Cab for allergy suppression?

[kantuckid]

As a senior with chronic seasonal allergies I'll throw this out- aside from tractor cabs and "hiding" from whatever...->Go see an allergy doc! I've heard far too many folks say they had allergies yet didn't know what they were, as in what exactly bothered them nor what can be done for them. I've never smoked but have a lifetime of exposure to agriculture, industry with carbon black exposure, AB shop work, military and now here I am with spring and fall mostly a nasty time for me. I'm diagnosed as borderline asthmatic. You may get referred to a pulmonologist too. I self inject allergy serum weekly to bolster my immune system. It doesn't fix anything but helps keep my system better able to not degrade as I understand. I use a netti spray bottle-cheap at Walmart and after a rinse I also use Flonase and Azelastine nasal sprays which open my sinus and nasal areas.
Just buying a cab tractor is a small aspect of the senario is my point.

Now, back to cabs an a/c on the farm.

 

[sea2summit]

Is a cab better for allergies than an open cab? Definately! Is it 100% effective? No. Not many things are 100% effective, but can be much, much better than nothing.

Probably the best response thus far.

Yes, take a look at your manufacturer's recommendations too. Some rated for spraying say recirculate for best protection others say outside air to pressurize. Not sure on the AC vs HP question you had but that's a good question if it's on the smaller side for a cab.

 

[Torvy]

Frankly, given the recent 'pandemic' response, almost everyone has an allergy filter. With only a few acres to mow, once in awhile, I would save the $$ and wear a mask while I mow. It would be a bit different if you were tending 160+ acres of cropland.

More to the point, listen to what kantuckid said and see a specialist on allergies. Sometimes it is simple to resolve. Would a cab help, sure. So would staying inside and having your wife do the mowing, but that may lead to other side effects....

 

[kantuckid]

Far too many people think the solution is to choose what might in fact be the wrong OTC allergy pill. Millions of self medicating folks who don't go find out why they "think" they have allergies. Lots of e.g.'s of playing stupid when we might have a dandy solution available. Cabs might be part of the overall solution to symptoms?

 

[mo1]

I'm slowly escalating my tractor purchase...2032 then a 3033 now a 3039.. That's based on dirt work I have to get done and the retaining walls we're planning. My consideration now is a cab. I have allergies and will have to mow a 4.5-acre field now and then after significant dirt work and landscaping near the home site. I had a Curtis cab with heat only on a Kubota L3830 years ago and it was "ok."
Questions: How "tight" are the JD factory cabs? How much do they help with allergies? Do the cabs "wear well" over time or do they start to lose their "seal?" Should I consider more horsepower to run the cab AC etc?

Factory cabs will help to keep much of the dust out. They are not perfect, but a contributing factor is that it is a tractor and you are going to be getting into and out of the cab and tracking dirt in and letting dust in as a result. Depending on how dusty it is outside, you can plug up the cab air filters very quickly and then end up with a nearly ineffective HVAC setup until you go clean them out. That is a very dusty job in itself. Yes, a cabbed tractor will need more engine horsepower than an open station tractor to do the same work as the engine is devoting more power to running the air conditioner compressor and hauling around the extra weight of the cab.

I am assuming that when you mention "allergies" you are talking about hay fever/allergic rhinitis where you sneeze, get itchy/watery eyes, and get a runny nose when you are around certain things. Remember you still are going to be around the dust and such when you get out of your tractor, which is covered in the stuff. When you do maintenance on your tractor or clean it, you will be around that same dust. Also it is well known that repeatedly being around things that trigger allergic rhinitis can help to decrease symptoms as your immune system starts to no longer see the triggers as being something that needs the big immune response, this is the entire point behind allergy shots and drops. My wife used to have significant allergic rhinitis, she has gotten noticeably better with simply being outside more (she used to live in a city.)

I pretty much see a cab as something to provide air conditioning and heat, keep the worst of the dust off of you, and provide some limited protection from flying objects (such as with using a disc mower) at the expense of reduced visibility, reduced maneuverability, more cumbersome to attach implements or make adjustments (as you have to go into and out of the cab), increased cost, increased repair costs, increased maintenance, and reduced work ability from the engine. I've driven cab tractors before and went and bought an open station tractor for my own property as it doesn't really get too hot or cold here. Yes, I get dusty but if you are on a farm there are many things far dustier than mowing a field- anything involving hay or balers, or running a chainsaw immediately comes to mind.

 

[kantuckid]

I sure no doctor of any kind but if "being around stuff" strengthened my immune system, after a lifetime of much crap breathed in-> I'd not have an allergy doc visit twice a year?
The self injected shots I do each week-that does help bolster my aging immune system- pollen, dust, mold, not so much. Me thinks less is best when yer lungs are the recipient.
I've read how my generation was exposed to much more than kids now which gave us various immunities but reality is that at my age my immune system (or any seniors) is not what it once was.

 

[Torvy]

We got similar advice to that given by Mo1 when we first had kids. The hospital had a thing where new parents met with various specialists for advice and such. Pretty cool, anyway...the allergist that met with us said that exposing kids to pets and other allergens was more likely to help build immunity than to create new triggers over time. There were still things to be careful with for 1st time exposure (shellfish, peanuts, etc.) To be fair, I don't think it is a cumulative effect...if you are exposed to x% of dust you become immune, say...it just is that certain triggers will need a great deal more quantity to affect a response. Ultimately, if you have issues and you are working in a dusty or allergen high environment, best to wear a mask (not a big fan of them, myself, but used for the right purposes, they actually help).

 

[rademamj1]

Though I don't have allergies, my field mowing does stir up a cloud of fine dust with lots of pollen from just about every tree and plant around here in Texas. My Cab tractor is throughly covered in the fine dusty pollen on the outside. But inside it is clean and fresh, and no dusty pollen observed. If you got allergies, and expect to do field mowing, get a Cab tractor for your health.

The rubber seals around both doors and rear window are capable and strong and and should last more than a decade of service. And replacement of those seals is not extremely expensive.

 

[sandman2234]

Frankly, given the recent 'pandemic' response, almost everyone has an allergy filter. With only a few acres to mow, once in awhile, I would save the $$ and wear a mask while I mow. It would be a bit different if you were tending 160+ acres of cropland.

More to the point, listen to what kantuckid said and see a specialist on allergies. Sometimes it is simple to resolve. Would a cab help, sure. So would staying inside and having your wife do the mowing, but that may lead to other side effects....

WOW!!
You have just explained why I see people driving around in a car by themselves and yet still wearing a mask! They have allergy's and are protecting themselves rather than from the covid bug!
David from jax

 

[kantuckid]

Just yesterday my SIL called my wife to say she was not going with us on a 3 hr trip to TN to visit a son's new house there because of allergies. She would have been in a $52,000 car with air filtration and a/c of course.

There is zero need for a mask in any modern car with cabin air filtration?
Getting Covid while driving? That's what I call a "worry wart"

Will she see a doc?- probably not as she'd rather suffer and self-diagnose her symptoms, waste money on the wrong OTC pills and so on.

One of my several seasonal chronic allergies is Johnson Grass which is pollinating now. These flimsy blue covid/medical masks don't keep it away from me at all. N95 might help but not in the mid90-s temp wise.