Are cabs useful under say 30-35 hp?

[Woodbeef]

Ok after wandering around the big farmshow up here,and seeing all the emphasis on the smaller tractors this year,I started wondering about the factory cabbed ones. What I was wondering is: If a factory cab was available on everything but the SCUTs would they sell enough to make them worthwhile to the manufacturers? Sure they'll sell up here,but we are a small part of North American sales. What about in the South,or West,MidWest? Also how many cabbed tractors would it take to pay-off the cab investment I wonder?

 

[john_bud]

Good question. Can't say what the payoff would be. But having filtered air and cooled air is a nice thing when working in a hot and dusty field all day. It's not just about heated air when the snow flies.

There were a bunch of posts about grumpy bees and wasps that people were getting into. I got to think that a cab would be great when there is a swarm of grumpy bugs outside trying to get in.

jb (cab-less)

 

[patrick_g]

I am in south central Oklahoma. I find my cab tractor (39.5 PTO HP) quite useful.

In summer: When it gets hot and humid I look for things to do with the tractor instead of being out in the heat.

In winter: My little 4x4 Kubota will get me there irrespective of the conditions to feed the herd and break ice on the ponds so they can drink without my having to bundle up to the point I can hardly wiggle. No more getting rained on and having to change clothes 2-3 times a day.

Mowing etc without getting dust covered. Spraying without getting sprayed. Less insect problems (mosquitos, hornets, bees, wasps, chiggers, ticks)

What has size and HP got to do with it except you need enough HP to run the A/C. I see no difference in motivation for a cab between large and small tractors. It isn't a size thing, it is a use thing. If you only use your tractor for 30 min to mow the lawn or have the luxurious option to defer any given tractor task till inclement weather has passed or you don't mind getting baked in the sun, frozen in winter, rained on and so forth then a cab is no big deal. When I operate someone else's tractor, sans cab, I have to try to remember the limbs and such can swat you.

I have obligations to my animals and they have to be taken care of no matter what the weather. A cab tractor makes that much easier on me. I don't like to let a project hang too long because of weather if I can avoid it. A cab helps, quite a lot.

If tractoring is something you do only when it is fun or you are in the mood and it is convenient then a cab is not such a big deal.

As far as the manufacturer amortizing his cab design and testing over a smaller number of units and such... I don't worry about it since I can't effect it.

If I had to pick between a cab and a few HP (due to $), I'd go for the cab. If that meant I had to operate the tractor a little longer due to less HP, at least I'd be more comfortable and safe. Long hours of tractoring will take the starch out of your sails, with or without a cab but with a cab is way nicer.

Pat

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Woodbeef,
As John states at times its nice to have an air conditioned cab on those hot dusty days ! I have mowed my property on some pretty warm days and it can get mighty hot out in the middle of the field Most of what I have seen out there on the new tractor market is cabs on 45hp +.
Im sure there is a market in certain areas!

 

[Oleozz]

With the first three tractors that I owned it wasn't even a consideration, I just felt that you needed to be sitting out in the open and I couldn't afford one anyway. When I started to look for a new tractor last spring in the beginning I wasn't thinking about a cab either but I realized that for most of the tasks that I use a tractor for (brush hogging, spraying, plowing) a cab would not be so much a luxury anymore but more of a necessity. Last week when I was out scraping the little bit of snow that we got I kept thinking how nice it was to be inside out of the cold and wind.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I think when you start getting into tractors under 30hp then cabs begin to become an obstruction. Most of the guys on here seem to all worry about the rops being too tall so they have to fold it down to fit in their garages. Cabs don't fold very easily so not a lot of current owners would be able to park their small tractors inside unless they built a new building. The AC will rob hp also making an already small tractor less powerful couple that with the power loss from the hst and what do you have left, a 30 hp tractor that gives you 20-22 useable horses?

You know cabs are great if you have the area for them but I think when you start talking about under 30hp tractors then cabs will not pay off for the manufacturer as they will have a very limited market. The guys who mainly brush chop and do loader work in wide open areas would be able to make the most use out of the cab but those guys usually go with a 30+hp tractor to begin with.

 

[MossRoad]

On the way back from lunch just now I passed a JD X500 something with a hard cab and snowblower doing the town sidewalks. He looked comfortable and that is a lawn tractor.

 

[Volfandt]

The B3030 w/cab is a good seller for Kubota. I've tested one out and when I turned the AC on I didn't notice any drop in rpm or power.

I'd definitely consider it should I ever decide to upgrade to a larger machine.

 

[lawn_king]

I notice no power loss to the ac in my B3030 HSDC.

 

[Oleozz]

I can definitely feel a power loss when I turn the AC on in my 45 hp Kioti when I'm at low rpm's.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I notice no power loss to the ac in my B3030 HSDC

All AC units rob hp when in use. They require power to run and that power has to come from somewhere.

Cowboydoc (if I remember his story correctly) traded a 5000 series JD back in because it would drop about 5hp when he turned on the AC unit. His tractor was barely able to run the baler he was using before the drop in hp and after it was a struggle.

The next time you take the B3030 to your dealer have them put it on the dyno and see how much hp is lost when you turn on the ac. It might not be as much as Cowboydoc but it will be some.

 

[patrick_g]

Looks like maybe in small tractors you should buy enough HP to do the work PLUS run the A/C if you want it. I know it takes power and fuel consumption to run my A/C but I don't seem to notice much fluctuation in tractor performance with A/C on vs A/C off. I have never felt like the A/C prevented me from doing anything and if it made a task take a little longer, at least I'd be comfortable while I was doing it.

Oh by the way, I don't know how much power is lost to the hydrostat in tractors of 30 HP and under but my 39.5 HP HST is only rated at 40 HP with standard gear box. I doubt anyone would notice the difference in performance or fuel consumption. So, the A/C must "ROB" lots more HP than the HST in my tractor and since the A/C is hardly noticed it might still be tollerable down below 25 HP.

I wonder who on board has the lowest HP tractor with A/C?

Probably not me at 39.5 HP

How 'bout it?

Pat

 

[garydc]

This is a great site for cabs to fit all sizes and all makes of tractors. I hope you find it useful.

Tractor Cabs from Sims Cab Depot - tractor cabs, tractor cab enclosures, machinery cabs, and sunshades

 

[Volfandt]

I wonder who on board has the lowest HP tractor with A/C?

The Kubota B3030HSDC is rated at 30hp & a pto hp of 23. It is also an HST.

 

[wolc123]

I do not believe 35 hp is enough for a cab. I think you would want about 45 hp minimum in a gear drive or about 50 in a hydro to have enough hp left for some serious work while running an effective AC system. It might seem like a good idea to some, but those "cool" cabs require more hp than a little CUT can spare. A canopy is a much better idea on these little guys.

 

[Atlas]

I would have to say that a cab is useful at any Hp if you want a cab. If you find a 1 Hp tractor with a cab you may not be able to anything else but sit in it, but if all you want to do is sit in your backyard in the cab of a tractor...there you go! A match made in heaven!

I have a Kubota B3030HSDC. I do not do the heavy work that many here do with their tractors, but for my needs I have more than enough power to do what I need to do in the comfort of a cab.

IMHO, consider the cab as an attachment like a MMM, FEL, etc. and match the tractor to your needs.

 

[billbill1]

I stopped and looked at the B3030 w/cab, heat and air, $18,950. A co-worker bought one of them and he loves it. He moves what snow we get here (not much) and mows with it. He loves it and claims it has plenty of power for what he uses it for. I must admit that it is a very nice unit and mowing when it's 100 degrees w/ac is very appealing. If you can afford it and it does what you want it to do, I'd say get it. Trim your trees where they don't touch your cab and go for it. Also hope your garage doors are tall enough to keep it inside. You can add a radio for even more comfort. Moving snow with a heater would also be great. I would personally have a hard time justifying over $25,000 to be comfortable while driving a $10,000 truck daily.

 

[R W]

A waste of money and fresh air.

 

[hwp]

A waste of money and fresh air.

Not all would agree. I agree with Atlas when he says a cab is just another attachment and whether or not it is desirable depends on your situation. My little Kubota F2400 is only 24hp but I specifically looked for a unit with a cab - snowblowing without a cab is no fun. Been there, done that, no more thanks! A heated cab keeps you warm and dry, especially when the wind is howling, its 0F and there is a foot of snow to be cleared off your driveway. It seldom goes over 100F here in the summer for more than a week at a time so I have no need for A/C. My cab is light enough (approx. 500 lbs.) that I can use a winch to take it off or put it on. I put the ROPS on for the summer. It only takes a couple of hours to make the switch either way.

 

[art]

When talking about horsepower useage and air conditioning the 303o Kubota also has less weight to move when operating so it might not be affected as much as per say a 40 horsepower tractor that weighs 1000 lbs more when working. The size of the 3030 is also a plus when a smaller more nimble tractor is needed.
Any factory cab I've seen has more visability then the generic manufacturers! That might change but so far?