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

jgedmond · Oct 11, 2019

rScotty said:
That's what we did. One with a cab and one without. We bought them used and fixed them up so the two tractors only cost what one new one would have.
Tractors were meant to be used for a long, long time with good maintenance. The big items: engine, tranny, hydraulics....are good for an easy 10,000 hrs. So if they run and work OK those items are more proven than used up.
I don't mind simply going through and replacing soft goods like all the tires, hoses, battery, sometimes the radiator and seat. It still saves serious dollars and it's handy to have summer and winter tractors.

What puzzles me is why buying used tractors is not more popular? The money saved on the first purchase more than pays for any tool I'd ever want. And simply replacing old parts with new ones and doing it all at once is way easier than the whole negative of fixing broken parts would be. The trick is to replace a lot of used parts up front when they look worn & before they fail.
It used to be called "preventative maintenance".
rScotty

I just like the piece of mind of researching what I need, buying something new that meets those needs, maintaining it correctly and keeping it forever. I am pretty handy, but I do not have the confidence to evaluate a used machine and fix major issues if I miss something.

I have an 9-year old Mahindra 3616 that I bought for cash and it is still going strong. I am just getting tired of dust and heat mowing in the TX summer. Will be picking up a cab Kioti NX5010, hopefully next week for open field mowing (brush hog and offset flail), grappling and ground work. Since the trade-in offer on my 3616 was 50% of retail, I will keep it for woods work, winter jobs and as a backup, just in case. I know its repair history (virtually none) and that it was maintained to factory specs so it is worth way more than the trade-in value to me.

metalbender · Oct 11, 2019

Have a heater in the truck? AC in the truck? Heat and AC in the house? Makes for comfort. The END.

rScotty · Oct 11, 2019

metalbender said:
Have a heater in the truck? AC in the truck? Heat and AC in the house? Makes for comfort. The END.

The END? Not.
We have AC & HEAT in the truck that is driven to town, to go on errands, to friends places, and on trips.
We rarely use our tractors for any of these things....

The old farm truck that we use on the property doesn't have either a heater or AC. It simply isn't needed for our climate here. All depends on where one lives and whether you have a preference for outside or inside I guess.
Here a cab is a luxury some days and a hassle the others. And a cab is a lot harder to take on and off than a set of clothing.

I might feel differently if I lived in the South. Down there they have weird insect pests and probably not much knowledge or access to cold weather clothing. Or tolerance to same. So for them a cab makes more sense.
Or the Midwestern farms damp air, wind, wet snow & not many trees. Here days are cold but sunny, & enclosed cabs would want AC more than heat.
The air is often still, & snow tends to be dry powder. It's Ski Country.
rScotty

LouNY · Oct 11, 2019

Well let's see this week so far I have spent about 35-40 hours seat time in the farm tractors chopping corn,
the weather has been nice cool and partly sunny.
All but about an hour has been in cab tractors, haven't used the heaters but have used the AC.
Cab tractors all the way for me, I spent way too many hours in my youth on open stations,
as well as many years untill just 4 years ago when i got my cabbed tractor in the cold doing snow removal.
Even then I tarped the side panels to direct the engine heat back to me, similar to the old heat houses we used to have.
My plow/sander truck definitely has a heater and defroster.

Heat housers, the poor mans cab, so much better then nothing,
Agricultural Heat Houser, Burch Manufacturing Company, Inc.

International | Heater Cabs | All States Ag Parts

metalbender · Oct 11, 2019

The OP is tired of being cold while snowplowing. Short of a climate controlled space suit, being in a heated cab is the answer.

Kioti Dave · Oct 14, 2019

Ran an open station for 15 years here in Canada. Had to clear a mile long driveway all those years. Last year had cab for first time. Would never go back, ever. When going in bush, just need to be careful. Did buy a pole saw to eliminate most of the larger branches that may be a problem. As someone said earlier, moving snow in a t-shirt much more fun than coming back like an icicle. :dance1:

metalbender · Oct 14, 2019

A little off topic, but still relevant. Gas or battery pole saw? Have a 40 volt batt version, trims up all the branches needed for cab clearance around here.

Kioti Dave · Oct 14, 2019

metalbender said:
A little off topic, but still relevant. Gas or battery pole saw? Have a 40 volt batt version, trims up all the branches needed for cab clearance around here.

Well, I was leery of a battery powered one, but got a Husky battery powered one and am very happy with it. Weight was a big issue, and the battery one is a few pounds lighter. Battery life far exceeds my ability to keep going. As well, the battery one I got was $200 cheaper than the gas powered one (battery one was $350)

metalbender · Oct 14, 2019

Having a Green Works 40 v chain saw for a few years, I was confident in the ability of the battery unit. Bought it as a bare tool as I already have a couple of batteries for the saw and string trimmer.