Should I cab or not. Getting ready to buy

[DieselBound]

I own an open-station and a cabbed. I prefer BOTH! But, as far as comfort it's hands-down the cabbed: AC works great; reduces sunburns (saves $$ on sunblock!); saves energy from swatting bugs away; dust- ha! NOISE, running mowers can get pretty load and wearing hearing protection (I wear "Mickey Mouse Ears") for extended periods of time sucks (and if no AC...); branches slap the cab but not me (I've taken quite a few hits in the open-station, once having a sapling branch hit my forehead and swat my hat off- if not for the hat I'd have gotten scalped really good), and blackberries, well, some very nasty stuff (operating around them with my open-station I end up looking like I was fishing feral cats out from under a building with bare arms); I can listen to music; I can have a video monitor; I can take phone calls; tractor is better able to stay outside (dash and associated electronics sheltered); and the seat stays dry (as long as my dog stays off it!).

In addition to the obvious issues of having more to look out for when operating a cabbed tractor around trees and such, I'd have to say that RODENTS can be a substantial negative. I've had some battles; fortunately, to-date (4 1/2 years) no damage to components (just messes). I think I've sealed things up now such that they can't get under the cab top (which is where they want to go).

Sometimes you have to have all members in the family vote on the topic (by thumbs up from this member):

The cab allows me to operate longer, which makes my implements more productive (better return on investment).

Quick, small jobs (and just operating it because it's so darned quick) are fine in my open-station. Kind of apples to oranges because they're two completely different machines; but, still, the "concept" of cab vs open-station still applies.

 

[grsthegreat]

i have 20 acres of woods. i use my cabbed tractor in it for 10 years now. i have trails thru woods for horses and to exercise the dog. so i just used a pole saw to limb up the low hanging branches. has never been an issue with me. i worked today pulling some old concreted posts out of the ground in 80 degree heat. i know it doesnt sound like much to you, but after months of 30-50F, its quite a shock to the system. i love my AC

 

[MiserableOldFart]

I would like a cab probably 4-5 months of the year, but the rest, I doubt it. A decent snowsuit keeps me warm in all but the hands and toes in the worst of winter clearing snow. Mittens with those chemical hand warmers in them reduce the hand problems a lot. I probably will eventually get some of the same kind for the toes as well. This past winter, we had a ton of small, snotty snowstorms and I was out clearing snow a lot, but only used the hand warmers two or three times. Summer heat and especially humidity is awful, but I really don't use the tractor that much in the heat of summer anyway. If you have 100 acres of field to mow, it's a different story, but most of my mowing is done with a lawn tractor anyway. So I bought a new open station tractor this spring. It's bigger and more powerful than my old TC26DA and I think the 40 hp tractor will be faster in the snow by quite a bit. Hope so, anyway.

 

[bkibler]

I don't have anything new to highlight, but I'll add my experience. I'm in NH and have both a cab (L5740) and open (B2710) compact tractors. And I grew up farming in Maryland with a fleet of open Farmalls, and a JD 4040 (cab but no A/C), so I've lived through mid-Atlantic humidity. 97 times out of 100, I prefer an open station for a compact tractor:

• Better visibility & awareness all around
• Easier to hop on/off for landscaping, hauling, and logging tasks
• No mice nests: all my tractors live in the same shed, and I'm always fighting mice in my cabs (L, excavator, skid steer), but never in my B
• Less stuff to break/maintain: no HVAC (mine needs recharging as we speak), no glass doors (been there 2x), mirrors or antenna (done that)
• Easier to change 3ph implements, operate a PTO chipper or logging winch, etc.

The only 3 times I really appreciate my cab:

• Bush hogging the field edges. This invariably happens on the hottest & muggiest days of the summer, kicks up a giant dust storm, and is guaranteed to find every hornets & spiders nest. A cab is a harder to get under tree branches than a folded ROPs, but worth it. For open field mowing, a canopy is good enough: dusty, but bearable.
• Snow blowing during a blizzard. I prefer to plow the driveway after it's done snowing (quite enjoyable in an open cab), but when I have to run the 3PH snowblower down my 2300' driveway in a blizzard, a heated cab is a really nice place to be.
• When kids are riding along, the cab is safer.

If I had to consolidate to a single tractor, it wouldn't have a cab.

 

[hlulks]

I am very close to buying my first tractor. One of the last decisions I need to make is if I should get the cab version or not. I currently live in FL and the endless summer is brutal and the AC seems inviting. Problem is I am moving to middle TN and not sure if the cab is needed as much there. I know it gets colder and I know there are seasons and it is something I have not experienced in 30 years.

I am a little worried about the cab height and how it might limit the places the tractor can go. I also know most of the time will be spent with the rotary cutter in the open areas. I don't think I will be crashing through the woods with the tractor but I don't want to limit to much where I can go. I guess I am in kinda a chicken / egg situation. I need a tractor but I am not sure exactly what I will be doing yet except mowing the open spaces. I would love to hear opinions.

I now have a JD 2038R without a cab, & I leave the ROPS folded down. I live in MI, where we have seasons also, & personally I am happy without a cab. I do a lot of mowing w/ my tractor, a little loader work, & in the winter I use a 3 pt. snow blower. In the winter, I dress accordingly, & am near the house, if I have to warm up. Which ever way you go, I would recommend a John Deere. These new models have some really neat features.

 

[pjbci]

I have been on equipment and tractors since the early 70’s. Now 50 years later after and having made my entire living soley with machines, I am proud to have finally made it to the point where all my machines are cab models and I have a bunch. I hated the hot and cold on open stations. Glare from cab glass has come a long way althought it still can be a problem but I’d rather my operators be comfortable. Get the cab.

If the wood are to thick for a cab then they are certainly too thick to for a tractor have any business in.

 

[Jmwoodall]

I am very close to buying my first tractor. One of the last decisions I need to make is if I should get the cab version or not. I currently live in FL and the endless summer is brutal and the AC seems inviting. Problem is I am moving to middle TN and not sure if the cab is needed as much there. I know it gets colder and I know there are seasons and it is something I have not experienced in 30 years.

I am a little worried about the cab height and how it might limit the places the tractor can go. I also know most of the time will be spent with the rotary cutter in the open areas. I don't think I will be crashing through the woods with the tractor but I don't want to limit to much where I can go. I guess I am in kinda a chicken / egg situation. I need a tractor but I am not sure exactly what I will be doing yet except mowing the open spaces. I would love to hear opinions.

Kubota MX5400 HST, my first tractor as well. I have to admit I never considered an open cab. I am a desk guy who does not work outside. I get those that like the outdoors uninhibited but for those of us who enjoy AC, a cab is essential. I can assure the glass is not fragile. Similar to car windshield glass. I have had many branches hit the glass. Small stuff as I do not want to make a rookie mistake. I agree with the post, clear and go. Do not go and wish you cleared big stuff. I have a Stihl pruner that can ride with me. The AC in my tractor has never run above 2 in July/August Florida heat. The winter hunting season, the heat was used as well. I am very biased but buy once. Get more HP than you “think” you need and if the cab is a thought, I would buy a cab. Buyers regret will cost you thousands.

 

[unpossible]

I did my first pole-sawing-so-I-can-fit-the-cabbed-tractor-in-the-woods last weekend (new cabbed tractor late last summer and first woods-crashing this spring). The trimming wasn't that big of a deal, and it was trimming that needed to be done anyway. I suspect that would be the case for most people most of the time....if you are doing something in-the-woods that requires your tractor, then "not having branches hang into the trail/road/woods" would probably also be a priority in that same area.

Heat, cold, wind, sun, rain, snow, bugs, dust/mowing/ground debris, built-in weight, humidity, security (locking it)...each is a cab-advantage I have personally experienced, in one location, in a pretty short time. even on the best days there is probably at least 1 advantage to a cab, anywhere in the country. Tractors keep getting better (with great factory cabs), and we keep get older. Maybe age is taboo on TBN...(?), I'm a little surprised someone didn't mention a ~rule like - if you are mid-forties or older...and can afford to allocate the extra $....and are even thinking about a cab...then get the cab.

 

[grsthegreat]

I have 1.25 miles of groomed trails thru my property, so I can get to most anyplace I need. I’ll winch logs out if necessary. Good thing about limbing up trees, I can also drive my horses over trails with our combined driving carriage.

 

[GoatHerd]

To me the answer depends on the kind of "tractor behavior" you have. If you are going to be doing a lot of long-duration field work---cutting grass, haying, row cropping, those sorts of things---I would get the cab. I've never gotten a cab because our farm, like many Virginia small farms, has only small fields and lots of forest, with many trails. We use our tractors frequently but usually for only relatively short periods. I want to be able to see and maneuver optimally. No matter how well designed a cab is, your visibility will never be as good as with no cab. As hot AND cold as it can get here, I've hardly ever truly regretted not having a cab.