Yes No Maybe

[_RaT_]

This question is for folks who purchased a backhoe for their compacts. I have a new septic tank to install and possible leach field additions. I have a home to build so I have much footing to dig. I have a creek that needs clearing and power lines to trench. Would you think with the number of various projects I'm likely to encounter I could justify the need for a backhoe? Part of the question is based on the hassle of hooking up a hoe, part on the convenience of just having it there much like the loader on my tractor and of course, the rest just having it to do the work versus hiring it out. If you have experience with your use or lack of use with your hoe, I would appreciate your thoughts. Rat.

 

[Garrabo]

I have a BX-22 TLB that I will probobly always use, between home gardening or my plumbing or landscaping business it gets used. I hate the word justify, If I want it and it is financially unbinding then that backhoe will be sitting in my yard.

 

[Junkman]

RaT...... as much as I love my BX22, I would suggest a next size up machine if you are going to be using it to do a septic system. While the BX is capable of doing a lot of digging, I think that the 6' digging depth is going to be inadequate. You could do some creative work of lowering the surrounding area before digging the hole, but I look at time spent vs. cost. Sometimes it is less expensive to hire a job out than it is to do it yourself. This is something that you are going to have to decide for your self. Possibly you might be able to find someone here that will be close enough to your new location that has a big enough tractor that will be able to give you a hand for a modest donation of $$$. The BX is just too small to be doing foundations etc.

 

[JerryG]

Rat,
I would buy a hoe again. I was building my poultry houses when I bought mine, so there was lots of digging to do. I don't use it very much now. When I do use it, it is usually an emergency such as a gas leak underground or a broken water hydrant. It is worth it to me to have. As for the hassle of hooking it up, there is no hassle. It just takes about 5 minutes even by myself. On my Massey you don't have to remove anything to put the hoe on. If I had to remove the three point, I wouldn't like that.

 

[DKinWA]

One thought would be to bunch up some of your projects and just rent a fullsize backhoe for a day or two at a time. You can rent a backhoe around here for about $2,500 a month. I tried a kubota compact hoe once and it was almost painfully slow. With a full size backhoe, I can dig 270' of 24"x36" drainfield trench and the hole for the septic tank in a day if I've got someone checking elevations as I go. Then again, around here a typical gravity system (labor and materials) goes for 2,500-3,000. A fairly typical foundation around here can be dug in less than a day (we don't have frost issues).

When excavating a lot of material with a compact hoe, you don't have much reach to pile material. It seems like I was always having to dig with the compact hoe for a bit then move the spoils with the front bucket so I had room to pile more material. I'm guessing a typical septic system would take at least twice as long as with a compact hoe.

When we built our house, we were constantly looking at ways to keep the project moving along as fast as possible. With our construction loan interest meter running, it pretty much eliminated a compact hoe for anything.

Don't get me wrong, everything you mentioned can be done with a compact backhoe. If you've got the time, money and inclination, I'd buy the compact hoe. It may not be the quickest way to dig, but you'll always find uses for it. Not to mention, there are worse ways to putter around the homestead /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[_RaT_]

Jerry, I don't know how the hoes hook up to the L30's. I've seen them on, just never paid any attention. On my L48, you had to remove the 2 lower links and the top link and lock the 3pt hitch down. I did not get the hoe for the L48 as I was pretty much thinking the way I am now. Difference now is with a house to build, it would seem like so many construction jobs I've been on, we are always calling to have one come out for us. I appreciate the input.

 

[_RaT_]

I had my friend come by with his CAT and rip out some pampus grass and trees growing in my culvert/ditch. Even with his hoe reaching out 22', he grabbed bucket fulls of muck and brush like it did not exist. He did it all in about 30 minutes, a job that by hand would have easily taken 2 days if it could be done at all. The reach is obviously a major factor. The ones for my little L3830 are limited to about 9 or 10'. I see a few contractors running compact hoes so was wondering about their usefulness digging footings.

 

[GregJ]

Rat,
You have listed several projects that are very logical uses for a backhoe. Those alone come close to justifying a BH. What I have found with mine is that I use if for all the "little things" that require more finesse than a FEL can accomplish.

Digging holes between trees, neatly removing turf, clearing brush over the edge of a hill (between trees), lifting logs when cutting firewood, digging a deep hole to get rid of really toxic stuff.. (oops, just kidding) /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

Anyway, these are just a few of the finesse jobs that I have really enjoyed having my BH for. Here's a good analogy for ya. Think of a FEL as a house painters brush. Think of the BH as an artist's paint brush.

Enough rambling.... Basically once you get one, you'll wonder why you didn't have one before. Sometimes I think that I got a tractor for my backhoe.... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Also, don't worry about taking them off and on. After you do it a few times, it's really not a big deal.

Greg

 

[Cliff_Johns]

Another way to look at this is to think of the purchase
as a rental. Buy it, use it for two years while you do
the house building and other work, then sell it. You have
it when ever you want it and I suspect you could sell it
without trouble. From that point of view you may find
it a good rental price.

On the other hand, I believe what would really happen
is, once you used it for two years, you'd never give it up.

Disclaimer: I've never owned or used a backhoe.

Cliff

 

[lablovers]

Rat
When building my current house we rented all the equipment. Found it expensive and a hastle to try and coordinate delivery, work and finish up with in the time allowed. Just decided this time to purchase a BH and put the rental money into something I can use at my leisure. Will be slower but when you build you own home you want to be involved. You can dig the foundation while not not the loan clock. We have a decent mobile home to live in while building so a little extra time does not make a lot of difference.

Besides, how else can you justify to your wife the need for the BH? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Lablovers

 

[Rowski]

Mark

The L4330hst that I'm suing this winter has the BH90 hoe. I had used it in the fall prior to winter. It is a very nice hoe. Mount similar to an L35. Very smooth operating, more so than my NH back hoe. There are a few things I do dislike about it. First you have to remove the 3pt arms not really a big deal if you put the hoe on and leave it on. Second is the operator platform is a little cramped. I have gotten my coat caught a few times on the control levels while getting off. The last time I actually tore my coat and almost hurt my self by falling off. Tha back hoe is mounted very tight and high (as to give you better ground clearance.

In my back hoe searches for cad model grand L30 series I have found that Bradco and Woods lets you keep the 3pt arm installed when mount the back hoe. If you use the pto pump on Woods you will need to remove the arms.

If your not in to much of a hurry I will be mounting the back hoe on the L4330 sometime this month. I can take some step by step pictures if you like.

 

[Henro]

RaT,

I'm glad I bought my backhoe, but it is a tool that I probably don't get as much payback from as I might like. I don't try to justify it in work done for dollars spent, and it did not break the bank buying it, so all in all I am VERY glad I have one.

It is not that big of a deal to put my 3PH backhoe on my Kubota B2910. I have the 4690A model. My guess is that the BH90 may be even easier to put on and off, even if you have to take off the 3PH lower arms.

I just consider the backhoe a hobby or pleasure item, and smile every time I use it. It is where I put my "play" money, instead of into some other money eating place... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The backhoe adds another dimension to my tractor that I really like having. It is there when I need it. I am VERY glad I bought one! It doesn't pay for itself, but neither do tickets to the movies...

When you have a hoe sitting there you will be surprised how many uses you find for it.

I hope this makes some sense...it sure does to me! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[boustany]

I have an L3010 with a backhoe, and I had a Case 580C loader backhoe. The Kubota is a real back saver and you could dig a septic system and/or foundation with it, unless you come across some really big rocks. The Case was even better.

There are, however, two aspects to serious work with a small backhoe vs., for example a professional with an excavator. Those are time, wear and tear, and skill. Even if you have the time to dig a foundation, you want to dig it and pour before much water gets in or it can become a disaster. A pro with an exscavator will do it much quicker. Plus, a foundation has to be done right (flat, level, and square) because you can't add back soil. I don't know about a septic system though. Finally, if it takes you 30 hours to do the work yourself, the wear and tear of the flimsier backhoe you might own could easily offset the money you'd save of hiring it out.

So, I would never give away my backhoe. But any big work I pay for.

 

[PineRidge]

Rat a backhoe was one of the options I added on my TC-40D. I rented a backhoe before that time whenever I needed one and it was always a pain in the neck doing so. The backhoe is fairly easy to install or remove from the Class III New Holland tractors and nothing has to be removed from the tractor beforehand.

While the backhoe is a very handy addition I really don't think that you or I can justify it money wise. I would also bet that a good majority of the folks here at the TBN site like myself own tractors and equipment because they choose to do so not because they need them to make their living. Good argument for keeping all this stuff that I have accumulated. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

If you feel that owning a backhoe will make your projects and life a little easier then I say go for it. Once your projects are all finished then you can always sell it at a later date and recoup some of your investment if you choose to do so.

 

[RobS]

RaT, your list is longer than mine and I was able to justify it. Yours should be a no brainer. Sure, you could rent but then you're faced with trying to get all your work done in the most economical timeframe for the equipment rental which may or may not fit your schedule or the weather. Hiring is certainly an option but you'll pay for the hoe with all that work being hired out.

Yes, there is a hobby element to owning a hoe. Get your work done on your own schedule then have it for multitudes of other applications for the rest of your life.

Changeover is a piece of cake on my JD, I assume Kub is equally easy.

Do it, don't look back and enjoy it all /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[_RaT_]

Thanks all for the quick responses. I did use my loader to dig out 40' of trench for some 2' culvert. Talk about tricky manuvering and getting your tractor at odd angles. I have briefly looked at the Woods 9000 hoe. I believe the prices are up in the $7K area. I really appreciate the comments here. I agree with Henro about "justifying" your purchases. If everything I purchased had to be justified, I'd have to think that I would have very little. That could be good but certainly boring. Thanks again, Rat.

 

[toy1]

Based on the list you have created and the list you don't even know you need to do yet . A backhoe is the only way to go 30 years ago I purchased my first hoe and have and will always own one. I just kept upgrading over the years. Two week ago I purchased a new bx23 and I am impressed at what this little machine can do. What I have found over the years That as I finish part of my landscaping if I need to go back over the area the bigger machines just do a number to the grounds, so my thinking is the bx23 will be my tractor of choice on the follow up work or maintance.I would say on the average I use the backhoe just as much as I use the bucket on my L48.and I use my kx121 more that I use the L48. As you can see I am pro hoe. As I get older I find the hoe does a lot of work that I would have used a shovel for many years ago. You can make a lot of wrong choices in life but a hoe is not one of them.

 

[rims421]

If you can afford the hoe I would not think twice about the purchase. I have owned a small hoe for approx. 7 years.
When I first bought the machine I did not have any specific project in mind for it. I quickley discovered a ton of things I could do with my "new addition to the family" I have planted,transplanted and removed all kinds of plant material, repaired septic systems, trenched power, water and drain lines. dug all manner of rocks stumps and the list goes on.
I will still rent a large "real backhoe" for projects that I cannot do in an efficient manner with my small machine.
But that hoe has paid for itself already and will only get more use as time goes on. With you building a new home you will soon look at that machine as your best friend. I sure did.

 

[gray]

Rat,

As you may know- I have an L48 TLB and the BH is an important thing to me. I doubt that I would dig a basement with it as that would be slow and troublesome in outy area.
If it is shallow aore just footings it would do a good job if only a bit slow.

I am a contractor and have liked the versitility of the BH. I have a 24" bucket for general work but if I were to do much foundation work I would get a 30 or 36" if the hoe would handle it. For trenching , I had an 18" but it was a tight squeese being in that narrow and in our area deep 5' trench setting pipes and the like. 24" was the compromise- good so far.

Should you get one? I love mine even if at times I may call in a larg BH to do full foundation work. What you do may be different.

If you want it get it- You can't take it with you so spend it while you can.
Gray.

 

[MikefromMI]

These are my feelings exactly. But also that I plan on having this thing for a life-time which for me turns this into an investment which doesn't need justification. If I ever had to sell it, I know I wouldn't have to take a loss. There's always someone who wants a use BH once they price the new one.

My biggest factor when purchasing was will the bucket get to where I need.