Backhoe Are small backhoes worth the $??

[sodamo]

There's likely dozens of reasons not to have one, but they seem to disappear when doing that one job you're doing.

BTW, learning how to use that BH was likely the most humbling experience in my tractoring days. LOL

 

[caver]

BTW, learning how to use that BH was likely the most humbling experience in my tractoring days. LOL

I'm learning all over for the second time with a 4 stick Case 580.

 

[El Wood]

Thanks for the comments and advice. I think I'm going to go for it. I have 20 acres (future house site) with half being high and flat (previous owner farmed beans). The other half is low and swampy. I'm going to need to make a 400 ft road through the forest to the previously mentioned pond site. I'm thinking the JD 2520 with FEL and hoe. I'm also going to trade in my 5 by 10 trailer and pick up something I can haul the tractor with. Anybody know if 7 by 14 would be big enough assuming the FEL and hoe are attached?

 

[Ken45101]

I talked to one contractor who is selling his and he told me that the mini's work good if you are going to be working on fairly hard surfaces but he has found that if you take it onto soft or muddy soils the track systems are severely underpowered and tend to get stuck, hence the reason he is selling. I would be using it on the farm to dig ditches etc so his comments were a big eye opener and turn off for me.

He is not making sense. In soft soils, it's not power you need, it's traction. And the beauty of an mini ex is that the hoe can pull it out if it gets stuck.

I am in the same category as CurlyDave and JDFire....now that I have the backhoe, it would be sweet to have a small dump truck to complement it.

But then again, a skid steer/mini x/dumptruck combo would be pretty sweet...maybe one day my ship will come in..

They do make dump trailers, a lot less expensive than a dump truck :laughing:

Ken

 

[newbury]

Anybody know if 7 by 14 would be big enough assuming the FEL and hoe are attached?

Nope, get at least 18'

 

[bcp]

The trailer must do more than just contain the load. You need room forward and backwards to move the tractor to balance the load for correct hitch weight.

It might happen to balance correctly with a short trailer. If so, go buy a lottery ticket before your luck runs out!



Bruce

 

[BroBro]

No one ever said farmers were smart just very very wise !!!!

 

[two_bit_score]

Usually small backhoes are worth it. Just have to match the BHTo the jobs you expect to do.

 

[Morning Wood]

I've got a bh80 with thumb on my 1720. It's nice to have. Is not really great at digging but it is good for pulling rocks or moving rocks short distances. It is far from doing this efficiently though. A min ex will run circles around a tractor mounted backhoe. So, if you are short on time or get really frustrated working inefficiently go for a mini ex

 

[roman]

I have a small woods bh6500 on my 1720 with a subframe. I have done a few things so far but have bid plans for it. I know it will do what I want and the cost was a no brainer. I use it when I want and when (if) I sell it I will at least break even.
Look around for a used one if cost is a factor, patience is a virtue!

 

[Ken45101]

Usually small backhoes are worth it. Just have to match the BH To the jobs you expect to do.

OR....just have patience and take a bit more time. No matter how small the backhoe, it beats digging with a shovel and a wheelbarrow:thumbsup:

 

[acarter92]

Well, I own and operate a small landscape and hardscape business. Bought a BX25 w/ backhoe about a year ago. I use the backhoe part of the machine a few times a week and the machine get's used almost daily, and it get's used hard. For the size of the machine it digs very well and can get places the big machines can't which is important in my line of work.

I know or know of quite a few homeowners that have small backhoes. Most of them look better than my machine did after a week of use, and most have a lot of paint left on the bucket. In my opinion it takes a lot of digging to justify 6k-8k. Many jobs can be done without the backhoe (you can do a lot with the Front end loader.), sure they may take a little longer, but keep in mind the big jobs it's going take you 3x longer with the little machine as it would to rent a big one. If it's not going to set you back $$$ and you want something to play with, then buy the darn thing. You'll probably find your nieghbors using your $20k machine for case of beer. But if it's a big $$$$ and you don't "really" need it then maybe you should think twice.

Note: my machine takes me literally less than two minutes to completely disconect or connect the unit and about 5min to hook up the 3 point hitch arms.

Just my 2cents,
Austin

 

[bheighton]

The hoe on my Kioti is the main reason i bought it. In use constantly along with my MEI mechanical thumb. Worth every penny. Besides, its fun to play with.

 

[skspurling]

I could justify the $$$ for the FEL, but the backhoe was a bit much. I see two groups. The pros that are in business to keep the cost down, and the casual users who find convienance the biggest draw. I don't think I could get the mini-ex past the wife, but I might be able to wrangle the backhoe. Thing is, I still would love a mini dumper NOW. Moving material across my little piece of property a bucket at a time can get a bit tedious.
If you are concerned about cost, I hate to buck the trend, I'd have to say it ain't cheap. Most pros rent because it can cost a lot to own and maintain the equipment. It can be handy, but I think it sounds like something i'd always be taking off every time i wanted to use a 3point implement.

 

[CurlyDave]

....They do make dump trailers, a lot less expensive than a dump truck :laughing:

Ken

I already have a dump trailer. Best purchase I have made in a long time. It paid for itself on just one house.

But...a dump trailer is too small for a lot of the stuff I want to do. Of course the operative word there is "want". I can probably learn to live with the dump trailer.

 

[scoutcub]

I already have a dump trailer. Best purchase I have made in a long time. It paid for itself on just one house.

But...a dump trailer is too small for a lot of the stuff I want to do. Of course the operative word there is "want". I can probably learn to live with the dump trailer.

Maybe get a bigger dump trailer?? :thumbsup::laughing:

 

[Ken45101]

Maybe get a bigger dump trailer?? :thumbsup::laughing:

:laughing: Do you think this would be big enough for Dave?

 

[schmism]

I got my woods groundbreaker 7500 from Craigslist for $3500.

The ability to do projects that require a backhoe on my schedule when i want was worth every penny.

Could i have rented a mini-hoe every time i needed to use one, but likely would have spent more in the long run, and would not have done what *I* wanted to do when *I* wanted to do it. what i mean is im not likely to spend a day, to pick up the rental machine , dig out one small tree, then clean it up and drop it off by the end of the day. I would have waited till i had 3 or 4 projects lined up so i could "justify" spending the $$ on the rental for a weekend.

Not only do i believe its more expensive, but also not nearly as convenient to rent a mini hoe vs owning a rear hoe for your tractor.

I should add I bought mine to work on my property as i was developing it. Putting in drains, electrical, digging out trees, putting in trees, putting in drain feild etc. Not only did i use it for that property but we ended up moving to a second property that needed basicly all that over again. So i have been able to show a long term continued use for mine that also justified me spending them money to buy it.

 

[Ken45101]

The ability to do projects that require a backhoe on my schedule when i want was worth every penny.

Yes. One is not so likely to rent a piece of equipment for a ten minute job. And that's the beauty of having a backhoe is that it let's you do a job in ten minutes that would take an hour or two with a shovel. Of course, YMMV.

Without the equipment handy, a lot of little jobs would just never get done.

Ken

 

[Gary Fowler]

I am thinking of buying a small TLB something like a B20 or B21 (used) and was wondering if anyone can tell me how hard it is to remove the backhoe from these tractors. There is also a Kioti ck35 and a Cub Cadet 7300 for sale with a backhoe attachment. Since we are talking about value, can someone give me an idea on which of these would be the best value. They are all priced around $12,000. My uses would be digging out small/medium sized rocks, digging draining ditches and using it to maintain the edges of my ponds.