Back Hoe -vs- Excavator... Which do you prefer?

[boggen]

what ever fits in my budget. is what i prefer!

a TLB with access to 3pt hitch would more likely serve a bunch more uses for average person. than an excavator. that is limited to attachments that replace the bucket.

it is always nice to have the right tool for the given job. vs spending extra time and energy in using what you have. reason why many folks end up with a good size garage with multi hand tools and then attachments for there tractors or skid steers.

 

[swick1]

Excavators are better for loading trucks too. Backhoes lack reach.

Backhoes get flat tires around demo sites.

I'd trade my backhoe for a mini ex any day even if it was small.

 

[MIKE R]

Excavator by far. The backhoe is good for the small jobs but for pulling out big maple stumps and ditching the excavator is best. No repositioning all the time either with a excavator.

 

[JoeBuyer]

I looked real hard at small to medium track excavators before getting a TLB. The two main factors that changed my mind towards getting a TLB are the speed at which I can get my TLB to the other corner of the farm (or the neighbor's farm) and the versatility of a TLB. Not many excavators can go 20 mph, set up, dig for 10min and be back to what I was doing 20 minutes later. Trailering is too time consuming. The percentage of time digging with my TLB is probably 20%, so versatility is obviously important. If I did more digging and backfilling, an excavator sure would be sweet. It all depends on the need.

 

[chad22]

If he would have used the front end loader to backfill. He would have beat that excavator. lol

Chad

 

[swick1]

There is definitely a place for backhoes. That's why we see so many of them, but lots of dirt guys are using ex and articulated loader or mini ex and bobcats to do their work. One guy I know uses a track loader and ex on almost every job but I am in the mountains so the terrain sometimes requires it.

 

[Jnasystems]

Here is one cool attachment that essentially turns a mini ex into a skidsteer opening up the ability to use every tool a skidsteer can.
http://www.everythingattachments.co...tem-for-Excavators-p/rh-hookup-attachment.htm

 

[JoeBuyer]

Here is one cool attachment that essentially turns a mini ex into a skidsteer opening up the ability to use every tool a skidsteer can.
http://www.everythingattachments.com/Rockhound-Hookup-Attachment-System-for-Excavators-p/rh-hookup-attachment.htm

That is very cool. I saved the link for my wish list. Those will work on Backhoes as well assuming the model has one that fits.

 

[Localmotion]

Here is one cool attachment that essentially turns a mini ex into a skidsteer opening up the ability to use every tool a skidsteer can.
Rockhound Hookup Attachment System for Excavators & Backhoes to Universal Skid Steer Quick Attach

I want one...!

But here's a thought - has anyone ever used (or even seen) one of these working - definately looks as if it is the perfect match of Backhoe and Excavator (plus telescopic loader) in one machine....

 

[CurlyDave]

I'd like to see a TLB pick and carry a 17' railroad tie down a 10' wide dirt road.

I once carried six 20' x 6" diameter pieces of steel pipe half a mile down a 12' road with sharp turns. Just pick up the pipe in the middle with the hoe bucket and thumb, and then swing it 90 degrees to the side which will be uphill on the road. Tuck it in good and tight to the machine and off you go.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I want one...!

But here's a thought - has anyone ever used (or even seen) one of these working - definately looks as if it is the perfect match of Backhoe and Excavator (plus telescopic loader) in one machine....

I have never seen anything like that before. Thanks for posting. :thumbsup:

 

[JasG]

Dynahoes were a machine that could dig very well and fast. The early models had detroit engines, the last few years had Deeres. They were like having an excavator and loader all in one. The early years they were very slow. The best ones are the all wheel drive models with Deere engines. I think they scaled over 29000 lbs with the larger ones.

Deere makes the 710 model, very large powerful machine.

*SOLD*1985 DYNAHOE 190-4 - YouTube

John Deere 710J In Action - YouTube

Each has a place, if I could only have one I'd take a TLB anyday. Can drive from job to job around here and for me I can do more with one. Of course I also owned one for a few years and spent a lot time on others.

 

[TBigLug]

Gotta vote for the TLB myself. I do too much on the farm to have a single use machine. Second biggest use my TLB does is move, stack and load round bales. Can't do that with an ex without tearing up my fields.

 

[Ken45101]

As has been said, they are different machines which can do some of the same jobs.

However, a backhoe is pretty much limited to digging in one position and dumping 90 degrees away. When I have ground sliding into the driveway ditch, my only option with a bh is to dig it out and dump it 90 degrees way, right on the driveway. Then later move it with the bucket, leaving greasy clay on the driveway (very slippery). With the excavator, I can dig it up on one side of the drive and dump it 180 degrees away on the other side of the driveway. Much better.

Ken

 

[JasG]

As has been said, they are different machines which can do some of the same jobs.

However, a backhoe is pretty much limited to digging in one position and dumping 90 degrees away. When I have ground sliding into the driveway ditch, my only option with a bh is to dig it out and dump it 90 degrees way, right on the driveway. Then later move it with the bucket, leaving greasy clay on the driveway (very slippery). With the excavator, I can dig it up on one side of the drive and dump it 180 degrees away on the other side of the driveway. Much better.

Ken

Not really, I've cleaned out a lot of ditch by driving along side of the ditch with the backhoe and digging at 90 degrees to the machine and dumping the material as far as 180 degrees away. It also leaves the btm of the ditch round instead of flat. Just have to make sure machine is far enough away the outriggers won't slip into the ditch. My machine does not have the extend-a-hoe, the machine I use at work from time to time does and it's even easier.

Probably not as fast as an excavator but it can be done.

I also dug out 50' of barn foundation 10' deep with my backhoe doing the same thing. This way I could open the trench wide enough at the top so it wouldn't cave in and get the dirt well away from the hole.

 

[Botabill]

I have a mini excavator and tractor with a front end loader. I considered a TLB but the digging jobs I had to do when I was in the market, a five hundred foot trench 4 feet deep and replacing a septic bed would have been very very long and painful jobs with the backhoe. The mini was perfect for those jobs. Also great for popping small trees and other digging jobs. Yes the tracks will rip up some grass if you are not careful when you turn but it can be done without mqking q mess. An excavator will out dig a backhoe hands down. You can position your dirt 360 circle, get closer to bulidings and have a very stable working base. I can even cross over or stradle a trench I dug. Don't think that would be easy with a TLB. Now in support of the TLB... When I have to go to the back of my 30 acre property with my mini it takes a long time. When I have a job off site that requires a loader and the mini it takes two trips to get the machines there. A TLB is a better transporting option.

 

[Ken45101]

Not really, I've cleaned out a lot of ditch by driving along side of the ditch with the backhoe and digging at 90 degrees to the machine and dumping the material as far as 180 degrees away.

Okay, with the bigger backhoes. But my Kubota B21 doesn't have the reach or the stability to dig off of the side.

I can even cross over or stradle a trench I dug.

That's not really hard to straddle a trench with a backhoe. Drive up at a 45 degree angle alongside the trench, straddle the trench with the FEL, put the outriggers close to the ground and use the hoe to lift and shift the rear end across the trench. I didn't know it could be done, but I watched a guy do it, and I've done it myself.

Ken

 

[AGRIMAN]

To me you really need to consider all your options and what you plan to do with it before deciding which one will be the best fit. We recently started a project to replace over 200 acres of 40 year old fence. Needless to say, we have some clearing to do and I have been looking at used excavators for a few months now. Not really at mini excavators but rather a small full size machine, something in the 30,000 lbs range. Since my knowledge on excavators is just enough to get me into trouble, I asked a very good friend of mine who has many years of experience working with construction equipment to help me look for one.

From the start he was pushing me toward a 4x4 backhoe (rubber tire as we call them) over an excavator simple for its versatility. I wasn't sold on the idea, but as he pointed out, it won't be as fast as an excavator, but in the long run it will be a better all-around fit for farm use. After looking at several excavators that we both agreed weren't worth the asking price, I ran across a pretty good deal on a Case 580 backhoe (4x4). Still not convinced it was the best idea, I decided to give it a try since I already have a NH SL190 Skid Steer loader (which is a large machine)and I was thinking the two might be a good fit.

So far we have cleared about 3,000 of pretty bad fence and I have to say that I'm impressed with what the 4X4 backhoe will do by itself, but when paired with the SS it really makes things go faster. Now, there's no way it's going to out dig or perform a 30,000 lbs excavator for what we are doing, but when you consider the cost advantage, it does the job nicely. It was also really nice that I could just drive it down the road to complete a few small jobs that I wanted to do and drive it back within an hour.

I still would like to have a small excavator and if the right one at the right price where to come my way I would jump on it, but I don't think the backhoe is going anywhere. I'm satisfied.

 

[20 20]

Thanks Localmotion; I was trying to remember where I had seen a video of one of those. I've also seen the same setup except with tracks. Seems to me this would be a very hard machine to beat. I think once this hits the market(IF) big, it'll be the cats meow.

 

[sdkubota]

I ran both for over a decade and will state they are the same for purely digging. An excavator has an advantage of dumping dirt within a 360 degree radius where the tractor backhoe only has 180 degree dump zone. Traveling...backhoe, carrying dirt...backhoe, multitasking...backhoe.