Mini excavator/skid steer vs backhoe.

[4570Man]

It wasn’t intended that way but this video does an excellent job at what I’ve been saying for a long time. Mini Excavator vs Skid steer - YouTube. With my M59 I could have have dug the footer with the backhoe, moved the fill material with the front bucket. Dug up whatever stray stump there might be, used pallet forks to move the retaining wall blocks that weren’t there yet, kept the ground destruction to a minimum, cleared the brush with the backhoe thumb or the front bucket whichever proved better, and move cement in the front bucket if it’s too soft to get the truck around and showed up with a 3500 pickup and 14k trailer. If you had all of the equipment in the video I’m done for but who brings a semi and low boy, 2 skids and a mini with 2 operators to do a couple hours of work?

 

[EddieWalker]

I agree that a backhoe is the single handiest machine a guy could have on the farm.

 

[mickeyw]

I think the tractor backhoe is a good all-rounder, where as the mini excavator or a skid steer is more of a specialist tool.

The mini excavator can often get better access and be more manoeuvrable on a job.
Skid steers, especially tracked ones are also surprisingly effective at ground preparation, very quick and agile for material handling, and leave the site tidier than a wheeled machine.

Of course it depends what kind of work you need to do, and your resources for equipment ownership. On our farm our antiquated Ford 3000 does all our loader work and a fair bit of implement work on the 3-point.
The mini excavator I bought a few years ago has made a huge difference to how I do certain jobs. In wet weather I can use it to load a dump trailer without chewing the ground up. It takes long to do the loading but a lot less time is needed clearing up after.

Do you ever watch Andrew Camarata's videos? As a guy that works on his own he still prefers to use an excavator and skid steer over a tractor backhoe. He's certainly done plenty to prove to himself what works best.

 

[4570Man]

I’ve ran a CTL before and can do first class work with one but they have their downsides. Imagine if that site was a grassy area and the 4 yards of material was gravel. With the CTL the the ditch is a mess and needs a lot of hand work and is probably too big and waste material. And the grass is destroyed. With the excavator the ditch is neat but the material moving is so impractical you’re probably out of the one machine race. The gravel is going to be full of dirt and the grass is full of gravel and the farther you go the worse it gets. The grass is equally maybe worse destroyed than with the CTL. If it’s too wet to load my truck with my backhoe it’s far to wet to get my dump truck within the reach of the excavator. I’m not saying those machines don’t do a good job, but limiting yourself to one or the other you’re compromising a lot. Here’s a site prep I did with a CTL. The only hand rake that touched that job was used to rake up that small pile of sticks.

 

[fried1765]

I agree that a backhoe is the single handiest machine a guy could have on the farm.

Times 2

 

[Deerherd]

Times 2

Only if you have multiple tractors. For those of us with only one tractor switching out to put on plow, rake, cultipacker, disc, mower, box blade, land plane, logging winch etc is way too cumbersome and time consuming. Get an excavator.

 

[ovrszd]

Only if you have multiple tractors. For those of us with only one tractor switching out to put on plow, rake, cultipacker, disc, mower, box blade, land plane, logging winch etc is way too cumbersome and time consuming. Get an excavator.

But, you could have bought a very nice TLB for what you paid for the excavator.

 

[4570Man]

But, you could have bought a very nice TLB for what you paid for the excavator.

The difference between a real TLB and a cumbersome backhoe attachment is lost on most. Mini excavators are nice machines but there’s not many jobs where they’ll really beat a backhoe. Sure if it’s a swamp or 360 swing mandatory but it takes a long time of digging a little bit better to make up for all the extra time spent everywhere else.

 

[ovrszd]

The difference between a real TLB and a cumbersome backhoe attachment is lost on most. Mini excavators are nice machines but there’s not many jobs where they’ll really beat a backhoe. Sure if it’s a swamp or 360 swing mandatory but it takes a long time of digging a little bit better to make up for all the extra time spent everywhere else.

I agree.

If I can only afford one, of the three in your title, I'll take a TLB. A real TLB. Like your M59. Or bigger if it's in the budget.

I put in a lot of road culverts. Excavator is the tool of choice there because of it's ability to pile the dirt farther from the hole. But for "farm" use, TLB.

 

[4570Man]

I agree.

If I can only afford one, of the three in your title, I'll take a TLB. A real TLB. Like your M59. Or bigger if it's in the budget.

I put in a lot of road culverts. Excavator is the tool of choice there because of it's ability to pile the dirt farther from the hole. But for "farm" use, TLB.

I have more money in my M59 than my pretty nice 310 that I used to have. Like 30 percent more. The full size hoes have half way obsoleted themselves. If my 310 had front 3rd function front hydraulics, front QA, rear QA bucket, and hydraulic thumb it would be a different machine. I’d still have it and the Kubota dealer would still have my M59 if the 310 was setup like that.

 

[fried1765]

I have more money in my M59 than my pretty nice 310 that I used to have. Like 30 percent more. The full size hoes have half way obsoleted themselves. If my 310 had front 3rd function front hydraulics, front QA, rear QA bucket, and hydraulic thumb it would be a different machine. I’d still have it and the Kubota dealer would still have my M59 if the 310 was setup like that.

I think you guys are preaching to those who do not understand how versatile a real (integrated), TLB is.

 

[4570Man]

I think you guys are preaching to those who do not understand how versatile a real TLB is.

Yea a mini excavator vs a tractor backhoe attachment or mini excavator vs real TLB will have a way different outcome. I’ve considered and probably will at some point buy a midi excavator but that a lot different from a mini.

 

[ovrszd]

I have more money in my M59 than my pretty nice 310 that I used to have. Like 30 percent more. The full size hoes have half way obsoleted themselves. If my 310 had front 3rd function front hydraulics, front QA, rear QA bucket, and hydraulic thumb it would be a different machine. I壇 still have it and the Kubota dealer would still have my M59 if the 310 was setup like that.

Totally understand that. The 310s are very good machines in their time. Same with my 555A. It's well equipped with a 4n1 and extendahoe.

 

[ovrszd]

I think you guys are preaching to those who do not understand how versatile a real (integrated), TLB is.

Possibly.

Don't get me wrong. If I had the budget, I'd have all three. Like 4570, I'd go for a midi ex.

But if I can only have one, it'll be a TLB.

 

[4570Man]

Possibly.

Don't get me wrong. If I had the budget, I'd have all three. Like 4570, I'd go for a midi ex.

But if I can only have one, it'll be a TLB.

I wouldn’t mind having a CTL around either but if I had to part with my M59 to do it I wouldn’t.

 

[Big Barn]

In a perfect world one would have a mini, midi and full size (up to a 200 class) for the farm or ranch. My daughter learned on a midi JD 160 on the farm and a new mini Takeuchi.

I would never even consider a backhoe attachment as opposed to a dedicated TLB or mini.



I agree with Richard. If I had to choose one, I would have a good TLB.

 

[ovrszd]

I wouldn’t mind having a CTL around either but if I had to part with my M59 to do it I wouldn’t.

I agree.

My Brother had a CTL that I used here on the farm for a couple years. Then he retired and sold it. I never considered buying it. I missed it a couple times and then never thought about it again.

I built a hydraulic tree puller SSQA compatible. That CTL was the shiznut for that purpose!!!! My neighbor had a couple hundred medium sized cedars he wanted rid of. I put the puller on the CTL and I ran it. He ran my Kubota with the Grapple. I'd pile them what I thought he could get in one bite. Man we moved a LOT of trees in a short time!!!

 

[Industrial Toys]

Mini exes appear to be gaining popularity. I think I counted 6 or more on a fairly small (Tim Hortons) job recently.

I'm thinking they are easily delivered to a customer by rental houses.

 

[4570Man]

I agree.

My Brother had a CTL that I used here on the farm for a couple years. Then he retired and sold it. I never considered buying it. I missed it a couple times and then never thought about it again.

I built a hydraulic tree puller SSQA compatible. That CTL was the shiznut for that purpose!!!! My neighbor had a couple hundred medium sized cedars he wanted rid of. I put the puller on the CTL and I ran it. He ran my Kubota with the Grapple. I'd pile them what I thought he could get in one bite. Man we moved a LOT of trees in a short time!!!

They’re a very good loader platform that’s unequaled by anything else. But aside from the cost the ground destruction is a tough pill to swallow. There was a Danuser puller on the 95 Kubota I had for a while. Talk about ripping stuff up that would do it. It would put my M59 backhoe with thumb to shame for pulling brush and even bigger trees. And grading and raking with the bucket is unequaled. A CTL will put the backhoe loader to shame a lot faster than the mini excavator will put the hoe on the backhoe to shame.

 

[Agvg]

Mini exes appear to be gaining popularity. I think I counted 6 or more on a fairly small (Tim Hortons) job recently.

I'm thinking they are easily delivered to a customer by rental houses.

The excavator has killed all TLBs here, don't think I have seen one in commercial use since the late eighties. Suppose the same happens in the US to.