Talk Me Out of Buying a Backhoe with My New B2920

[JJZ 109]

There are viable arguments that go both ways..BUT...personally I would use the additional $ (for the BH) and buy a bigger tractor to start with...it's not just removing the BH...it's the 3ph arms etc...
if you have the room you can find older working (dedicated BH) machines (or even rent one) for much less than a new OEM BH attachment for when you truly need and will use the BH...

JMO...

I agree. I recently rented a mini excavator for a home project. Had it for about six hours and the cost was around $175. I could rent that thing a whole lot of times for what it would cost me to buy a hoe for my B3030.
Plus I don't have the headache of attaching/removing and finding a suitable storage space for it. It simply wasn't cost effective for me to buy a hoe for the few times that I really need one. But everyone has different uses and purposes for their tractor. You have to compare the cost of a hoe versus how many times you really need one.
Just happened to be poking around Craigslist and see that someone local to me has a 2920 cab with hoe/FEL/front mount snowblower for sale. Claims to still be on first tank of fuel and at 17 hours. Price $25K. http://watertown.craigslist.org/grd/3170648813.html

 

[savageactor7]

We're so grateful we were talked out of buying a backhoe attachment when we were looking at CUT's.

That allowed use to go with a smaller tractor with more attachments. The couple/3 times we needed a BH we just rented one in the off season with an operator and still have not paid close to what they wanted for a new BH attachment.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I bought several tractors over a few years. Each purchase brought forth the "add a BH or not" question. Never felt justified for the cost. I also have hired people with dozers and track loaders to do work for me so getting others or renting equipment is something I've done over the years.
About 3 years ago after most major jobs were finished (I thought) I decided to "round out" my Kubotas to the current needs. I have some rental property with 6 septic tanks so a BH available is a good thing and I do some plant and tree planting and moving at home and since the tractor would be half home and half business with a half write off I bought a BX25. It is the most used tractor I've ever owned, actually used the BH yesterday to get a big rock up that's been in my way since I added/built another garage a couple of months ago. Got the rock up and then remembered a rock I hit the last time I mowed so got it up and another one I saw near it and then the cedar tree that was buried near the rocks that ended up being fairly big.
Would I have rented a piece of equipment and brought it home and then returned it for the one rock by the garage? No. Would I have paid someone to come out and remove the one rock by the garage which was the only one that was really bothering me? No.
Having equipment available that's just a few steps away is of great value to me. Will I give up my Kubota with the BH? Maybe but the replacement will have to have a BH.

 

[1savoy]

I bought several tractors over a few years. Each purchase brought forth the "add a BH or not" question. Never felt justified for the cost. I also have hired people with dozers and track loaders to do work for me so getting others or renting equipment is something I've done over the years.
About 3 years ago after most major jobs were finished (I thought) I decided to "round out" my Kubotas to the current needs. I have some rental property with 6 septic tanks so a BH available is a good thing and I do some plant and tree planting and moving at home and since the tractor would be half home and half business with a half write off I bought a BX25. It is the most used tractor I've ever owned, actually used the BH yesterday to get a big rock up that's been in my way since I added/built another garage a couple of months ago. Got the rock up and then remembered a rock I hit the last time I mowed so got it up and another one I saw near it and then the cedar tree that was buried near the rocks that ended up being fairly big.
Would I have rented a piece of equipment and brought it home and then returned it for the one rock by the garage? No. Would I have paid someone to come out and remove the one rock by the garage which was the only one that was really bothering me? No.
Having equipment available that's just a few steps away is of great value to me. Will I give up my Kubota with the BH? Maybe but the replacement will have to have a BH.

Well said. I agree totally. The convenience far out weighs trying to justify the cost. The scheduling, picking up, refueling, cleaning, etc of the rental is a PITA. For that matter, my father has a Case 580, but I still found driving 20 minutes, loading it up and hauling it to my place just too time consuming. I usually only get a few hours here and there to get projects done. To be able to hop on whenever needed is nice. I think it is like any tool. Do we use them all day everyday? I know I don't, but I sure would not want to be without my tools. I vote for getting the BH. Get it paid for, then have it for a long time to use.

 

[Kubota 2007]

I have a B2910 with a hoe and a B3030 also with a hoe, the B2910 hoe is two small for digging a ditch, the length on the booms will not allow me to get the dirt away from the ditch, and depending on how deep it needs to be, the deeper the worse it gets. B3030 works very good, I replaced a water line for a freind in no time and very little lawn damage.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Talk Me Out of Buying a Backhoe with My New B2920
I sure can't talk you out of it since I visited Barlows this morning, I'd feel like a hypocrite

 

[sal64]

i have a backhoe on my jd990 and never use it, used it few times when i bought it now it sits in my barn havent put it on in 2 yrs , takes up space hard to put on and off will probably trade the hole unit in on a bigger tractor this yr.

 

[Soundguy]

are you gonna use it enough to justify the cost?

i got a used woods 6500 hoe at auction for about or less than half the price of new. was way more to my budgets liking based on the limited use I get with it..