CG2300 vs. 2310 - decision help!!

[Carver_Bill]

I have been following this forum for awhile and it has been very helpful getting to this point in my decision process. My wife and I are having a ranch style house built on 4 acres in Western NY. Hope to be in the house by Jan 06.

Our lot is mainly level. Best guess is that we will have app. 3 acres of "lawn". Rest is house, large foot print, small "woods" at front and rear of lot and scattered pine treess on the rest of the lot. Driveway will be 520 ft to road, asphault.

I have decided on an MF sub-compact either the GC2300 or GC2310. I have a firm price on a GC2300 w/FEL, 60"MMM, rear-snowblower 48", post hole digger - price $14,994 plus tax. For a GC23100 w/FEL & BH, 60"MMM, rear-snowblower 48" and post hole digger - $18,750 plus tax.

I would like to have the 2310; however, I've having a hard time deciding if the $3,750 plus tax is worth the money for a BH.

Comments will be appreciated!! Does the BH on the 2310 have enough "power" to truely be useful? E.g. clearing stone/rocks, planting/transplanting small trees, digging drainage ditches etc. (or) would it be better to hire a pro for these tasks? Note, I've never used a BH before.

Thanks in advance for your help! GREAT FORUM!!!

 

[mesanders]

I wish that I would have had the extra $ to get a 2310 at the time I bought my 2300. A backhoe will always sooner or later come in very handy as I have come to find out every time I @*^%^$*@#&$ myself for not doing it !!!!! Go for it if it is in your budget !!!!!!

 

[Nasty135]

Bill, First things first ... Hi and welcome to TBN /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Well a couple thoughts come to mind... As mesanders mentioned it will be handy if you have it... But with 4 acres how long will it be before all your projects are finished? Or do you see yourself using it outside of your property. Once you have it and its not on the tractor it will have to sit somewhere, do you have a place for it?

I would think about it for awhile and then decide if I could do most of my projects with just the loader and a couple other implements or if you have enough projects in your head to keep it busy for a good long time...

I'm definately not trying to talking you out of it,
Just something to think about /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
I know I wish I had one /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Carver_Bill]

Mesanders and Nasty135, thanks for your comments. Both of you have excellent points to agonize over, I mean think about.

We hope to purchase additional land adjacent to our current 4 acreas but that's not a certainty.

A KEY question is whether the 2310s BH has the "power" to handle "real" jobs. The 2375 BH specs are: Dipper digging force 1,180 lbs, bucket digging force 1,950 lbs., max digging depth 78", max reach 102", swing arc 140, bucket options 10 & 12 inch.
-- Does this imply the bucket can handle e.g. dig up 1,000+ rocks? Is that a reasonable size "rock"???? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
-- Could the BH "pick-up" a tree thats 1,110-1,900 lbs? Any idea how big a tree that would be? e.g. 3 inch diameter? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
-- If the BH is used to dig up roots, how large? e.g. 2-6" diameter????? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Thanks again!!

 

[44trxfun]

Carver Bill, welcome to TBN! I've had my 2300 for just over two years now, and I'm inclined to agree with MESANDERS, though I think NASTY135 makes some good points. As for me, I certainly wouldn't use the backhoe all the time, and where to store it is a real consideration. But dangit, there's quite a few projects I would have undertaken if I had that backhoe. Much as we TBNers like to spend other people's money, only you can decide whether it's worth the tradeoff.

As to your other questions, I'll leave them to those that actually have the backhoe, but I'm pretty sure the digging forces have little or nothing to do with how much weight the bucket will lift. And of course there will be other factors--counterbalance weight, soil condiitons, slopes, etc. "Can" and "should" are two different critters...

Good luck with your decision.

 

[hobbyfarm]

Howdy guys,

I'm gonna play Devils advocate for a minute:

Does the GC2310 have a PTO and 3PH available when the backhoe is removed??

If it does, $3,750 is cheap for a backhoe.

 

[Carver_Bill]

Thanks for the comment hobbyfarm.

YES the 2310 does have a 3PH and PTO when the BH is removed.

As to txtrxfun comment on counter weights, I assume that can be addressed using the FEL and adding dirt etc. to the FEL as needed.

 

[Curt]

Hello, neighbor!

Welcome to the forum! If you are shopping at Java Farm Supply, please say hello to Mike for me. They are nice people to deal with. My experience has been that the MMM and Loader get in each other's way. Make sure the loader & backhoe are easy to remove.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[LBrown59]

<font color="green"> 1*I would like to have the 2310; however, I've having a hard time deciding if the $3,750 plus tax is worth the money for a BH.
2* Does the BH on the 2310 have enough "power" to truely be useful? E.g. clearing stone/rocks, planting/transplanting small trees, digging drainage ditches etc.
3*(or) would it be better to hire a pro for these tasks? Note,
4*I've never used a BH before.
</font>
<font color="blue"> xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx </font>
1*You're stealing the BH at 3750.
I've got 3800 in the BH on my BX23.
There's just no way to get a NEW TLB any cheeper than going with the MF2310 or a Kubota BX23.
A BH is not limited to just ditch digging.
Glad I didn't go with the Kubota BX 2230 as it would have been a big expensive mistake.
2*Have used mine for all of these things with ease.
3*Hiring has 2 disadvantages: Less convenient than owning. Finding more BH work to do after returning the BH.
4* Neither had I, but after playing with it for a while suddlenly operating it became second nature to me.

 

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I wish that I would have had the extra $ to get a 2310 at the time I bought my 2300. A backhoe will always sooner or later come in very handy as I have come to find out every time I @*^%^$*@#&$ myself for not doing it !!!!! Go for it if it is in your budget !!!!!! )</font>
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Some times tha short cut is the long way around.