Buying Advice Buying backhoe with the tractor upfront.

[DK35vince]

I've just had to have a powerline and waterline trenched for my daughter's new house. Might have been a bit cheaper if I'd had a bh, but with depth, it would have taken a 50hp or larger tractor.

How deep are they ??
I can dig 8 1/2' deep with my 35 HP tractor.
My water and power lines here in Western, Pa. I dug at 40" deep.

 

[Torvy]

Apparently you never used a small bucket on a backhoe to dig out For a mailbox. A half hour? Took him about 2 min. Not kidding!

That is another consideration...if, like me, you have zero practical experience using a backhoe (unless you count the Tonka one we used in the sandbox as kids), the time and potential mistakes may not be worth it compared to hiring it out. Unless, of course, you have more than a few tasks that are best done by a backhoe. I would guess that many people who bought a backhoe have found uses for it that could have been done other ways. (Much in the same way most of us seem to fill up a garage no matter how big we make it). Personally, I can 100% see things I might do with a backhoe. The problem for me comes in figuring out of it is worth that extra money. The initial outlay for Kubota is in the 7-10K range for a CUT BH. Add in various buckets and maintenance...that is a pretty big outlay for a tool that will get occasional use. For others, the BH may be more of a daily use thing, I am not seeing it for me. The tractor and FEL will be used frequently. That is the difference between just hiring out all the work versus hiring out BH work. So, at the end of the day, if the dealership wants to throw in a BH for cheap, I will likely use it. I'll not likely buy one otherwise.

 

[fried1765]

How deep are they ??
I can dig 8 1/2' deep with my 35 HP tractor.
My water and power lines here in Western, Pa. I dug at 40" deep.

My 48HP Kubota will dig to 11'

 

[DK35vince]

My 48HP Kubota will dig to 11'

So his utilities were dug between 8 1/2' - 11' or more deep in Ar ?

 

[Williy]

The LS tractor has more standard options than a Kubota
compare both tractors with the same options and you will
find that buying the LS you can own a backhoe plus other
attachments and still have money instead of buying a
Kubota! Don't just take my word for this check it out for
yourself! Also test drive both tractors so you can get a
feel for what you want!

willy

 

[Torvy]

The LS tractor has more standard options than a Kubota
compare both tractors with the same options and you will
find that buying the LS you can own a backhoe plus other
attachments and still have money instead of buying a
Kubota! Don't just take my word for this check it out for
yourself! Also test drive both tractors so you can get a
feel for what you want!

willy

Thanks. That gives me another line of research to do...more work, but a good problem to have. The nearest LS dealership is in Tyler...44 miles from my place. Could be a PITA if there is a problem. To be fair though, only Kubota and JD have dealerships significantly closer to me. The only problem I am having with LS is that they don't publish an MSRP. Hard to compare if I don't know what the base prices are.

 

[shooterdon]

Well It looks like you have a cab tractor that I am guessing cost more than $30,000. You probably have a lot of implements and attachments as well. Plus upkeep costs and fuel and garage space wasted. You could have saved all that money and just hired someone to maintain your property for cheaper than that. So I dont think anyone is buying any of these scuts or cuts or tlbs to save money, lol. Because you are not unless you use it in a business. Also there is always a faster machine you could rent to do anything you are doing with your tractor. So anyone saying a bh attachment is an unnecessary thing because its "cheaper" or "faster" to rent a mini ex should also be saying it's better to not buy the tractor in the first place because it's better to rent one, lol.

My point being that the majority of people are buying these scuts or cuts or tlbs because they are handy tools we buy to own and have available when we want them because we enjoy using them. Not because it is a money saver or time saver. So my advice is get what you want, what you can afford and go have fun and enjoy the accomplishment of doing your own projects and/or maintainence with your property.

I made up an extensive spreadsheet. Factored in the jobs that must be done regularly as well as those that are not done regularly. Estimated the cost of having stuff done for me. Looked at a 15 year time frame. Also, the resale value when I am too old and must move off the property. My tractor is a tool and not a toy to impress anyone or play with. I live where snow is an issue, and getting plowed out can be hit or miss. Heating costs are high (propane only) so we burn wood for most of our heat. My method of handling firewood requires almost no manual labor but works best with a tractor that can lift over 2000 lbs. Those two issues alone provided sufficient payback for my situation. Suggesting the OP make up a list of jobs is good advice if he wants to take it.

I agree with buying what you can afford but I tend to address needs rather than wants. If someone wants a "toy" because they can afford it, it is their business. Might be a waste of money but it is their money. Not everyone is able to waste money.

For many folks the $5k BH on a small tractor might be better invested in a more capable tractor or attachments they can utilize more frequently. For others, it may work out differently.

I shared my experience honestly. In 9 years I have had $600 of BH work on my 20 acres. I had the BH work done before I had a tractor....no BH work since then. It would have been stupid to invest in a BH.

So far, all the OP has planned to do is trench for a water line and deal with a couple of trees that may be too big for his machine anyway.

Suggesting what someone should purchase based on our needs is not helpful unless they are very similar. The OP is closer to having my needs than yours. He has less than $600 of BH work to do. So his "convenience cost" will be $4000 to have the BH available for whatever jobs may pop up in the future. Like you said...nothing wrong with that if that is what he wants. I think he is better off putting that $4k towards a bigger and more capable machine.

 

[DieselBound]

My neighbor got a used small Kubota with a backhoe. I haven't seen him use the backhoe at all. And it's never been off that tractor: I've done some mowing for him. I was going to have him dig up some buried lines I had but I ended up doing that by hand (lots of probing): every once in a while it's good to break out in a sweat. Usually, when I have to dig I REALLY have to dig, be it a pond or getting out huge stumps (and burying them).

As shooterdan says above, it's best to do a cost analysis. AND, don't forget maintenance and repairs (if you're not breaking it you're not using it enough)! Hard to break commercial grade equipment.

I rent, but only on well-defined projects.

Hiring out for a one-off is also something worth costing out.

 

[Omega Woods]

I have a Branson 4520 with a hoe. I use it a lot but in batches. However, I agree with Jeff that I would have been money ahead to rent a mini-ex once a year and do everything I need to do.

Given the size of the tractor you're thinking of buying, I might be reluctant to get a hoe. I also have a BX2380 and I don't think a hoe on that would be nearly as useful as on my bigger unit.

If your main concern is resale, you won't recoup the extra cost for a hoe when you go to resell, most likely.

 

[streamin]

I didn't get a BH with mine although I wanted too. I think in 5 years I only needed it once, however, once you have something like that you find uses you didn't know would help. I was always of the thought( if you can afford it) of having a separate machine for the BH, maybe find and old used one for 5-10K with a buckek on front. That way it would also be a bigger heavier unit for doing bigger jobs. I always thought the BH for a 50hp tractor was too small anyway. Just my opinion. no experience with one. My main use would be to dig out stumps.

 

[fried1765]

I didn't get a BH with mine although I wanted too. I think in 5 years I only needed it once, however, once you have something like that you find uses you didn't know would help. I was always of the thought( if you can afford it) of having a separate machine for the BH, maybe find and old used one for 5-10K with a buckek on front. That way it would also be a bigger heavier unit for doing bigger jobs. I always thought the BH for a 50hp tractor was too small anyway. Just my opinion. no experience with one. My main use would be to dig out stumps.

The BH on my 48HP Kubota L48 TLB is very strong!
Not as strong as a mini-ex might be, but a TLB is much a more versatile machine than a mini-ex.

 

[4570Man]

The BH on my 48HP Kubota L48 TLB is very strong!
Not as strong as a mini-ex might be, but a TLB is much a more versatile machine than a mini-ex.

A kubota real TLB is a lot stronger than its tractor cousins. And a full size backhoe is a lot stronger than the Kubota ones. Like 3x as strong.

 

[kpsp50]

I've owned both orange and green I now have a Branson very satisfied with it check out keno tractor I have nothing to do with them but bought mine from Keno tractor and a price was unbeatable even with delivery charge I have no use for backhoe I had one on the orange one used it one time parked it and had to sell it separate from the tractor now if I need a backhoe I go rent it and take it back if it breaks down that's not my problem much cheaper that way with a bigger hoe then you would get with a small Sub compact good luck

 

[51allis]

I can only give my experience with this. Bought a 2014 LS xr4046 with the loader and never gave second thought for a backhoe as at the time of purchase they were offering the backhoe on it for an extra 4100. Fast forward to this year....now building a retirement home and used the loader extensively for excavating the "Frost proof shallow foundation" a.k.a insulated floating slab. So I didn't need the backhoe for that but with owning 20A farm land that needs constant care...plus needing to dig for well water line and septic system I sure wish I would have gotten the backhoe. I contacted my LS dealer and they couldn't even get the subframe so that I could mount any backhoe make on the tractor, let alone the whole complete package of LS subframe and backhoe....for all the time it would take to custom make just the subframe and the locate a backhoe to mount...I decided to just look for an old TLB that I could eek some life out of to finish my projects. After I got the TLB (John Deere 410, a REAL backhoe), an ad pops up in FB marketplace with a seller having the complete LS backhoe and subframe to fit my tractor, did I have regrets? NOPE because the seller wanted $6700 and would not budge, I paid 10k for the low hour JD 410 and now I have construction tractor I can beat to crap while keeping my LS for farm work etc. My thoughts on it....if at all possible, at least try to get the backhoe subframe even if you think you might not need a backhoe....with the subframe you could at least modify a different brand backhoe to put on the back. Happy Tractoring..

 

[panamaguy]

Backhoe is not a need for me, but would be a nice to have. I’m sure I’ll regret not getting it if I skip it.

If you put a thumb on the hoe it makes it 1000 times more useful. Can not imagine having a hoe without a thumb

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

The size of the Branson will limit the size and utility of the BH, but if price is not a particular problem and depending on your real or intended use it is always handy to have a BH on hand rather than having to rent. I bought my JD 3320 with BH for a particular job at the time, but have found it nice to have available when needed. The need / use for a BH will depend on what else you have available that could do the job and possibly your age & physical capabilities.

I have used the BH to dig up or create flower beds, dig graves for deceased pets, dig holes to plant trees, trenching jobs, digging out small tree stumps, excavation near foundation, digging a burn pit. For a younger person a shovel would probably have done the job, but my age / back are long past shovel work.

The utility value of your BH will be a function of "reach" = how often you may have to reposition the tractor. "Dig Depth" is also a function of reach = how deep a hole can you dig. The hydraulic power of the tractor is a significant factor. Digging sand or loose gravel is one thing, but even small tree roots can be very formidable and may require significant power to break or cut through.

 

[51allis]

Also noticed you are undecided as to what make/brand....please take your time to look them over very very carefully to compare the options on the tractors. My LS loader stick is cable operated (the loader valve is located almost under the tractor floor)...and I use the loader constantly and it has worn out already along with the loader valve not being able to hold in raised position for bucket curl etc. only 557 hrs on my LS. Read where Kubota has the loader valve connected to the loader stick (no cables) and this is a nice selling point. Not sure I would consider an LS again as my dealer only cares about sales, when you need warranty service he doesn't care to answer but will if you contact corporate. I would consider Kioti but no dealers anywhere near me for hours....Branson dealer was 2 hours from me, not bad...but he was pushy, the Mahindra dealer was no thanks...I just didnt click with him and his price and in the end I got the LS cheaper than the Branson/Mahindra, but don't always let the price be your decision making. Ask in advance if the dealer you are negotiating with can get the backhoe subframe on its own etc.

 

[Little Red Tractor]

It's a matter of upfront cost, use and preference. That said, I don't know anyone who regrets having bought one.

 

[Williy]

The best way to find the tractor that you want is to
test drive all the tractors you might be interested in
you can see and feel all the controls and find out if
they are easy to use/operate and not hard to get to.
Nothing better than having a hands on experience!
Here's something that most people don't do is
pray and ask the LORD for guidance the one who
knows more than anyone what you really need!

willy

 

[fried1765]

The BH on my 48HP Kubota L48 TLB is very strong!

To the OP

Make a list of the jobs only a BH will do for your needs.

I have a local guy that charges $100/hr and he does twice the work I could do with a BH. Makes more sense for me to hire the work out.

There is no outright correct answer...it depends on your needs.

I earn 8% on investments. So instead of investing $6000 on a BH, I can get about 5 hr of BH work done a year free. With no wear on tear on my equipment. It works for me, but I have only had the guy here twice in 9 years. YMMV

Obviously, some folks here use their BH a lot and it works for them.

What do you need doing?

How much will that "local guy" charge for the 20 minute job of lowering a heavy pump into a pit?
If you call him at noon on Monday, will he be there at 1:00?
How much will it cost to place 7 railroad ties (with thumb) when it cools off Friday evening ...let's say 6:00 - 8:00PM?