Backhoe Which Backhoe To Buy.?

the fox 1940 · Mar 7, 2011

I have bought myself a Branson 2010-3510i and want to buy a Backhoe for it.
Anyone out there got any ideas on which one is the best one to buy ?
I have looked up the Woods BH80 and the 8620 ( Don't know who makes that one ). I have no idea who makes the Backhoe for Branson Tractors ? Do you ? There are others out there I know but I would like to have some idea and price on this stuff when I go to the Dealers. was wondering about bushings and pins as some do and some don't have bushings.What is the cost of these in the USA now.????
Thanks for any information you can send me.
The Fox

Rustyiron · Mar 7, 2011

Not to pop your bubble Fox Man, but unless you have a regular use for it, they are kinda a pain to put on and off the tractor and have very little reach. I started with a Woods 750 and it was very handy, and a dandy subsitute for a shovel but that was before the flood of mini excavators available (rent and sale). What I learned was, that for a lot of general "backhoe" work is, that it's not how deep it will dig but how far you can reach! Reach is something that I had not considered. With the short reach comes constantly repositioning the tractor, and lastly, short reach means a short "throw" of your material coming out of your hole. If you don't have a rental place with a mimi ex nearby, go for it!!I eventually could justify an excavator, and soon discovered a few other things that I had not considered much, an excavator is repositioned in seconds (no outriggers, no seat to switch) and that you can "throw" 360 around yourself.
The woods (3pt) 'hoe had a self contained hyd. system (pump, tank, valve) and you had to throw the punp on your pto. I like this idea because the hyd. components were all "sized" to each other with no variables (your tractor only needs to supply 540 rpm pto) no worries about PSI and GPM from the tractor. But don't let me talk you out of it, just think of the items I mentioned. DIG IT!!

IslandTractor · Mar 7, 2011

I can vouch for the Woods BH80x as a very well made BH. I presume they have a subframe that will fit your Branson and you'd certainly want one.

Regarding need for BH, the point that mini excavator rentals are cheaper and more powerful is true but if you have regular use for a BH or a project that will require intermittent but frequent use (or you live on an island like I do) then owning a BH can make perfect sense too.

Last I saw, eBay prices for BH80x was in the $5-6K range. Buying from a dealer who does all the assembly etc it might be a bit higher.

the fox 1940 · Mar 8, 2011

To both of you on your suggestions. They are very valid points which I will take under advisement. But from that I owned a Kioti Backhoe here last year and yes I agree. Short swing, and yes you are always having to move it.
I have about 8 Acres of land here and I could use it from time to time.. The Mechanic at the Garage said they have a Machanic here that can slide them on and of in about 10 minutes.I know if I put it on I won't be taking it on and off .... Then there is the PRICE around here they are talking about $7000.00
plus 15 % Sales Tax, so you can see this is getting rich. I thought I would phone around and ask some questions on pricing .This could make be forget it all together. But I am still interested in who sells the best one. The Kioti had soft split bushings in it and at 800 hours I was putting Pins and Bushings in it. And I thought it should go longer then that ( although I did buy this tractor second hand ) And grease was not something that was used to often. So yes maybe renting a machine might be cheaper in the long run when I need one for some dirt moving.
The Fox

the fox 1940 · Mar 8, 2011

IslandTractor said:
I can vouch for the Woods BH80x as a very well made BH. I presume they have a subframe that will fit your Branson and you'd certainly want one.

Regarding need for BH, the point that mini excavator rentals are cheaper and more powerful is true but if you have regular use for a BH or a project that will require intermittent but frequent use (or you live on an island like I do) then owning a BH can make perfect sense too.

Last I saw, eBay prices for BH80x was in the $5-6K range. Buying from a dealer who does all the assembly etc it might be a bit higher.

They do have a subframe that comes with it. And I would not put one on without a sub frame. I have heard Woods put out a good BH80X.. Shell check that out today. One feature I liked about one unit I looked at was the Boom arm Lever could be pushed ahead into a float position so when you pull the Dipper Arm in toward the Tractor the boom will float and let the bucket slide across the ground without digging in. Great for leveling etc. Does the BH80X have that feature ??
The Fox

IslandTractor · Mar 8, 2011

the fox 1940 said:
. One feature I liked about one unit I looked at was the Boom arm Lever could be pushed ahead into a float position so when you pull the Dipper Arm in toward the Tractor the boom will float and let the bucket slide across the ground without digging in. Great for leveling etc. Does the BH80X have that feature ??
The Fox

Interesting. I own a Woods BH90x but have never "discovered" the feature you describe. I don't recall feeling any indent the way I do when putting a FEL into float position. I'd double check with Woods to confirm that feature if it is important to you (then let the rest of us know what you learned).

the fox 1940 · Mar 8, 2011

IslandTractor said:
Interesting. I own a Woods BH90x but have never "discovered" the feature you describe. I don't recall feeling any indent the way I do when putting a FEL into float position. I'd double check with Woods to confirm that feature if it is important to you (then let the rest of us know what you learned).

I got some quotes on a BH 90 Backhoe today and they want from $ 8625.00 to $9918.75 for one ( installed ) and the Branson dealer will sell me one for
$ 6200.00 or $ 6500.00 installed . So I think I know where I'll be going ..
But you know I don't know who makes the Branson Backhoe,. The Dealer tells me Branson does. I find that hard to beleive. I think there out sourced. Anyone know for sure ?
Also The Branson Backhoe Bh76 does have that feature of the Boom being able to go into a float poistion so you can drag the dipper arm up and not let it dig in. That would be a great feature for leveling ground. The Woods Dealer did not know. Branson Dealer did not know either until I went out and started the tractor up and tried it.
This is what I have learned today.
The Fox

IslandTractor · Mar 8, 2011

How big is your tractor (sorry, I am too lazy to look it up

). As a rule of thumb I'd say under 25hp is 6ft BH, 30 is 7ft, 35 8ft and 40+ 9ft but it depends a lot on tractor weight, size and hydraulics too. Is the Branson BH a nine footer? As you probably know the Woods comes in seven, eight and nine foot versions (70x, 80x,90x). I would not expect any manufacturer to have a good quality nine foot BH for 6K including subframe. If it is smaller then it should be compared to the similar size Woods. I'd guess the Woods will be more money but it does have the advantage that it is easily resold whereas OEM BHs are probably more difficult to sell used.

the fox 1940 · Mar 9, 2011

IslandTractor said:
How big is your tractor (sorry, I am too lazy to look it up). As a rule of thumb I'd say under 25hp is 6ft BH, 30 is 7ft, 35 8ft and 40+ 9ft but it depends a lot on tractor weight, size and hydraulics too. Is the Branson BH a nine footer? As you probably know the Woods comes in seven, eight and nine foot versions (70x, 80x,90x). I would not expect any manufacturer to have a good quality nine foot BH for 6K including subframe. If it is smaller then it should be compared to the similar size Woods. I'd guess the Woods will be more money but it does have the advantage that it is easily resold whereas OEM BHs are probably more difficult to sell used.

I have a Branson 3510i (35 hp ) The Backhoe that the Dealer quoted me was an 8 foot one.. I think they gave me a pretty good price since I bought the Tractor from them. I have learn't the art of Haggle. The Backhoe I looked at is very well made by the looks of it and operates very smooth. And the Mechanic told me they don't have them coming back in the shop for repairs.
The Fox

FF117 · Mar 10, 2011

Amerequip and Ansung make loaders for Branson, so I would suspect that they make some of the BHs as well. This is purely speculation though. I would bet that the BHs with an X in the model # are made by Amerequip.

the fox 1940 said:
I got some quotes on a BH 90 Backhoe today and they want from $ 8625.00 to $9918.75 for one ( installed ) and the Branson dealer will sell me one for
$ 6200.00 or $ 6500.00 installed . So I think I know where I'll be going ..
But you know I don't know who makes the Branson Backhoe,. The Dealer tells me Branson does. I find that hard to beleive. I think there out sourced. Anyone know for sure ?
Also The Branson Backhoe Bh76 does have that feature of the Boom being able to go into a float poistion so you can drag the dipper arm up and not let it dig in. That would be a great feature for leveling ground. The Woods Dealer did not know. Branson Dealer did not know either until I went out and started the tractor up and tried it.
This is what I have learned today.
The Fox