3 point backhoe vs sub-frame mount

[John_Mc]

I bought a used Woods 7500 backhoe for my NH TC33D about 10 years go. It was a 3 pt hitch, so I used it that way for a while. Like you, I thought "it's only for occasional light work, so I don;t need to spring for the subframe. I used it on an doff for about 2 years before deciding to get the subframe. The backhoe just moved around too much for my taste when mounted on the 3 pt hitch, and I was constantly feeling like I had to "baby" it. It was a bit of a hassle to mount, even after I had some practice at it, but I was willing to live with that since I used it so infrequently.

When I finally got the subframe and converted the backhoe over it was night and day. MUCH more solid feeling, and it felt as though I had upgrade to a larger backhoe. The added bonus of being able to mount the hoe onto the Woods 4 point hitch in a few minutes, even when I'm out of practice sure is nice.

Some thoughts for you:
Even though you think your use is light duty, it's only a matter of time before you run into that stump or rock that you want to dig out - hey, that's what you got the backhoe for, right?
To me, it's not a question of subframe vs 3 point hitch, it's a question of a subframe vs just renting a tractor with backhoe when you need one.
An added bonus of the subframe for me: It gives me an easy place to mount the belly pan I'm having installed for working in the woods. I've found I can really use the extra protection of a belly pan when getting firewood and doing other small-scale logging operations

 

[brown40]

Had the same situation four years ago myself and lucked into a woods with a subframe. I like that the weight and forces are distributed across the entire machine into the frame/3 section body that is my tractor. I push and pull the whole tractor sidewards and backwards with the subframe instead of 3 expensive hydraulically actuated moving parts connected to the extreme end of my 3rd section. I could have gotten a bigger 3 pt BH for the same price, but didn't want to risk damaging a machine I use for many things on an implement that gathers dust most of the time.