Backhoe vs Tractor with backhoe

sallyb · Nov 9, 2023

I would like a skid steer, I’m of opinion it would be very helpful, it has all attachments.

gcrabb · Nov 9, 2023

I sold my 3-point Backhoe with PTO Pump that was on a John Deere 4720 and went to a chinese mini backhoe, so far I like that.

DieselBound · Nov 9, 2023

I've got 40 acres. LOTs of trees. Lots of woody debris. Here and there I need to remove stumps and dig ditches*. I do NOT have a backhoe or an TLB. While I _could_ have used one I found it far more efficient and economical to rent excavators.

* I've pondered backhoes for ditch maintenance but I really only have a need every other year. At this point it's cheaper to rent for this than buy a backhoe attachment.

My hoe area is fenced, roughly the size of what the OP has stated he has to work with. I cannot imagine a TLB or even a mid-size tractor with a backhoe attachment being used in an area this small. Have a neighbor with a small Kubota and backhoe and I never see him really using the backhoe (though it stays attached to the tractor).

You get the tools for the kinds of regular work your do, frequency and job/completion times are key. One will almost always run into a situation (except those that do the same thing day in and day out- more business operations) where one's tools can't quite do the job. This is when you RENT what will do the job. One risks breaking one's tools when running them at the tool's limits; and we often push hard when trying to get something done and then... snap! I've busted a few things that ended up costing me more than what it would have cost to rent a piece of equipment. Having equipment always right there entices one to just "see" if you can do something.

If one is under time constraints then renting can often be far more effective. You get a tool that's more tailored to the job: performs and operates better and is all-around faster. One can also just buy an over-kill tool, get the work done and then sell it. One can also rent something just to see if it might be something worth owning.

As time goes by one finds one's needs changing. Make the best decision for the immediate future and go with it knowing to be on the ready to change as conditions/requirements change.

pughde · Nov 9, 2023

I started with a BX2360, then sold it and bought an L4701 with a backhoe, loader bucket, and grapple. As I aged it became difficult to swap the backhoe for a 3-point attachment. I ended up buying a 2360 which I use for 3-point and loader bucket activities. I have a lot of trees and ended up using the 4701 with backhoe and Grapple full-time. I used the 23 for the loader bucket and 3-point attachments.

Whawkins · Nov 9, 2023

I have 5.5 acres, long drive, mature trees and occasional snow removal. I went with the JD 2038r TLB. The 2038r has great ground clearance even with the backhoe frame. Backhoe is short on power, but my soil is dense clay which is tough for any small equipment to dig in. loader is very easily removable, and the tractor has plenty of power for tilling, mowing, box blade leveling the driveway. I also got pallet forks - they are incredible for lots of uses. I have a spray tank, and seed/fertilizer spreader as well, so can do just about anything on the property. The advantages of a good sized compact tractor is the ability to do any ag work you need done as well as limited backhoe work.

If the 2038r is not big enough, the 3046r is a serious workhorse with also a good amount of ground clearance below the backhoe frame. I used a 3046r on 120 acres for several years and anything short of doing ag work over a lot of acres, it was excellent (but much more $$ than the 2038r)

Jackson53 · Nov 9, 2023

If you are going to do a lot of excavating then you should by an excavator. Tractors are designed for pulling and excavators are designed for digging. A backhoe on a tractor causes a lot of wear and tear on both the tractor and the backhoe. A tractor with a front end loader fitted with 4-in-1 bucket providing 4 implements in one: conventional bucket scoop; grab for carrying; and blade and back blade for leveling is the way to go.

NewHampJim · Nov 9, 2023

Well I have 57 acres and a 650' driveway, bought a Mahindra 2638 2 yrs ago as my mid-size TBL..I tend to use the backhoe quite a bit and it acts as a beautiful counterweight to the FEL when I use it..That's the route I would do.. you can get a smaller tractor like a Mahindra 1626 with a backhoe or a similar size Kubota or whatever brand of your choice and should be fine..

7010P · Nov 9, 2023

Midsized tractor at best and rent a backhoe/mini-excavator when needed.

TomGTaylor · Nov 9, 2023

I have the same type of property and size. My Kubota BX25 with a FEL and front load 50" snowblower and rear backhoe does all the work required. 6 acres, 550' driveway, 3.5 acres grass and 2.5 acres hard bush. Hasn't failed me yet in the last 15 years

nknelsen · Nov 10, 2023

The question is only answered when you decide what you want to do with this equipment. Do you want a pto rototiller? Or anything that runs on a 3 point hitch? The backhoe is great for excavation, but how much are you really going to use it?

If I was going to go with a backhoe, I'd make sure it had aux Hydraulics up front and a quick attach bobcat style on the front so you could have a bucket, forks, grapple and maybe a hydraulic powered post hole Auger.

But for me, a tractor is the better, most versatile piece for me to sink my money into and I rent a mini excavator every few years when needed. A proper excavator will run circles around a backhoe or a tractor mounted backhoe. It's smaller and easier to operate around the house or barn and you can cast the dirt behind you making tight work spaces much easier.

At least that's the way it is for me.

Atypical_decorum · Nov 10, 2023

I had this same question. Here's how I answered it.

Tractor with 3pt backhoe - it's still a tractor when the 3pt backhoe is off. Depending on the size of your tractor you can get a pretty stout backhoe.

Backhoe - can't do anything other than loading and hoe-ing. It is not a tractor. But if I didn't need the other functions a tractor can offer, a backhoe is better at digging.

The real question is, do you need a tractor for anything else other than digging? If no, get a backhoe, if yes, get a tractor and backhoe 3pt.

I got a woods 1080 - this weighs as much as a car and digs 10ft deep.

howardjohn · Nov 10, 2023

I have a case 480e backhoe. Aside from it being very sturdy for heavy digging I like the fact all I have to do is turn the seat around and I can use the backhoe. If you have a ag tractor with a backhoe attachment you have to get off the tractor and climb up onto the backhoe. Then off the backhoe back into the tractor to move. What about adjusting the engine throttle? Can you do that on an ag tractor with a backhoe?

howardjohn · Nov 10, 2023

I can reach the throttle from my seat regardless which way it is facing

MinnesotaEric · Nov 10, 2023

If you need a backhoe then get a construction machine as backhoes on tractors are a bit of an afterthought and are not as durable as a dedicated backhoe.

Notforhire · Nov 10, 2023

The Kubota built TLB's are a little different. I originally bought my L47 as a tractor loader with a 3pt hitch. It's very much like a 4701 ag tractor except it has a huge subframe and a much more powerful loader, three hydraulic pumps, and quite a few more refinements.
Shortly afterwards I bought the backhoe "attachment" that turned it into a TLB.
It's a TLB that can become a tractor, not a tractor that becomes a light duty TLB.
I still mow with my L47 just as I did with my previous ag tractor.
It's not a Case 480, but it only weighs about half as much. It was really designed for landscapers and the like.

Atypical_decorum · Nov 10, 2023

I got ya. I didn't know those TLBs had a 3pt/pto.

number9L · Nov 11, 2023

Haven't read the whole thread, but what you posted in OP, I'd ask

- what tasks do you need a backhoe for?
- what is the lay of your property?

I've got a L3800 4x4 with FEL, have had a Case backhoe, and now have an old LinkBelt LS2800 excavator. My 82ac is mostly slopes / hills, and 95% wooded.

I would not want to run my tractor all the time with a backhoe attachment on it. Especially so on slopes. I can take my tractor FAR more places on my property with the FEL removed. It makes a HUGE difference in stability on slopes. I can't imagine how bad it would be with a backhoe attachment on it as well.

If you have use case where regular digging is needed, I'd buy an older used Case / Deere backhoe with the money you'd spend on the backhoe attachment for the tractor - and I'd imagine it would hold it's value more as well, if you ever decide to sell it.

If your use case is occasional digging (once or twice a year), I'd just rent a small excavator for a couple days to do the work.

The Case backhoe I had was FAR superior to the tractor FEL for doing FEL work. However, I was never comfortable taking the backhoe on any kind of slope, it felt like riding on top of a basketball. Very unnerving and constantly pinching a knot in the seat cover. The backhoe was much heavier than the tractor of course, so trying to work it on soft ground done more harm than good, leaving ruts everywhere you went.

The excavator is a dream on slopes / hills, not much worry of turning it over. It's been used to dig the basement for our home, built ditches, roads, loading my 1-ton dumptruck, pushing over big mature trees, using as a crane, lots of uses.

..

rScotty · Nov 11, 2023

It's interesting how many TBNers have an old full size backhoe - like a JD310 or Case 580....not many Cat 316s or JCBs however.

Once you use a full size machine it is an eye-opener. To plow a few feet of snow, I just lower the bucket to skim the ground and drive forward. The bucket is full in a few yards, but that makes no difference. It just keeps going forward. The power and lift is awesome. Look at how thick the metal is. No wonder they last forever.
rScotty

Wobblin-Goblin · Nov 12, 2023

Yep. 100hp and 18,000lbs of weight.

My dad was commenting on yellow machinery vs. farm tractors with loaders and he said, "No matter how rugged a farm tractor is with a loader, you still have to be careful. A (yellow machine) doesn't care either way."

Everything is better built when it's yellow. My 2007 JD410 "doesn't care."

rScotty · Nov 13, 2023

I believe that the yellow loader backhoes are deliberately built so that an operator doesn't have to be careful. After all, there are no operator's certificates most places. A company has no idea who they are hiring to run those things. But they are so incredibly rugged that they are strong enough to withstand almost - or maybe everything - that a uncaring operator can do to them. It would be very hard to get one to hurt itself.

BTW, from JD I was able to get the original build sheet for our 310SG. The FEL from a 410 is an option on the 310. Ours handles it easily... I forget the lift spec, but it is something crazy. If I remember right it is almost 8000 lbs to full height. That will certainly handle most things.....

rScotty