Mini Excavator Questions

[oldafretired]

Looking for a replacement for a BH77 backhoe on a Kubota L3901 tractor. I let my brother use the L3901 to move snow this winter since his old tractor broke down. I'll probably end up giving him the tractor and BH77 so I won't have a backhoe anymore. I've been using the backhoe to mainly dig up stumps after cutting down pine trees on my heavily forested 10 acres. The largest stumps are probably 15" in diameter or so but most are smaller.

I think it used to take me over an hour with the BH77 to dig up the larger stumps using a 16" bucket. I'm thinking of getting a mini excavator to replace the backhoe. I really want to be able to put the excavator in my shop which has a garage door opening that is 96.5" high so the choices become limited. The Kubota KX71-3S and KX91-3S2 are right at 96" high according to their specs so if the specs are accurate, either should fit. The KX71 with cab is supposed to be a half inch shorter but I prefer an open station. Would either one of these excavators be good for removing stumps and would they should be able to get a pine stump out significantly faster than the BH77? What kind of performance difference would there be between the KX71 and KX91?

Thanks!

 

[Ken45101]

IIRC, pine trees are shallow rooted and do not have tap roots? Sandy soil? In that case, the little mini-s might do the job. I would look closely at the specs (digging force, breakout force, etc.) and compare ihem to your backhoe.

I have a KX-121 and I have difficulty digging stumps out with it, but usually that is larger stumps and they have heavy deep roots and tap roots in heavy clay soil.

 

[oldafretired]

IIRC, pine trees are shallow rooted and do not have tap roots? Sandy soil? In that case, the little mini-s might do the job. I would look closely at the specs (digging force, breakout force, etc.) and compare ihem to your backhoe.

I have a KX-121 and I have difficulty digging stumps out with it, but usually that is larger stumps and they have heavy deep roots and tap roots in heavy clay soil.

Some have something like a tap root but most don't seem to. The soil is mainly rocky but not difficult to dig with a backhoe. Here's some photos of stumps the BH77 dug out.

 

[kthompson]

There is another possible option depending on your needs. If you are able to take a week at the time or a month is even better to just rent a machine. I did some price checking for a person who really want me to take my machine and do some work for him (I do not hire out for work) and found a price with a dealership that almost shocked me, a 16,000 pound machine at $500 per week with my providing insurance on it. That was less than a true rental company was for a $6,000 machine. Now delivery was $200 each way for about 20 miles as they only had a lowboy that would haul that load. But for a 8 ton machine you should find it very quick on what you describe.

 

[oldafretired]

There is another possible option depending on your needs. If you are able to take a week at the time or a month is even better to just rent a machine. I did some price checking for a person who really want me to take my machine and do some work for him (I do not hire out for work) and found a price with a dealership that almost shocked me, a 16,000 pound machine at $500 per week with my providing insurance on it. That was less than a true rental company was for a $6,000 machine. Now delivery was $200 each way for about 20 miles as they only had a lowboy that would haul that load. But for a 8 ton machine you should find it very quick on what you describe.

Thanks for bringing up the renting idea but I'd rather just buy one since I'd be pulling stumps here and there on and off for years.

 

[Code54]

I bought a KX91 this summer and am extremely pleased with it. Been doing some clearing, stumping, etc...
The photos are a small tree I had to cut up
Stump I dug out (that one was big and DEEP and took about 45 or so minutes I believe)
The fire pit I dug (really is about 8'x10x'4'
The others are of a road I built for the ATV (that was about 1:45-2hrs work
The last is a trench for a generator (was a 50' maple there the day before - tree and stump gone but no photos)

 

[oldafretired]

I bought a KX91 this summer and am extremely pleased with it. Been doing some clearing, stumping, etc...
The photos are a small tree I had to cut up
Stump I dug out (that one was big and DEEP and took about 45 or so minutes I believe)
The fire pit I dug (really is about 8'x10x'4'
The others are of a road I built for the ATV (that was about 1:45-2hrs work
The last is a trench for a generator (was a 50' maple there the day before - tree and stump gone but no photos)
View attachment 495858View attachment 495859View attachment 495860View attachment 495861View attachment 495862

Wow! Thanks for the great photos. Looks like it will do everything I could ask for. I'm planning of making a small road around the perimeter of my almost 11 acres just like what you did. Thanks! If you have a chance could you measure the actual height of the excavator from the ground to the highest point of the excavator? I'd like to find out if it will fit through my garage door opening. Thanks again!!

 

[4570Man]

Just looking at specs the KX91 is considerably stronger than the BH71. I've used a John Deere 50D which is quite a bit bigger than the KX91, but comparing it to my Kubota BH90 backhoe is like comparing your backhoe to a shovel with a lazy person using it. We rented a Wacker Neuson 50 Z3 to dig out a pond. It was terrible. It had inadequate counter balance, the boom drifted to the right and wouldn't come back, and although the specs are similar it's nowhere near as strong as the Deere 50D.

 

[Oldtractorfixer]

I just finished shopping for a replacement for our Takeuchi TB125. This is a 6000lb machine, a little smaller than the ones referenced here. I compared John Deere, Takeuchi, Kubota and Cat. I found Takeuchi TB230 to be the best buy. It was a little more than the John Deere and a lot less than the Kubota which was a lot less than the Cat. The John Deere did not have near the breakout force and was lighter built than the others. Just saying you need to shop seriously on these.

 

[oldafretired]

Just looking at specs the KX91 is considerably stronger than the BH71. I've used a John Deere 50D which is quite a bit bigger than the KX91, but comparing it to my Kubota BH90 backhoe is like comparing your backhoe to a shovel with a lazy person using it. We rented a Wacker Neuson 50 Z3 to dig out a pond. It was terrible. It had inadequate counter balance, the boom drifted to the right and wouldn't come back, and although the specs are similar it's nowhere near as strong as the Deere 50D.

I just finished shopping for a replacement for our Takeuchi TB125. This is a 6000lb machine, a little smaller than the ones referenced here. I compared John Deere, Takeuchi, Kubota and Cat. I found Takeuchi TB230 to be the best buy. It was a little more than the John Deere and a lot less than the Kubota which was a lot less than the Cat. The John Deere did not have near the breakout force and was lighter built than the others. Just saying you need to shop seriously on these.

Hey, thanks for the good info. I guess the KX91 should me more than adequate for what I'll use it for. I looked at the Takeuchi height and it's a bit too tall to fit through my shop door. I should have had a taller door put but I never considered getting an excavator at the time.