You Have a Cab?

[Complete Turf Care]

Four of my 5 tractors have cabs. The one without the cab rarely gets used.

Several years ago, I was laser grading a football field with an open station tractor. Every time I got a phone call, I had to stop so that I could take the call. Not long after that, I traded the open station for a cab. Now, I can conduct business without having to stop each time a call comes in.

We don't get much winter down here, so cold is not much of an issue. But heat and dust is a big deal.

I prefer a cab.

 

[rScotty]

So glad I got a cab. Helps a lot whether it's cold, warm, dusty, or raining.

Yet, I use the little tractor that only has a canopy a lot more often...when the weather permits.

Same here. Most of the time I prefer the 4 post canopy. The cabbed tractor just sits a lot except in the worst of the winter.

We do have an old completely open station tractor. It runs OK, but gets the least work of the three. I'm often not sure the battery is charged or fuel is fresh in it.

 

[jdtractor]

I was a cab tractor guy for several years.. mowing filth and baling hay… I switched tractor brands and went to 1 cab tractor instead of 2.. The non cab was used for just about everything I did concerning hay and mowing filth.The bigger cab tractor was for baling and using my batwing. I regretted the os tractor after 1 year of owning it… I went back to another cab.Once you have a cab tractor you will never go back… and yes I know guys out there say no woods work and the cab doors are a pain!!! But I’ve been doing it for years and I’ll never go back! The reality is they are like a pocket on your shirt! Come in real handy!!!!! Real comfortable!

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Same here. Most of the time I prefer the 4 post canopy. The cabbed tractor just sits a lot except in the worst of the winter.

Well, in my case it's largely because it's quicker to hop on the little cab-less one since it sits outside...and it is quicker for many small tasks.

No point in getting the larger one out of the garage if the weather is decent, there won't be any dust, and there's no need for its superior capabilities.

 

[Williy]

Up in Northern Wisconsin many years ago people with
cabs on their equipment work in the woods every day
with no problems and it was rare if you heard that someone
broke a window on their cab.

willy

 

[5030]

I have one of each of the Kubota M9000's. One cabbed and one open station and they each do certain jobs on the farm and yes, I broke the left hand side door from my stupidity and it cost me just under a grand for a new one and I paid for it out of pocket because my farm policy has a 1000 dollar deductible on it. Amazing when they shatter how a small of a pile of shattered glass there is... I don't leave my door open when putting them in the big barn now.... I caught the metal door frame and POW was all she wrote.

The movie 'gone in 60 seconds' applies, more like 1/2 a second actually.

here you go...

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Somebody mentioned that without a cab it's easier to hear what the tractor is doing, or something to that effect.

Well, I'm used to a perfectly quiet environment so when using the small open tractors I wear ear protection. And I can still hear (and feel) if everything sounds right.

When in the cab I also often use ear protection when mowing, if for no other reason because the engine runs at 2,000 to 2,100 rpm. But I can still hear/feel what's going on.

For other tasks with the cabbed one I listen to music, and...you guessed it.

 

[EddieWalker]

I started with open station tractors and like most of the comments on here, I felt that a cab wasn't something that I needed. Two years ago, I bought a cab tractor and realized how wrong I had been.

The biggest surprise to me when I got the cab tractor was how much better I felt after mowing. I didn't realize it at the time, but when it's super hot and humid here, I would put off mowing because it was just to painful to be outside during the heat of the day. If I mowed in the morning, I was fine, but I would quit when the heat got to me. Then the rest of the day was wasted because of how drained I was from being out in the heat.

Now I work on my projects in the morning, and when it gets too hot to continue, or even to be able to think properly, I get in my cabbed tractor, and mow for a few hours. When I'm done mowing, I'm refreshed and feeling great!!!

Before the cabbed tractor, I was able to mow my land once a year. I did it in small areas, with the goal of getting that area done before heading in. My cabbed tractor is bigger, and I have a 12 foot batwing instead of a 6 foot cutter, so there's that. But I also have so much more power with my bigger, cabbed tractor, that I'm able to mow a lot faster. I'm not getting it done twice as fast with the bigger mower, it's more like three times faster!!!!

I'm currently mowing all the open areas on my 68 acres, three times a year now. My weeds have started turning into grass. The more I mow, the fewer weeds I have, and the easier it is to keep it under control.

Yesterday I got home at 4pm. I got in my cabbed tractor and I mowed along the creek. This is where most of my snakes are seen. It's very snakey there!!! I've seen them in the weeds, several feet off the ground, as I was mowing towards them. That freaked me out, so I stopped mowing, and went around that snake. When I came back, it was gone, so I mowed over that entire area real good. Another time, I ran over a snake with my open station tractor, but never saw it again. No sign of it's body. Then I spent the rest of the time on the tractor worrying that it was working its way towards me in the seat. My brain is my biggest enemy!!

I've been stung and bit so many times while mowing with the open station tractor that I kept Benadryl in my tool box. For some reason, the back of my neck is where they hit me the most often.

I understand not wanting a cabbed tractor because of the cost, and risk of damaging it, but after two years of having a cab, I also understand how much better it is to have a cab. I still have three tractors without cabs, and I use them all the time, but they are for special projects that are better done with those tractors. The deer has the hay spear for feeding the animals, the backhoe has the grapple for cleaning up trees and branches. When mowing season is over, I'll put the bucket back on and use the cab tractor to move dirt when it's too cold to be on the backhoe.

Overall, the cab allows me to be more productive, and get more done, then I was able to with the other tractors without a cab.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Now I work on my projects in the morning, and when it gets too hot to continue, or even to be able to think properly, I get in my cabbed tractor, and mow for a few hours. When I'm done mowing, I'm refreshed and feeling great!!!

The more I mow, the fewer weeds I have, and the easier it is to keep it under control.

Yep, both sounds very familiar to me.

 

[5030]

Just 'puree' those snakes with your shredder. I do by the creek, often. Pureed snakes make good fertilizer.