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

[micdelbo]

I sat on old my old 9n, 3000 and finally my JD4115 for 30 years in hot, cold, snow, rain, dust, bugs, thorn bushes, blowing snow, etc. I have friends who farm and help them quite a bit. They all started on open station and bought cab tractors as soon as the $ was available. They now have only cab tractors.

When I was looking at new equipment and found out a cab was available on the tractor, the question wasn't what can't I do with the cab, but rather how can I get it done with the cab. I have found the cab tractor only has a slight disadvantage with large limbs on trees and similar height unbendable obstacles. That's it. Low hanging branches can be trimmed for easier access and in the woods you just pick your path carefully and go slow. The braches will slide by. You are offered the protection of the cab and the glass used is not easily broken. I have discovered this and that is what friends have told me as well

Open station is nice for old time plow boys events and for nostalgia, but a cab is without a doubt the way to go.

I would ask anyone if they know anyone who has a cab tractor and went back to an open station? They may use an open station for a specific purpose until they figure out how to accomplish what they want to do with the cabbed tractor.

The only reason most choose an open station is the cost of the cab. They can't justify the cost due to limited use and I would agree if they put less then 100-150 hours a year minimum on the tractor. If you NEED to spend 3-4 hours at a time on the unit in different weather conditions, the cost will be quickly forgotten.

My 2 cents but think about your car. Why aren't more convertibles sold? Even historically off road vehicles like jeeps now come with hard tops.

Mike

 

[rScotty]

My 2 cents but think about your car. Why aren't more convertibles sold? Even historically off road vehicles like jeeps now come with hard tops.

Mike

I hear you. On our place we also sat for years on open station tractors and always wondered why....but never seemed to have time or money to look into alternatives. Fast forward 40 years and now we have ended up with three older tractors - one with a cab, one open station, and one with just an insulated hard top on 4 posts. All of them are older, but they have loaders, decent seats, plenty of power, traction, and the balance to get the job done. It's purely a luxury which lets us choose which of the old guys to use on any day.

We've found that in the worst weather we prefer the cab of course. Like you say, it can be used among trees with a little care. And the cab is very tough. But most of the time the weather is not all that bad...and we do prefer the open air. To my surprise our choice is usually the tractor with the insulated hard top - probably about 75% of the time. It is just so nice to be a little bit out in the air and have everything right at hand. Sort of like a hard top jeep with all windows open.
rScotty

 

[jajiu]

I sat on old my old 9n, 3000 and finally my JD4115 for 30 years in hot, cold, snow, rain, dust, bugs, thorn bushes, blowing snow, etc. I have friends who farm and help them quite a bit. They all started on open station and bought cab tractors as soon as the $ was available. They now have only cab tractors.

When I was looking at new equipment and found out a cab was available on the tractor, the question wasn't what can't I do with the cab, but rather how can I get it done with the cab. I have found the cab tractor only has a slight disadvantage with large limbs on trees and similar height unbendable obstacles. That's it. Low hanging branches can be trimmed for easier access and in the woods you just pick your path carefully and go slow. The braches will slide by. You are offered the protection of the cab and the glass used is not easily broken. I have discovered this and that is what friends have told me as well

Open station is nice for old time plow boys events and for nostalgia, but a cab is without a doubt the way to go.

I would ask anyone if they know anyone who has a cab tractor and went back to an open station? They may use an open station for a specific purpose until they figure out how to accomplish what they want to do with the cabbed tractor.

The only reason most choose an open station is the cost of the cab. They can't justify the cost due to limited use and I would agree if they put less then 100-150 hours a year minimum on the tractor. If you NEED to spend 3-4 hours at a time on the unit in different weather conditions, the cost will be quickly forgotten.

My 2 cents but think about your car. Why aren't more convertibles sold? Even historically off road vehicles like jeeps now come with hard tops.

Mike

Great comment Mike! I agree with the cost, I had 3 previous Kubota's all open station and would avoid using it in the winter as I absolutely despise cold weather and snow (4-letter word). The AC in the summer and the heat in the winter make it worth while for me and when I got the money I jumped on the new cabbed tractor. Wouldn't be without a cab now.

 

[Tractorable]

I gotta be honest that I wouldn't buy a cabbed tractor due to the cost. I'm looking at a new 35hp tractor. It starts at $23k, the loader is another few grand, and a cab is another few grand on top of that, so a compact tractor with a cab could easily hit $30k. Ouch.

I also have to be honest that I'm a weekend warrior. I have an overly long commute to a secure but passionless job. So my tractor time is limited to weekends and summer evenings. I likely put less than 50hrs a year on a tractor, and since I don't make a living off my land, I don't have to go out when the weather is bad, unless we have a snowstorm which is rare.

So in my situation a cabbed tractor doesn't make sense, and the climate here in Virginia is pretty mild. I enjoy being in the outdoors.

 

[SpringHollow]

I have a FOPS which keeps most of the sun and rain off of me. I will not own one without one. Being out in the winter plowing or getting logs does not bother me since I can dress for it. Where I live, the heat is not too bad if the tractor is moving because I am also in the shade of the FOPS. If the tractor is just sitting there, I am off the tractor working. The benefit of an enclosed cab for me would be mainly for bugs which is not worth it. But I am saying that from previous poor experiences with glare and reflections off the front glass of the old flat glass tractors I have had. Maybe they have solved that problem. If they have, then cooling down in AC would be nice. But that will never be an option with teh tractor I have and like.

 

[screamin400]

The price of trading into a larger cab tractor is formidable. I am certain I want a cab but not certain about going up in size. To trade for same tractor with a cab would not make much sense as my tractor does have a couple of drawbacks for my job. I do stone driveways and business is good but not outstanding. Bugs this year have been bad here but I wear spray. The rains have finally ended so weather has not been too bad except for the humidity. Having a cab tractor would be a luxury but if I did trade up I can see no reason to get an open station. I am looking at the Mahindra 2555 wondering if it is actually a little large for most of my driveways but I think it would be fine. It can certainly lift. My 2538 sometimes limits me a little but always gets the job done.

 

[jenkinsph]

The price of trading into a larger cab tractor is formidable. I am certain I want a cab but not certain about going up in size. To trade for same tractor with a cab would not make much sense as my tractor does have a couple of drawbacks for my job. I do stone driveways and business is good but not outstanding. Bugs this year have been bad here but I wear spray. The rains have finally ended so weather has not been too bad except for the humidity. Having a cab tractor would be a luxury but if I did trade up I can see no reason to get an open station. I am looking at the Mahindra 2555 wondering if it is actually a little large for most of my driveways but I think it would be fine. It can certainly lift. My 2538 sometimes limits me a little but always gets the job done.

Why would you feel the 2555 is large for your driveway work? There just isn't that much difference in the dimensions to have much effect on your work.

If I was buying a new tractor for this work and machine size I would get the Kubota M62 hands down. This can handle a full pallet of paver stone with 3900 lbs. of lift at the pins. A heavy Gannon box blade on the rear and fluid filled tires would be an awesome combination for this work. Compaction equipment would be another important consideration too, nothing cheap about any of this. Would need a steady work load for this to make sense.

Cabs are nice but it would be debatable whether it would make sense for your work. It would depend on how much time you spend on the tractor vs. time on the ground. You can add a Laurin or Boxer cab to the M62 if you wanted a cab now or later.

 

[PJSprog]

If I had to buy again, it would be another cabbed tractor. For our uses in our area, it just makes the most sense. And that's what it should be for you, too; the one that makes the most sense for you, not us.

 

[rScotty]

SNIP.....
Cabs are nice but it would be debatable whether it would make sense for your work. It would depend on how much time you spend on the tractor vs. time on the ground. You can add a Laurin or Boxer cab to the M62 if you wanted a cab now or later.

Thanks for bringing up that point about how much time you spend on the tractor vs time on the ground. I do mostly landscaping, rock work, and some dirt work with my tractors, so I'm off and on a lot. The open station with the insulated hard top (FOPS) is a lot more handy than a cab when I'm getting on and off all the time. But when I'm plowing snow I might stay in the cab for half an hour at a time - and that favors the cabbed tractor.
rScotty

 

[screamin400]

Why would you feel the 2555 is large for your driveway work? There just isn't that much difference in the dimensions to have much effect on your work.

If I was buying a new tractor for this work and machine size I would get the Kubota M62 hands down. This can handle a full pallet of paver stone with 3900 lbs. of lift at the pins. A heavy Gannon box blade on the rear and fluid filled tires would be an awesome combination for this work. Compaction equipment would be another important consideration too, nothing cheap about any of this. Would need a steady work load for this to make sense.

Cabs are nice but it would be debatable whether it would make sense for your work. It would depend on how much time you spend on the tractor vs. time on the ground. You can add a Laurin or Boxer cab to the M62 if you wanted a cab now or later.

Did a job yesterday where my 2538 was borderline too large to turn around in such a small driveway. I only do stone so no paver work for me. The larger I go the more I have to tow including my roller that I have to put all on the same trailer as I work alone. Tomorrow I am on another small driveway. Tractor length is key in these little driveways plus on the trailer.