Which Backhoe for a L3400?

VAMountains · Sep 3, 2006

I was going to purchase the BH75 but, after reading through the forums and hearing about some of the problems people have had, I'm having second thoughts. It sounds like the Woods BH80 is more robust and cheaper. Can it be configured to mount on a subframe for easy attachment and removal like the BH75? It says it offers a 4 pt mount, but is that the same thing? Thanks in advance.

ceh007 · Sep 4, 2006

good morning,
just got my own 3400 w/BH75. one dealer speced in the woods backhoe when i was shopping. quote with sub-frame mount and 13" bucket was $6500. ended up paying $5650 w/16" for bh75 installed.
as far as one better than the other, you can do a search of the posts to see others opinions for both. most seem to think a lot has to do with proper usage and setting of the bypass valve.
good luck.

grizzjeeper · Sep 4, 2006

Get the woods. The BH75 failures have NOTHING to do with proper usage and I am sick and tired or people saying that. If proper usage means digging in sand only then I don't want a backhoe.

The backhoe should never have a design that will allow itself to break. And under 10 hours I have broken a cylinder and bent the dipperstick. And I was not digging close to the machine (Which by the way is a made up excuse).

Save yourself a potential headache and get the new groundbreaker series from Woods. They are the same price or cheaper.

VAMountains · Sep 4, 2006

Thank you both. Grizz -- I think I'm going to take your advice. Now all I have to do is to find a dealer that carries the Woods.

bigballer · Sep 4, 2006

around here the only dealers that carry woods bh's are of the blue type (NH). I called them and they will put one on an orange tractor but then i would have two different dealers to worry about. i am also leary of having another dealer brand working on my tractor.

cheers,
bigballer

henryswe · Jan 25, 2008

I went down and priced a bh80 backhoe from this dealer and he quoted me another $2k cheaper than the blue. He isn't Kubota but that didn't seem to phase him as I'm orange also. I'm seriously thinking about getting one from him.

agriculture, Turf, and Grounds Care Dealer
Full-Line Stocking Dealer

27119 92nd Ave NW PO Box 1153
Stanwood , WA 98292
Phone Number: 360-629-3477
Fax Number: 360-629-4443

canoetrpr · Jan 25, 2008

bigballer:

I do not believe putting on a backhoe is rocket science. I am far from a DIYer and after looking through instructions for hooking up the hydraulics, advice from other here, reading the Woods BH80X manual, I'm pretty sure that I could do it myself as could anyone else with a basic knowledge about tractors and hydraulics.

If I do get a backhoe at somepoint it will probably be from a guy in around here who buys the woods ones from the USA and sells them up here with installation done by me. That works out to about $2000-3k less than anything a dealer is quoting me here.

If you are getting a good deal from a blue dealer on a BH - I wouldn't hesitate to go with it. Your tractor is not that different from the ones they carry.

bandit67 · Jan 25, 2008

I agree that you can save a bunch of money by doing the install yourself. I was going to get the little Woods hoe for my subcompact, so I asked Woods to email me the instructions, and they did, gladly. The instructions were very well written and I didn't expect any install issues after thoroughly reading through.

If the installation instructions aren't available online, contact them and ask them to email them to you.

By the way, I was considering the L3400 for a while, and decided if I got that machine, that I'd go with the Woods BH80X, as it is a little bigger and more powerful than the BH75, and the L3400 is plenty of machine to handle that hoe, so it will be fine on your 3430. If you decide to do the install yourself, you can order the hoe from any dealer that gives you a good delivered price.