Canopy rather than Cab

[ruffdog]

I understand the OP's need to experience the outdoors and all it has to offer. I now have cabbed equipment but it was hard getting use to it. If you enjoy being outside, being in a box with windows is not enjoyable. You lose the sounds, smells, vision, and the breeze on your face. Believe me, I get it. But, I'm also adapting to the cab. It's like boats, they have open boats and ones with a canopy, but you never see cabbed boats around here.

 

[5030]

Awfully clean and shiny for a ‘real’ farmer.

Not really. Both get washed and serviced as in greased and fluid and tire checks at least ever other day. FEL's get greased every 10 running hours. I don't like filth so I remove it.

The canopy unit has 6000+ meter hours on it btw. The cab unit has 2000+ meter hours on it. One is a 2004, the other is a 2002 and both bought new.

The OS just got a new set of shoes this spring to the tune of 5 grand. Both units stay indoors when not in use. Just how I play. A grimy, nasty tractor or implement only projects a grimy, nasty I don't care owner.

 

[Cougsfan]

Does your cab tractor fit in a standard 7 ft high garage door ? How does or work in the woods ? Has your air conditioner ever given you trouble? Does the glass ever get dirty or broken ? Do you have a full time job inside a heated and air conditioned building ?

I don't have any 7 foot doors, no woods, nor do I have a full time job in a building. But I have had to repair my ac, and I did break a $700 glass door. If fixing those was beyond my means I could have pulled the doors and windows and made it much the same as canopy, but I chose not to. I am glad you like your canopy, and it is great we all have choices to do whatever fits us best.

 

[5030]

Your canopy looks way to small on that orange tractor 5030.

It's fine. Keeps the sun off my hairless head....

I don't want some large cumbersome canopy flopping around up there anyway. The Tuff Top fits the bill perfectly and it adjusts to many positions including folded back if the unit needs trailered.

 

[Cougsfan]

I had my 2009 Kubota M6040 for seven years. Then I bought a canopy. More concerned about keeping the sun off me. I worked a tractor or two with a cab. Don't like it. If we EVER AGAIN get enough snow to plow in the winter - it's Eddie Bauer and me. I brought all my down gear with me from Alaska. Eddie Bauer & Alpine Design.

Rolf, you are tougher than me!

 

[metalbender]

There's not enough Eddie Bauer to make me give up my cab. In -30 with a good stiff wind and the road is blocked, I'd pay to see someone clear that in an open station. There is a world beyond the " Sunshine Belt"

 

[Cougsfan]

I am right with you there. I enjoy clearing snow with my open station tractor. The cool crisp air outside feels wonderful after being cooped up in the factory or our wood heated house all day.

I just throw on my insulated coveralls, face mask, arctic boots, and heavy wool lined mittens and I am ready to take on any amount of snow no matter how cold it gets.

I suppose a cab would be nice in the winter for folks forced to use a blower because they have limited area to stack snow. Open station is no problem for those of us with plenty of room to push it with a blade or stack it with a front loader.

I will agree that blowing snow with a snow blower can be a real pain with a cab, with snow getting on the windows. But I have a strange aversion to getting cold Until this year, I would blow snow off 2-1/2 miles of road. Eddie Bauer's just wouldn't cut it for that long.

 

[5030]

Why the side and back windows on my cabbed unit have defroster grids and the back window has a wiper. Not that I blow snow a lot. I prefer not to.... When pushed, I do, grudgingly.

 

[ljjhouser]

Oh Yeah, 2100cfm
View attachment 697057

Damn, that's Fantastic! Almost looks like a swamp boat. I like it! Larry

 

[ljjhouser]

There are many reasons why I prefer a canopy, with the chief one being cost. A close second is the fact that I enjoy my time outside mostly because my full time job is inside a factory. Other advantages of a canopy is increased stability due to lower center of gravity, lower maintenance cost, and increased fuel economy. Also does not cover up abnormal operation noises from equipment. When you add all that up, you couldn't pay me to own a tractor with a cab.

That said, you also couldn't pay me to work on a tractor in the hot sun or rain, without a canopy. This is the one I spent a couple hours making for my JD 4120 back in 2005, when it was new. It has held up well for 16 years, although I did replace the canvas top when the old one (made from an old boat cover I got for $5 at a garage sale), got a tear in it.

My brother in law was scrapping his tent camper and some canvas from that made a perfect replacement cover for my canopy. The frame is made from 1-1/2" square pine and a couple 2x4's. It attaches with (2) 3/8" bolts drilled thru the top of the rops, and two metal diagonal supports (cut from an old fertilizer spreader handle), attached to the rops folding brackets with (2) 5/16" bolts.

The whole assembly weighs about 35 pounds and can easily be lifted into place with one hand.

The effectiveness of a canopy in the hot sun really has to be experienced to comprehend. The motion of the tractor, coupled with the shade from the canopy, makes for comfort, even on extremely hot, dead-calm days. So much better than being locked in a glass box waiting for your air conditioner to cool you down.

I like a cab, heater,and AC. But I get one and off all the time. That big glass door sometimes breaks. I asked the dealer how much door replacement cost - $2200. Now, I like a canopy.

 

[kpsp50]

I have a tractor 18 years old I built in an aluminum cab for with Windows the door comes off and the side window comes out great for in the summer and there's enough heat off the engine that keeps you warm in the winter it sure beats a $5,000 factory cab very happy with it the windows I made are lexan and hold up very well and you can see out just great I would do it all over again good luck

 

[5030]

Only time the glass door breaks is when you aren't watching what you are doing and snag it on something. Been there and did that long ago but I carry insurance on all the equipment (Not KTAC either) so it cost me 250 bucks for a new one (deductible).

 

[JethroB]

I would never consider filing an insurance claim for under $1000. So I made that my deductible to save on premiums. Some may not be aware that insurance companies share claims history.

 

[RancherGuy]

I currently have 4 tractors w/ cabs, 1 with ROPS. Sold the others w/ ROPS. Here is my experience.

ROPS - this is a great option to keep costs down or if the tractor is on the smaller side of size. Same with a canopy if you like that.

Cab - these are reasons I really want one: (1) when I needed a tractor, the wife said she would not drive it w/o a cab (to help me), (2) you would like to keep the seating area, instruments and surrounding area cleaner, (3) you might have to talk on your phone, even while stationary, (4) in the dead of winter and the wind is blowing, (5) in the scorching sun and you are not moving much, such as fence work, (6) mowing a pasture and you would rather laugh at the bees and wasps knocking on the glass than scream when they are under your sunglasses.

 

[BrokenTrack]

I operate a canopy tractor from July 3rd thru September 9th, and it sucks!

One word, BEES!!!

 

[wolc123]

I operate a canopy tractor from July 3rd thru September 9th, and it sucks!

One word, BEES!!!

They are even worse when they get into a cab. I know a guy who rolled a manure spreader and his new cab tractor, when a bee got in and stung him. Somehow, as he was flailing around in the attack, a can of either got discharged, nearly asphyxiating him and causing him to loose control.

That would have been relatively harmless under a canopy, but his goose was pretty much cooked in that cab when the can of either discharged. Many thousands of dollars in damage occurred to the tractor when it rolled over into a steep roadside ditch. Fortunately, the smashed out glass ventilated the cab and he regained consciousness.

He is the only farmer I know that will never buy another cab tractor.

 

[BrokenTrack]

I mow the sides of the road for area towns so bees are a huge issue with me. I would kill for a cab!