How many of you guys wish you did not purchase a cabbed tractor?

TerryR · Jul 19, 2017

I've never owned a cabbed tractor, so can't comment from that point of view. A cab would be nice when plowing snow, but that seems to be required less often in recent years. But I'd never get close to all the trees that surround my field when mowing if I had one.

I end up lifting a lot of branches over the ROPS and lifting limbs over the tires with my open station tractor. I'm just cutting grass and weeds with my Bush Hog rotary cutter, but my neighbor ends up leaving hay he can't reach because he can't get under the trees on the fence row with his cabbed tractor.

Heat is not much of an issue here, and if it is I just stay out of the field and wait a day or two - the advantage of being retired.

N80 · Jul 19, 2017

I would love a tractor with a cab when I'm mowing, in the open, in hot weather. The problem is, that even though I mow a lot and even though I use the tractor a lot in very hot weather, very little of my actual use occurs out in the open. I spend a lot of time on tight woods roads, field edges and a fair amount of time actually in the woods. I can't even keep the work lights mounted to my ROPS on straight. So I would either destroy a cab doing what I need to do or wouldn't be able to do what I need to do because of the cab.

So for me, a cab would severely limit my capabilities and I can only afford one tractor. And if I could afford a second one it would be a smaller tractor just to use with a finish mower and it wouldn't have a cab either. So maybe if I could afford three tractors the third one would have a cab.

John Fitzgerald · Jul 19, 2017

Couldn't get under trees at my place with a cab unless I severely trimmed them.

jajiu · Jul 19, 2017

I have a lot of trees, sometimes I venture into the woods and when needed, I trim the branches to get around, some I leave even though they are in the way and work around them. Mostly where I venture the trees are just that, trees and the lower branches are trimmed off for convenience of not just my tractor not hitting them, but also my wife's SUV and my truck. No doubt at all about the cab, wouldn't be without it.

fidowanttobe · Jul 19, 2017

Growing up on the farm, the only cabs were on the big tractors and being the youngest, I ran the open stations mostly. Cabs then seemed cumbersome, too quiet (hard to hear failures) and had blind spots. Today, for my use, my regret is not getting a 35-40HP tractor but no, I don't miss the cab. If I had 2 tractors, . . . maybe but doubtful. I'm an outdoorsy kinda guy. When I help my brother on the farm these days, I still hate crawling in and out of the cabs, but again these are 140ish HP or larger units. If the weather is SO bad that the canopy or warm clothes don't cut it, it can wait.

N80 · Jul 19, 2017

My B-I-L is a cattle rancher and grows his own hay. He has a fleet of large tractors, most of them older. He never had a cabbed tractor until recently and never wanted one. He also does not like climbing in and out of a cab to go through gates etc. Lately his wife and daughter have had a bigger role on the farm and wanted a cabbed tractor. He was also having more trouble with dust when mowing etc. So, he broke down and bought a large JD with a cab. It was used but in good shape. First the AC went out and he's having a hard time getting it fixed and he says it is worse than an open station without the AC. Then he hit a branch while mowing and broke a wiper blade off and damaged the wiper motor. The replacement motor goes for $500. He was furious. He has shopped around and found one for about $370 which is still insane. The AC parts are breaking the bank too. Now he wishes he'd never bought the thing.

Personally, I think he needs a cabbed tractor. Mowing those pastures in 95 degree heat and clouds of dust is just brutal. BTDT. He's getting older and if he wants his wife and daughter to stay in the game they are going to need the cab too. He's just going to have to get a newer one and bite the bullet for the ridiculous maintenance costs.

screamin400 · Jul 20, 2017

Lots of good info here. Back in the day on our farm we had two cabbed tractors and they saw far more work than the non cabbed. One cab saved my life. The price of a new cabbed tractor is huge. Tough to justify even though I am pretty sure I want one. I am still waiting for the sticker shock to wear off but it hasn't yet. In some cases I can see where I would fine the cab a nuisance but for the most part I am thinking I would want one.

jimmysisson · Jul 20, 2017

A bit off topic- my Ford 2120 has a soft-side Curtis cab. I practically never use the sides. Really like having the roof, in the woods and mowing as well. A stray shower doesn't bother, and most branches don't jab you. Only prob is reflections in the flat windshield. Those are murder in some situations.
Jim

SpringHollow · Jul 20, 2017

I insist on having a FOPS and I am glad I do. On a perfectly calm day (a rarity here), a tree fell down on the center line of my tractor while I was sitting still. The really weird thing was the day before, there had been 60 MPH gusts and yet this tree snapped in half on a calm day. A lone tree 20' from the tractor so it is not like it was hung up etc.