3030 w/ or w/o cab?

[skipperbrown]

I may (or may not) buy a 3030. I have a bx 2200 and have been toying all summer w/ the idea of upgrading to a more powerful tractor. My dealer finally got a shipment of 3030's and I am thinking to test drive one.

I was talking to the salesman about his inventory and he said he has 3 3030's w/ cabs and one w/o. I wasn't really thinking to get a cab model but after thinking how I wouldn't consider a car/truck w/o a/c here on the FL panhandle, the idea of a cab is starting to appeal to me. Mowing in the summers can be brutal.

Besides price (about $3400 extra over the base price of $13,370) and retrimming all the low tree limbs from 6' to about 8(?) feet, what are the downsides to a cab? Is is harder to on/off, position 3pt hitch implements, and attach the fel? What about manuvering around trees/shrubs (it will have lawn mower duty)? Is the resale any better/worse w/ a cab?

Oh, I have an 8' garage door. Will the beast fit under the door?

 

[Charlesaf3]

can't answer most of those, but I think it makes a backhoe difficult, if not impossible. I also wouldn't do it on hills - 3030 center of gravity is high up as it is. But this is probably not an issue where you are!

I don't have a cab because I like being outside in the summer, but its beautiful up here. I'd be pretty tempted by the AC in Florida though. And guys who work with them up here find them essential in the winter.

They also keep the dust down. Can't imagine that maneuverability would be any worse than the standard b3030, which is very maneuverable generally (pallet forks on front, backhoe on back, make for constant worries about pegging trees I find)

 

[Accubite]

I struggled with the same decision. When I found that the 3030 size tractor had a factory cab available, I was sure that would be the tractor I'd be getting. I was tired of bushogging with the bugs, chaff, dust, and thorn bushes and the thought of A/C was like a dream. I since have sold 16 acres of land that I used to cut and now will only finish mow about 5 acres on a hill. I decided to go with the B3030 without the cab. The difference in price here is $4000 and I just couldn't justify that much for the benefit of A/C. I also feel like I'd have more trouble getting under the trees and don't want to cut them so high I'd loose privacy. If I were doing a lot of bushogging and/or doing a lot of snow removal I wouldn't hesitate to get the cab. In my case, it just wasn't necessary for the money. I think it just comes down to what it's worth to you. To answer another question, if you have 8 foot clearance in the garage doorway you should have no problem. As I have measured it the cab tractors with R4s stand about 84 inches.

 

[cart99]

For me personally, as many times as I am on and off the tractor when doing all the things I do with my best-tool-ever, it would be a real drag to have to get in and out of a full cab all the time.

 

[lawn_king]

Cab all the way! After 20 + years of open station tractors, the heat, ac, tunes and protection are great, the 3030 cab is high quality & worth the money!