If you have back issues climbing in and out of the BH seat to get into the tractor seat every 3 feet will get old and stale real fast. Do yourself a favour and find a CUT/SCUT TLB that has a swivel seat.
I've owned an AG CUT with subframe BH and will never buy one again. AG tractors just aren't made to handle construction duty. Sub-frame BH's suck almost as much as 3PH BH.
Sell your Case 580 and buy an older used mini-x with a thumb. Thank me later.
I own a Kubota 3560 cab with a 9'2" depth backhoe (BH92). 800 hours since 2020 new.
I agree with you to a point, but losing the flexibility and overall functionality of his Case is going to be hard for him to stomach it seems.
You are talking a bit like the Morgan's on YouTube. That is, with an unlimited budget and someone else providing the equipment, then yes ...absolutely, everything's a possibility.
I also disagree with these kind of viewpoints, folks that say "if you need to rent something in the future to fit an exact need, then do it. Save the wear and tear on your own equip".
Why do I disagree with that?
The purpose of getting a TLB or tractor with a backhoe is that it provides the flexibility to do it all, or most of what you need all from a single machine albeit adding additional implements along the way to get there.
The purpose, like the Morgan's state, isn't to buy a $50,000 TLB (or get it free for 3 years) and then rent a machine to do the "hard" work every time you need to do something major so you don't put wear and tear on your personal machine. Nor is it to just go out and buy an excavator as well, because everything you do needs to fit perfectly "inside the lines" of general contracting etiquette.
Making a $600 or $700 monthly payment for 7 years one would think, should be the bulk of costs to manage 85% of basic equipment needs for non specific use needs (which is why most folks buy a TLB over an excavator to begin with).
But to get dinged another $2500 to $5000 a year to rent additional equipment on top of that? I don't think so. Not if you can do what this gentleman is attempting to do, and that's to extend his basic functionality without overworking his checkbook.
At that point you become a user of equipment that is just not affordable for general around the home of around the farm use UNLESS you are able to use it for quasi commercial activities or personal uses that do require such equipment.
Not to mention that renting an excavator a few times a year doesn't give a TLB user the experience to hop in the seat and just get it done. Your personal experience with both TLB and excavators, although respectable, isn't something that's shared by lots of users out there that are simply looking at adding an implement to give added value and functionality to their existing equipment.
Lots of folks can give that direction, but moving to an excavator from a TLB, or simply adding an excavator to one's equipment list is a very rash way to accomplish making things a "bit" easier at minimal investment. Just my thought process.
Now, given that, YES... there are situations where someone that's got the $, has the use, or can generate enough use of an excavator to purchase one and make it a permanent part of their equipment trove, can and does work. But personally, I'm reticent to simply add another new piece of equipment at another $700 to $800/month, even worse... an old beat up piece, that I will have to continually make repairs to before I can use it.
So even the notion of getting something cheap, although it sounds easy, may create unanticipated consequences or issues that could make it a leap of faith over real work benefit.
