To hoe, or not to hoe...

[bironacad]

Every other year I had a guy come in and move stuff with his backhoe/loader and for the money I couldn't justify buying one but I did, why? Last year he wanted $750 to keep my drive clean so.... I bought a tractor with as many toys as I could get away with.:laughing: My hoe has a thumb and I can't wait to play. There are a few rocks my mower will not miss once removed for sure, lol, life is short, have some fun. I will never break even though

My cousin says he read on a thread here that some guys biggest fear is that when he dies his wife will sell his stuff for what he told her he paid for it.:thumbsup: go figure.

 

[Mousefield]

Every other year I had a guy come in and move stuff with his backhoe/loader and for the money I couldn't justify buying one but I did, why? Last year he wanted $750 to keep my drive clean so.... I bought a tractor with as many toys as I could get away with.:laughing: My hoe has a thumb and I can't wait to play. There are a few rocks my mower will not miss once removed for sure, lol, life is short, have some fun. I will never break even though

My cousin says he read on a thread here that some guys biggest fear is that when he dies his wife will sell his stuff for what he told her he paid for it.:thumbsup: go figure.

That's PRICELESS (pun intended). :laughing:

 

[glkingar]

Mine came with a Bradco that mounts on a subframe. So I have to remove the lift arms but can leave the 3PH arms in place. Now to get to the question. I love my BH and look for reasons to use it. Don't tell anyone but sometimes I will go out and dig a hole to just fill it up again. I still have a ton of stumps to pull/dig out. My Mom's water line recently started leaking and I was sure glad I had it since the soil in NW Arkansas is mostly rock and clay.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

That's PRICELESS (pun intended). :laughing:

+1 :laughing::laughing::laughing:

 

[sixdogs]

Had one in the past and sold it after I was all done and would never need it again. Yeah, right.
Now have a Deere 790 TLB and just when I think I'm done, another use comes up.
As others have mentioned, mine has more than paid for itself.

 

[sailorman]

So I have to remove the lift arms but can leave the 3PH arms in place.

What am I missing here ? How many arms do you have back there ? What is the difference between lift arms and 3PH arms ? Something to do with arms on a backhoe ?

 

[Whitey]

I find that a backhoe is a great asset to have if you are the type that wants to be able to fix anything that goes wrong on your property. I have owned two CUTs over the past 10 years and were they both were equipped with backhoes. I have installed new rain water conductors, repaired setic laterals, put electric into buildings, cut a new drive way, etc. It gives you the ability to dig anything that you want by yourself. The JD I owned was a frame mount that was quick disconnect.......it was convienent but you need some extra room to store. My current machine (Kubota) can dissconnect but I choose to leave it on all the time. One more thing.......if you can buy a used one.......in good condition.

 

[fredhargis]

I love my BH and look for reasons to use it. Don't tell anyone but sometimes I will go out and dig a hole to just fill it up again.

I had a neighbor a little like that, only he'd dig holes and not fill them up :laughing:, now his 10 acre lot looks like a mini-mountain rangc.

 

[sal64]

Does anyone regret their backhoe purchase? Maybe found out you don't use it nearly as much as you thought. Are they hard to use? Hard to move on/off when you want to use another attachment?

i vote no to a hoe, i bought a hoe for my jd990 about 3yrs ago used it first yr about 12hrs, now it sits for 2yrs in my dads barn becase there isnt enough room in my barn.

 

[Rand]

Purchased a bh for my 2305 and don't regret my decision. It's not something I use often, but is sure nice to have. Again, as others have offered, it's many times a "want" and not necesarily a "need" for most people. I have a 50 acre hunting camp and it sure comes in handy each year. We also live in an area with really tough tough hardpan soils. I'm physically no longer up to digging holes and the bh allows me greater independence, without having to wait and rely on others. However, if you can find a local fellow with a backhoe that works cheaply, then you might choose to forgo this expensive implement. I guess it finally depends on your finances and requirements of your property.

 

[klink]

I bought a 46 backhoe for my 2004 JD 4110 in 2005. I used it to help clean out a usually dry creek bed. Dug some bushes out. Dug up a water hydrant for replacement. dug a house drain for my one son at his new house. I know it should still be worth a few thousand dollars whenever I sell it. But it has been sitting in my barn for over a year. I have a son who uses his all the time. He bought an old small 12 acre farm that he is slowly bringing back to life. His backhoe is a Kubota BX22. He loves the BX22 TBL. He has so much backhoe work to do that he wants me to come over to help him out.
If you have the money, get one - if not - don't. That's my thoughts

 

[Ford tractor]

It sounds like there are several 3pt hoes that you may be able to buy from guys here that don't use them anymore...

 

[sixdogs]

It sounds like there are several 3pt hoes that you may be able to buy from guys here that don't use them anymore...

Thay are around but hard to find and if you find a good one, buy it pronto.
After a long time searching years ago I gave in and bought a new Woods 750 and never regretted it. New backhoes are extra-sweet.
When I sold it, for more than I paid, I had a lot of calls and someone came out that night.

A couple years back and in need of another backhoe again, I called a dealer on a Deere 790 TLB with only 90 hours.
I haggled for a quick deal and said if it's as you say I'll buy it and be there in 40 minutes.
After the deal was done and we shook hands on the price another guy called from four hous away and wanted it.
That's my story.

 

[chad22]

Don't tell anyone but sometimes I will go out and dig a hole to just fill it up again.

:thumbsup: :laughing: I'm sure I'll be doing that too once I get my backhoe completely finished.

I'll probably even dig up my only 2 year old pvc water line and replace it "just for fun". :laughing:

I'll be like a kid in a sandbox. Speaking of sand boxes. I really love these toy backhoes. http://www.kidsdigger.com/images/012.jpg There's one at a park not to far from here. I first played on it when I was 16. My mom had to literally drag me off that thing. We were on our way to Arkansas and had to get on our way.

Whenever I'm up that way I'll stop at that park and hop on for an hour or so. There so fun. I enjoy those and I'm 23. I actually want to get one and put it out in the yard here in a sandbox to play with.

I'm a kid at heart and probably always will be. :laughing: I also enjoy all the strange looks I get. :thumbsup: I then tell them, why not try it out, your missing all the fun.

Most just say, nah that's okay. And then walks off. Most will walk off without saying anything.

Chad

 

[Will_C]

I have always considered a backhoe, but don't have a need-my brother is an excavating contractor who has a Case 580M backhoe, and he'll do anything for me-that is a luxury most don't have.

I know if I ever was serious about a small backhoe, I'd pass on the backhoe, add a few thousand dollars, and buy a used mini-excavator. I think my dealer told me a backhoe would have added about $7000 to my B2620-I can't remember because I did not seriously consider it. I just saw a Kubota mini-excvator in nice shape for $10,500-more money, for sure, but a machine that is several times more capable then a backhoe. Just some food for thought.

Will

 

[JerryK]

Backhoes are great for getting rid of the occasional deer, elk, or mouthy neighbor carcass you find laying around your acreage.....