Kubota cab roof-unimpressive

[Builder]

Anyone else have prioblems with theirs? Mine has an upper/lower halves which are sort of welded together pieces of plastic that meet at a seam. They have split and now the roof leaks.:thumbsup: Mine also has what look like stress fractures just behind the roof mount upper front lights. I guess it's time to caulk the leaks with clear caulk. :ashamed: 3 years old and leaks.

Tractor is pretty solid otherwise, but the roof is too frail & thin/cheap for my liking.

 

[lawn_king]

Try to patch it up. I hear they Are over $1000. new.

 

[Builder]

I hear that. This is the 3rd cabbed tractor I've owned that leaked.

 

[sunnyside360]

I have a 2004 Kubota M8200 cab tractor and just had the roof off for the first time to service the A/C. The roof is very light in weight compared to my smaller John Deere tractor but didn't see any fractures and don't have any leaks the last I knew. The upper roof half is a double layer of plastic with a thin cushion of air in between the plastic layers which I thought was good for insulation. I don't think the roof would take much rough treatment, eg, going under tree limbs, dropping on floor while handling, and etc.

 

[RayCo]

In addition to your disappointment in the roof quality, is there a safety concern here, assuming that the roof is supposed to serve as a FOPS?

 

[TripleR]

Maybe I should reconsider getting a cabbed M Series Kubota; seems like a lot of people aren't happy with them.

 

[Builder]

In addition to your disappointment in the roof quality, is there a safety concern here, assuming that the roof is supposed to serve as a FOPS?

There's a steel protective shield inside.

 

[TripleR]

Got a quote on an M8540 yesterday and they are coming down to look at my trade in today.

 

[Builder]

Maybe I should reconsider getting a cabbed M Series Kubota; seems like a lot of people aren't happy with them.

If you're anywhere near woods, just be real careful. It's like having an eggshell over top of you while you work. I dislike the feeling of working with equipment that you always have to be careful with.

Rest of the tractor seems great. Roof shell is fragile. I've had 3 different cab tractors with roof leaks. Case, NH & now Kubota. I sold the Case (windshield was never sealed at the factory correctly). I fixed the NH (new roof). At least the NH roof was THICK plastic. It just had leaking attachment points. Can't really afford to put any big money into the Kubota roof, so it looks like caulk will have to do.

 

[rbargeron]

FWIW my Laurin cab is built like a tank - all steel with an integral welded rollover structure. The down side of a strong cab is weight, the hefty roof doesn't keep the cg low. So maybe a light design that needs caulking now and has its good points, even if not impressive.

One day I was mowing under some huge old apple trees and caught a heavy limb with the top corner of the cab. The tractor just did a wheelie - front axle came up a couple feet before I could stop. I thought sure the cab would be bent - but no damage at all. The Laurin ain't all curvy and beautiful but it definitely does the job.

 

[Builder]

It's all about the weight & rust/paint. The steel roofs on the old Kubotas are waaay stronger, but once the paint comes off......

I also wanted the newer tractor features & ergonomics, but this roof is too light duty. I'd like to find a way to put a forrestry steel gaurd around it.

 

[TripleR]

FWIW my Laurin cab is built like a tank - all steel with an integral welded rollover structure. There is a down side of super strong cabs though - their weight. A hefty roof doesn't help in keeping the center of gravity low. So maybe a lightweight design that needs caulking now and then is ok, even if not what we might expect from Kubota.

Good point, we work on some pretty steep slopes, just wish it was a little thicker. Of course I have had no trouble out of the one on my L5030 and it is really thin.

 

[TripleR]

If you're anywhere near woods, just be real careful. It's like having an eggshell over top of you while you work. I dislike the feeling of working with equipment that you always have to be careful with.

Rest of the tractor seems great. Roof shell is fragile. I've had 3 different cab tractors with roof leaks. Case, NH & now Kubota. I sold the Case (windshield was never sealed at the factory correctly). I fixed the NH (new roof). At least the NH roof was THICK plastic. It just had leaking attachment points. Can't really afford to put any big money into the Kubota roof, so it looks like caulk will have to do.

"Normally", we don't use the big tractor in the woods. We have about 150 acres of woods on the farm where I live, but mostly I use the L5030 and BX2660 here. We have only eight acres of mature woods on the farm where we will keep the M, though we are reforesting a couple of small patches of another eight acres. It will be too thick to get a tractor in though anyway.

For use in the woods, we have an older model Massey Ferguson MFWD 375 with heavy steel canopy. I am having some kids we hired for the summer to go around and cut any low hanging limbs on our roads.

 

[rswyan]

FWIW my Laurin cab is built like a tank ....... The Laurin ain't all curvy and beautiful but it definitely does the job.

Awww ..... I dunno .... I kinda like the looks of it in your avatar pic .... but then I liked them "boxy" mid-80's Volvo (cars) ...

My B2910 is kinda boxy ..... I think something like that would look good on it .... (I'm planning on building one this winter ..... )

 

[TripleR]

Went shopping today and drove a M8540 with cab, hydraulic shuttle shift 12F/R and really liked it.

 

[Builder]

It IS a really nice tractor, but I'll tell you what you might not like. I never liked to sugar coat anything or be brand loyal, so here goes:

The Kubotas seem to have all the power of a Deere, but not the "azz" of a Deere. What I mean is weight. Sometimes extra weight is undesireable, but not usually for me. I like a heavy feeling "old iron" feel to a tractor. This is NOT Kubota's forte. Kubota builds their tractor just strong enough & heavy enough for the job, not excessively strong or heavy. I probably would have been better off with a heavier built tractor with more powerful hydraulics. It's never enough, I guess. My backhoe is probably the biggest, baddest backhoe around. I really like it because I'm rarely outgunned on the jobsite.

I still really like my Kubota, but I notice Deere's comparable model is like 1,000 lbs heavier. I should have paid more attention to that. Filling my rear tires w/ rim guard helped. My 7040 is also easier to trailer because it's lighter.

Next time I will buy a heavier tractor for more stability & security. Probably an older Case/IH or Deere The 8XXX you're buying is a big step up from mine, but you'll find it's probably lighter built than Deere or other "old names".

 

[TripleR]

I checked the specs and such on other tractors and really didn't want to pay the extra money for a John Deere. I don't need the extra weight as 80% of my use will be pulling a 10' rotary cutter and some loader work.

We have access to a mini excavator, Bobcat 864 or dozer if we really need one or an old IH 1486 or anything up to a John Deere 8320. I am buying this as a utility tractor for property maintenance and could get by with an M7040, so by buying the M8540, I guess I am even exceeding the John Deere "equivalent" of the M7040.

I have said on here before that I don't make or save a dime with my equipment and could easily have someone else do it as a condition of leasing our property, but enjoy staying active and don't really like to depend on other people.

If I was a young man looking for a work tractor, my choice might well have been different.

 

[Builder]

The 8540 should do fine, then. I pull a rotary mower and do a lot of property mintenance with mine.

I opted to put an 84" FEL bucket on mine rather than the suggested 72" bucket. FILLED with dirt, it's slow to lift which is to be expected, since I opted for an 8540-size bucket.

You'll love the AC.

 

[TripleR]

The one I am looking at has the seven foot bucket and it is big, but that is the one I want too.

I'm already sold on the AC, it was hot as a bear when I got in and it cooled down really quickly. I much prefer the outlet locations to those on my L5030.

 

[lawn_king]

Lets not forget kubotas legacy. Their claim to fame from day 1, was a lightweight grounds maintenance machine, they built and expanded from there. If big bulk weight in iron is what you desire, kubota is not the machine for you.