backhoe for utility tractors

[sikmusicfreak8]

The backhoe was the one attachment I knew I wanted/needed, and figured if I didn't buy it with the tractor, Id never shell the money out later. I am very glad I bought it, use it all the time, and I have a LOT more work to go. I am building my property now, 9 acres, and will be doing a lot of trenching for power/water, digging another septic, dug up the old septic, dug footings for my girlfriends retaining wall, will be digging footings for my shop, used it to scratch down some steep points on a hill to build a road to my water tank pad plucking large rocks out of my way with the thumb as I went, cleaning and shaping the ponds, etc etc etc. Unbelievably useful tool, but I knew I would have a ton of work lined up when I was buying mine. If you have one or two jobs a year for it, you probably wont want to spend the money, easier to rent.

 

[bdog]

I just checked and you can rent a mini-ex for $1000 per month here. A mini ex would run circles around a compact tractor mounted backhoe. I would look hard at your needs and consider renting one. You could do an awful lot of projects in a month.

A backhoe is a weird tool. They are used for a lot of one time projects like trenching lines, septic, etc. once these projects are done there isn't much use for them in ongoing maintenance of your property like there is for a tractor in general.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

... I am building my property now, 9 acres, and will be doing a lot of trenching for power/water, digging another septic, dug up the old septic, dug footings for my girlfriends retaining wall,

Wait....

Your girlfriend needs a retaining wall?????


I don't think I want to know any more!!! :confused2:


:laughing:

 

[chuck172]

Hoses are cheap to replace if you are proactive and can order online, vs waiting til one blows and have to get one made locally.

Pins/bushings......if you can find them they are crazy expensive. Which is why most people make their own. So if you have access to, or know someone with a lathe.....

The swing chain.....we have beem making our own repairs the few times dads broke. IIRC, standard 120 roller chain links are a perfect match. Just grind the roller chain links apart.

Good to know about the chain, thanks.

 

[sikmusicfreak8]

Wait....

Your girlfriend needs a retaining wall?????


I don't think I want to know any more!!! :confused2:


:laughing:

The backyard at her place has a gnarly slope, so we are constructing a retaining wall at her house.



This is starting the side yard, don't have the good pics of the finished product on this computer, but it turned out good.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

That's looking good! Would love to see the finished project. :drink:

 

[blb078]

I've been going back/forth with this situation as I get ready to purchase a new tractor. On the LS i'm looking the bh is $6500, I know some brands they are 7-8k though. I came to the conclusion that it's worth it in the long run to get one. I know someone posted that a monthly rent was 1k for them but that is not average, that is way below average or they where mis quoting that poster. Here is what a mini ex rental is in the St. Louis metro area where I'm at. Equip Rental & Sales basically $250/day(based on 8 hour day not a full day of use) or just under $3k/month. Add more if you need them to deliver it, generally about $100 round trip.

So assuming you BH costs you 7500 and it's 250 a day to rent a mini ex that's 30, 8 hour days rental before your break even point. That's really not a lot, say you keep your bh for 5 years that's only 6 days a year usage of a bh before it breaks even. A BH you can also sell with or without the tractor for at least half price minimum after 5 years, and that's giving it away, which reduces your break even or profit point even more. Yes a BH is a costly item, but so are a lot of attachments, some people get harley rakes which are 8-10k and have less use than a BH in my opinion. Yes a mini ex is more efficient but I think it's a stretch to say that a mini ex will run circles around a compact tractor bh considering the things that a person using a compact tractor bh would do. You also don't have to worry about getting one delivered, taking time out of your day to go rent it, or rushing a project because you're on the clock, because the rental clock on those things starts as soon as you fire it up as it's based on hours on the engine and those things move at a snails pace. And if you break something on that rental that more than likely has been treated like crap anyway then you can forget about renting be cheaper because your cost just went up a lot. Heck some people pay 30-40-50k on a cab decked out tractor, that pays for a lot of skid loader and mini ex work but we still buy anway. In my mind, if you think you will use it for 3-4 days min a year, keep it for 5 years, and the funds for one aren't an issue get one. You'll get your moneys worth over a rental and get money back if you sell

 

[chuck172]

I keep looking for a used bh attachment for my kioti. Scarcer than hens-teeth. I'm having a hard time justify paying 10 grand for a very light duty (when compared to a real bh) attachment.

 

[roadhunter]

Woodmaxx has a good reputation for tractor attachments. Looks like they have a few that seem pretty affordable.
WM-86 8' Backhoe | Backhoe Attachment for Tractors - WoodMaxx™
WM-76 7' Backhoe | Backhoe Attachments for Sale - WoodMaxx™
WM-66 6' Backhoe | Backhoe Tractor Attachment - WoodMaxx™

 

[tman1020]

I've been going back/forth with this situation as I get ready to purchase a new tractor. On the LS i'm looking the bh is $6500, I know some brands they are 7-8k though. I came to the conclusion that it's worth it in the long run to get one. I know someone posted that a monthly rent was 1k for them but that is not average, that is way below average or they where mis quoting that poster. Here is what a mini ex rental is in the St. Louis metro area where I'm at. Equip Rental & Sales basically $250/day(based on 8 hour day not a full day of use) or just under $3k/month. Add more if you need them to deliver it, generally about $100 round trip. So assuming you BH costs you 7500 and it's 250 a day to rent a mini ex that's 30, 8 hour days rental before your break even point. That's really not a lot, say you keep your bh for 5 years that's only 6 days a year usage of a bh before it breaks even. A BH you can also sell with or without the tractor for at least half price minimum after 5 years, and that's giving it away, which reduces your break even or profit point even more. Yes a BH is a costly item, but so are a lot of attachments, some people get harley rakes which are 8-10k and have less use than a BH in my opinion. Yes a mini ex is more efficient but I think it's a stretch to say that a mini ex will run circles around a compact tractor bh considering the things that a person using a compact tractor bh would do. You also don't have to worry about getting one delivered, taking time out of your day to go rent it, or rushing a project because you're on the clock, because the rental clock on those things starts as soon as you fire it up as it's based on hours on the engine and those things move at a snails pace. And if you break something on that rental that more than likely has been treated like crap anyway then you can forget about renting be cheaper because your cost just went up a lot. Heck some people pay 30-40-50k on a cab decked out tractor, that pays for a lot of skid loader and mini ex work but we still buy anway. In my mind, if you think you will use it for 3-4 days min a year, keep it for 5 years, and the funds for one aren't an issue get one. You'll get your moneys worth over a rental and get money back if you sell

I really like your breakdown. Definitely makes a lot of sense.

 

[check]

I've been going back/forth with this situation as I get ready to purchase a new tractor. On the LS i'm looking the bh is $6500, I know some brands they are 7-8k though. I came to the conclusion that it's worth it in the long run to get one. I know someone posted that a monthly rent was 1k for them but that is not average, that is way below average or they where mis quoting that poster. Here is what a mini ex rental is in the St. Louis metro area where I'm at. Equip Rental & Sales basically $250/day(based on 8 hour day not a full day of use) or just under $3k/month. Add more if you need them to deliver it, generally about $100 round trip. So assuming you BH costs you 7500 and it's 250 a day to rent a mini ex that's 30, 8 hour days rental before your break even point. That's really not a lot, say you keep your bh for 5 years that's only 6 days a year usage of a bh before it breaks even. A BH you can also sell with or without the tractor for at least half price minimum after 5 years, and that's giving it away, which reduces your break even or profit point even more. Yes a BH is a costly item, but so are a lot of attachments, some people get harley rakes which are 8-10k and have less use than a BH in my opinion. Yes a mini ex is more efficient but I think it's a stretch to say that a mini ex will run circles around a compact tractor bh considering the things that a person using a compact tractor bh would do. You also don't have to worry about getting one delivered, taking time out of your day to go rent it, or rushing a project because you're on the clock, because the rental clock on those things starts as soon as you fire it up as it's based on hours on the engine and those things move at a snails pace. And if you break something on that rental that more than likely has been treated like crap anyway then you can forget about renting be cheaper because your cost just went up a lot. Heck some people pay 30-40-50k on a cab decked out tractor, that pays for a lot of skid loader and mini ex work but we still buy anway. In my mind, if you think you will use it for 3-4 days min a year, keep it for 5 years, and the funds for one aren't an issue get one. You'll get your moneys worth over a rental and get money back if you sell

Yup, excellent analysis, and I would add that we should not forget to factor in the extreme satisfaction of knowing that backhoe is right there when you need it, and that you will think of many other uses for it, such as, for example, holding up logs while you chainsaw them into lengths for splitting.

 

[chuck172]

Woodmaxx has a good reputation for tractor attachments. Looks like they have a few that seem pretty affordable.
WM-86 8' Backhoe | Backhoe Attachment for Tractors - WoodMaxx兌/url]
[url=http://www.woodmaxx.com/WM_7600_WoodMaxx_Backhoe_Attachment_p/wm-7600.htm]WM-76 7' Backhoe | Backhoe Attachments for Sale - WoodMaxx兌/url]
[url=http://www.woodmaxx.com/WM_6600_WoodMaxx_Backhoe_Attachment_p/wm-6600.htm]WM-66 6' Backhoe | Backhoe Tractor Attachment - WoodMaxx兌/url]

I compared the bucket and the dipperstick digging force with the kiote and the bh-9x, the woodmaxx seems weak.

 

[sikmusicfreak8]

As noted above, once you have the backhoe, you will find many many projects for it that you either wouldn't have done before, or couldn't do. They are extremely handy tools. While we had mine at my girlfriends, a root had busted her sewer line, so I was able to quickly and easily dig up her line, and get it repaired at 9:00pm. Having that convenience is amazingly satisfying.

I had a small road that I needed to make up a hill to access an old water tank pad on my property, I was able to back up the hill, use the thumb to move some very large rocks, then scratch down the area, turn around, back drag, then repeat all of the way up the hill. Made the task extremely easy.

Those are just a few of the "so glad I have this tool" moments I've experienced so far.

 

[coralhead]

I purchased a new Branson BH76 with the subframe for $4500 out the door/delivered. I must live in a good location. I have used enough to justify having purchased it. Like another said that having it right there when you need it is worth a lot.

 

[4570Man]

I bought my Kubota BH90 used for $4000. I still had to buy a subframe and I don't remember how much that cost. I have gotten my money's worth out of it and I could still use recoup most if not all my money. If I didn't have a backhoe there would be a lot of smaller projects not getting done or done with a shovel. It doesn't seem very economical to rent a backhoe to dig out 5 buckets of dirt. My backhoe doesn't cost my anything to dig 5 buckets of dirt. As mentioned earlier they also work quite well for cutting firewood.

 

[Btown]

not so,, I have had a 3ph hoe for 25 years wouldnt be without doesnt replace real thing but very handy for smaller jobs trenching ,small tree stumps ,any digging

According to some people here you must have broken your tractor in half with that three point hoe about 10-15 times by now. I also have a three point hoe. If you use it the way you should you should not break anything.

 

[sikmusicfreak8]

According to some people here you must have broken your tractor in half with that three point hoe about 10-15 times by now. I also have a three point hoe. If you use it the way you should you should not break anything.

My buddy just bought an 80's Ford tractor, and they did make a certain backhoe for it, but seemed primitive, I would guess by now impossible to find, so I told him to go ahead and just buy a 3pt hoe, but he has read all of the guys saying that its the worst thing ever, never use a 3pt hoe, so he is freaked out about it. I have no experience with a 3pt hoe, but told him I am sure if you are using as you should and not abusing it, you wont have problems, but he insists that its no good... So, not sure what to do about that. I guess he will just keep searching or something.

 

[dixstir]

Re: backhoe for utility tractors I always wanted a hoe

but they are a lot of bucks, so i made one for my 430 also made the loader, its fun and usefull, wish
I would have done it years ago. my advice if you want one get one you wont be sorry.

 

[Btown]

My buddy just bought an 80's Ford tractor, and they did make a certain backhoe for it, but seemed primitive, I would guess by now impossible to find, so I told him to go ahead and just buy a 3pt hoe, but he has read all of the guys saying that its the worst thing ever, never use a 3pt hoe, so he is freaked out about it. I have no experience with a 3pt hoe, but told him I am sure if you are using as you should and not abusing it, you wont have problems, but he insists that its no good... So, not sure what to do about that. I guess he will just keep searching or something.

This past winter I had to dig a 8 foot by 8 foot by 8 7 foot deep hole with my 3 point back hoe. It took about 2 hours, hit some really hard hard pan at 5 feet. My bucket is only 16 inches wide. No doubt that a frame mounted hoe is stronger. I use mine about twice a year, I really like the two foot extendahoe on mine. No matter where you set it up to work something is out of reach for a 8 foot hoe. I then extend it and life is good. Hope your friend finds one. There is a Ford 757 3 point hoe near me for sale.

 

[chuck172]

When you compare the specs on a top of the line, add-on woods bh-90x ($9700.00), to a Kubota L39, (Kubota bt1000) woods comes out weak.