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

[LindenBruce]

I've been thinking about this and glad this thread came up. I am thinking a cab would be nice for mowing jobs for sure. And running a rock rake and a box scraper. Especially with top and tilt. But, I will also be getting a backhoe at the same time. So a cab would be a hindrance in those situations. How often I will be using the hoe? I have no idea. Prolly much less than the other attachments.

Plus, the height of the cabs can be an issue. They seem to be so tall. Which makes me wonder about limb strikes. Wish they came in a shorter orchard version.

So again, decisions decisions decisions. B.

 

[fishheadbob]

Reading through this site for a few years I can see where cab tractor guys love them, but I think it depends on your climate and how you use your tractor. I'm open station on both tractors and do fine. But if I lived in a broiler state the enclosed cab would seem like a great thing; a few hours outside in hot areas would make me want air conditioning. I did a good amount of work in the woods where the open station worked out well even if the occasional branch whacked me, at least no glass to replace. Snow removal rarely takes more than 45 minutes, if I wear the right gear cold isn't an issue. My neighbor has ten hour shifts snowplowing, he uses 2 3/4 ton pickups.

 

[screamin400]

I think I would find very few drawbacks. Last year if my tractor had a cab I think we had one storm where I could have made big money. The major city south of me got 38 inches in one day. The city was closed. Vehicles stuck in the road. I could not get into the city with my trailer. If I had a cab I would have driven there as not very far away. 10 miles is all. I was not doing it without a cab. I do a lot of box blade on my driveways. I could get a hydraulic top arm as I am on and off the tractor a lot to adjust. Bugs would be gone as they also are an issue right now we are so wet. 17k plus my tractor is a big bite though. Having a tough time dealing with that number.

 

[coobie]

Still smiling.Heat,cold and dust no longer bother me.

 

[RjCorazza]

I do regret not getting a cab tractor years ago when I bought my Kubota L3410. I believe it was 4-5k more, and only came on the 3710 and larger. I traded that machine in on a cab tractor last year, and operation is much more comfortable. I plow or blow about 20 driveways , but we had a very mild winter so the new tractor didn't see much use in the snow (yet). For our East coast blizzard in 2015 I could have easily made up the difference in the cab vs open price in one event. Every couple hours I had to go home to dry out and warm up - it was a miserable few days.

 

[chim]

I built a heated cab for protection from the cold and love it. For warm weather the doors lift off and I run a small fan. If a rich uncle were to adopt me and pass away, I'd replace the tractor with one that also has A/C.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I'm with Fishheadbob,

It really depends on your climate and how you will use your tractor. I can see a cab being a big liability in woods, or heavy tree row work. I personally LOVE my cab, just as others have said. Heat in winter, A/C in summer. For me, it was one of my mandatory requirements, that whatever tractor I ended up with, it would have a cab. So much nicer to mow/brush hog my ditches in clean, air conditioned comfort, and actually looking forward to snow removal this winter with the heated cab, as opposed to last winter with a walk behind snow blower (hehehe).

 

[SpringHollow]

The one negative that both my brother and I have with a cabbed tractor is the glare on the glass. It can make it difficult to see what you are doing. This has been the case with both tractors that have had front glass.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I opted for a cab because I knew my tractor would be outside all the time and winter snow clearing was going to be one of its jobs. I definitely did not want to plop my butt into a slush-filled seat time after time!
The cab is a bit of a nuisance in the woods, where I spend a lot of my tractor time, but I just remove the mirrors and don't worry about the bent cab light brackets.
Heat and AC are really nice to have, as is protection from bugs and dust/debris...you'd better hope the AC never fails, though, 'cause the cab will turn into a greenhouse.
My only real regret is that the backhoe option wasn't practical with the cab so I didn't get it.
Oh, wait, there is one other issue...certain types of repairs and upgrades can be more challenging if they require removal of the cab. I don't do my own work, so this can mean more labor charges if a serious upgrade or problem (ie, in the transmission/ 3PH) occurs.

 

[jajiu]

I have had 3 open station Kubota's and finally got my L3560HSTC. The winters are much better now that I don't have to sit in the freezing cold and blowing snow to clear my driveway. As far as the work in the woods goes, like rd_macgregor said, the only problem is the mirrors and lights but I wacked off my antenna and a new one from the dealer is about $80. I just ordered a similar one on ebay for $9. The glass is stronger than you think and will stand up to a few wacks from the tree branches and also keeps me from getting smacked in the face by them. Keeps the bugs out, we have greenheads that will tear a chunk of flesh out of you if they get the chance and I have mosquito's the size of 747's here that can drain the blood out of you in just a few minutes. I work my BH just fine. Keep the doors closed to keep the AC in and in the winter keeps the heat in. Love it, only wish I could get a larger one, but it won't fit in my barn, this one clears the top of the door by less than an inch.