Buying Advice First time on 5 acres - tractor selection?

[Imold]

I have 12.7 acres and mow about six acres of that which is fairly level except for the ditch along the highway, I mow the ditch and around the camper with a 54 inch Cub Cadet zero turn, used to mow the whole thing with my zero turn until about 4 weeks ago, I decided to go with a scut with a 60 inch mmm and FEL to use on my property and I also bought a box blade and back blade to use with it, my driveway is about 300 feet long maybe a bit more and made my own drag to help keep it clean and I am thinking of getting a land rake.
For winter I am looking at buying a soft cab called The Original, that way I can remove it after winter when not needed.
This is part of my six acres.

My new Sub Compact.

 

[goeduck]

Yes. The statement was about trenching. Excavators are better at trenching than backhoes. They're also better at general excavating.

You are changing the subject. You backhanded a comment someone made about trenching and turned it into a post about general excavating.

"Backhoes excel at trenching"... over what? A shovel? Certainly not an excavator.........Excavators are way better at the task than backhoes. Positioning is faster, you can get them into tighter spaces, you can rotate 360 degrees, etc...

Your statement above says that excavators are WAY better than backhoes at TRENCHING. This is just plain not true.

 

[Tractor X]

Hi all- thanks for all weighing in. A couple of notes: I don稚 plan on getting any finish mower anytime soon since the front yard (the only section with a true lawn look) is only about 1/8 acre. I have a self propelled push mower for that and if I can pick up a cheap rider or ZTR down the road I think I could call that good.

With regard to the backhoe: the French drain project is the shortest term one. That is about 200 long. In the next few years I will also probably be building a little cabin for guests and want to do some site work for that, and running power out about 300? I may also be burying cable for ham radio antennas in the next year or so. One of the scary things about renting would be that it would be my first time operating a BH- so its not clear that I could make efficient use of my rental.

Really appreciate the weigh-in from everyone. If I took a look at the new holland lineup, does anyone know a pound for pound and HP competitor to the L2501? Do the hydraulics on the new holland allow for multiple operations (lift and curl, etc?)

Leaning strongly towards the L2501 at present.

im biased! very satisfied with this tractor. 20hrs on the clock and running it like i stole it!

definitely worth a test ride.

 

[dodge man]

I’ve never ran a tracked back hoe much but through my job I’ve worked around a lot of heavy equipment. For serious trenching all contractors use a tracked back hoe for a job of any size. The video is a little bit of a joke since tracked back hoes can get really big and will easily out perform the TLB.

The OP sounds like he wants a backhoe and does not want a mid mount mower, so those arguments can be dropped.

 

[rba901]

I was a new land owner 2.5 years ago, with my limited budget I purchased an older Kubota, an L35. It is a compact but heavy duty, around the 5700lbs. The FEL will lift 1650lbs and the backhoe is heavy duty to match. I love the backhoe, it has been invaluable for the landscaping work.

 

[check]

For ease of removal, check out the backhoe on the new Kubota BX23S. They also have a quick attach function that you can get for the front end loader. I know that the BX23S is smaller than the B 2501, but their horse power ratings are about the same and yes, Jeff, the B 2501 is heavier, but I get by with my BX 25, and I have two properties one of which is 25 acres. And even without the quick detach feature that is now found on the newer BX, I can still remove and replace my backhoe quite easily.

 

[MossRoad]

I don稚 care that they were equal. If time is important use a big bucket to dig a big hole. My 18 backhoe bucket holds 5.3 cubic feet. My 36 holds over 15. It痴 obvious which one moves more dirt. I didn稚 even finish the video to see that part. I致e used a mini to dig ditches before and i hated it. My backhoe would be way faster.

You can't put a bigger bucket on a compact tractor backhoe that would compete with a small excavator. That's what we're talking about. A compact tractor for the OP and if he can justify the cost of a backhoe for it VS just renting a small excavator. Does he have enough tasks to justify the cost VS if he just planned out his projects, could he knock them out with a couple weekend rentals each year. A small excavator will outperform a compact tractor backhoe in every digging task. Unless he steps up to larger and larger tractors or dedicated TLB, the small excavator digs better.

The whole point of the discussion is if the cost of a backhoe attachment on a compact tractor for limited jobs on a 5 acre property is worth the investment or not for the OP VS renting. In my opinion, from his task descriptions, it's not worth the cost if there's rental equipment available.

 

[Egon]

The cost of using a backhoe for random invented jobs; priceless.

 

[shooterdon]

BTW, it might be wise to get to know your neighbors. I have a guy 3 miles from me that does the limited amount of BH work I need on my 20 acres. In the 6 years I have lived here, it has cost me $500 or so....and I do not need to store the darn thing or learn how to use it.

But if you want a new toy and can afford it, go for it. IMHO, Your work list does not justify it. You will get a lot more out of a nicer machine and more implements. May not be what you want to hear...just my $.02

 

[MossRoad]

You are changing the subject. You backhanded a comment someone made about trenching and turned it into a post about general excavating.



Your statement above says that excavators are WAY better than backhoes at TRENCHING. This is just plain not true.

Yes it is. Start looking at job sites. You see fewer and fewer backhoes and more and more excavators. There used to be many backhoe services around here. Now there aren't. They all are switching to excavators and skid steers. The only one I see around here with a backhoe on a regular basis is one cemetery burial service. The other cemeteries are switching to excavators as well, because they can get into and out of tight spaces easier, cause less dame age to repair, are les expensive to operate, etc...