Backhoe tractor backhoe vs. mini excavator

[j845125]

I've been thinking of buying a backhoe for my 32 hp tractor. This weekend I rented a yanmar mini excavator(20 hp) to dig some drain line and holes for a pole building. Between the clay and rocks, I mean serious clay and boulders, the excavator was worked hard, very hard. I compared digging forces between the backhoes for my tractor and the excavator, no comparison. That little yanmar was over twice what a backhoe for my tractor would be. I can't imagine a tractor(32 hp) backhoe would come close to doing what that excavator did. Could you guys who own them compare the difference since I never ran a tractor backhoe? Are the backoes worth it in my kind of ground? I have alot of hoe work to do.

I have to give a plug for yanmar's excavators. It is a well built, powerful, fuel efficient machine(and a blast to run).

[SteveInMD]

I've used both. If you have a serious amount of digging to do the excavator is the way to go. I get by with my backhoe, but the reach, swing, and moving are much better on the excavator in my opinion.

[Grut]

I would say if you have a lot to do and have a lot of time by one for your tractor, but the mini ex willl outperform one all day long. I bought a 7.5' hoe with mine because I can get some work done with it with some time- takes longer to position and reposition. I have access to mini ex's though through friends when I need to get work done fast. Personnaly for the cost if you can foot another machine to the mini ex.

Good luck.
Grut

[wedge40]

I'm in the process of using a mini excavator right now. I bought a cheap Chinese backhoe and if I had to do it all over again, I'd save and get a mini excavator. It can do so much more than a tractor mounted backhoe and is more powerful. Not to mention that fact that it can maneuver in to places that a tractor wouldn't even come close. I think the best combo would be a FEL on the tractor and mini excavator.

Wedge

[Luremaker]

... I think the best combo would be a FEL on the tractor and mini excavator.

Wedge

I've been begging the wife for a backhoe! Now I have to ask the wife for another $25,000 for a must have mini excavator.

[wushaw]

Price & up keep on another complete machine is usually the reason a tractor mounted BH is used more in the home owner enviroment.

[Ken45101]

A lot depends on the individual use.

I've had a kubota B21 (TLB) for 5 years or so. Nice little machine that I've put 500 hours on.

This year, I got a Kubota KX-121-3 excavator. Wow! What a wonderful machine. It runs circles (fast circles) around the B21 for digging out hillside trails or for moving dirt (slides) for one side of the driveway to the other. It easily digs out trees or stumps that would take the B21 days to excavate. (Of course the KX-121 is twice the price and power as the B21, too.)

The KX is much better for digging and loading a trailer.

For digging a ditch, the KX wins because it can dig and move quickly and can pile the dirt further away if needed.

A backhoe cannot dig on one side and deposit the dirt on the other side (e.g. 180 degrees away). When I was digging out a landslide along the driveway, all I could do was dump the dirt next to me on the driveway and then later pick it up with the bucket and move it.

For major digging (I'm excavating an 8' hillside for a barn), the excavator wins hands down for many of the above reasons. Also, the mini excavator blade can push (doze it) 50 ft in distance as fast as I can pick it up and move it with the loader bucket.

OTOH, the TLB is great for running quickly around the farm and picking something up with the loader.

Ken

[AndyMA]

There is no comparison between an excavator and a backhoe. Period. The excavator has it all over the backhoe in the ability to manuver, swing and reposition itself. As far as digging force it is all in the individual machine's specs.

Andy

[Scooby074]

Nothing digs like a Excavator. A Backhoe is a compromise between a loader and a excavator.

[laurencen]

well I have never used a excavator but have a CK20 with backhoe, the hoe cost 6500, worked great and was happy with it, last wnter I had some water and electric lines to dig in, I started digging with the CK20 it worked reasonable, the trenches are 400 feet from house to shop, I went to a auction and purchased a Cat420, well what a difference, cost 8000 and the trenches were dug in a afternoon, even dug water to the shop 10 feet deep and then the septic, to me the CK20 is great for the odd job but the Cat is the way to go, and digging stumps is a breeze plus it can go down the highway at 30 plus MPH

Hard to cut grass though