio and 3rd function was $31k. They come standard with dual rear remotes and telescoping link arms. I think the XR is available with up to 55 HP

BTW, my dealer offers on site service (he was here at 10:00 PM on night to help me out) and will pick up and deliver free of charge (over an hour away) for service and warranty work. I know this is not standard for LS dealers but worth looking into if you do not have a trailer.

 

[BufordBoone]

I've found only two downsides to a cabbed tractor:

1 - Some days it is extremely pleasant to be on an open station tractor and enjoying the weather. In Alabama, there are FAR more days where it is very hot/humid. I figure the cab causes me to miss 2-6 days of pleasure in exchange for 60 or more days of comfort. I'll take that trade.

2 - Critters can get inside the cab. This was a minor problem with mice. We put out traps and take other measures. Have not seen/captured a mouse in weeks. On Saturday, we think we found out why. Following about 1.5 hours of mowing, my wife looked back to cut around one of the many cedar trees in the field. She said she thought "That is weird, there is a snake in that tree". Then the snake moved across the rear glass of the cab. The wife exited the tractor. Once both doors were open, the snake got out. It was a chicken snake.

With respect to snake identification inside the cab of a tractor: If it has rattles on it's tail, it is a rattlesnake. If it doesn't have rattles...ITS A COBRA!

We will continue to enjoy our cabbed tractors but will conduct a good inspection before use from now on.

 

[ruffdog]

Snakes and mice in the cab? Both are quite smelly and I would not want to be enclosed inside breathing feces. A clean and quiet cab is nice, a critter infested and noisy cab is not good.:thumbdown:

 

[crashz]

My little side business will never cover the costs of a cab tractor, but I cannot ignore that fact that I need one. After 8 hrs of mowing on Sunday, I feel terrible. I've ingested enough pollen and dust and am yet again covered in poison ivy.

My wife suggested a cab tractor for plowing snow. Would be nice, but the cold doesn't bother me and has very little lasting effects versus the stuff I stir up in the summer. I've had constant patches of poison ivy since April this year.

I've started to look and get some pricing...

 

[nards444]

Cab in woods and brush no. But I got one with both heat and AC, not about just keeping warm and cool, dust, insects etc. Cab also protects controls etc

 

[BufordBoone]

Snakes and mice in the cab? Both are quite smelly and I would not want to be enclosed inside breathing feces. A clean and quiet cab is nice, a critter infested and noisy cab is not good.:thumbdown:

Agree, completely. We have mostly kept the critters out but I don't know any way to 100% keep them out. We've searched and don't know HOW that snake got in there. It was not a big snake but, nonetheless, it somehow got in the cab.

 

[cdaigle430]

I have 2, one with and one without. The one without stays in the barn all winter. Nothing beats a cab for moving snow, putting out cattle feed and any wintertime chores and I too have used my cab in the woods. You just need to be cognizant of branches.

Pretty much all of you who love cabs either spends more than the average person in them or are rich enough to have multiple tractors so that you can hop on the one that doesnt. Doesnt make sense to have multiple tractors for that purpose for me.

I really believe that a softcab is the way to go for someone who wants to stay warm in the winters for what you need the tractor for. Then have the ability to remove it when you get back to yard or farm stuff.

If you need one that offers protection you can buy the overhead canopy and put a soft cab over that.

I will not invest in a hard cab unless I buy more than one property to clear or get paid to clear snow. I do have a small heater in my cab to keep my feet warm.

Then there is cost-$400 dollar soft cab vs $7,000 or more for a hard cab.....nahhhhh-would rather spend the rest of the $6500 I saved on other implements and that goes a lonnnng way.

 

[Sono]

So I once owned a Kioti DK40SE that I loved. In an effort to get more HP and ground clearance for skidding logs to supply the wood boiler and sugarhouse I "upgraded" to a Mahindra 5035 (with about 350 hours now). Both of those tractors are open cab tractors. I like the tractor but the fit and finish isn't nearly as nice as my Kioti, simple things like leaking hydraulic fittings, a shredded front differential (replaced under warranty), poorly run hydraulic lines that frayed on the frame and needed to be replaced. In general it's been an okay tractor, but not quite as nice as I had hoped. It's also a tier III so engine wise it has been pretty bullet proof. My dealer service is impeccable, they come right to the house, they're reasonably priced and dead honest (Capital Tractor over the border in NY)

I use the tractor for grading the driveway, snow plowing with an 8' snow pusher, some brush hogging, skidding logs, moving pallets of firewood, and lots of food plots pulling a 7' plotmaster as well as a small two row corn planter. I do run in to some spots on the food plots where clearance/height because of low branches is an issue. I also have an old international 460 Utility that I could use for food plots and brush hogging if needed.

I have been leaning towards a cab tractor because I'm sick and tired of freezing my rear end off clearing snow here in VT. My driveway is about a 1/2 mile long and gravel. I'm at 1500 FT and we get probably 20+ plowable snows every year.

This weekend was the fair, and in talking to my Mahindra dealer they can add a factory cab for about 6k. Alternatively my local Kioti dealer was there and he has a NX5510 with a cab for about $36k (not sure if that a good price), which if I sold both of my tractors I'd need to add about $10k to upgrade, but it's new. The kioti dealer doesn't do on the road service though....He also has a used NX5510 Cab with 500 hours for $26k

Any thoughts? I'm concerned about breaking glass in the cab when winching logs and in the woods, but I'm tired of being cold plowing snow. I guess I could buy a plow for my truck, but it wouldn't fit in the garage with a plow on it

What are you folks doing that face a similar dilemna?

Just an idea, if you have or add an accessory outlet, you could buy a heated coverall/gloves like the type motorcyclists wear in the winters. I owned a set and they were really nice in the cold weather ( can even get heated socks if needed ) but Ive never had any issues with cold feet standing in water below freezing with my insulated RedWing logger boots working for the water department repairing mains. I wore that outfit shoveling snow, working on cars as well in the dead of winter with no issues of getting cold... Just an idea and a lot cheaper.