Backhoe 485 Capability

Honey Dealer · Feb 21, 2012

Would I be crazy to attempt to dig a basement for a 1400 sq foot house with a 485 mounted on a JD 4520?
I like the idea of the backhoe more or less paying for itself and then having it for small trenching and digging projects in the future.

Martian · Feb 21, 2012

More or less, yes... I would suggest getting an older JD 310 or Case 580 preferably with an extend-a-hoe. For the same amount as the 485, you can have a machine that will far out dig, but be much older. I wouldn't dare try and dig a basement with a 485, though.

AKfish · Feb 22, 2012

Honey Dealer said:
Would I be crazy to attempt to dig a basement for a 1400 sq foot house with a 485 mounted on a JD 4520?
I like the idea of the backhoe more or less paying for itself and then having it for small trenching and digging projects in the future.

I won't say it couldn't be done... but, I wouldn't recommend it. Eight foot basement with a 2 foot wide footer?

You'd have to dig with the tractor down in the hole to get the hole deep enough. So, one side of the hole would have to be sloped to allow the tractor to go down and back out with the excavated dirt. Back and forth, back and forth. 'Course the last side would pose a problem as the backhoe would only be able to dig down 8' or so.

If you're set on doing it yourself - I rent an excavator. You'd save time and money over buying the 485 and wouldn't have an older backhoe to maintain and/or resell, either.

AKfish

Honey Dealer · Feb 22, 2012

Ok, forget about the basement. Surely the 485 has the capability to trench for geothermal?

johndeere4720 · Feb 22, 2012

Honey Dealer said:
Ok, forget about the basement. Surely the 485 has the capability to trench for geothermal?

I don't think that a 485 has the diging depth to do geothermal...... I just did my geothermal this fall and it was 3 long weekends of hard work..... I even had a Cat 315 excavator and a good operater running it.......

If i where you I would rent a Cat 320 with a 48" bucket and get digging.

Honey Dealer · Feb 23, 2012

Typical depth for geothermal is no more than 6 feet. It'd be a slow project, but I think it would work.

johndeere4720 · Feb 23, 2012

Honey Dealer said:
Typical depth for geothermal is no more than 6 feet. It'd be a slow project, but I think it would work.

I don't know where you live, but in SW Michigan you need to go atlest 10' down, and thats in clay which is grate soil for geothermal......

I had to did a 200' trench with a 485 in hard clay and it took about 1 day just to dig the trench. (BTW the trench was only 2' deep.)

I'm not trying to shy you away from the 485 its a good backhoe, its just that I think there are faster and more cheeper ways to do what you want to do out there....

Honey Dealer · Feb 24, 2012

I am a long long ways North of you. Under the frost level and we are good to go.

AKfish · Feb 24, 2012

Honey Dealer said:
I am a long long ways North of you. Under the frost level and we are good to go.

Frost up here can go 9' on a bad winter! I'd be surprised if you run water lines less than 7' in SK. My horse waterer has frozen twice in the past 10 years. It's as deep as the 485 will absolutely dig - 8'6".

AKfish

Cidertom · Feb 25, 2012

On this as many issues: time vs money. If you have the time, yep a 485 will dig the basement or geo trench. If you have the money, a real digging machine will do it faster, more accurate, and with a lot less work. I've done several largeish projects around here with the 448 Hoe on the 4520, and I can do an hour or so a night without impacting the paying job. If I rent I have to work straight through to make it pay.

You got more time or more money to spare?