Backhoe or not

[purplepeopleeater]

buying a XG3025, dealer is offering $2k off the hoe attachment, while I don't need a BH all the time, I have 5acres, not rocks or trees but slowly developing. anyone think I'm crazy for not jumping on the deal?

 

[Sysop]

Is it $2k off after a $3k markup? What kinda final price are you being quoted for the hoe?

 

[purplepeopleeater]

right at 3500 for the hoe if I snag it with tractor

 

[Sysop]

Looking around, the best price I see on one seems to be about five-ish grand. So it sounds like a good deal to me. It isn't hard for me to get $3500 worth of work out of one. The real question is, how about you?

 

[jeff9366]

$3,500 is an excellent Backhoe price.

Do you have $3,500 worth of Backhoe work to do?

Will height of mounted Backhoe prevent inside storage?

 

[boggen]

if you do not need it, do not get it. many folks save up jobs throughout the year or a couple years, and then rent say a mini ex (mini excavator) and get the jobs done.

example putting in new water lines, eletrical to shed, cable tv to shed, internet lines, gas line, dealing with some ditches, culverts, french drains, dealing with some stumps from cut down trees, digging out a hole for goldfish pond / koi pond, swimming pool. possibly some landscaping. digging a little hole for planting trees / bushes, digging out around home, to put in new french drain and seal on basement walls (due to leaking water in basement), pulling and putting in T posts around garden, moving stuff in/out of pickup truck / off trailer (light weight items),

if renting, if you have a truck that can pull a trailer all good, normally you can also rent a trailer at same time you rent a given piece of equipment. if no truck to pull trailer then you are at mercy of equipment rental place for delivery, which may mean wasting 1/2 a day or more waiting for them to show up to deliver.

most things can be done with hand shovel and good old hard work of labor. if you have a tractor with a FEL (front end loader) and 3pt hitch. you are pretty well set just getting 3pt hitch attachments for what ever you need. (dealing with new grass on property, dealing with rock driveway, snow plowing / moving, land scaping, post hole digging for fence lines, finishing mower for mowing the lawn, getting a tiller for a garden, etc..., etc...) if this is a case, you might be better of spending cash on 3pt hitch equipment, vs a backhoe if you have very little need for it. and get everything else that is on the long list of things to do, done and over with and move on with your life. vs eating a backhoe cash amount that you have very little need for and not letting you buy equipment that will be needed for everything else.

a 4in1 bucket for FEL might serve you better vs backhoe if lot of landscaping is needed.

instead of a backhoe go for a cab version of tractor. if dealing with ugly cold winters and removing snow from a longer driveway, or if you major allergies and mowing in summer.

TNT (top and tilt) for 3pt hitch, it replaces top link turnbuckle on 3pt hitch, and one of the turnbuckles on the lower lift arms on the 3pt hitch with a hydrualic cylinder, so you can adjust 3pt on the fly. handy for rear blade, box blade, land plane / grader scraper, and other ground engauging equipment, when dealing with rock / dirt driveways, landscaping, and like.

=================
make a list of all the odd jobs and regular jobs you need to do, and what you want to do in future, and then go from there.

generally it is always cheaper in getting FEL, tractor, CAB, backhoe, all on same sale receipt, due to you normally get a larger discount vs buying everything separately. 3pt hitch stuff can be all had from 3rd party manufactures and dealers normally at a cheaper price. but above 4 items (fel, cab, tractor, backhoe) tend to be tractor specific items that cost a good chunk of change vs everything else.

 

[TnAndy]

Most tractor mounted backhoes are underpowered, hard on the tractor frames, and fairly useless in terms of cost/benefit. Had one on my previous tractor, and was the only attachment I sold with it. Most people buying them have never used a real backhoe or excavator, so they don't realize what a piece of crap they have, thus continuing the sale of them.

Spend your money on buying an older, REAL machine, or on the rental of one....you'll be far better off.

 

[Thomas]

Sounds like good deal if you had use to get your money back,but nice cab or even attachments I would seek...guess you gotta go w/your gut feelings.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Most tractor mounted backhoes are underpowered, hard on the tractor frames, and fairly useless in terms of cost/benefit. Had one on my previous tractor, and was the only attachment I sold with it. Most people buying them have never used a real backhoe or excavator, so they don't realize what a piece of crap they have, thus continuing the sale of them.

Spend your money on buying an older, REAL machine, or on the rental of one....you'll be far better off.

I cant really disagree with this although I have to say that many to most jobs that you will use your tractor with a backhoe attachment wont require a full sized backhoe. I use mine to plant trees, dig rocks and occasionally dig trenches for water lines or dig up a leaking faucet. I could do these jobs with a shovel, but with my bad back, I might be down for a week afterwards.
You have to realize the limitations of the small tractors with hoe attachments. They can do a lot of work although slowly compared to a full size hoe. It all depends on your situation, time constraints etc as to whether a $3500 investment is worth it. For me it is. Most jobs would just go undone if I had to put on a list and wait for a full rental rated day to get done. There is nothing like just going to your storage shed and getting your TLB to do a 5 minute job without having to travel 30 miles, rent a trailer (possibly) and drag an excavator back to work on a list (assuming that you can still identify the items listed). For ME, a $3500 investment is much cheaper ( I spent $20K for my B26 TLB)than a possible doctor or hospital visit not to mention the pain involved with a thrown out back.

 

[Tractor Time with Tim]

I cant really disagree with this although I have to say that many to most jobs that you will use your tractor with a backhoe attachment wont require a full sized backhoe. I use mine to plant trees, dig rocks and occasionally dig trenches for water lines or dig up a leaking faucet. I could do these jobs with a shovel, but with my bad back, I might be down for a week afterwards.
You have to realize the limitations of the small tractors with hoe attachments. They can do a lot of work although slowly compared to a full size hoe. It all depends on your situation, time constraints etc as to whether a $3500 investment is worth it. For me it is. Most jobs would just go undone if I had to put on a list and wait for a full rental rated day to get done. There is nothing like just going to your storage shed and getting your TLB to do a 5 minute job without having to travel 30 miles, rent a trailer (possibly) and drag an excavator back to work on a list (assuming that you can still identify the items listed). For ME, a $3500 investment is much cheaper ( I spent $20K for my B26 TLB)than a possible doctor or hospital visit not to mention the pain involved with a thrown out back.

I agree with Gary.

One thing overlooked is that you don't really have to get '$3500 of use' out of it. It will retain most of that value if you decide you want to sell it.

The rental idea just doesn't work for me. I need it for an hour or so at a time, rather than all day on a big project.
I treat it like an overgrown shovel. It makes lots of jobs easier.

Tim

 

[jeff9366]

If your LS bucket is distinctly RIGID you may find a $400 Bucket Spade meets your needs.

I grew up in Seattle. North End Seattle soil is soft.

 

[dwalk19]

buying a XG3025, dealer is offering $2k off the hoe attachment, while I don't need a BH all the time, I have 5acres, not rocks or trees but slowly developing. anyone think I'm crazy for not jumping on the deal?

I've been looking at backhoes for that sized tractors also, all the prices I've got have been around $6000 for the the subframe mount and around $4000 for the 3pt. Hitch style,, so if that's for the subframe mount, id say it's very good, where are you located,, I've checked all my prices in the NY & PA areas,,

 

[tomplum]

My wife has been having a ball with our back hoe on the XJ. SHe's digging out stumps, moving trees and shrubs and anything else she wants. Has the knack does she. Great ballast too...

 

[chuck172]

Most tractor mounted backhoes are underpowered, hard on the tractor frames, and fairly useless in terms of cost/benefit. Had one on my previous tractor, and was the only attachment I sold with it. Most people buying them have never used a real backhoe or excavator, so they don't realize what a piece of crap they have, thus continuing the sale of them.

Spend your money on buying an older, REAL machine, or on the rental of one....you'll be far better off.

Agree 100%

 

[bamboozled]

If you can afford it, buy it.

There have been quite a few times I've been behind a shovel since I bought my tractor that I thought, that extra $50 or so bucks a month would have been worth it to have the backhoe.

 

[WVH1977]

Like bamboozled said, if you can afford it, want it, then buy it. However, I would really take into consideration on the advice from TnAndy. My friend bought an old Ford backhoe for $ 5,000. and uses it all over his farm. It is old, beat up, and leaks, but it runs, is strong and he has no problems digging out stumps, knocking over trees and picking heavy things up. Just don't expect the tractor mounted backhoe to perform like a real backhoe or mini-ex. No matter what you do, just having the equipment you are looking at purchasing is far better than a rake, shovel and pick-ax. You will be happy either way you decide to go.

 

[ning]

I don't have the jobs that make it "worth it" economically - I'm well aware that I can stack up the jobs I need a backhoe for and rent one from the yard.

However - in the wait up to getting enough to make renting actually worthwhile (a 1/2-day rental starts when you leave the yard and ends when you come back, while a full day is 24hrs & up to 8hrs on the machine but costs a bit more), I get sick of all these jobs not-completely-done and I end up going after whatever it is with muscles, sweat and tears... and resultant pain.

This is why in my quest for a tractor, I'm planning on buying a backhoe with it. In fact, for me, it's actually the main point. I can live with stumps here and there, but I don't want to. I can dig the boulders out by hand... slowly... but no. Also, since I decided finally that yes I'm going to buy a tractor for real (I've been on and off the fence there for 15 years), I keep finding jobs that "I'll do when I get the tractor".

So for $3500, I'd go for it, if the setup looks like it'll handle the jobs you can think of today. But then again, I already have a list of things I can use it for; if after all this you still don't have anything that a backhoe would help with, I guess save your money?

 

[oldpilgrim]

You'll never say, "I wish I hadn't bought it" but you'll say over and over, "I wish I had".

 

[Underdog57]

You'll never say, "I wish I hadn't bought it" but you'll say over and over, "I wish I had".

That is a great question to ask yourself!

I wish I had bought one with my tractor 3.5 years ago!

 

[ning]

That is a great question to ask yourself!

I wish I had bought one with my tractor 3.5 years ago!

I haven't bought yet but I kick myself every time I go out on my land with a shovel, mattock, pick, posthole digger, etc... and my son's moving soon and he's got twice my energy so I'm really going to need it.