Terramite T5, are they really that bad?

[BruceWard]

I have a B21 that I have used to install culverts, bury over 800' of conduit, move a lot of trees / stumps, move and spread hundreds of yards of material, move a 8'x8' building, lift all kinds of things and bushhog several acres.

I have a friend who runs a rental business with T5s. The specs for the T5 show that its hydraullics are stronger. Its weakness, and I believe it is a huge weakness is the single gear ratio. In my opinion you need the low gear to scoop meaningful loads into the FEL bucket, dislodge stumps, push rocks, move heavy trailers, etc. And you need high gear to get places at a useable pace, then the mid range gear to get there with a heavy load. It is incredibly boring to try to drive anywhere in low gear but you need it to work in.

Personally I would rather spend the money renting a B21 than buying a T5.

 

[Builder]

Nice little Case E model

580 e backhoe w/fullcad

 

[cstamm81]

I understand the value in the old Case hoes. It's the size and weight that make them unpractical for me though. One would leave huge ruts everywhere I would use it on my soft ground. I need to put drainage in and need something that has a fighting chance of not bogging down. Also I would have no way of transporting a machine that size to use elsewhere. It is crazy though how you can get a full sized machine that can do real work for the same price as a "toy" TLB.
It sounds like the Terramites achilles heel is it's lack of refinement and slow ground speeds. It amazes me they never put in a dual speed gear. As for the lack of refinement, being noisy and beating you up.... I feel I could live with this as I am not going to be making a living on it. I am used to older equipment, vehicles included. I would love a Kubota B20/21 over a Mite, just like I would love a Ferrari over my Toyota. The small Case/Ingersoll TLB's caught my eye too, seem to have very strong hydraulics and a dual range trans. One model even has 4wd. They are quite small machines though, look like a garden tractor on roids. Also very hard to find.

 

[BruceWard]

I have worked on two new driveways that needed 18" culverts to pass the water flow and in several low areas including a lake bed with my B21. I have not had to to use a winch or other vehicle to tow it out. But there certainly are times that it is too wet for me to do any good even with the low 4,000 pound weight of the B21.

I also find the narrow 4' wdith of the B21 to be very helpful working in the woods or in yards.

I looked at the Teramites when shopping but decided on the Kubota. One of the bigger issues with the Teramite for me was the lack of local dealer support.

I was thinking about this last night. The difference and preference to a B21 over a T5 is probably similar to the preference for a mini x and a skid steer over a TLB. The skid steer and mini x are each better at their individual jobs. If you can afford them the two units will work faster or better. But if you had a B21 you could do the same job with less expensive equipment. The B21 will probably do the job faster but a T5 will do the job with less expensive equipment.

 

[scootr2d]

Too Big?

2003 KUBOTA BX22 Less than 40 HP For Sale At TractorHouse.com


KUBOTA L275DT Less than 40 HP For Sale At TractorHouse.com

1984 JOHN DEERE 750 Less than 40 HP For Sale At TractorHouse.com

 

[Builder]

I understand the value in the old Case hoes. It's the size and weight that make them unpractical for me though. One would leave huge ruts everywhere I would use it on my soft ground. I need to put drainage in and need something that has a fighting chance of not bogging down. Also I would have no way of transporting a machine that size to use elsewhere. It is crazy though how you can get a full sized machine that can do real work for the same price as a "toy" TLB.
It sounds like the Terramites achilles heel is it's lack of refinement and slow ground speeds. It amazes me they never put in a dual speed gear. As for the lack of refinement, being noisy and beating you up.... I feel I could live with this as I am not going to be making a living on it. I am used to older equipment, vehicles included. I would love a Kubota B20/21 over a Mite, just like I would love a Ferrari over my Toyota. The small Case/Ingersoll TLB's caught my eye too, seem to have very strong hydraulics and a dual range trans. One model even has 4wd. They are quite small machines though, look like a garden tractor on roids. Also very hard to find.

You'd be surprised how little ground pressure they exert. Today, I was on one of my jobsites with both my machines. My 9.5 ton 4WD backhoe on R-4's and my 4 ton Kubota with R-1's. The Kubota pizza cutter R-1's get great traction, but tore up the topsoil. The backhoe, despite being 2X the weight actually floated more and left the lawn areas less damaged. I barely even needed 4WD.

An older case 580 B or E only weighs like 6 tons. The tires float pretty good.

Just something to think about.

 

[2manyrocks]

The other nagging issue with the T5C is the reach of the backhoe. I had to reposition it several times when digging the hole for my septic box just because I couldn't reach all the way from one spot.

 

[scootr2d]

would this suit your needs?
I think it's a pretty good deal. cold probably talk him down a bit and use the but down to pay for shipping.

only 297 Hours on the unit.

[URL="http://www.machinerytrader.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=6885318&dlr=1l[/URL]

 

[scootr2d]

would this suit your needs?
only 297 Hours on the unit.
I think it's a pretty good deal. could probably talk him down a bit and use the buy down to pay for shipping.

From Saug to Leesport is probably only 175 miles.

[URL="http://www.machinerytrader.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=6885318&dlr=1l[/URL]

Good luck with your search

 

[cstamm81]

Some interesting offerings. Those BX Botas are nice, but I understand they can only lift like 500lbs in the front bucket. Seems pretty weak to me for things I may need to use it for. That big Bota is nice, if only it was hydrostatic. That mini ex seems like a really good deal, but I need a loader as well and cannot afford two separate machines. It would be the way to go for digging quickly though.