Backhoe tractor backhoe vs. mini excavator

j845125 · Jul 8, 2009

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 · Jul 8, 2009

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 · Jul 8, 2009

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 · Jul 8, 2009

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 · Jul 8, 2009

wedge40 said:
... 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 · Jul 8, 2009

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

Ken45101 · Jul 8, 2009

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 · Jul 8, 2009

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 · Jul 9, 2009

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

laurencen · Jul 9, 2009

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

mjncad · Jul 9, 2009

I've never used a backhoe on a tractor; but from looking at all the gyrations of lowering stabilizers, digging, raising stabilizers, moving tractor, repeat as necessary for a trench to be completed says PITA to me. I've rented a mini-excavator a couple of times and that would be my machine of choice for large amounts of trenching and digging.

wedge40 · Jul 9, 2009

Luremaker said:
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.

True if you were to purchase a new excavator, but like anything else you can pick one up at action or used for $10-$15K.. Yes more than a backhoe, but it can do things in half the time or less. When I win the lottery next week that will be on the list of things to purchase.

Wedge

Spudland_Dave · Jul 9, 2009

wedge40 said:
True if you were to purchase a new excavator, but like anything else you can pick one up at action or used for $10-$15K.. Yes more than a backhoe, but it can do things in half the time or less. When I win the lottery next week that will be on the list of things to purchase.

IMO, The Backhoe MFG's have priced themselves right out of the market... 8-9k for a Woods or Deere Hoe? Sorry but for 1-2k more I'm into a used hoe that will out perform the tractor hoe in any & every situation possible...AND have both machines operable...Its nice being able to dump from the hoe into the loader bucket on my tractor...Add to that all the wear & tear it saves from the tractor and the fact you can easily resell the hoe and its a no brainer...

Ken45101 · Jul 9, 2009

One of the big disadvantages of a small add on backhoe is that you have to leave the seat (or turn it around) to move the unit. With a mini ex, you just lift the blade and push the sticks and you are there.

I've gotten many hours of use from my little B21 backhoe, but now that I have the mini ex, I suspect the B21 won't see much use. I may either sell it or take the backhoe off of it and put on a small bush hog for trail use.

Ken

Botabill · Jul 9, 2009

I have a small KX41 excavator that is really handy and for most appications will outperform a backhoe. There is a downside to the excavator though and that is mobility. To get to the back of my property it is a major outing so when there is a small job I don't do it. Once a year I go around the property with the excavator doing all the little jobs that I would have done as I saw them if I had a backhoe.

have_blue · Jul 9, 2009

AndyMA said:
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

That's what I thought until I operated a JD300C with Extend-a-Hoe. It will out work any mini excavator, and is far more versatile. You can get a good used one for $25-$40K. The 1-1/4 yard loader is priceless, and so is the traveling speed.

Spudland_Dave · Jul 9, 2009

have_blue said:
That's what I thought until I operated a JD300C with Extend-a-Hoe. It will out work any mini excavator, and is far more versatile. You can get a good used one for $25-$40K. The 1-1/4 yard loader is priceless, and so is the traveling speed.

IMO, thats like saying "My Peterbilt 379 will out tow Any Pickup Truck"....While I dont doubt your JD300C will outperform a "Mini" Excavator, it would NOT outperform a Full sized excavator (other then transport speed

) of comparable size.

Pound for pound, at comparable sizes, the Mini-Excavator will outperform a TLB.

shasta · Jul 9, 2009

I just compleated about a mile of 10'" water line on a very steep hillside. The first half I did with my L39. It was slow going because I had to build such a wide platform in order to have a place to set up the stabilizers. For the second half I rented a "mini" excavator. It was about 4 times as fast to trench and and cover to pipe. I only needed a platform as wide as the tracks. It was much faster trenching as there was no setup just dig and move. No climbing in and out of the seat to move the tractor and set up and dig a few more feet. The excavator can go up and down much steeper slopes and access areas that I could never get to on the tractor. The main problem is they are so slow to get anywhere and about the only thing they are good for is digging. The excavator will out perform the backhoe in digging but will never match the speed and versitility of the backhoe. For me the backhoe was the best piece of equipment to purchase and then rent the excavator as needed.

Kays Supply · Jul 9, 2009

I've had both and would not trade my mini Yanmar for two BH. The Yanmar quick connect for the bucket alone would sway me, besides all the things already mentioned. I have 5 different buckets that I can change back and forth in less than a minute each way. The 36" backfill bucket can dress up a job so slick. Try to get a backhoe out of a 6' deep ditch when it has slid in. You can't get the boom around far enough to lift you up enough to crib up. The mini can. Don't ask how I know.