People with 3 pt hoes/ TLB's

[Inkomodius]

To all the people that bought hoes or TLB's can you honestly justify the extra 10-14k (Canadian) for the attachment. I think if i had one id use it but for all the things I need to do i dont know if i could justify it. I can rent a Cat 308 for 1800 a week 0r 3500 a month. What I have to do Is clean up 2km of creek (now and mantain it lots of dead fall and beavers), dig water lines for horse and cattle (8 FT deep), dig stumps (6-8 inch spruce), remove brush from akward areas the a FEL can get into. And im sure having a TLB in my yard would probably get me some work on the side. As well owning a hoe would allow me to build a brush/root rake and a chuck/landscaping blade for it.

So as you can see im confused lol. Im buying no later then when the snow breaks so probably another 2-3 months. Any advice or experiance would be great..

Also how many people have turned their tractor/TLB into side businesses?

[Wayne_Freeman]

As a single owner with 20 acres I could never justify the cost of a new BH. These attachments typically don't get high hours of use and last year I picked up a 3 point Kubota 4690BH to go on my L3400 for $2500. I spent the extra bucks to get the heavy duty bracket from Kubota and after going thru the hose change cycle must say I wonder how I ever did without it. Starting with stumps to drainage to planting and building or improving it is a great attachment. My two cents is even today it's not worth the price for new but keep your eyes peeled and you will find one sitting somewhere for a much better price. I just went thru a bent boom cylinder which turns out to be another learning curve but am still very fond of this attachment.

[dillo99]

My hoe added about 6k (US) when I bought my machine. This was added into the financing. I would definitely say that I have gotten plenty of use out it. I know I could rent, but it is very nice to just put it on when I need it and not to have to hassle with a rental.

[WilliamBos]

My hoe added about 6k (US) when I bought my machine. This was added into the financing. I would definitely say that I have gotten plenty of use out it. I know I could rent, but it is very nice to just put it on when I need it and not to have to hassle with a rental.

And having it all financed as one also make it feel less expensive too.

[joe48]

from the sounds of the amount of work you have described, especially cleaning up 2km of creek bed/banks that an excavator is what you really need.
If you have the $ I would suggest you buy a used excavator that has 1/2 the reach of the width of the creek. Get the digging done asap and then sell it for what you bought it for, or keep it and do side work or lease it out.
You will find that to do a job like cleaning creek banks that the excavator can run parrallel to the creek while digging, something that is almost impossible to do with a TLB.

[radioman]

from the sounds of the amount of work you have described, especially cleaning up 2km of creek bed/banks that an excavator is what you really need.
If you have the $ I would suggest you buy a used excavator that has 1/2 the reach of the width of the creek. Get the digging done asap and then sell it for what you bought it for, or keep it and do side work or lease it out.
You will find that to do a job like cleaning creek banks that the excavator can run parrallel to the creek while digging, something that is almost impossible to do with a TLB.

that could work, but whats the fun when working agianst a deadline ? Have a backhoe at your disposal is really nice and can do anything you need to do at your pace. The "cost" of hurrying to get something done for multiple projects like OP is mentioning with a rental is an accindent waiting to happen or will leave a experience a person may not want to go through. If you really have that many projects that needs to be done with a back hoe, I am sure you can do most of it with a 3 pt BH and once you encounter a area where a excavator is better, your time and money is well spent with a rental bigger equipment without having to rent more then one day and lose all the time off from work. This is my 2 cents.

[RobS]

Speaking purely philosophically, with no data to support...

I doubt that many of us homeowner types could financially justify the purchase of a backhoe attachment. Most of us (myself included) own them for the convenience. Yes, renting is a viable and cost effective solution but there is something about knowing you can do that project anytime you want, without making the arrangements for a rental. They're also quite enjoyable to operate, so there is a fun-factor to figure in.

[DWCox]

I owned one in the past when I had a Kubota, and am thinking of getting one again for my JD. When you need them (and I do frequently now), you do not know how you ever got by without them. I would not presently lay down 10K for one though.

[Gittyup]

My 7.5' frame-mount hoe cost about $6K USD when purchased with the tractor. I would say to date (~150 hours of hoeing) it's probably paid for half of its cost. I've installed septic lines, buried a 500 gallon propane tank and trenched for the lines to house, buried gutter drain tile, dug footers for a retaining wall, installed 40' of 2' diameter culvert pipe, dug a garden pond, removed several large stumps, placed a heavy concrete fountain in the garden pond, removed all the old shrubs from in front of the house, buried the neighbors dog, buried a dead deere. Have other projects planned for it this spring too. Need I say more?

Will it ever fully pay for itself? Maybe, maybe not. But I chose to buy one because it's convenient and fun to do yourself without rental and transport hassles, and it really saves your own body too.

I have not been paid to do anything with it, and don't plan to ever try. I will ocassionally help out a neighbor or friend, but that's it. Didn't buy it to make money.

[john_bud]

10-14K Canadian ? For that money you can get a 1/2 way decent used industrial machine with 3-5x the capability.