Regret a cab tractor?

[RickB]

I'll bite. What is an insulated four post canopy?

Having trouble seeing the advantage of whatever this may be, although I do know that the canopy will keep the snow off the operator somewhat.

Insulation on the underside of a canopy is a huge help in absorbing noise and harmonic vibration from the chassis being bounced back at the operator. The additional two posts in front stabilize the canopy, further reduce vibrations and in most cases help the canopy meet FOPS certification. (Falling object protective structure)

 

[LouNY]

I have one of each. Since getting the cabbed tractor I've been putting 100+ hours a year on it...it is such a pleasure to use that I'm always thinking up tasks for it to do. The open station is rarely used these days. No regrets getting the tractor with a cab!

The same for me and I even have a soft cover for the open station.

 

[OzarkChris]

I've been on a search this year for a 4WD tractor and was on a path to an open station version. Various members on TBN have swayed me to the cab version and I'm almost there. With 4WD I believe I will use the tractor year round instead of storing it during the winter like I do with the JD 2020. Just to give me a view of something I haven't thought of, has anyone gone back to an open station after getting a cab tractor?

Although I haven't returned to an open station, I will say that now that I have a cab, I probably wouldn't ever go back (for my primary tractor). Several things come to mind for this thinking.
1. When cutting grass, bush hogging, raking etc. I no longer need to wear (or should wear) a respirator to keep the dust, grass etc out if my lungs (he says as he is coughing up straw & grass ). 2 During the summer months the AC sure feels good - and I'm not so cranky when I walk in the house. 3. In cooler months it sure is nice not having to look like the Michelin man to stay warm. 4. As an added bonus, I can listen to my favorite tunes while I'm working - no radio reception out here.

As mentioned above, the worst "habit" you can get into is moving with a (or both) door open. I found out the hard way having to replace a hinge (thank God. It wasn't the whole door!) that set me back ~$200. BTW, the whole door us pushing a grand and 15-50 week delivery these days.

Because of the costs involved with glass, I would definitely recommend getting a low deductible on glass insurance - the difference between $1k & 100 deductible was somewhere around $100/year for me.

 

[Fxfymn413]

Had three open station machines and when I was a younger man I didn't mind dressing like Ralphie in Xmas Story, but now old age and wisdom have taken ahold and I'm very glad I went to a cab machine. And if you finance through Kubota their insurance will cover any lack of concentration moments that result in making it a semi-open cab although I have not needed that yet.

 

[kpsp50]

Check out KENO tractors.com they have the best price of any place I know. That is where I got mine from. no I am not affiliated with them. Talk to Eric or George they will have a new one in your budget range. Good luck

 

[tjandrews]

We have three tractors here, the oldest two are open station, the newest has a cab. Used the oldest two for 50 years and 60 years (originally my grandfather' tractor) respectively, plowed lots of snow with each. It was cold, but I was younger then and better able to take it. They are smaller than the newer one, more maneuverable, able to get into and back out of tight places where the new one can't go. Unfortunately, both are 2WD, and both run on gasoline.

The newest is bigger, runs on diesel, and has 4WD. The cab has a heater, but no AC. With a bucket on the front and a blower on the back, it's the best snow remover we have ever owned. And it gets used more than the others in the summer, because it's bigger and better able to handle the work. But without AC, that cab is blisteringly hot in the summer heat. We have to take the doors off, or we'd die of heat stroke. With the weight of the bucket and the cab, it feels more... ponderous... to me than the older tractors. Also, I find it more difficult to climb my 72-year-old body into the cab than to jump onto the older, smaller, open tractors.

In short, each has its advantages and disadvantages, and I'm glad we have all three of them. We simply choose the right tractor for each job.

 

[Jchonline]

If you get in and out of the machine most of the time when you are working with it like I do, it is a real time saver to have no door to deal with. However if you work in dusty, buggy, or cold/hot weather a Cab is hard to beat.

 

[Garson]

After 50 years of tractor experience my vote is like most people here- a cab is a must. There are many individual considerations, however.

Factory Cab Cons:
#1- Window fogging. Any cabbed tractor I've blown snow with here in Canada well below freezing will result in fogged windows. The defroster system in fully cabbed tractors is far from sufficient so the only way to blow snow is to open all doors and windows.

#2- Cost. It adds roughly $10,000 to add a factory cab to a new tractor.

#3- Yarding logs is tedious when having to open and close a cab door for each hookup.

#4- Not many of us have a tractor shed with a 10 foot high door. Your cabbed tractor may end up staying out in the weather?

#5- Visibility can be lost if the cab was not designed for a particular tractor. For example, if you cannot see your loader bucket, landscaping is difficult. Be very wary of generic after-market cabs.

Factory Cab Pros:
#1- More comfortable summer or winter when isolated from wind, cold, heat and snow.

#2- Switches and instruments are protected from weather

#3- Security when parked outside, even temporarily.

#4- Dry storage space allows commonly used items to be "always there" (coat, water, tools, chains, etc).

#5- Safer from flying or falling objects.

Having said that, I would always have a cabbed tractor but with some caveats:

A tractor canopy has the advantage of rain protection if there is no wind; sometimes in other words. It can also block mid-day sun. If strong enough a canopy may also offer protection from falling debris, but it does not block wind. It's a bare minimum for any tractor in my opinion and a simple one could be built for a few hundred dollars.

If you are a welder (or have a welder friend), you can build a nice cab for $1000-2000. And the homebuilt cab on my RX7320 Kioti enters an 8-foot high door opening so it lives inside away from sun, rain, snow and thieves.

My side entry door generally stays in the tractor shed. It hasn't been on the tractor for years. This allows easy entry/exit and prevents window fogging on cold damp days. The cab still blocks winter wind and in the summer the pop-out mylar rear window allows good ventilation to replace air conditioning. This may be a problem if your local temperature often exceeds 90°F.

There's an abundance of tractor cab designs and building techniques on YouTube. It's a great summer project and rewards can be reaped thereafter.

Hope this gives some insight to making your personal decision on a tractor cab .

 

[rScotty]

I'll bite. What is an insulated four post canopy?

Having trouble seeing the advantage of whatever this may be, although I do know that the canopy will keep the snow off the operator somewhat.

It's just a nicer canopy. Heavier duty. More coverage, mounts for lights, and a convenient hand hold.
This one shown below is hollow with two hard shells surfaces (upper and lower), some more steel framework, and glue-up insulation.

Apparently it is available on some Kubotas - the TBL line has it. We have one and here it is shown in the brochure. Other manufacturers have something similar, So it wouldn't surprise me if it was an option on others and there were aftermarket sources.

Obviously it isn't going to work mounted to a loader upright on machines with quick detatch loaders. So it would have to mount somewhere else.

Worth looking for, IMHO.

rScotty

 

[4570Man]

A tractor cab really leaves room for improvement when it comes to getting the glass out of the way. In my mini x the front window rolls up inside the cab if you don’t want to use it and the side door pins against the machine body when it’s open. I wouldn’t personally go with an aftermarket cab either. If you want one I’d get the factory one.