Terramite vs Kubota U15

[Ronster]

Has anyone had the opprtunity to run both the terramite tc5 and u15? I'm sure the Kubota can dig circles around the Terramite, but I was wondering how the digging forces compare. The Terramite web site doesn't give much info for comparison. I've got a chance to buy a U15 demo unit and just wanna make sure it has more breakout force than the Terramite ( which I think is a piece of crap).

 

[Richard]

I can't answer your question BUT...

My dad once wanted some help at his mother in laws house. Wanted to rent a backhoe to dig some stumps/roots. I suggested he pay more and get an industrial machine.

He got a Terramite.

The job took two days on this machine. I am 90% sure I could have done it in half the time (if not even quicker) my own backhoe (JCB 1550-B)
BUT, an industrial machine was a couple hundred dollars more (he didn't factor in the father reach, speed and most importantly..... screws)

That darn little Terramite had...how to describe this... had a screw that held the wobble sticks down to their cylinder attachments.

What happens is when (on this machine) you push stick forward or pull back, all the force is really being applied and held by the screws.

About 1 1/2 days into this... one of the screws simply ripped out, stripping the attachment point.

I could think of about 3 ways they could have designed this better than they did.

It left the job unfinished and us almost unable to load the machine back onto its trailer.

It left a very bad taste in my mouth for how it's designed. I think your last comment described my immediate feelings pretty well.

 

[Ronster]

Rich, I've rented a Terramite a few times and they are a pile of junk and a waste of money. I was hoping someone could compare the hydraulic power between the two. The U15 should have more, but a lot or a little?
Ronster

 

[coopers]

Oh don't even waste time with those POS machines. Terramite is the biggest joke I have seen out there. Kubota is a very high class piece of equipment and I'm sure the Kubota out does the terramite in many ways. I don't use anything but Kubota, and in a year or two that's what I'm buying for mini excavator. Taks are good and Kobelco as well, but I stand by Kubota.

 

[Rhino59]

If you're wanting to use the loader part of the Terramite and only OCCASSIONALLY want to dig with the backhoe, then the Terramite is the way to go.

If you're going to be digging more than 3-4' deep consistently, and if you need any sort of production - go with the Kubota. Hands down. It was built and designed to dig. The terramite is a loader that also can dig, but it wasn't built for digging.

 

[johnnylight]

There's no comparrison at all.

stick with the Kubota/Deere/NH

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

Rental yards sometimes use Terrimite's because they are very simple machines that anyone can fix when renters break them. They are not refined, powerful, or nice to operate in any way. They are also rather expensive for what they are.

 

[jinman]

I think a 4-yr old with a spoon can outdig a Terramite's backhoe. I rented one for a weekend because I didn't want to pay to have a full-size backhoe delivered and the rental yard didn't have a small mini-excavator. It took me 1/2 hour to discover that I could easily outdig the backhoe with a shovel--a busted-handle shovel at that. I spent the rest of the weekend moving loose dirt/sand with the loader. That darned thing was almost $150 for a weekend. I don't know about the model Kubota you are describing, but I rented a 16 horse sub-CUT Kubota one time and it worked hard and long for much less than the Terramite.

The Terramite I rented had an air-cooled Kohler engine that ran okay, but all I can remember was the whistling sound of the hydraulic relief valve as the BH bucket stalled in normal soil with no roots or rocks. The guy at the rental yard told me he would sell it to me for $6500 when I returned it. I told him I wouldn't be interested at half that price.

 

[Chevy Guy]

I have a Terramite T5C, unless you have ideal digging conditions they are a real challenge to use. They are also a bit low on power. Forget ripping out stups with it.

 

[icandigit]

Ronster, you might try ( Reed Construction Equipment Guide ). Go to compact backhoe under 14 ft.. when there I use the key word ( Allmand ). Press on Allmand. Then go to ( Compare ) all the way to the right. Then go to the three tractors you wish to compare and hit Compare at the bottom right of the page. I don't think I saw u15, but all the terramites are there and a lot of other kubota models as well.

 

[robert thomas]

hi.... names bob:ive read all the post hear and now have changed my mind about the 7000 grand i was going to spend on one of the t5s.i have fairly steep hills om place. the thing attensionthat caught my attension was that everyone wants to sell you a kabota try the kioti fourm. you will find that KIOTI brand Ck20 is a little monster. my 2 cents worth

 

[robert thomas]

hi.... names bob:ive read all the post hear and now have changed my mind about the 7000 grand i was going to spend on one of the t5s.i have fairly steep hills om place. the thing that caught my attension was that everyone wants to sell you a kabota try the kioti fourm. you will find that KIOTI brand Ck20 is a little monster. my 2 cents worth

 

[floodrod]

I have a Terramite T5c and a Kabota BX23 . Even though the Terramite is 2 wheel drive, I'd still choose the terramite.. You see the state departments using terramites on highway paving when they have tight space. Because these terramites can really grind it out...

I've pulled the roots from giant 80' tall trees with the terramite - on hillsides..

The BX23 is MUCH skimpier than the Terramite. The cylinders on the Kubota are Smaller- The backhoe bucket looks like a mouse paw compared to the Terramite, All the moving pivot parts of the terramite are beefy and Rock Solid. But the Kabota definitely built with much skimpier stock.

The rear tires on the terramite are Gigantic compared to the kubota. The front loader of the terramite is 100X Beefier and thicker than the kabota.

My terramite is a 96 and the engine went. I have a new 25HP Kohler engine at the welding shop getting fitted with the shaft adapter. There is no briggs replacement for the opposed twin. So I had to get the kohler and have some fabricating done. She will be back up soon. But that's an advantage of the terramite. Grab an engine, make an adapter, and your back up.. Go try that with the kubota.. Will BX23 Kubota engines be available in the year 2023?

I think I am going to flip the kubota when my good ole terramite is back up. Not to mention my terramite has a thumb and bucket teeth.

My Advice in a nutshell:

Get the Kubota if you want to mow your lawn and plant bushes.
Get The Terramite is you want to carve a backyard out of a mountain

 

[QRTRHRS]

I don't know a thing about the T5 nor did I have experiance with the T9 when I bought a used one last spring. The backhoe part of the T9 digs just fine. The hydraulics are a litte jerky kind of like an older Ford but it is plenty fast and strong. The side to side travel is limited which limits your ability to stack a lot of dirt when digging a hole. For a ditch it's fine.

Forget backing up even the slightest grade with mine with weight in the bucket or if the ground is wet. When I get to it, I am going to have my tires loaded to see if that helps. The tires are original and at 1000 hours, maybe they are too worn. Sometime I need to look at new ones to compare. The front tires slide or get hung up and at four plys, are light when the bucket is full. I may try some used airplane tires if I can size them close.

Mine has a Perkins desiel, no issues there.

Ground speed is slow, slow, slow.

Very easy to work on.

Not much room to swing the seat around nor a lot of leg room period when operating the hoe.

I figure on using it for a couple of years then I should be able to get what I paid for it.

 

[Code54]

Ran a Terramite in the past - I personally did not like it at all! The hydrostatic drive is so primitive it is almost dangerous on hills. (to the point I did not do some of the work I needed to do) It just seemed to me that everything on the machine was cheap and unrefined. Even the front loader was jerky and not very powerful.
I would look at several other machines from the other major brands before dropping any $ on a Terramite.

 

[mpapiary]

I own a T5C, use it around the farm, and I am very happy with it. I purchased mine used about 5 years ago and to this point have had minimal problems with it. Not really sure why these units get such bad reviews on this forum other than they keep getting compared to full size backhoes (which they are definetly not!). They are a simple machine to fix, dig like crazy and have a good front end loader set up. Mine has saved hundreds of hours in labor - I have torn out a 8" deep concrete patio (20 ft x 30 ft) on my house and excavated the new one, dug out tree stumps (35 ft Blue Spruce), planted new balled trees, put a new water line to my barn (48" deep trench, 300 ft long), moved tons of manure, added a driveway extension and use it to move round bales. Not really sure what else to I should expect it to do really.
Like every other piece of equipment I have ever owned there are things I would change - I have yet to find a perfect one. My Kubota B 5100 is a nice tractor as is my Farmall 350 , but each has it's own issues that I would change. If someone is in the market for a compact TLB I would certanley consider one of these units.

 

[CarlL]

Ahh yup, Terramites is uglie and unrafined! (Joke).

However, I don't know of any tractor of its size that has the front loader lifting power or the digging power of the T.
My 2004 T9 lifted and moved a 1000 gallon propane tank with no help but a fully extended backhoe. I cleared all the trees and brush from the stream at the edge of my property and am in the process of digging out over 20 pine trees about 30 feet tall. It handles all snow removal on my driveway and one snow, cleared the cul-de-sac that my house is on.

All of the parts on the T are easy to get to for repair and, counter to what some others have said, I have gotten great phone support from the Terramite folks when I have a problem or question.

Many of the little Kubota, Kioti and other tractors I have seen touted as a T alternative are plastic bodied. My T acts more like it is made out of armor plate. Drop a rock on it and it bounces of, with nothing but a possible paint scratch. Try that on a compact or sub-compact tractor.

Maintenance has been limited to changing engine oil and filters, replacing a single blown hydraulic hose and adjusting the parking brake. One stabilizer leaks down slowly, but that is about all the problems. Of course, a new coat of paint wouldn't hurt.

The only place where the T is not up to a tractor is in the driving speed and hill climbing ability. When loading a dumpster, I always have it delivered close to the work site. Trying to drive from the back of my lot to the street is a long, slooooow process. I also have cold weather starting problems with the Kubota turbo diesel. Solved that with a heavy duty wheeled charger/starter.

I have two wheel drive and you can get "stuck in the mud". However, if you know how to work your backhoe and loader, it is pretty easy to get out.

Another thing I like is the fact that used Terramites hold their value. I can still get what I paid for mine four years ago. I planned to sell it two years ago, but I still enjoy it.

 

[QRTRHRS]

I also have cold weather starting problems with the Kubota turbo diesel. Solved that with a heavy duty wheeled charger/starter.

Is there a freeze out plug that you can get to and insert a block heater?

 

[firejunkie]

In our rental company we had Kubota's, Allmand's, and the Terramites. The Terramites were the worst, cracked links,pins, no power (just because steel is thicker means squat, it is the type and grade of steel that counts). The Allmand's were pretty good machines, we had gas (Kohlers) and Diesels (Perkins) better built than the Terrablemites, ran good and had ok breakout forces even in the hard clay ground, the HST drives were a bit jerky and noisy the part I hated the most. We have the Kubota B26 TLB now and what a difference very strong for the size, 4wd that works,much more breakout force for the BH and FEL. Our clients love them, We lost a lot of business with the Terriblemites, and refunded a lot of money over the years, I am glad we sold them all now.

 

[cstamm81]

old thread but... I am so surprised most people hate the Terramites. I have a T5C I bought used. I beat the living snot out of it and it never complains. Slow, yes, unrefined yes. Easy to work on and what other 3100 lb machine can lift 1700lbs with the FEL? I wish it had a bigger bucket and QA loader, but I can live with these things. Mine can climb a hill so steep it tries to tip over backwards. I have the very wide rear tires and I am surprised how much traction I can get for a light machine with a 20 hp lawn mower engine. It will spin the tires on concrete if you push into something it can't move.
I am biased but find me another $8000 machine that can do what this thing does and I am all ears. I can probably replace all the pins on my backhoe for the same cost as a Kubota headlight.