Recommendations for small TLB with cab

[ultrarunner]

Thinking about a small TLB to buy for use in Washington State.

I'm very satisfied with my BX23... it may take a little longer to do a project because of it's size, but it handles everything that I've asked it to do.

If I were to make a change, it would primarily be to have a cab because it can rain here for weeks at a time and secondarily, a little more hydraulic gpm would give me more attachment options.

Any ideas or recommendations?

 

[MarkV]

I am not aware of any small cab TLB’s that the backhoe can be operated from within the cab like the big TLB’s. There have been some on the forum that have added a backhoe to the Kubota 3030’s with a cab. You do have to exit the cab and use a separate backhoe seat to work them.

We could use some of your rain here in Georgia right now.

MarkV

 

[backyardtrack]

Well sims offers full steel can enclosures for the B26, L39, and L48. They state that with all the models you can operate the backhoe from within the enclosure. The B26 with a sims cab is probably going to be the smallest fully enclosed tlb your going to find.
Click the link and scroll down towards the bottom of the page, thats where the tlb cabs are.
Sims Cab Depot - Kubota enclosures

 

[art]

The B-26 is a power house compared to the BXseries unit. More of everything that you have asked.

 

[Tom_H]

Hey U-R,

B3030HSDC has a cab, but no 'Bota bh. It will take 2 different sized Woods bh's: the 70 and the 80. You'd be not only jumping from seat to seat, but from inside the tractor to outside the tractor, and I don't think that would be fun even in sunny weather, much less so in the rain.

So what implement(s) exactly would you be using during the rain anyway? I think of a cab as nice in the cold, the snow, and with AC in the heat, but during rain....most soil and surface conditions are going to be pretty messy. Now I know how much it rains in western WA, though I don't know your soil type, but I'm just wondering if you still wouldn't do better to do most of your tractorin' during the breaks in the rain. If I knew what you'd be doin', it might help visualize better.

Case has a TLB with cab and 1 pivoting seat, but it's commercial quality and cost. Same for JD, it's beyond green and into their yellow category: = $$$$. I can't think of any cab model utility TLB with 1 seat and all controls inside the cab.

I think there is a soft cab that is easy on/off for a B3030HSD. It also seems like someone had a pic of a lightweight hard cab from an aftermarket manufacturer that could be put on/taken off of a B3030HSD. That would require something like a hangar with a gantry mounted crane though-too much time, effort, $$$ to be worth it.

 

[art]

Looking at your bio I'd want to know more about what you are trying to do on your land. I might recommend a far bigger tractor!

 

[ultrarunner]

Hi Tom and all...

I've got 17 mostly wooded acres near Olympia WA at the end of a 1/4 mile private gravel road that I share with two neighbors. Each year I order and stockpile gravel for the road and my 80 year old neighbor dispenses it as necessary.

A couple of times I've had a JD rental TLB delivered and about half the time one is available at the time I need it. I've used the tractor for making and clearing culverts, installing drainage lines, clearing forest debris and general property maintenance as well as keeping the various trails around the place passable.

The weather in Washington, unlike California, is often wet... not the down pour kind of wet... although we had 30 days of non-stop rain last year, but rather the drizzle kind of rain.

Last week, I saw a used year model 2000 JD 310E with cab and 3200 hours for 32k in Olympia. 32K buys a lot of rental time and is a lot to pay for convenience.

My second closest WA Kubota dealer has BX24's available at $14,900.... a BX would do most of the things I want except I would have to do them in the rain and it got me thinking about a TLB's with a Cab. I wouldn't get much done if I stopped every time it rained ;-)

In California my D3 and BX23 take care of just about anything that needs doing. I justified my BX purchase after receiving a bid to replace 400' of sewer line and had some fun in the process. The BX is small enough for me to transport and I was able to help both of my brothers with site work when they added onto their homes.

Rumor has it that Kubota is coming out next year with a Cab Model TLB... I'm sure that it will be priced beyond my means... but I can dream...

I've looked at the B26 and a couple of B21's. I like the armour plate on the B21... to bad all the ones I've seen were x rentals and looked trashed.

A B26 or L39 might be the way to go if I could buy it right... then I could get a soft-sided canopy to keep the rain out.

 

[Tom_H]

I think I would look around for a soft-sided cab that could fit on the BX23. I know they exist, but I don't know about wipers on the front and ability to use bh and cab at same time. You might not be able to do bh work when the cab was fully on, but maybe you could save the bh work for when it's not raining. Let me know if you decide to buy something bigger; I'd be interested in discussing buying your BX23 (downpressured PHD included).

 

[ultrarunner]

I'll keep you posted...

Speaking of Posthole diggers...

I visited "Our" Kubota dealer the other day in Vacaville to find out about hydraulic post-hole diggers and discuss compatibility issues.

The owner said he has put several Hydraulic Backhoe Augers on B21's and one on a B26 with thumb option already plumbed for the necessary hydraulics. The B series TLB's are very popular with area Landscapers

In all probability, I imagine the BX23 will remain part of the Bay Area family for years to come ;-) It's just too handy to have around and the Folding ROPS lets me keep it in the crawl space under my garage and protected from the elements.

I tried out the BX yesterday in the rain for the first time and it wasn't too bad. Of course, Bay Area temps are generally much milder than Olympia, especially in the winter...

 

[Ductape]

I think GRA123 needs a good banning.