AC and heat are obvious advantages of an enclosed cab skid steer. ( EROPS ) But are there truly other advantages? Are they safer? Would the glass protect you from a limb? Breathing? Would you still need to wear a respirator dust mask? What are the disadvantages? Thanks for any discussion. Granny DP DPForumDog
What's bad about enclosed cabs? Getting in and out. Can't open the door with the boom up more than a few inches. Can't see as good with a dirty door. The door will help with branches (been smacked in the face many times), but the glass will not stop the limbs from getting inside. My insurance agent told me that front doors are the largest claims she gets. Thay do have the heavy duty door that you can through a cement block into and not damage it, but they cost a lot of money. I take the doors off of mine when I don't need them.
Only bad is having to clean windows, IF you have the self storing door, like all my Kubota and Takeuchi CTLs. Otherwise, having to clean windows AND having to climb around the swing door like on my Cat SSLs.
Most common things I haul skid steers for if it's not emissions related is air conditioning. People just do not keep the coils clean on these things. If you are in an enclosed cab you need good HVAC all year round. I've brought them in with the coils, (evaporator and condenser) so caked up there is no way airflow can pass. With an enclosed cab a good pressure washer is a must and it has to be used routinely.
Aside from what has already been said, the EROPS machine holds its value much better than an OROPS machine. The money spent in getting a full cab, more than comes back to you when you trade or sell. So while enclosed cabs of all designs (flip up door and swing out door) have some down sides, they are still a better value than an open cab.
The thing the struck me was how to get out in the event of a fire in the engine compartment. Let's say the engine dies and you hear a kind of thud with a puff. The boom is middle of the door and the emergency exit is the back window, but that is where the flames are shooting up about five feet high.
The issue I've had is when looking at the enclosed cab machines for trade in, the doors are all removed and missing. Most were damaged when the boom came down on them when partially open. The rest were just removed and lost.
You just patiently wait for the hoses to burn though to let the boom down In all seriousness the back windows are pretty small and would be a last resort Cat doors have emergency handles on the hinges so you can take the door off from the inside and try to get it out of your way It really depends on your use my shop skid steer I am in and out moving things ect it has side windows and a heater but the door hasn't been on for years For a machine you use all day its cab all the way keeps you comfortable and protected You mention limbs and dust you then need a cab absolutely a lexan forestry door will keep most reasonable things out of the cab I would never ever have a glass door again they break to easy lexan is about $4-500 they get screeched up though Dust is a non issue with a pressurized cab it will have at least one probably 2 HVAC filters
This is something that has always bothered me, also. Not only could you possibly have fire out the back window, you also may have a very hot exhaust stack right outside that rear window. The Bobcat T300 I ran for many years, doing brush clearing, comes to mind. If that thing had ever gone up in flames, with an attachment blocking the front door, I just assumed I would be toast.
I had a CASE 465 that started on fire while I was mulching. The loader arms were up in the air and a line blew, spraying hyd oil all over the turbo. Instantly a decent sized fire in the back of the machine and the loader arms were in the way of swinging the door open. I held the control handle to loader down and the loader arms settled below the cab and I got out. Had that not worked I was ready to kick the lexan out of the door frame. Going out the back obviously wasn't an option. It sucked and a bit scary to honest, but I would still rather manage that, than not having a cab at all. As far as damaged cabs, certainly the doors get broke, and can be a pain. Equipment needs to be taken care of to see most in resale and trade in. No different than any other aspect of owning equipment. Still a well cared for full cab machine, doesn't cost anything when you trade or sell since the resale value accounts for all or nearly all of the initial cost of an EROPS.
After spending years eating dust in open cab Bobcats I will not buy another CTL without cab and A/C. The cloth air ride seat and radio are nice as well. Like KSS said it's heavy equipment and needs to be serviced and taken care of. No different with the HVAC systems.
I agree with both the above posts, 100%. I will not run a skidsteer that does not have an enclosed cab with heat, A/C, and a radio is nice too. Guess I am just getting old and want a few creature comforts.
I would add one last thing. I don't how it is everywhere else, but unemployment rate here is 2%. Finding good help is nearly impossible without stealing them from someone else. If I am putting someone in a CTL and paying him $25 an hour in an open cab machine and someone else will pay the same hourly but he gets to spend all day in a full cab, all else being equal, where does he go? He goes where he is more comfortable, while cold is more of an issue here, hot and humid probably has the same effect. It is an absolute employee driven time right now. If I have employees and I am deciding which is a better use of money, EROPS or OROPS, this is just another example of EROPS being money well spent. Like CM1995, I stopped buying OROPS 20 years ago. Once I figured out that eating dirt and freezing my butt off was not only uncomfortable, but financially a poor decision.
Had a experienced operator grading the parking lot for a boat storage company,with a case skid steer in the fall with a enclosed cab heat on ect was also grading around sea wall ended up falling in the water and drowned nobody knows exactly what happened young guy with wife and small kids just a terrible accident so sad I drive past it a few times a week on my way to the coffee shop say a prayer every time I go past.
Thats terribe Steve. Had a friend get trapped in his NH due to a electrical failure with the boom up. Dealer had to come out and "free" him. On my old 743, the rear window can be opened from the inside...but, not everyone will fit thru the hole. Ed
Thanks Bumpsteer,terrible accident.Yea spent some time on the skid steers small rear window would be tough.The operator that fell in the water was by himself and if I remember correctly no body saw him fall in right away, wasn’t until somebody walked out there and saw him upside down underwater,alot of terrible ways to die,that’s right up there in my book
Nobody hurt but I retrieved one from a creek submerged to the top of the ROPS last year after the owner slipped sideways on the greasy clay bank. He got out through the front door frame after kicking it out, but the tractor was settling deeper in the mud ultimately leaving about two inches of the ROPS showing above water. The engine water slogged and tractor was deemed a total loss by insurance replaced with the same model.
Wow,thank god he was able to get out!
My sister need some work done including putting a fancy up for the hay burners. And way I had my 279c there with a cab. It was about 98.2 degrees and 99 percent humidity I was froze and the old man and bro in law were about read to melt. It was a glorious day.
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is keeping the weather out of the machine while transporting. My 248 is a 2000 model, I've got heat but no A/C, I don't think it was available back then. I run with the door off in summer months and put it on in the winter to stay warm. A downside I haven't seen mentioned is reduced visibility. The door frame takes out some of the forward visibility and the glass adds glare under some conditions. If I'm fine grading with the bucket I'll often lean forward for a better view, I hit my head on the glass when the door is on.
I see kits on ebay and such for enclosures and I'm probably going to do this with my 1845C having decided to keep it. I've never seen one of these with A/C myself but I'm more interested in being warm than anything else. I've never worked anything except a backhoe with a cab and I too lean forward to see a lot of times. I don't have a long bucket, only the 73" bucket supplied with the machine when new and a set of worn out pallet forks. Next implement on the list is a rock bucket with grapple and it will be nice to not have quite as much dust to eat when separating out my "piles" which contain all kinds of mixed crap. Lots of broken concrete tearout and dirt so need to get it separated and this seems the best way.
My old tiny NH L452 has an escape hatch on top. Now how about the JCB one armed ones ? Until you roll it over onto it's left side....Ugh.
For my uses, i'll take open cabs, just simpler and less stuff to give problems. But i'm just playing, sort of.
I don't know if I posted this before, but I cobbled up some cab heat one winter. Wood box on top of rad (very much loose fitting, so as to not obstruct) 4" sched 10 pipe, all held on with bungees, tubes come down both sides of seat back, end with a "Vent 90" and not glued, so you can swivel it.
Thanks everyone. I appreciated the good discussion and scary stories. I wonder if an enclosed Kubota is considered safer given it opens from the top rather than from the side? Now I gotta google "Forestry Glass" Thanks again.
I have a Kubota and like the fact the door can open with the boom in any position. I live in Texas so the air conditioning is nice in the summer. I also get some protection if I get into some angry bees.
When I bought my backhoe, I thought AC was a needless frill. Until I had to dig on a 95 degree day in Mass. Then it was a Godsend. And after getting covered in freezing, blowing snow, a heated, enclosed cab rocks.
I agree that cab and heat/ac are waay better for the operator. I try to buy open rops stuff as much as possible because we are having to train operators and I like the idea of them being able to hear shouting from the people on the ground around them.