Buying Advice Anyone Regret buying a Tractor with a Cab?

[jjbath]

I sure wished I had a cab when I got stung in the face a few times while brush hogging.

That was very painful.

 

[BTDT2]

I really dislike my Kubota 4240 cab. It's too hot in the winter and too cold in the summer. I hate having to take off my coat and sweatshirt in the winter.

I no longer get to interact with nature, such as yellow jackets & bees, not to mention dust and pollen.

The darn radio is too loud, plays lousy music, and can be distracting just like the windshield wiper when its raining. :laughing:

 

[ppinnick]

As you've probably determined from previous replies, having a cab can be great or terrible, depending on the work you need to do.

If you don't have a heavily-wooded piece of property, the cab is wonderful. In my case (half woods and half pasture) the cab keeps me from "trying" things I shouldn't be doing in the first place. I spent last year on an open station tractor and busted both turn-signal/flashers and bent a fender because I would look at a tree and say, "Yeah, I can make that" when I never should have tried. The cab makes me use better judgement...

On the other hand, I cannot get into some areas that I'd like to brush cut. Overall, I prefer my cab to the open station.

 

[jenkinsph]

I thought I had to have a cab on my 4310. I did the installation myself to save money, added the heater and a bunch of accessory wiring with its own fuse block. Sure was nice when I needed to clear the driveway in the winter- which usually took me about 1hour. All that said, I'm going to resist the urge with my new machine. My use during warmer months is in excess of winter use by a long shot, and the slightly reduced viz & slightly higher noise level of the cab just doesn't make it worth it.

I have a 110tlb with a Laurin cab all the nice features one would expect, but it is noisy. When you go to a good factory installed cab such as my 4520 it is much quieter than an open station. Before you rule out a cab be sure to crank up one with a factory installed cab.

 

[rockshaft]

I would say it was a different kind of noise inside the cab (less direct diesel noise, but noticeable in other ways). Mine had a nice headliner to absorb sound, and a soft back that could be rolled up to for hoe work. It was surely comfortable in winter. And the wipers worked well in the summer rain!
Like others have noted, if you were to want to do much snow-blowing, or were spending long hours where climate control would be a bonus, go for it.
But if you need to do much loader or hoe work, or have to negotiate around obstacles- even the best cabs obstruct your view IMO.

 

[Bigfoot62]

I was hoping for some feedback on if anyone regrets getting a tractor with a factory cab on it.. I really like the idea of being out of the weather.

My only regret was not buying one sooner!

As crazy as it sounds, I agree with you - most of the time. I just finished putting out 4 tons of fertilizer. I did it with the open station NH. I usually cut hay with it also, but I run the baler behind the cab tractor. It's nice. :thumbsup:

 

[DutchHenryBrown]

I like mine and wish I had bought it sooner.:thumbsup:

 

[shortthrow50]

I like mine and wish I had bought it sooner.:thumbsup:

DutchHenryBrown? That name sounds familiar. Did you spend a few years in the Hanoi Hilton under jurisdiction of the rabbit? Good to hear you made it out and your still in one peice. I hope

 

[Ozykioti]

No regrets, sure if you don't like opening/closing doors you won't like it. But the comfort of; A/C,Heating,cd/radio,no bugs,no dust,dry seat, etc sure out weigh the door thing. There are times when I've had the doors slightly ajar on the little factory props & roof vent and rear window open for the the smell of the great outdoors but most of the time I'm in the cone of silence.

Do be careful if you have the rear window open when raising the 3pl with some attachments on, I've made a few replacements from acrylic(Perspex) over the years for others and always have mine shut if using the 3pl. OEM costs are huge for the glass. Same for door glass, suprising number of them get broken, usually by hired help! One client was quoted aud $3,000 for a tempered glass door replacement! The make of tractor was no longer sold or backed up in Oz so the glass would have to be custom made. He got 2 acrylic doors cut from me for under aud $500, but the acrylic won't last like glass. SO DON'T BREAK YOUR GLASS!!!

 

[Gary Fowler]

I love my factory cab with heat/ac and stereo and lots of sound proofing. I dont think I would waste money on aftermarket especially if it didnt have AC and heat. I cant believe folks who say opening the doors is a pain after all how hard is it to push a button or a lever and the doors open. Sure, working in or around trees is a no no if you want to keep everything on the cab working. It took me about 2 days of trimming to get all the limbs up above the cab. It made the trees look much better that way too but I dont have a thick forest just scattered trees. I did keep my small open station tractor for when I need to get into brush areas or when I need to finesse the FEL since there is some visibility restriction on the cab but after using it a while, one can get used to judging the distance much better (it was a bit hard at first for sure to determine where the bucket edge was) For a TLB I think I would go with open station on that.