3Lfarms, I am looking seriously at the XU6168CPS with Backhoe. I was hoping to pick your brain a little specifically regarding the cab?
I have decided not sacrifice my comfort anymore, and considering the wonderfully changing Michigan weather conditions coupled with the need to use the tractor year around, leaves me with only one option, a cab tractor.
I originally set out to find a XR4155HC, and fortunately for me an LS dealer 30 minutes from my house happened to have one, so I set off on my journey to said dealer with high hopes of potentially laying hands on my future tractor.
Upon arrival, I did a quick tire kicking walk around, and then climbed up into the cab, and this is when it was made abruptly obvious to me that we had serious problems.
I instantly felt like a 500lb.gorilla riding a tricycle, I thought this can't be, so I went about trying to adjust the seat and tilt wheel, but unfortunately, to no avail...
The good lord blessed me with a 6'2" 270lb. frame, not exactly an oversized frame by some standards, but the good lords joke came in the proportions he blessed me with, I am all legs and arms. And to put it mildly, there was no way this set up was going to work for me, I couldn't begin to even operate the hydro pedals configuration, not with the gear lever jammed into my knee. I was really uncomfortable, the salesman was 6'1", and had a normal length lower torso and fit just fine.
What a shame, because it is such a nice tractor, but I simply don't fit...
So I head on down the row of tractors, and laid my eyes upon a XU6168-ROPS, so I climbed on up, sat down, and holy smokes what a difference for me, the 6168 fits me like a glove, I liked everything about it. The only problem is, no dealership within 150 miles of me has one for me to try out, and the two dealerships closest to me have never ordered a XU6168CPS, so they weren't much help answering a few of my questions, this is where I am in hopes you could lend your knowledge...
The dealership wasn't certain about the dimensions of the cab, it certainly looks a bit larger than the XR4100 series in the pictures I've seen, and the more elbow room the better in my case. Have you ever sat in a XR4100 series cab, how does it compare? Are you comfortable in the 6168 cab? How well does the heat and a/c work?
How well do you like the Power Shuttle? I was on the fence about getting a Hydro or Standard Shuttle in the 4100, the Hydro made me a bit nervous because of some ankle issues I suffer from, but the Power Shuttle seems like it might be the best of both worlds, especially when doing a lot of loader work? Has this been your experience?
I without a doubt would never consider ordering a tractor without first laying hands on it, and I fully intend to make the journey no matter the distance to do just that. Problem is, with my work schedule, I am left with Saturday as my only option for a tire kicking road trip, and my next several are booked up. And not knowing about the cab size and comfort level is quite frankly, driving me nuts. So if you could shed some light on the subject I would be grateful....