Backhoe Your experiances with the 46 back hoe

[Monster5601]

Your experiences with the 46 back hoe

I am on the fence between green and orange and the apex is the back hoe since all other features I am looking at are nearly the same. I am looking at the JD 2720 and the Kubota B3030.

The specification differences between the back hoes are big, but, I am not as interested in specification as I am in performance.

The significant goal for my back hoe will be digging out tree stumps over the next few years, several hundred in fact, most trees are 2 to 3 feet in diameter. I am thinking I will see the biggest difference between the back hoe when breaking roots.

What do you think, is the 46 up to the task? Your experiences?

Outside of the shorter reach of the 46, is the 800 plus pounds of digging force missing from the 46 going to be noticeable?

Thanks
Bob

 

[Egon]

For information I have used my John Deere 4200 with the #47 hoe for digging a few stumps. I'm far from competent as an operator but the stumps did get removed. Digging was in clay with slate and granite rocks of various size. Depth was usually three feet before the stump could be removed. It would take me 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour per stump. A skilled operator would have taken much less time.

A picture of a removed stump.:laughing:

 

[Reg]

Depends on the tree as much or more than the hoe (-:
Sorry to be flip about it, but one big bad tap root is so much worse than a lot of shallow surface roots.
For cherry trees I don't think I'd bother, just cut and grind the stump off.
For others... it depends.
With PRACTICE you can start at the right diameter out where your hoe is a good/fair match for the root sizes.
If they are still standing try to learn to figure this from the drip line, i.e. 2/3 of the way out to the drip line, or it may be 3/4.

See a recent thread on pushing them over vs cutting them down, it can save a LOT of digging.

 

[Rob-D]

The 46 BH, along with the 375, is rated about 2840 lbs. digging force. the highest compact force is the 485 with 3730 lbs. I don't know what the Kubota is rated at but (and I'm not trying to 'p' off any kubota owners) Kubota isn't as conservative about their rating as Deere is.

I've had direct experience with the 46 BH on stumps and it's not a hoe you want to pull stumps all day with but first let me ask how many stumps have you pulled with a hoe because that's important.

There's a technique to pulling stumps, how you work the roots and the weight of the removed stump. Just for starters you break roots from a couple of feet away from the stump itself. Forget a tap root like a walnut, it's not going to happen on a big tree.
I would say the biggest (maple) stump I pulled was about 16" or 18" diameter tree with the 46. It was a good size stump and took me about 1-1/2 hrs. to get out. The bucket just about lifted it 6" off the ground but it was large and heavy.

Looking at the specs forthe 375 hoe (fits the 3x20 series), which match the 46, I'd say it will probably do just about the same butthe 300cx bucket will lift a lot more than the 200cx on the 2720.

For what you're advocating you need at least the 485 and maybe a 110. there's no way you're going to do a 3' trunk with the 46. That's a big trunk. Look up at a tree with a 3' trunk and see where the limbs reach out to. (drip line) that's how far out the roots go.

The 2720 is a dandy little tractor with a lot of beef but you're out of its limits with what you want to do and if the Kubota is being passed off as its peer (I don't know) that won't do it either. you need a 3x20 or better 4x20 tractor with a 485 hoe minimum. Is the Kubota equal to a 4x20 Deere?

Rob

 

[ChuckinNH]

After doing a little stump work with the little backhoe on my BX22, I agree more with RobD than the other side of the fence. For that work I would be looking at a larger tractor designed as a TLB, maybe the JD 110, or the Kubota L45. Stumps take more out of a tractor, and backhoe than just about any other use I can think of, and I would be tempted to rent a Mini-X, or more for many large stumps. I have used both a 46, and a Kubota BH75 (now the BH76), and I happen to like the Kubota backhoe more. For me it was smoother, and felt more powerful, and I really like the 4 point mounting system. Others will disagree, of course. For general tractor use in a tractor that size, I think I would prefer the JD 2720 though. Actually, for a basic TLB for residential use, I would save some money, and look hard at the B3300SU, or the L3700SU for more weight.