Towable Backhoe

[Willis53]

Hey Guys,
I have a question but don't throw rocks at me, lol I have about 9 acres of land and I have a need for a small mini excavator. I can't afford the price for one of these so I have come across what they call a towable Backhoe. Everything I need to do is pretty much light weight, but I am thinking about buying one of these instead of renting the Mini ex every time I need it. I have done a lot of research on these units and and narrowed my search down to two brands. I know that Harbor Freight and Northern Tool sell them but the two I have found are built with thicker material and appear to would to last longer. Does ANYONE have any experience with a towable Backhoe? I look forward to the responses.

Willis

 

[mike0000]

In my opinion I’d ditch this idea and buy a Chinese mini ex, but do your research. I bought a higher end one (Kymron) and have 130hrs. on it, so far great little machine. I just don’t see the towable HF type as being too useful when you can spend a little more and get a more useful machine, IF you get one of the better alternatives.
Just my opinion, only worth what you paid.
Mike

 

[Willis53]

Mike,
Thanks for your honest opinion, I will look at the Chinese mini ex.

 

[Jstpssng]

Hey Guys,
I have a question but don't throw rocks at me, lol I have about 9 acres of land and I have a need for a small mini excavator. I can't afford the price for one of these so I have come across what they call a towable Backhoe. Everything I need to do is pretty much light weight, but I am thinking about buying one of these instead of renting the Mini ex every time I need it. I have done a lot of research on these units and and narrowed my search down to two brands. I know that Harbor Freight and Northern Tool sell them but the two I have found are built with thicker material and appear to would to last longer. Does ANYONE have any experience with a towable Backhoe? I look forward to the responses.

Willis

My neighbors have a DR tow behind which has done a lot of work for them. Don't expect to rip stumps out of the ground, but for light work they say that it beats a shovel.

 

[mike0000]

Mike,
Thanks for your honest opinion, I will look at the Chinese mini ex.

You’re welcome,
I forgot to mention if you scroll through the forums down to excavators there are a few threads on different Chinese minis others on this forum have bought.
Mike

 

[AntiqueIron]

Hey Guys,
I have a question but don't throw rocks at me, lol I have about 9 acres of land and I have a need for a small mini excavator. I can't afford the price for one of these so I have come across what they call a towable Backhoe. Everything I need to do is pretty much light weight, but I am thinking about buying one of these instead of renting the Mini ex every time I need it. I have done a lot of research on these units and and narrowed my search down to two brands. I know that Harbor Freight and Northern Tool sell them but the two I have found are built with thicker material and appear to would to last longer. Does ANYONE have any experience with a towable Backhoe? I look forward to the responses.

Willis

I’ve seen guys who’ve bought 3 point backhoes, or hoes off junked TLBs, put them on a frame with a good stout axle, and driven them with a PTO pump. Boom, a really stout towable backhoe and it could cost you a bit less if you do it right.

 

[sd455dan]

I’ve seen guys who’ve bought 3 point backhoes, or hoes off junked TLBs, put them on a frame with a good stout axle, and driven them with a PTO pump. Boom, a really stout towable backhoe and it could cost you a bit less if you do it right.

Yes- also,

If the OP has mechanic skills, keep an eye out for an older JD, Ford, or CASE, tractor with a factory backhoe.

Sometimes can be found and bought for similar money to a china mini or HF towable units.

Not as compact and no turntable like the mini's but digging power and reach can be much greater.

If no mechanic skills, the china minis may or may not be easier to keep running with the quality control reports on new units some folks report. In that case a towable has less to go wrong than either a mini or an old backhoe.

 

[Willis53]

Yes- also,

If the OP has mechanic skills, keep an eye out for an older JD, Ford, or CASE, tractor with a factory backhoe.

Sometimes can be found and bought for similar money to a china mini or HF towable units.

Not as compact and no turntable like the mini's but digging power and reach can be much greater.

If no mechanic skills, the china minis may or may not be easier to keep running with the quality control reports on new units some folks report. In that case a towable has less to go wrong than either a mini or an old backhoe.

SD455dan- I don't have heavy equipment mechanical skills but I feel real good that I could work on and fix the towable backhoe. There is a company out of PA called Liberty that seems to make a good quality unit. I will keep doing research, and another thing my budget is around $7 grand.

 

[Jstpssng]

SD455dan- I don't have heavy equipment mechanical skills but I feel real good that I could work on and fix the towable backhoe. There is a company out of PA called Liberty that seems to make a good quality unit. I will keep doing research, and another thing my budget is around $7 grand.

For 7k you also might find something with a subframe to go on your BX. Depending on what you plan to do with it, that might be a viable option.
Personally, I prefer working with something to working on it.

 

[EarPlug]

There are 101 Mini-Excavator listings priced $5-7k on Pardon Our Interruption (Machinery Trader)

 

[Willis53]

There are 101 Mini-Excavator listings priced $5-7k on Pardon Our Interruption (Machinery Trader)

Thanks

 

[CoyPatton]

If you haven’t find some videos and watch them on the towable backhoes—the few I have seen , they move around a lot whole digging. I’ve never seen a china mini excavator video or watched one work, but I wonder if they don’t have the same problem.

 

[DavidD]

A few months ago I sold my northern tool towable backhoe and bought a Chinese rippa r15 diesel mini x , night and day difference in operating comfort. You can save a lot of back breaking work with either after you get used to them but after working both I have to say the mini x is way more capable for me.
I used the ($3k ish) towable for repairing broken lines and even took out several trees with it. It’s not a backhoe but it can do a lot of work given time.
The ($10kish) mini x is still not a backhoe but is 10x more capable and is way more pleasant

 

[51allis]

I realize there will be plenty knocking those chinese mini-excavators...but I will tell you this, my BIL bought one for his concrete business with all the attachements (concrete breaker, different buckets including trencher bucket, thumb etc.) and he has over 400 hours on one he paid $4500 for everything. The only thing he did was add extra engine cooling fans to help the longevity. YES they are touchy when new, YES they are small and can be slow project wise but if you've done any kind of manual labor you will understand, this small machine beats the hell out of a shovel any day because when you're over 50 with a lifetime in construction and your back is failing... Example: they had to dig out a basement area for an addition for a customer...it was in such a location they could not use any other type of machinery, they removed the roof of the machine and got in there and it did the job so good that the workers wanted to borrow the machine. Some parts you can even get locally off the shelf, simple machines. You can find these mini excavators usually locally for around $3500 to $4k now, they are all over the place. Somewhere somehow...someone is using a cheap junky chinese mini excavator doing some really hard project where they say to themselves "I got time but I don't have money and I know I can't play with the big boys but that isn't going to stop me" so Ill use this little machine instead of my back and one way or another they get the job done. Just like those cheap chinesium drywall lifts that flooded the market, ppl knocked them down but there are plenty that bought one for $100 bucks or less and used it, even if for one job, and said - best money I ever spent vs hiring or paying rental even if it might be disposable when in reality many got more than one use out of it.

 

[DavidD]

I agree, I just added a hydrant near shop. 110’ of hard Oklahoma virgin red clay 36” deep and had it done and filled back in about 1/2 day total. I’m 62 and my body is about worn out but that project almost made me giggle

 

[JRH02]

Must not be this tractor forum but it wasn't long ago that someone who had one of these inexpensive units rebuilt it. I was broken up beyond usefulness and he reinforced weak spots, pin connections and the beam components. Boosted it's power too.

I have a B7100 with the removable hoe. I also have the 3pt arms and a bunch of 3pt tools but it's a half day to switch over for something that would take less time than the conversion. I can see the usefulness to the pull behind.

 

[Jaygyver]

Well, something to also think about,
How well can you back a trailer up and how far? And how many times do you want to keep maneuvering it around to adjust to the job? If you use the tractor to move it then you tie up your tractor from doing other things. If you use a truck/car then do you mind going into the brush/mud and possibly scratching it or is the truck too big to get to the area you want?
The tow behind does one thing well, but the mini-ex is universal in what it can do using one vehicle instead of two, the tow behind and the vehicle to tow it. The money you would pay for a well built tow behind is around the same for a decent import mini-ex. It really depends on how your property is, is it already looking like a golf course or is there still a bit of raw land you want to get to at some point.

Granted these are worse case scenarios but when I got my 3pt backhoe I found way more things to do with it than what I originally planned. And the same limitations compared to a mini-ex. With the mini-ex you would be able to lift - and transport- larger rocks, trees, larger limbs, etc. That's one of the benefits of the mini-ex, you can also transport what you pick up, at least to a certain extent. But a bit slower to get to point A from point B with the mini-ex.

As far as maintenance, with either one you get, you have a motor, a pump and hyd lines, not much else to really work on. Keep it greased, as with any equipment, it should last. Many videos and forums online for most of the information you need.

Either way you go, what helped me was I had an old HF wannabe 4x8 trailer I've used with the backhoe and the 4-1 bucket, instead of making many trips I just loaded the heck out of the trailer and took it to where I needed it.

 

[JRH02]

And it's rare that a hole or trench is dug that you don't have to backfill and tamp/pack.

 

[sd455dan]

Well, something to also think about,
How well can you back a trailer up and how far? And how many times do you want to keep maneuvering it around to adjust to the job? If you use the tractor to move it then you tie up your tractor from doing other things. If you use a truck/car then do you mind going into the brush/mud and possibly scratching it or is the truck too big to get to the area you want?
The tow behind does one thing well, but the mini-ex is universal in what it can do using one vehicle instead of two, the tow behind and the vehicle to tow it. The money you would pay for a well built tow behind is around the same for a decent import mini-ex. It really depends on how your property is, is it already looking like a golf course or is there still a bit of raw land you want to get to at some point.

Granted these are worse case scenarios but when I got my 3pt backhoe I found way more things to do with it than what I originally planned. And the same limitations compared to a mini-ex. With the mini-ex you would be able to lift - and transport- larger rocks, trees, larger limbs, etc. That's one of the benefits of the mini-ex, you can also transport what you pick up, at least to a certain extent. But a bit slower to get to point A from point B with the mini-ex.

As far as maintenance, with either one you get, you have a motor, a pump and hyd lines, not much else to really work on. Keep it greased, as with any equipment, it should last. Many videos and forums online for most of the information you need.

Either way you go, what helped me was I had an old HF wannabe 4x8 trailer I've used with the backhoe and the 4-1 bucket, instead of making many trips I just loaded the heck out of the trailer and took it to where I needed it.

Have to agree, if I absolutely had to chose between a tow behind or a mini ex, I would find the best value mini ex of ones available delivered and try and spend a bit more for the quality diesel.

There are jobs like having the ability to pick up a log and carry it along side the mini ex to transport it would be worth the extra money along with a hydraulic thumb.

I would not trade the beat up $8K (and I paid to much for it) Ford 550 TLB for any of the under 8k lb China minis from China though. Not against China built units, the 55 HP Rhino tractors have been and are very capable , over 30 years old and work hard.

 

[Jaygyver]

I actually looked at TLB's before I got my little JD but the used ones in my area at the time were more than my new JD with a couple of implements.
I looked at the tow behinds when looking for a backhoe but I just didn't think they would be enough for some of the stupid things I would end up doing with it.
I were to do it again I would probably get a mini-ex instead of the 3pt backhoe just because of the transportability of taking or moving the loads even a short distance like a fire pit or the like. And having the tractor and the mini-ex would be awesome.

Again it just depends on what shape his property is already. Just be aware once you start using either one you will find other things to do with it you probably didn't think of before.