houska
Silver Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2019
- Messages
- 172
- Location
- close to Perth, Eastern ON, Canada
- Tractor
- Branson 4225h; Kubota KX-040
I had a tractor backhoe for 4 years, sold it, and bought a mini-ex.
As a very general rule of thumb, the bucket breakout force of a mini is about equal to its weight.
The bucket breakout force of a backhoe, with subframe, on a tractor is *maybe* 2/3 that (i.e., weight of tractor, though it's less the determining factor -- just big picture)
On the other hand, a backhoe might add 20-30% to the cost of your tractor, while a separate, non-Chinese mini-ex, similarly sized, is similar to the cost of the tractor itself. But keeps resale value better.
Tracked miniexes move a lot more slowly than tractors, to get to where you need them. On the other hand, miniexes are a lot more mobile when working. Jumping off the backhoe seat, into the tractor seat, lifting the stabilizers, and moving 2 feet; and then doing it all in reverse, gets old pretty quickly. Only you can tell which will be more of a challenge in your situation.
Backhoes without a subframe are sub-par. With subframe, they're a bit of a hassle to take on and off. Doable, and depends a bit on the brand and tractor model, but don't kid yourself you'll do it on a whim like taking on/off a box blade attachment.
I think the jury's still out on Chinese miniexes - superficially very attractive, but I think only suitable for people who are more mechanically inclined, and have better equipped shops, than I do.
Bottom line is I'm happy I now have a miniex, and knowing what I know now about my needs, wish I had bought one from the get go. On the other hand, going the tractor+backhoe route served me in good stead for a few years, and my ownership cost after sale didn't exceed U$2000. So I'm not mad I did what I did either. A classic "if you have the $" vs "I want it now" tradeoff.
As a very general rule of thumb, the bucket breakout force of a mini is about equal to its weight.
The bucket breakout force of a backhoe, with subframe, on a tractor is *maybe* 2/3 that (i.e., weight of tractor, though it's less the determining factor -- just big picture)
On the other hand, a backhoe might add 20-30% to the cost of your tractor, while a separate, non-Chinese mini-ex, similarly sized, is similar to the cost of the tractor itself. But keeps resale value better.
Tracked miniexes move a lot more slowly than tractors, to get to where you need them. On the other hand, miniexes are a lot more mobile when working. Jumping off the backhoe seat, into the tractor seat, lifting the stabilizers, and moving 2 feet; and then doing it all in reverse, gets old pretty quickly. Only you can tell which will be more of a challenge in your situation.
Backhoes without a subframe are sub-par. With subframe, they're a bit of a hassle to take on and off. Doable, and depends a bit on the brand and tractor model, but don't kid yourself you'll do it on a whim like taking on/off a box blade attachment.
I think the jury's still out on Chinese miniexes - superficially very attractive, but I think only suitable for people who are more mechanically inclined, and have better equipped shops, than I do.
Bottom line is I'm happy I now have a miniex, and knowing what I know now about my needs, wish I had bought one from the get go. On the other hand, going the tractor+backhoe route served me in good stead for a few years, and my ownership cost after sale didn't exceed U$2000. So I'm not mad I did what I did either. A classic "if you have the $" vs "I want it now" tradeoff.
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