Regret not getting a backhoe for my tractor

[dkmc]

Haha, ok sure. You gotta dig a narrow trench on flat ground, thats great. The videos I have seen are them tipping over when on any uneven terrain, and failing to lift heavy things because they simply aren't big enough. If you need a toy digger thats fine, but they simply don't excavate tree stumps or lift boulders effectively. And good luck sourcing obscure parts for your random chinese brand machine 10 years from now. Different strokes, all good.

Edit: just revisited this thread about chinese micro-ex's and its just a giant complaint fest about how terrible they all are. neat.

Chinese digger recommendations

They are fine - well built, everything works as it should. The Typhon XVIII is made by Hightop and has the 180MM tracks and Kubota 722 14-15HP engine. The Typhon XIX is made by Vote, and has 230 MM tracks, and a Kubota 902 16 HP or so engine. Also the XIX has a better fit and finish and has...

www.tractorbynet.com

Watching the wrong videos, OK.
10 years from now they'll be so popular Lowes will be selling them along with the China side x sides. And any part needed
will be on Ebay. Harbor freight has the 14hp engines for $380. So ha-ha......yea. They're fine for the capacity they have.
Don't buy one.
Edit...I looked thru that entire thread. A 'giant complaint fest' ?? LOL Sure. Not.

 

[Oaktree]

We considered a BH for the Kubota B2301, but chose against it. For the use I have, it wasn't going to be worth the expense. I have rented a mini-excavator, two days for a bit over 500 bucks, plus 100 to drop it and retrieve it. That's less than 1/10th of what the BH attachment would have cost, and I don't have the room for storage. I'm going to have to rent again next year for something. I'll still be money ahead.

That was my approach as well. Would've loved to have one, but not sure I'd get my money's worth out of it, for the reasons you mentioned. Actually looked at getting a used one maybe 15 years ago...seems all I could find were either 3PH ones (which I didn't want), really beat-up ones that needed a LOT of work or like-new ones with like-new prices.
Not many rental places around me, the one time I needed to dig a ditch hired my neighbor to do it.

 

[tradosaurus]

A loader is important, and I'm glad my tractor has one with a big bucket. It's proven very useful as I will explain shortly. But the loader just isn't good at digging DEEP holes. This is my first tractor/ranch and, to tell the truth, I was unaware just how critical a deep a hole would be. Don't get me wrong, the loader is great for scooping up the cash, but it just can't dig a big enough hole, in which to put it. In fact I just bought a 15 yard dump trailer. Now I can use the loader to fill it up with cash and then dump it directly into the money pit. A real time saver!

What do you mean by these cutesy phrases?
I couldn't imagine trying to use a backhoe off of a tractor instead of an excavator.
I've wondered if backhoes are like pickup trucks. Most people that own them very seldom use them for its intended purpose.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Not many rental places around me, the one time I needed to dig a ditch hired my neighbor to do it.

That's one of the problems with having a backhoe. I get two or three requests a year from friends, relatives & neighbors to do work. Sure, they offer to pay but I find it difficult to take money from them. Maybe I'm just a softie, but I usually do the work for nothing if I can find the time.

 

[Jstpssng]

but I usually do the work for nothing if I can find the time

I would rather do that, than rent it to them.
And I'm an Ace at breaking things myself!

 

[kneedeep]

I was concerned about having to take a BH on and off my compact tractor, so I bought another tractor.
Problem solved!

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Once you do it a few times, it's not really that big of a deal, or take very long, at least on my 2021 Massey Ferguson GC 1725 MB ...

 

[DK35vince]

Takes me 10 minutes to install the backhoe, and 5 minutes to remove.

 

[sd455dan]

A backhoe is a great thing to have but it all depends on your usage. They are not just for digging.. If you have an hydraulic thumb they are amazing for lifting things into place or removing things!!

It is very important to make sure you get one with a sub-frame if you do decide on one for your tractor.

I have had a full size backhoe since around 2003. Four over the years. Used on our residential propery.. no farm.
73 Ford 4500 $6750
1983 JD 310A $8000
2010 JCB 3CX Turbo 4x4 Extendahoe $36k
And currently here in East Texas
2000 JD 310SE 4x4 Turbodiesel Extendahoe $32,500

Used, sold and bought again. They hold value.

First propery it was all about digging out stumps, grading and moving big rocks.
It was a 1973 Ford 4500 Industrial.
Someone here said you shouldnt use a farm tractor for a backhoe.
This 4500 is a farm tractor that was redesigned by Ford to be a backhoe.
The original pedals are still there under the footboards. The rear end has the same casting that would have had the PTO but no PTO gearing. If you removed the backhoe specific metal... you had a farm tractor.
Here it is with the hoe removed so I could replace all the hydraulic lines to the four stick control valve. Actually six valves when you include the outriggers.
Modern backhoes are purpose built. You can't take them apart like this as a unit.
View attachment 3886576

And here is a view of the rear showing the 3PH attach points and the PTO access. You can see the two large arms hanging from the upper bars and the "hooks" in the bottom ones that the hoe drops into.
That big hyd line above is the feed for the hoe. I had to couple it together. The hoe itself has everything on it just like the detachable small tractor hoes except the seat. It uses the tractor seat and rotates.
View attachment 3886577

And here is the hoe removed..View attachment 3886578

View attachment 3886580
View attachment 3886579

Yep, use my Ford 550 TLB all the time, and even today did a drain rock hole for some run off.

15 foot reach and paid 8k for it versus a small add on for the 55 HP tractor.

Bigger heavier pallets are no problem compared to a regular 40-70 HP utility tractor FEL either, because start around 4500lb lift capacity on a full size TLB and that is extra handy along with increased lift height and also a self leveling bucket.

 

[Oaktree]

That's one of the problems with having a backhoe. I get two or three requests a year from friends, relatives & neighbors to do work.

Heh. When I was in my 20s & 30s living in the southern part of the state ran into the same thing having a truck. You're everybody's friend when they want to move.

 

[Oaktree]

I couldn't imagine trying to use a backhoe off of a tractor instead of an excavator.
I've wondered if backhoes are like pickup trucks. Most people that own them very seldom use them for its intended purpose.

Not every digging job warrants using an excavator any more than everyone needs a 1 ton flatbed truck. A half ton pickup or a TLB is all many of us need.
Maybe you can afford to have a fleet of specialized vehicles, but most of us don't.

But you knew that.

 

[In.the.Piñons]

Not every digging job warrants using an excavator any more than everyone needs a 1 ton flatbed truck. A half ton pickup or a TLB is all many of us need.
Maybe you can afford to have a fleet of specialized vehicles, but most of us don't.

But you knew that.

But, it's only when you have a one ton and an excavator, that can you live your life with no ragrets!

 

[4570Man]

What do you mean by these cutesy phrases?
I couldn't imagine trying to use a backhoe off of a tractor instead of an excavator.
I've wondered if backhoes are like pickup trucks. Most people that own them very seldom use them for its intended purpose.

I used to have a tractor backhoe and did a lot of work with it. It was a heck of a lot better than a shovel and it was a lot more convenient than renting an excavator. Was it cheaper than renting an excavator? No idea. Most of the work it did probably just wouldn’t have gotten done if I had to go rent a machine. I have a mini excavator now and sure that’s a heck of a lot better but I also paid way more.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I was concerned about having to take a BH on and off my compact tractor, so I bought another tractor.
Problem solved!

I bought my first backhoe attachment when I was in my 40's and it took less than 10 minutes to put it on and do the take off. When I was in my 60's, it took 20 - 30 minutes. You also need to consider the time it takes to remove and reinstall the implement that was already on the tractor. Age is a big factor to consider for the future as well.

The actual attachment time is one thing, but you have to store the hoe somewhere and moving it around adds quite a few minutes to the process. I suppose it wouldn't be much of a problem if I just dropped it in a field somewhere, but I've always been a believer in keeping my implements inside and out of the elements. Once off the tractor, the hoe takes up valuable floor space and can be a headache to move around.

Then there's the question of whether to spend the time installing & removing the hoe, or just dig the hole by hand. Now in my 70's, the answer was to use your approach and buy a second tractor. It's amazing the things you find to do with a hoe if you don't have to put it on the tractor first.

 

[Zork]

For those with a backhoe and a desire to tackle stumps from time to time, you might try a rock ripper with a sharpened edge to slice the roots and limit the hole size. In the past, I’ve found a bigger machine is better for stumps.

 

[M59]

Root/ Frost ripper on custom quick attach that mates to the KX40 excavator tools and a few stumps. Stump with huge tape root was 24" plus dia

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I got mine from BXPANDED ... The "Quick-On" makes swapping things a breeze ... Slide red pin in notch, pivot purple up and slide in pin ...

Loosens up rocky ground too!

 

[M59]

I got mine from BXPANDED ... The "Quick-On" makes swapping things a breeze ... Slide red pin in notch, pivot purple up and slide in pin ...

View attachment 3935997

BX Expanded facility is located in Knoxville and about 10 minutes from my home there. Visited BX to see if they would build a custom QA for my M59. After much thought on BX's part they said they did not have the skills and their working material thickness was not sufficient to meet the loads the M59 was capable of exerting on the coupler and attached tools.

BX Expanded business line is clearly focused on the smaller 30 hp and less machines

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Kinda makes sense ... Since there name is based off the tiny SCUT "BX" ... But, they to go up to "L" size ... Not counting there Piranha Bar . . .

 

[NewHampJim]

A loader is important, and I'm glad my tractor has one with a big bucket. It's proven very useful as I will explain shortly. But the loader just isn't good at digging DEEP holes. This is my first tractor/ranch and, to tell the truth, I was unaware just how critical a deep a hole would be. Don't get me wrong, the loader is great for scooping up the cash, but it just can't dig a big enough hole, in which to put it. In fact I just bought a 15 yard dump trailer. Now I can use the loader to fill it up with cash and then dump it directly into the money pit. A real time saver!

No regrets whatsoever in getting a backhoe with my newest tractor. The backhoe serves well as a counterweight instead of having loaded tires and I'm one to use my backhoes quite frequently on all of my tractors. The key point is having a full sub frame vs a 3pt hitch attached one, which can destroy a tractors frame in a heartbeat.

A loader is important, and I'm glad my tractor has one with a big bucket. It's proven very useful as I will explain shortly. But the loader just isn't good at digging DEEP holes. This is my first tractor/ranch and, to tell the truth, I was unaware just how critical a deep a hole would be. Don't get me wrong, the loader is great for scooping up the cash, but it just can't dig a big enough hole, in which to put it. In fact I just bought a 15 yard dump trailer. Now I can use the loader to fill it up with cash and then dump it directly into the money pit. A real time saver!