Buying Advice Tractor Advice -The hunt is on.

[airbiscuit]

If you have a good jacket, you'll be fine without a cab. The bigger question is, what kind of tires Ag vs R4s?

 

[hdmyers]

R1 vs R4 is good question. I do have some 'softer' ground at times to deal with in the spring, that being said, i'm hoping to get away with studding my tires for the snowblowing.

From what I read, the R1 is the way to go for me in this matter...

I"m interested in options there..
thanks!

 

[RSR]

I have a very similar situation as you. 90 inches of snow a year in far Northern New York, with a 1200' driveway. I cleared it for 5 years with a walk behind. It's doable, but takes forever. I went with a 45 hp tractor, with a 6' blower on the back. What used to take 2 hours can now be done in about 20 minutes. The problem is then I don't get to feel like I enjoyed enough time on the tractor, so then I usually clear out my 3 neighbors driveways, and also clear out to the last house on the lane, which is another 1500 feet of road. I can still do all that in about 45 minutes.

I debated on cab/no cab. I would strenuously argue it is a need, not a want. It was the best decision I made about the tractor.

As I read on this forum years ago, "you wouldn't consider an enclosed cab on a car a luxury, so why do you consider it on a tractor?"

The fact that I can just get in the tractor and go, rather than getting suited up, and then peeling layers off afterwards, saves more time and hassle. Plus, blowing snow while listening to tunes and sipping a hot beverage is downright enjoyable.

I have never regretted spending more for a cab, and never will. It's great during the summer too, when the flies and mosquitos are out, it's 90 and humid, and you are doing dirt work that has the entire tractor coated in dust (this was my scenario this past weekend.) In contrast, I'm in the cab cool and comfortable and listening to tunes, rather than sweaty, dirty, swatting at flies, and needing a shower when I'm finished.

Get a cab!

 

[airbiscuit]

I've had R1s and R4s. The R4s have stiffer sidewalls for loader work, wider tread (better flotation) and kind of an all around compromise. R1s have much better TRACTION. My R4s turned into racing slicks in wet snow.

 

[CobyRupert]

R1’s for deep snow. Unless you need a tire to drive on lawns, I wouldn’t bother with turfs or R4’s.
Studded or bare tires might work, until they don’t, then you’ll eventually get chains.
Open station tractor will want a deflector chute that is easily adjusted from tractor seat so you don’t have to launch snow up into the wind.

 

[hdmyers]

R1's it is... not woried about lawn.
i'm getting remotes to control the chute rotation and deflection.

what i read about the cab was watching what you do in the scrub... konwing myself, i'd end up somewhere where i'm going to maybe be challenging the strength of glass/mirror?

i'm now thinking about the cab.... that being said, i'll be just doing my property and then putting the machine back in its leanto/garage area... the goal is to keep the property maintained for next 30 years (if i last that long lol).

cheers!

 

[pokey1416]

Don’t know if this is popular but I shopped based on the best cab. Been outside working for over 4 decades and I’ve had enough! Get a cab.

 

[airbiscuit]

Sometimes the choice is getting a tractor and needed implements and no cab

Or

Getting NO tractor at all. Not everyone has an unlimited budget

 

[RSR]

Sometimes the choice is getting a tractor and needed implements and no cab

Or

Getting NO tractor at all. Not everyone has an unlimited budget

Or

Wait to buy, and save more money so you can afford a cab.

That was my approach. But I also didn't need a tractor urgently. Every situation is different, but if you prioritize it, it is achievable in most cases.

In my opinion, the deferment in purchase, if needed, to get a cab is well worth it. I'd rather wait a year so I could afford a cab, and then enjoy it for the next 20 years, then get it right away, and either spend the next 21 years wishing I had a cab, or waste money buying a new tractor a few years later to get what I originally wanted.

 

[airbiscuit]

Or

Wait to buy, and save more money so you can afford a cab.

That was my approach. But I also didn't need a tractor urgently. Every situation is different, but if you prioritize it, it is achievable in most cases.

In my opinion, the deferment in purchase, if needed, to get a cab is well worth it. I'd rather wait a year so I could afford a cab, and then enjoy it for the next 20 years, then get it right away, and either spend the next 21 years wishing I had a cab, or waste money buying a new tractor a few years later to get what I originally wanted.

OR

Buy what you need and can afford now, and use it knowing that there may be another tractor(s) in your future. My first tractor was a 15hp grey market Shibaura that I worked the snot out of. Sold it for what I paid for it and bought a 24 hp John Deere. Sold it for more than I paid for it, and I bought a 34hp New Holland ........ you get my drift.

I don't mind the open station in the winter, and I love being out in the open from spring through fall. If I was in TX or AZ, I would want air conditioning. Even then, I would want the first CUT I could afford now, and work my up to a cabbed tractor later.