mini excavator or not?????

[roger4400]

Hi everyone, I need your help and opinions. I have a hilly land and to take care of some of my roads, I'm affraid to use my tractor. Heavy rain and melting snow digged in my roads ( big slopes), I need to bring some dirt and level it with my box blade, but reaching the stuff with my tractor is hazardous (have to fill the ditch to reach the dirt with the tractor but I'm in a slope....). So I've seen an add for a KUBOTA MINI EXCAVATOR KX 41 and is a lot less expensive then a backhoe I would have to buy to reach the dirt to fill the holes. Anyone had experiences with those excavators??? What are the tings to check when buying those excavators ???? I never operated one of those...so I need your years of experiences. Thank you. Roger

 

[FamilyFarm]

Roger, I can't help with answers to your questions, but having owned a backhoe on my other tractor, I would go with an excavator even if money was the same. I realize it would be different for some, but I'd much rather have two separate units. I hope this works out for you! Terry

 

[Wolfy]

My neighbor has a little Kubota excavator. It really surprised me how much power it has. I've seen him lift some good sized trees. I would think one big expense would be the rubber tracks, although some had metal grousers that bolt over the rubber.

 

[boggen]

what model / make of tractor do you own now?

there are 3rd party manufacturers. example "woods" that make backhoes, that might fit your tractor or if needed, a modified backhoe sub frame mount.

those mini excavators are nice little machines. and tend to tell folks to go rent one, when say digging out a backyard pond, in the city, or inground pool. or even a small trench say between house and shed to run electrical, water, internet and like.

for me, a backhoe (fits on back of a tractor) is a nag when constantly dealing with out riggers. and if you had to swap between 2 seats, it would be even a bigger nag. and a mini excavator could produce more done in same amount of time even though it is a smaller unit than say a backhoe placed on back of a bigger tractor.

if i had a choice of getting a tractor that used a single seat that just swiveled to operate a 3pt backhoe. and tractor also had FEL. and i could get a few more feet reach and bigger bucket. i would go with the tractor and 3pt backhoe. granted it would be nice at times to have a tracted excavator, but dealing with tree stumps, and having a few more feet extra reach that bigger backhoe on tractor is the deal for me.

having 2 tractors is always good more so when you get the other one stuck, you have something else to use. but for me having to many motors to take care of takes a toll.

if you really do need a long reach to get to the dirt. i might suggest renting out a much larger size excavator or backhoe vs buying mini ex. that many folks here on TBN do. allows them to do much more much quicker, and have the extra power and reach at there disposal. vs spinning there wheels with a smaller unit.

again above is me. i do not know your situation, and other tasks / projects you will have or come up with. all i can say is, i can no longer live without a backhoe don't care if it is hooked up to 3pt hitch on tractor or it is an excavator. just having one makes life easier on many projects i still need to do and have done already.

some save up projects for a year or two and go rent the a large beast. while others go and buy a backhoe or excavator. it all depends on your needs.

 

[Kays Supply]

I've had both. I wouldn't go back to the add on backhoe for anything. It is a pain. If you have to put it on every time you need it, you wind up not doing half the jobs. If you leave it on, it is always in the way. My little Yanmar mini is my favorite tool/toy. I have had several minnis before I settled with this one. The big plus for it is the hydraulic quick coupler for the bucket. I have 7 different attachments that I can go back and forth to in minutes.

 

[roger4400]

I do own a Massey 1643, and I think it would be a real pain to put on the bachoe on and off, I think using the mini excavator to reach for the dirt and then I'd use the box blade to level everything. The mini excavator would be around $3000 so a lot less then a backhoe . I also want to know if the Kubota KX 41 is a good excavator. It would be for my own use, on my land (145 acres forest that I use for logging)100miles from home to fix my forest roads . Then to use it at home (60 acres land) for general use (roads ,ditches, and pull some stumps). Would it be a good usefull machine to do that ???Thank you for all your opinion up to now. Roger

 

[Wolfy]

Roger, I have a Woods backhoe. It takes maybe 20 minutes start to finish to go from implement to backhoe. If you only have the one tractor, it would be a pain to switch often. While it digs well for it's size, stumps is another story. Usually a tractor backhoe pressed into stump service results in worn pins and blown hydraulics hoses. If you have big stumps, you would be far better with a 30-40,000 lb excavator. I know, I have both.

 

[roger4400]

Wolfy, when I had my roads done I hired an operator and his big excavator(5 days and $500 later I had nice roads)) now I only need the mini to reach for dirt to fill the holes or make some dirt accumulation and then level it with the box blade on the tractor. If I use it to pull stumps it will be for fun, but it will not be a need and those stumps will not be in my way ( you know how we are when we have a new toy..... sorry I meant a new tool :laughing. Thanks all for your answer, anyone know if those Kubota KX 41 are reliable ?????. Roger
My land (145 acres) is almost 1.5 mile long but from the parking to the top there are 400 feet of altitude and 2 big mountains, filled with sugar maple.

 

[Wolfy]

Roger, I follow you. If you have the time, it can be done. First let me say I'm envious of your land. Second, while I don't know that particular machine, let me say I had 3 Kubota tractors. 2 were bought used, a 1986 and a 1988. The third was bought new in 2002. All great machines. The 1986 was as reliable as the 2002. I owe some of it to a dedicated dealer. Now third, if you got a large excavator for 5 days at $500, that's a steal. I can't recall the model number of my neighbor's Kubota. I do remember it's like 45hp, 8,000 lb. He also has the grading blade. For sure, it would be a cool toy to have. I think you would get more done with that, than a tractor mounted rig. Especially on slopes.

 

[roger4400]

Roger, I follow you. If you have the time, it can be done. First let me say I'm envious of your land. Second, while I don't know that particular machine, let me say I had 3 Kubota tractors. 2 were bought used, a 1986 and a 1988. The third was bought new in 2002. All great machines. The 1986 was as reliable as the 2002. I owe some of it to a dedicated dealer. Now third, if you got a large excavator for 5 days at $500, that's a steal. I can't recall the model number of my neighbor's Kubota. I do remember it's like 45hp, 8,000 lb. He also has the grading blade. For sure, it would be a cool toy to have. I think you would get more done with that, than a tractor mounted rig. Especially on slopes.

Of course it is a steal.........there is a **0** missing, the cost was $5000...:laughing::laughing:
I also live on a 60 acres land but flat smaller trees but I always find a small stump to pull......I'm retired so I'm playing.....the only difference between a 60 years old man and a 12 years old boy is the toys cost and size

 

[Will_C]

I don't think there is any substitute for a mini excavator. There are units avilable for not much more than he cost of a backhoe attachment. The tracks are expensive, you should have a qualified mechanic look them over on a used unit and give you a estimate on usable life left...but remember, a 100 hours of use is alot for a non-commercial user.

Will

 

[grsthegreat]

Ive run alot of different model Kubota mini ex's over the years, and ive never rented one that wasn't a strong digger. I even rented a mini that you could retract the tracks to 35" wide to move thru doorways......was cool.

If i ever win the lottery, theres an excavator in my shop the next day. Don't need a large one, as the small ones have plenty of power.

then again....with the lottery... id probably spring for a larger one with a a/c and heated cab....its only $$$

 

[Ken45101]

A big difference between a mini and a backhoe is that the backhoe can only dig and dump dirt 90 degrees apart whereas a mini can spin 180 degrees. This is good if you are ditching on one side of the drive or trail and want to dump it on the other side. If it's not hard digging, yes, a bh can dig off to the one side and dump on the other side, but that's not where they have their maximum strength and stability.

My uses are much like yours, driveway maintenance and building hillside trails. I have a small Kubota B21 TLB that I used until I bought a KX-121 mini. Wow! What a machine It runs circles around the B21.

Of course it's a lot bigger than what you are looking at, but I have dug some pretty good size stumps out (24") in about 20 minutes.

Ken

 

[roger4400]

Very good point of view and experiences....what a nice forum and good people sharing their experiences for the benefit of all. Thank you keep thoses ideas coming. Roger

 

[MarkV]

Roger there is something wrong with the deal you are looking at. A KX41 in good working condition that is not going to be a money pit to keep running will sell for much more than $3K. Inexpensive ones with over 2500 hrs sell for $7500 plus. Make sure you have a mechanic check this out before you buy.

MarkV

 

[boggen]

A big difference between a mini and a backhoe is that the backhoe can only dig and dump dirt 90 degrees apart whereas a mini can spin 180 degrees. This is good if you are ditching on one side of the drive or trail and want to dump it on the other side. If it's not hard digging, yes, a bh can dig off to the one side and dump on the other side, but that's not where they have their maximum strength and stability.

My uses are much like yours, driveway maintenance and building hillside trails. I have a small Kubota B21 TLB that I used until I bought a KX-121 mini. Wow! What a machine It runs circles around the B21.

Of course it's a lot bigger than what you are looking at, but I have dug some pretty good size stumps out (24") in about 20 minutes.

Ken

hhmmssss, did ya mean 180 degrees for backhoe and 360 degrees for excavator?

 

[davcog]

..I'm retired so I'm playing.....the only difference between a 60 years old man and a 12 years old boy is the toys cost and size

:drink:

I love my BX 23 and the backhoe but as others have posted a mini would sure be handy. That 360 sweep would have saved a lot of time and :mur: on more than one of my projects.

 

[Ken45101]

hhmmssss, did ya mean 180 degrees for backhoe and 360 degrees for excavator?

No, I meant exactly what I said.

I did say that for easy digging, a BH can dig on one side and dump on the other, but that's not where their strength and stability are. If you have any serious digging, you will need the BH facing the digging and that only gives you 90 degrees of swing.

I used to try to dig out the ditch along the driveway with the B21. I had to have it facing the ditch and that mean dumping the mud on the driveway.

If you try digging to the side: 1) you lose distance, the stabilizer takes away your reach, and 2) you can't dig near the stabilizer or the dirt under it will collapse. A BH also has much less stability to the side than it does straight out.

Ken

 

[Taiser]

Excavator all the way! I love my BH, but an excavator is way stronger, better, faster, smoother, better reach, etc... I've had hilly jobs that would scare me to death on my tractor mounted BH, but when I borrowed my buddies itty-bitty excavator, I was AMAZED at how well it worked out. Would love to find one cheap somewhere that's for sure!

 

[roger4400]

Roger there is something wrong with the deal you are looking at. A KX41 in good working condition that is not going to be a money pit to keep running will sell for much more than $3K. Inexpensive ones with over 2500 hrs sell for $7500 plus. Make sure you have a mechanic check this out before you buy.

MarkV

Thank you for your advise, I will bring my son in law that is an operator (on a big Komatsu excavator) with me, he has a good knowledge of those machines. The person that is selling seem to be a farmer and when you look at the photos of the mini (year 1994) it looks very nice, no big scratches, well preserved ,paint look not faded( maybe he took very good care of his mini like I take care of my tractor that have and will never sleep outside and will never see rain....). Thank you. Roger