Is a cab top heavy?

[Citydude]

I'm throwing around the idea of getting a cabbed tractor for my mowing business due to allergies that I recently acquired. I currently have a L3400 with loaded rear tires and 4" spacers on each rear axle. This thing is very stable on slopes. Would it make a difference in stability if, for instance, it was cabbed?

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Well, you'd be adding weight up high, which has to affect the center of gravity at least a little just by the laws of physics. Whether it will affect it much, I don't know.

You could probably offset some/all of that by adding wheel weights and/or filling your tires if they're not already filled. Also, setting your tires to the widest setting would be important.

 

[lostcreekranch]

You will never regret getting a cab on your next tractor. The extra weight is not significant.






I didn't have to breath this and the A/C is nice also.

I will never ever, ever, ever, buy a tractor without FEL or Cab.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[lostcreekranch]

Last weekend. Which did I enjoying using most? You get three guesses and first two don't count.



After 4 hours Monday with blower and pressure washer.



No rain this week, so far, so will probably start all over again this weekend.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[C4Ranch]

I'll have to ponder some on the effects a cab has on the center of gravity as I sit in the comfort of my A/C cab while it's 102 degrees outside listening to music able to hear myself think sipping a bottle of water with no need to dust off after a day of work.

 

[C4Ranch]

In all seriousness. You see more highway mowers in cabed tractors cutting the steep on ramp sides than you do open station. My property has some fairly rocky slopes and I've not felt any difference than when I had an open station.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I'll have to ponder some on the effects a cab has on the center of gravity as I sit in the comfort of my A/C cab while it's 102 degrees outside listening to music able to hear myself think sipping a bottle of water with no need to dust off after a day of work.

Well stated C4. My pastures have lots of oak trees that the NH TL100A cannot get under. So have to use the open station Kubota for that, and the JD Zero Turn for the really low trees. The JD is, by far, the dirtiest when it is dry.

My bride can't understand why I won't wear a dust mask when on the Kubota or JD, when it's dry? How much good is a dust mask with a 50 ring hole for cigar???? :- D

I do wear hearing protection because don't have to stick cigar in my ear. ;-D

Yes, cabs are worth every extra cent they cost and then some. A big plus is that they hold their value if ........... you don't beat the crap out of them.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[boggen]

without repeating what others have said...

cabs...
generally get a larger alternator vs open station / no cab, meaning better 12v stuff can be plugged in for longer times with less fear of running battery dead.
get upper front and rear work lights generally
a/c is optional, at bare min heat in the winter (big thing for me)
possibly review mirrors. if mirrors are exterior they will get ripped off if ya in and around trees, make sure you can put something back on after they break off.
when the windows get dirty or sun is just right, there can be some extra glare, making it hard to see FEL (front end loader) bucket and position it is in,
front window easy to clean, it is the side and rear windows that can be a pain to clean on the outside.
if no A/C, and you have windows / doors open when driving, wind can nail you good with exhaust fumes all of a sudden.
if working in the mud in your boots, cabs can be a pain to clean all the mud and like that can get tracked into it.
working in the woods or in tight spaces, cabs can be a pain to get in and out of.
if no A/C, cabs can get hotter than no cab in the summer, (assumption some sort of shade is provided either attached to tractor or a large straw hat is worn.

 

[Citydude]

Thanks for all the responses. It sounds as if the added weight wouldn't be an issue. That's a concern I wanted to eliminate while exploring the cab, no cab decision.

 

[oosik]

If you operate in conditions like Rick(rigustafson) does - you will surely need something to stop all that dust. I would think that in those conditions an open station and the world's best dust mask would soon become intolerable. I have an open station tractor so this time of year when I do any dirt work on the property I'm very aware of the direction the wind is blowing. I don't mind the dust as long as I can stay up wind - and that is my limitations. Also, if I were going to use a rear cutter, which I don't, I would have most definitely purchased a cab unit when I bought this new tractor.

 

[Citydude]

If you operate in conditions like Rick(rigustafson) does - you will surely need something to stop all that dust. I would think that in those conditions an open station and the world's best dust mask would soon become intolerable. I have an open station tractor so this time of year when I do any dirt work on the property I'm very aware of the direction the wind is blowing. I don't mind the dust as long as I can stay up wind - and that is my limitations. Also, if I were going to use a rear cutter, which I don't, I would have most definitely purchased a cab unit when I bought this new tractor.

The quandary is that I only use the tractor for contract mowing a couple of months out of the year in the summer. The rest if the year, it's parked. Upfront costs for a cab were hard to justify during the purchasing process. Now that severe allergies have come into play, the cab could be the only way I can keep my little side business going. As of now, I wear a mask. It does OK however I still have to take large amounts of over the counter medications that I hate. Decisions......

 

[Gary Fowler]

The quandary is that I only use the tractor for contract mowing a couple of months out of the year in the summer. The rest if the year, it's parked. Upfront costs for a cab were hard to justify during the purchasing process. Now that severe allergies have come into play, the cab could be the only way I can keep my little side business going. As of now, I wear a mask. It does OK however I still have to take large amounts of over the counter medications that I hate. Decisions......

A cab may not totally help you with your allergies, but it will lessen the amount of pollen that gets to you. The biggest thing for me is the climate controlled factor; no dust blowing in your eyes (although most cabs wont keep out 100% of dust due to all the opening for pedals and controls) rain proof, sun proof, snow proof, if you like to listen to music, most come with a radio and CD player, QUIET-no need for hearing protection and most come with cloth seat so your bum doesn't sweat like on a plastic seat. Nothing like bush hogging all day and then getting out with clean nose and clothes.

Yes they are expensive, in the neighborhood of $5K or more, but it is worth the cost for me in comfort factor alone plus the 4 post system it good for falling objects also. Down side is you have to have your shed tall enough for the extra height (no fold down anything to reduce the overall height)

 

[rd_macgregor]

If you plan on leaving your tractor parked outside, or if you plan on using it a lot in winter, a cab will be a real blessing and well worth the extra cost. I have taken the large exterior mirrors off mine since they kept getting whacked by tree branches. I have also managed to pretzel the slow-moving vehicle sign bracket and break off the roof antenna with unintended encounters with trees...but I, myself, haven't been stung by hornets or been whacked by branches or choked by dust or plopped my butt down in a wet seat or come home coated in snow after blowing out the lane... I'd insist on a cab for my next tractor, too.

 

[jenkinsph]

The cab does add more weight but isn't a big deal imo. The Deere cab and presume most new cabs are pretty tight and pressurized to keep out airborne dust, air should leak out of any openings. If you have allergy problems it is a no brainer to me.

 

[nybirdman]

Cab for sure;really, top heavy.Some tube steel and plastic,a little air conditioning equiptment some glass.Can't really add a lot of top weight.Very few non-cabbed tractors in our area on the farms.

 

[kioskcarp]

amen brother , me neither. I can cut hay, or grass all day in 97 degree temps and not be totally stopped up the rest of the week.

 

[AaronS]

I just went from an open station L3400 to a cab tractor. Spent 4 hours brush hogging weeds that ranged from knee to shoulder high a couple of weeks ago and my allergies weren't bothered in the least. I wouldn't have been able to breathe out of my nose for a week using the L3400. I was smiling the whole time.

 

[jhernan]

Get the cab. You will not regret it. I have some steep hills and as long as I go slow I've never had any issues. See some of my other postings to see pictures of my hills.

 

[maveryck]

cab weight 220 kg only, with ROPS (anti roll over) certification



tractor cabs, rigid enclosures and sunshades for kubota

 

[Citydude]

View attachment 383672

cab weight 220 kg only, with ROPS (anti roll over) certification





tractor cabs, rigid enclosures and sunshades for kubota

Thanks! This is certainly an option to think about.