RocksnRoses
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2008
- Messages
- 770
- Location
- South Australia
- Occupation
- Owner operater crushing & contracting business
Open cabs are not an option for us on our wheel loaders, we live and operate in very windy conditions, hot and cold. I like Pete, have ate my share of dirt and I would not expect my operators to work in those conditions, like loading a crusher hopper into the wind. I find myself and the same goes for the operators, they are much more productive in a controlled envirionment, rather than having to battle with the elements day in and day out.
Air conditioners are a constant PITA and are a big expense for us. I have not found a factory fitted a/c that will keep a cab cool in our summers. We usually end up fitting more condensors to dissapate the heat. Without the a/c, the heat in the cab is almost unbearable, but we have to keep the doors and windows shut because of the dust.
I don't think there is any OHSA requirement here to have closed cabs, but they do monitor dust levels in quarries, so by having closed cabs, it keeps the operator from inhaling dust. I doubt that there would be any new machines, apart from very small machines, sold without cabs, in Australia today.
On a lighter note, when pushing out trees and stumps, the space in front of the machine suddenly turns black from an exploding swarm of bees, one is very appreciative of a sealed up air conditioned cab.
RnR.
Air conditioners are a constant PITA and are a big expense for us. I have not found a factory fitted a/c that will keep a cab cool in our summers. We usually end up fitting more condensors to dissapate the heat. Without the a/c, the heat in the cab is almost unbearable, but we have to keep the doors and windows shut because of the dust.
I don't think there is any OHSA requirement here to have closed cabs, but they do monitor dust levels in quarries, so by having closed cabs, it keeps the operator from inhaling dust. I doubt that there would be any new machines, apart from very small machines, sold without cabs, in Australia today.
On a lighter note, when pushing out trees and stumps, the space in front of the machine suddenly turns black from an exploding swarm of bees, one is very appreciative of a sealed up air conditioned cab.
RnR.