Tractor cabs

Bill Hoffman · Dec 15, 2009

OK,
I'm done freezing on a B7800 tractor. I've been looking at aftermarket cab enclosures, and would like to hear from others who have gone this route about their cab manufacturers. How well are they built? Price, noise, ease of installation, comfort.

Thanks to all for any feedback.

Bill

DEON · Dec 15, 2009

I bought my Kioti used with a Sims cab already installed, the black one.
It was designed to be mounted to the floorboards and it was. It would jump up an down and tear the whole tractor apart plus it was mostly steel and small rubber gasket windows so I couldn't see anything around me. I used the roof panel, heater, one wiper motor and the door latches and made a brand new cab. Now I have a solid cab with excellent visibility. The Laurin cabs are much better but cost about $6,000 from what I have heard. As far as interior noise, if your tractor was designed for a cab, meaning that the firewall separated the engine department from the drivers department, it will be quieter in a cab. If not it can be noisier with a cab.

hr3 · Dec 15, 2009

I have a Curtis hard glass with soft doors,, Wipper ..Heater.. and lights.. all in one kit,, Was very easy to install.. Very warm.. I can plow with a tee shirt on,,lol "but open the front window instead".. As far a quiet,, hmm It's a tractor nothing is quiet about my 7610.. Got mine from my dealer a few years ago,, about 3,500 I think..

Ductape · Dec 15, 2009

When i was pricing an aftermarket cab for my B2400............. i found it made more economic sense to sell it and buy a B3030 with a factory cab.

DK35vince · Dec 15, 2009

I really like the Laurin Eclipse cabs and would like to have one.
But it looks like their prices for the EX models are near the 7-8 thousand $ area for my model tractor. Not including air conditioning.
I quess to get a nice cab I may be better off replacing the tractor for one with a factory cab.

JJZ 109 · Dec 15, 2009

Ductape said:
When i was pricing an aftermarket cab for my B2400............. i found it made more economic sense to sell it and buy a B3030 with a factory cab.

I also went with a B3030 HSDCC, the "cold weather" version of the cab. I did so because I couldn't find a suitable cab for my 2004 JD 790. I think I could have gotten a Sims, but wasn't shelling out $3,000 plus for a cab with vinyl doors and no heat.
With the B3030's factory cab, I self installed speakers into the headliner and then bought a Kubota factory mount and installed a stereo. Large waste of time & money. If applying much of any throttle at all, the HST whine drowns out the stereo.
However, the heat and A/C work just fine, as do the front & rear wiper/washers!

neucam · Dec 15, 2009

With the cost from $3000 to $7000 it does seem more econonical to buy a different tractor with a cab or fabricate one on your own or fabricate an old style canvas enclosure, but it all depends on how many hours you spend on the tractor cold or hot. If you use it only a few hours a years the cab would get in the way of doing other things. A canvas enclosure works OK in winter and an umbrella works Ok in summer.

mcd176 · Dec 15, 2009

I suggest fabricating your own or buy a tractor with a factory cab, the aftermarket cabs are expensive, I have $1800 in my homebuilt cab and it is nicer than alot of the aftermarkets, I went the build my own route because I wasn't allowed a new machine

Mike

WilliamBos · Dec 16, 2009

mcd176 said:
I suggest fabricating your own or buy a tractor with a factory cab, the aftermarket cabs are expensive, I have $1800 in my homebuilt cab and it is nicer than alot of the aftermarkets, I went the build my own route because I wasn't allowed a new machine

Mike

I agree on both points. We started on our factory cab, well our own canopy was the beginning, then traded for a 1635 with a Cab.

Good Luck, and keep us posted.

jdgreg · Dec 17, 2009

I have a Curtis soft sided cab on my JD 4210, and love it!! I have a small 12V ceramic heater that warms it up very nicely. Unless you have a factory cab, forget about being quite. If anything, it will probably be noiser. There is some sound dampening foam on the inside of the roof on mine, but it's still very noisy. I always were music muffs, so it doesnt bother me.

The Curtis cost be around $1800 a few years ago, no telling how much they are now. But IMHO, if you cant afford a factory cab, getting a good kit is well worth the money.

This isnt a great pic, but it should give you an idea on how it looks.

EDIT: I just did a quick search on Curtis soft sided cabs for your B7800. Found a site that stocks them for $2550 + shipping. If the price is decent, I'd be all over this. You might also check prices from your dealer, they may be able to give you a break on the price if you bought the tractor, implements, etc from them.

http://www.crosby-equipment.com/curtis-cabs.html