Renting backhoe for 1 day, Kubota or Terramite???

[LarryRB]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( &lt;/font&gt;<font color="blueclass=small">( I rented one about a year before I bought my tractor, and it was very good.
The only thing I didn't like about it was that it was a loud gas engine, and refinement had nothing to do with how well it dug, which was very well.
John )</font>

I think your missing one very important part or at least possibly missing,,,, You rented a terramite in FLorida? correct? Mostly sand.. Kentucky is rock and the hardest clay you ever saw.... We had a farm outside Ironton Ohio and across the river from Ashland KY, and the clay there is like diggin up a 100 year old concrete sidewalk...

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I think your missing one very important part or at least possibly missing,,,, You rented a terramite in FLorida? correct? )</font>
You make a good point. I wasn't thinking about terrain. Thanks
John

[highboard]

IMO - the terramite seems like a big lawnmower that someone slapped a FEL &amp; backhoe on. But of course you are just renting &amp; not buying, so I suppose either one will work. Ask the rental company, they should be able to let you know what machine would work better for your situation.

Like others that have posted, I think a mini-excavator would be your best bet, it also has a front blade for backfilling that would come in handy. I own a Takeuchi TB135 &amp; Cat 304.5 mine-ex and they work great (florida soil) MUCH more efficient than the big lawnmower w/ backhoe.

Just my $.02

[ALABAMA_KID]

I own a not well engineered, garage built big lawn mower that has never failed to dig as needed. They must be ok machines to stay in business as long as they have. It really doesn't make a big difference on the one you RENT FOR ONE DAY, they are both great machines. Rent the one that feels the best to you.

happy digging.

[chatcher]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( IMO - the terramite seems like a big lawnmower that someone slapped a FEL &amp; backhoe on...)</font>

As a matter of fact, the first version was a backhoe attachment for a two-wheel Gravely tractor. They are still made about 50 miles from me, in West Virginia (Gravely left a long time ago) and have come a long way. I see a lot of them in this part of the country, and have rented them a few times. I briefly considered owning one, but the versatility and more polished design of a modern CUT won me over.

www.terramite.com

[AndyMA]

Just curious, do you have much backhoe experience? If not perhaps it would be wiser to just get someone in to dig the trenches. A backhoe takes time to master in good soil and hard clay takes even longer to master digging in. Also if you are digging near anything untill you get used to the controls so that it just comes naturally, it is pretty easy to hit things and cause damage.

Andy

[3RRL]

Heck JCS,
You're gonna get conflicting answers so I'd just rent either one of them, dig those trenches and post about how it turned out. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Don't forget to take pictures.

[JCS_in_KY]

I decided to rent the B21 and it worked great for me. I've never used a backhoe prior to using this one. Before I started the trenching I dug a few holes for some fruit trees so I could get the feel for using the hoe. The first hole took a while but I picked up quite a bit of speed on the next one and after a few felt comfortable doing the trenching I needed to do. As far as tractors go I definetly like my MF 1533 better than the B21 but the B21 is one heck of a digger for it's size. One of these days when we've got some extra money maybe we will look at a backhoe for the Massey. John

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
There's no comparison, rent the B21. )</font>

Yeah there is :
The Terramite is like a Pinto against a Mercury

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
There's no comparison, rent the B21. )</font>

Yeah there is :
The Terramite is like a Pinto against a Mercury