Kubota M59

TSO · Apr 7, 2015

bdog said:
I will admit that I am not totally up on backhoe pricing but I do contract out bulldozers on a fairly regular basis. Last one I hired was a D6T which was only a year or two old and is a 300k machine. We paid $135 an hour for it. It is a huge machine that shows up on a oversized load semi, etc and figured if it can be had for $135hr a 50k kubota that you can haul around with a pickup really can't be much more than $50 but I know that is comparing apples and oranges.

That $135/hr price is for YOU to use it ... You still have to factor the operators costs too. Maybe you're different than the rest of us, but I certainly don't want to work for free.

RDrancher · Apr 7, 2015

bdog said:
I will admit that I am not totally up on backhoe pricing but I do contract out bulldozers on a fairly regular basis. Last one I hired was a D6T which was only a year or two old and is a 300k machine. We paid $135 an hour for it. It is a huge machine that shows up on a oversized load semi, etc and figured if it can be had for $135hr a 50k kubota that you can haul around with a pickup really can't be much more than $50 but I know that is comparing apples and oranges.

I agree that it's apples to oranges. A dozer is pretty limited in what it can do, although what it can do it can do a lot of. A backhoe can dig a nice trench and then use the bucket to fill it up, spread some dirt without doing damage to surrounding landscaping, drive over a curb and hardscape for access, plus all of the other attachments that fit on the quick attach. As for pricing, I'll give this for an example. I don't do much hourly work, but you can expect a CTL to go at $90-$100 per hour (minimum) plus move-on charges since the truck and trailer don't work for free either. Compare that to a CAT 953 track loader which is three times the weight and can move a lot more dirt per hour. Around here a 953 gets about $110 per hour. It doesn't seem right, but it's the versatility and compactness of the CTL that makes it worth the money.

bdog · Apr 7, 2015

TSO said:
That $135/hr price is for YOU to use it ... You still have to factor the operators costs too. Maybe you're different than the rest of us, but I certainly don't want to work for free.

No it wasn't that was with operator. I have never seen anyone rent a dozer by the hour and hand you the keys. They had the haul truck, fuel trailer, mechanic on call, etc

LD1 · Apr 7, 2015

bdog said:
Primary reason for purchase would be for personal use. I have a lot of little things I could use it for. What is tripping me up is I am guessing I could rent one for $500 a day or less. To make the math simple I could rent for 100 days for what he machine costs. I am not even sure I have 100 days of stuff to do. Then again a machine is so much handier if it is sitting there and available when ever you need it vs scheduling a rental. Bottom line is I can afford the machine and just go pay cash for it but I am thinking it would be good if it it could earn its keep so to speak.

You could rent a piece of equipment for 100 days, be out of pocket 50k, and have nothing to show for it.

Or you can be out 50k (+ a little maintenance, grease, and oil changes), and at the end of it, you still have a machine, with only 800hrs more on the clock, that can probably be re-sold for most of what you paid for it if you choose to.

I hate renting equipment unless its something that dont get used much at all. Like concrete tools (power screed and power trowel), or a boom lift once in a blue moon, or a dozer that has high maintenance cost and limited uses.

But if you can keep a backhoe busy for at least a few hundred hours (and once you have one, the project list grows), then just buy one if you can afford it. :2cents:

bdog · Apr 7, 2015

RDrancher said:
I agree that it's apples to oranges. A dozer is pretty limited in what it can do, although what it can do it can do a lot of. A backhoe can dig a nice trench and then use the bucket to fill it up, spread some dirt without doing damage to surrounding landscaping, drive over a curb and hardscape for access, plus all of the other attachments that fit on the quick attach. As for pricing, I'll give this for an example. I don't do much hourly work, but you can expect a CTL to go at $90-$100 per hour (minimum) plus move-on charges since the truck and trailer don't work for free either. Compare that to a CAT 953 track loader which is three times the weight and can move a lot more dirt per hour. Around here a 953 gets about $110 per hour. It doesn't seem right, but it's the versatility and compactness of the CTL that makes it worth the money.

I am not doubting what you are saying but it makes one wonder why people ever buy this larger machinery. If one had 300k to invest for example they could either buy one D6T and charge 135/hr or they could buy six M59s for the same money and not even need 18 wheelers to haul them around and they could charge a collective $600-750/hr. I am sure they are a lot cheaper to maintain too.

bdog · Apr 7, 2015

LD1 said:
You could rent a piece of equipment for 100 days, be out of pocket 50k, and have nothing to show for it.

Or you can be out 50k (+ a little maintenance, grease, and oil changes), and at the end of it, you still have a machine, with only 800hrs more on the clock, that can probably be re-sold for most of what you paid for it if you choose to.

I hate renting equipment unless its something that dont get used much at all. Like concrete tools (power screed and power trowel), or a boom lift once in a blue moon, or a dozer that has high maintenance cost and limited uses.

But if you can keep a backhoe busy for at least a few hundred hours (and once you have one, the project list grows), then just buy one if you can afford it. :2cents:

Good points. You sure know how to make one spend their money hahaha.

I guess the only other thing to factor in is the opportunity cost of having the money tied up in the machine vs something else.

My thoughts for the machine on contracting it out would be stuff like planting trees, digging up irrigation systems to fix leaks on center pivots for farmers, maybe digging some basements as they are building houses around here like crazy, digging holes for tornado shelters, possibly holes for swimming pools I have a friend with a backhoe that does some of that now.

LD1 · Apr 7, 2015

I think digging basements you would want a larger machine with a bit more depth/reach and the ability to swing a bigger bucket with authority. But the other things are a good match. Doing irrigation and field tile repairs, utilities and perimeter drains and downspout drains for new-builds, culvert installs, foundations for garages, etc. All well suited to that sized machine. But I wouldnt be bidding on the basements without a larger machine and/or larger excavator.

RDrancher · Apr 7, 2015

bdog said:
I am not doubting what you are saying but it makes one wonder why people ever buy this larger machinery. If one had 300k to invest for example they could either buy one D6T and charge 135/hr or they could buy six M59s for the same money and not even need 18 wheelers to haul them around and they could charge a collective $600-750/hr. I am sure they are a lot cheaper to maintain too.

It's mainly the size of the jobs that dictate the size of the equipment. Imagine I show up with my CTL and the other guys shows up with a D6 to perform the same job. What takes him a day would probably take me more than a week..probably longer. You'd laugh me right off your property if I was charging hourly. Now imagine the D6 showing up on a job that needs some dirt work, some heavy mowing, brush removal, and trees stacked to burn on the other side of a concrete driveway. Both examples and the tasks the machines are able to perform justify the hourly price of each. The other difference is the service life of the machine. There's plenty of big iron out there still being used every day with over 20,000 hrs on the clock. Any piece of compact equipment (no matter how well it's maintained) is pretty much toast for everyday work well before the 5,000 hour mark. Compact equipment also costs a lot to maintain (comparatively). Fragile little buggers they are.

Back to the M59. It's the strongest construction grade modern TLB in existence with a removable backhoe, period. You won't find any other machine that compares. I'd love to have one.

Edited to add: In my opinion, you can easily charge $75 or more an hour for an M59. I don't work hourly very often, but figuring pricing for my tractor related jobs I charge more than that per day and I don't have a backhoe.

TSO · Apr 7, 2015

Come to think of it ... If you really only want $50/hr for you and your machine (if you're a decent operator), come to Michigan and I'll put you on the payroll for the summer.

bdog · Apr 7, 2015

You guys are making it very tempting. You should be salesmen.

I would love to go to Michigan but I am pretty much stuck here with my full time gig. It is not an exact schedule but I often work one week on and one week off. If I could just dink around and do a couple of days of backhoe work on my week off that would be pretty cool.

I did go to Michigan once several years ago for work. If I recall it took three days to drive there, we worked three days, and then spent three days driving home. It was in January and it was the coldest this Texas boy has every been in his life.