Building new home on 1.6 acres.....need a machine

[Henro]

Let's see, 300 tons of material, moved 1,000lbs per trip, is 600 trips. If each trip took 3 minutes, that's 20 trips per hour. That's 30 hrs of seat time. Pretty good day.

Well, I did not say I moved it far. But I did deal with 16 tri-axle loads of shale in one day. Some of it was pushing loads flat so the trucks could get in and dump more. Of course I did not move it a hundred yards to a different resting place.

Note that I also said it took me a summer of dry days (can not remember how much rain we had) to dig and move probably 350 tons of earth with my B2910TLB/BX2200 combo.

Question the truth if you like...But it is the truth...Without exaggeration...

PS...I know the number of truck loads is correct, because I got a deal from a guy that was going to dump it for free somewhere down the road. $10 per load. $160 for the day. Several trucks were bringing it to me.

 

[finn1]

A skid steer or CTL would be a better choice than a tractor for construction and landscaping.

Rent a mini excavator for trenching and contract the basement excavation.

Get the tractor for putting around after the construction and landscaping is complete.

 

[dodge man]

My point of view is you buy a small tractor to just help with the construction or you buy a construction grade equipment to actually do the work. Do you have the time to do all this work? If you do, than go for the construction grade equipment. It takes real commitment on your part though. Something like a Case 580 comes to mind or a JD equivalent.

 

[js5020]

I built my own place almost 20 years ago. First things I did was hire out the heavy excavation and well drilling, didn't make any sense to buy or rent the proper sized equipment for a one time job on the heavy excavation let alone a drilling rig, you'll have bigger things to spend your time on, trust me. The only owned machine I had on site was an older 25hp compact tractor with a dozer blade and a box blade which I already owned, I rented a skid steer for 2 days to backfill the foundation and I rented a mini ex for 3 days to put in the septic system.

Don't focus on one time big jobs when sizing long term owned equipment, focus on what you will be doing with it once the construction is complete. An acre and a half,,,,sub compact will likely be your most efficient use of funds perhaps a smaller compact at most. Going bigger means less maneuverable, heavier, more costly and likely will sit more doing nothing. Purchasing with the long term in mind will likely yield a more useable machine over time.

 

[check 6]

My .02cents worth. I have slightly over an acre all lawn buildings or flower beds, ie no real natural areas. I also do some periodic light tractor chores for neighbors or our subdivision common area. Over the last 15 years I have had several "BX" series tractors and several "B" series. I always gravitate back to the "B" series. Aside the only "B" I have had and would not again is the cabbed version. Too narrow a wheel base for too high a center of gravity. That said I find the open "B" about perfect. Heavier than the "BX", better ground clearance and not that much bigger so it can still get into smaller areas around the yard. The "B" also has a larger hydraulic pump and can therefore lift more at both ends. It also has a three speed HST rather than the "BX" two speed. Lastly it has a more precise graduation for adjusting the height of the "three point" without having to look back. Both have engines available right at 26hp the largest without having to add al the solution devices. The one time I might choose a "BX" over a "B" is if I were to use a MM and it was my primary mowing machine. Another thing to consider if you are not using a middle mower on a "BX" you might consider a skid plate to protect the HST fan as the lower round clearance of the BX makes this fan very vulnerable. AS for a back hoe, I had one on a previous "BX" and occasionally used it but I found I had to re-position too often, plus the fact it was not fun to take it off to be able to use the "three point " hitch. Then my dealer mentioned that instead of paying for an implement I would not use often, don't get a back hoe and for $200 he would rent me a mini excavator for a weekend and deliver it ... far better arrangement . Things to consider from a very happy "B" series owner

 

[Gary Fowler]

My .02cents worth. I have slightly over an acre all lawn buildings or flower beds, ie no real natural areas. I also do some periodic light tractor chores for neighbors or our subdivision common area. Over the last 15 years I have had several "BX" series tractors and several "B" series. I always gravitate back to the "B" series. Aside the only "B" I have had and would not again is the cabbed version. Too narrow a wheel base for too high a center of gravity. That said I find the open "B" about perfect. Heavier than the "BX", better ground clearance and not that much bigger so it can still get into smaller areas around the yard. The "B" also has a larger hydraulic pump and can therefore lift more at both ends. It also has a three speed HST rather than the "BX" two speed. Lastly it has a more precise graduation for adjusting the height of the "three point" without having to look back. Both have engines available right at 26hp the largest without having to add al the solution devices. The one time I might choose a "BX" over a "B" is if I were to use a MM and it was my primary mowing machine. Another thing to consider if you are not using a middle mower on a "BX" you might consider a skid plate to protect the HST fan as the lower round clearance of the BX makes this fan very vulnerable. AS for a back hoe, I had one on a previous "BX" and occasionally used it but I found I had to re-position too often, plus the fact it was not fun to take it off to be able to use the "three point " hitch. Then my dealer mentioned that instead of paying for an implement I would not use often, don't get a back hoe and for $200 he would rent me a mini excavator for a weekend and deliver it ... far better arrangement . Things to consider from a very happy "B" series owner

Again, I second the B series for your tractor for long term use. If you really want a backhoe and money is no object, get a B26 TLB. I have one and it is lots more than it appears. For digging out a basement, it could work but it would be slow even though it is a heavy duty construction grade machine. I have dug several hundred feet of trench for water lines, dug up stumps and trees galore, cleaned out drainage ditches, used the backhoe to plant trees and flowers etc. I dont think I would use it to dig out a huge basement or build a pond unless I had nothing else to do and had lots of time. At best you might get .5-.75 cubic foot of dirt per scoop, so it will be very slow. Best to contract it out or rent a larger excavator for the job of basement and septic system.

 

[4570Man]

Some of you guys sure like wasting money on rentals. If it was $100 bucks than go for it but locally it’s about $350 plus $150 delivery plus tax per day. Huge waste of money IMO. Even if you did everything in an efficient method and everything worked out there’s several weekends worth of work. Add in that it’s probably not getting done in the most efficient way possible, unplanned work will come up, bad weather, and equipment breakdown and it’s easily 10 weekends of work. A TLB is the obvious choice here. When you’re done either set the backhoe off somewhere and keep it because you’ve probably realized how handy it is or sell the machine and buy a regular tractor. A smallish Kubota TLB isn’t the best tractor ever because they’re geared deep and the loader is non removable but most people probably won’t care about those things.

 

[ruffdog]

When I was 17, my dad started building a underground home, so we needed a big hole in a hillside. He bought a used construction loader/hoe and a small dump truck and we went to work. We dug the hole, back filled, created the driveway, and did the landscaping with that loader. Sure, we did the work ourselves, but that was a bunch of digging with not much equipment. Hiring a pro with a excavator, quad axle, dozer/CTL would have been a better solution. My dad enjoyed the benefits of cheap labor though.

 

[check 6]

I would add one more thing to consider. If you get a “B” series spend the extra and get the quick detachable bucket and the fork lift attachment a very useful implement

 

[cholland]

I recently built on an re-developed just over an acre. Just a portion of almost 20 acres total.
IMO, I would purchase a CUT for the long term. Focus on what it will doing for you once the build is complete.
For my build I rented a mini excavator for about two weeks and completed all the heavy digging. Foundation, water/power buried and rough landscaping. If you need to move a lot of material it may be easier to have a large loader, but a decent CUT will get the job done. Just takes a little longer.
As for which SCUT, CUT or ZT is best. There are many opinions. I recommend a close reliable dealer/service over a specific brand. Keeping it working is way cooler than how it looks.