Cab or No Cab

[crk133]

there isn't much i can add to that other than very few people who have a cab wished they didn't. the same can not be said for the reverse.

Well lets see now, Pro's of a Cab, they keep the dust and dirt off of you, they keep you from being killed by yellow jackets, bumble bees and wasps etc. They keep you from having heatstroke when haying. In the winter they keep you from freezing to death, they keep the rain off of your head. They make it much safer to have a child with you, notice I said safer, not safe. They keep you from sneezing your head off of if you have allergies. They protect you somewhat from being whipped by small limbs. They make your neighbors envious. They allow you to listen to music when working. The controls and instrument panel are protected from the weather.

Cons of a cab: They cost money. They catch limbs and big ones will break out the windows, and tear off the mirrors and lights. (if you work in the woods) They have systems like HVAC and air filters that will eventually need service. Did I mention they cost money? They don't allow you to hear people working on the ground as well. (this is debatable, or they could be equipped with 2 way radio's) Well that is all I can think of.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Yes and I am in north Alabama and we have had our fair share of snow this winter. Cold as get out. I will check out both options and see what feels most comfortable.

How is the vision in a cab? Blind sides etc?

For me the vision with all the rear view mirrors is better than an open station tractor. The only and I mean only thing that I can fault a cab is the glare. When facing the sun especially with a bit of dust on the glass , sometimes it is really hard to see what you are doing with the FEL and always when going inside a building you cant see anything till the cab gets out of the sunlight. Other than that, it is great- warm in winter, cool in summer (the reason I got mine) and dry in case of that quick summer shower. Too me it was definitely worth the extra thousands for it. I think mine was $4500 extra but that was 2010 model so I am sure the price is a bit higher now but they are well worth the price for operator comfort.
As for the temps in winter, it all depends on the engine temperature. Just like truckers, you may need to block off the radiator a bit in SUPER cold temps in order to get the water temps up, but in central Arkansas, it gets hot enough to make you sweat on even the coldest days. I usually run my thermostat right at the edge of hot (blue/red lines right as the red starts) and that is hot enough. About mid way to coldest is comfortable in summer as my AC works well. I have seen complaints that their AC didn't cool, but mine is as good as any car in temperature control and my tractor isn't even green or orange.

EDIT: one thing I forgot to mention is that it also keeps the small limbs from swatting you if you happen to get close to a tree. The limbs may fold back the mirrors and make it a bit difficult to get the doors open but I have scrapped under and by a lot of them without damage to the cab, mirrors or lights. I do take care though to make sure I have adequate top clearance for the big stuff that could really wreck the cab roof.
Another thing is the FOPS protection--I did have a pretty large limb fall out of a tree onto the top one time when cleaning a fence row (still don't know why it fell) but it was nice to not have that big limb on my head as if might have done some serious damage to my body since it was about 4" in diameter at the butt end. That is another great thing about cabs. Even if it had damaged the roof, it can be replaced cheaper than my body parts.

 

[txdon]

Ok, I do not have a cab and for my tractor I prefer no cab. I like the ruggedness of the great outdoors. If it's too hot I just work in the cooler parts of the day, when it's too cold I just delay tractor work for a while (no snow problem here), for dust they make masks and goggles, for noise ear plugs.

I guess when one gets older one looks for comfort options, next they will have cabs for Harleys.

My next tractor will have a cab.

 

[coldfingers]

I use mine mainly in the winter and was going to get one without a cab to save money. A friend of mine told me if I bought one without a cab that before it was paid for I would be trading it in on a cab model. I ended up getting a cab model and just borrowing the money for a longer period of time. This has been one of our colder winters and I can clean snow in a sweatshirt, I'm sure glad I had that talk with him before I purchased it. I do know that some people do like to be outside though so it depends on the person also.

 

[k0ua]

There is not a single open station tractor owner (myself included) that when he stuck his nose outdoors and it is 0 degrees or less and a 20 knot wind, and looked at the snow he needed to move, that said, "Oh gee, I sure am glad I don't have a cab". If he said it he was lying.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Actually, there have been times when driving an open station tractor, at the end of a snow removal operation, with the sun going down that I felt very much alive with the wind and snow in my face (from the atmosphere, not the blower lol). NOTHING can be much worse then a face full of snow from the blower! Except maybe, when years ago, a branch swatting me across the eyball, shattered my hard contact lense!

I guess the difference for me, is I can almost always do these jobs when it suits me. I rarely have to get it done! If it were a job, or I had to do it, totally different story!

I don't know if this hs been mentioned. I think it is a big factor if your tractor is kept inside or not. It's a pain if you have to get the snow off everything on an open station tractor before you can use it. Plus things freeze up on some tractors like our JD 6200, like the joystick and aux hyd controls. I park our inside and make sure I get the snow off all the control surfaces before walking away from it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

There is not a single open station tractor owner (myself included) that when he stuck his nose outdoors and it is 0 degrees or less and a 20 knot wind, and looked at the snow he needed to move, that said, "Oh gee, I sure am glad I don't have a cab". If he said it he was lying.

I agree whole heartedly. Much of my work is simply fill in time work, but I do get the occasional "need to do it now" job that makes me glad I can get into the cabbed tractor for most of it. I get enough of the great outdoors when using my B26 TLB with its FOPS system that mostly keeps the sun and rain off but does nothing for heat and cold. Luckily I don't do much winter work with it. I don't know if I would spend the money for a personal use back hoe with a cab as you would just about have to have the back glass opened to see what you are doing, but I suppose it would be better than just a FOPS system if I planned to use it in all weather conditions. When used in an industrial setting where lots of work would be using the FEL to load dusty material, a cab would be a good thing possibly required thing to have.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Actually, there have been times when driving an open station tractor, at the end of a snow removal operation, with the sun going down that I felt very much alive with the wind and snow in my face (from the atmosphere, not the blower lol). .

I can understand the "Feeling alive" but likely it was more of the "Thank God I didn't freeze to death while doing this job" feeling.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Theres no such thing as BAD WEATHER, only BAD CLOTHES! lol

 

[TSO]

I had previously never wanted a cab. Never really thought about it actually... then my buddy got one in his tractor and I saw some benefits. So I had started building my own cab. I stopped halfway (due to time & other constraints) and it ended up more as a 4 post canopy, which was excellent because it kept the sun off, and kept me a bit safer from branches & such. I had it wired with lights, and was going to finish it off with marine grade clear vinyl, and add a radio. I also considered using laminated glass, adding heaters, etc.

Then winter came. Not just winter, but THIS winter! Not sure if you noticed, but it's been C-O-L-D !!! I enjoy winter, and cold to an extent ... but sub zero is sub zero no matter which way you slice it. Freezing my knees solid, getting snow blown in my face, having to bundle to the max, and having snow/ice on my tractor controls (I'm sorta **** about liking my tractor clean) ... all while my buddy bragged about staying cozy in his cab ... made me reconsider the factory cab option.

So, I shopped again and bought a new rig with a factory cab (Massey 1648). It's very nice! The heat works amazingly, and you'll b down to jeans & a t-shirt if you want. The factory fit can't be beat, and I could never replicate the glass size & fit by building my own... shoot, even aftermarket cabs don't come close. And it is nice having a clean & dry operators environment, and listening to the radio while you work, without headphones on.

But, as others have mentioned, there are drawbacks as well. I'm all but certain that I will break something eventually, and by something I mean the doors, roof, or glass. All of those things are expensive items, but luckily that cost can be negated a bit by purchasing insurance, but you are still spending money up front for the insurance. On my open station tractor, insurance was never even a thought, because there was nothing I was really worried about breaking.

It is also a bit inconvenient having to open and close doors every time you want to get off or on the tractor. In the summertime, I'm often on & off my tractor 50 times a day or more. Depending on the season, I may just remove the doors and leave it open, we'll see.

There's also the issue of limiting the areas you can go into for fear of breaking the tractor cab, but it's a concession.

It seems that resale for a factory cab tractor hold its value pretty well, so I suppose that may be an added bonus.

The major downside of course is the added cost. But, if you can make it fit your budget, and you can account for the few concessions go have to make while using it, then I would say the pros definitely outweigh the cons.