RonL
Banned
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2001
- Messages
- 432
- Location
- Worcester, Massachusetts
- Tractor
- Caterpillar 416C IT, Caterpillar D3G, previously owned a Ford 1910
Rodger
Interesting thread. I have been extremely busy lately and have not had much time to spend in TBN, but this thread piqued my interest. I am coming into this discussion from the perspective of having previously owned a Ford 1910 32 HP tractor with a Woods 750 3PH backhoe. I now own a Caterpillar 416C IT industrial backhoe and a D3 dozer. I have 150 hours on the backhoe and nearly a hundred on the dozer. When I have more time I intend to write a full review of these industrial machines. The gist of my perspective is that the machine should be sized to the tasks at hand. Twenty years ago I had the naive expectation that I was going to be able to buy a piece of land and do all the work that was required to build a house and barn with my Ford. Today, after using the Cat's, I realise that was unrealistic. Clearing land and doing the initial excavation requires ( arguably ) industrial equipment. However, I did a lot of work with my Ford and it's Wood's backhoe. I had both ag and turf tires for the Ford. My ex girlfriend ran a landscape design business. With the turf tires we were able to drive over lawns, dig holes for planting trees, crane the root ball into the hole and plant the tree without doing damage to the established lawn. I would not be able to do that with the Cat. Equipment has a RANGE of work it can do. If the majority of work that needs to be done is within the range of the machine then it may be practical. The majority of the work that I need to do now is within the range of the equipment that I have. Some of it is at the upper end of its capabilities. I will be able to do it but larger trackhoes and dozers would be better suited for the job. However, it would not be practical for me to bring in larger machines to do the very small amount of work that these machines would be better at. The same may be true for smaller tractors with detachable backhoes. The majority of the work that they do may be within the comfortable range of their capabilities. Ocasionally they may be pushed to their upper limits. But, you can look at it from this perspective: would the work have got done otherwise? And what is this worth to you personally? There are many thing that will get done on my property that would not have gotten done if I had hired out the site prep, simply because I have the machines on site and can do whatever I want with them.
My neighbor has a older thirty horsepower or so range Kubota that has a front end loader and backhoe. He has 47 acres and has done a tremendous amount of work with his machine. I brought my dozer down to his property and let him use it for a couple of weeks. He put 40 hours on the machine. he tells me that it would have taken him months of work to do the same with his kubota. He dropped his backhoe, put on his brush hog, and cut my field and power line right of way. Something that I cannot do with my equipment.
I have said it elsewhere, but I'll repeat it. I bought my industrial equipment because I had raw land to develope and because I'm contemplating doing work with it when I retire. If I had bought a house already finished and landscaped, I would have bought a CUT with a frame mount bachhoe.
As to whether a small backhoe is worth it? Consider the RANGE of work that you wish to do and the RANGE of work that the backhoe is capable. Realistically. And, as I said earlier, consider the work that would not get done otherwise. What is that worth to YOU?
As an aside: Consider the wealthy man that buys a custom made house with beatiful custom millwork and all the trimmings. Does he get as much joy in the house as the man that built his cottage himself? I visited my 94 year old widowed Aunt and sat in the kitchen of her modest home. She said: " Ed ( her husband) built these cabinets". They were simple, rustic knotty pine cabinets. They were the most beautiful thing in the world to her.
RonL
Interesting thread. I have been extremely busy lately and have not had much time to spend in TBN, but this thread piqued my interest. I am coming into this discussion from the perspective of having previously owned a Ford 1910 32 HP tractor with a Woods 750 3PH backhoe. I now own a Caterpillar 416C IT industrial backhoe and a D3 dozer. I have 150 hours on the backhoe and nearly a hundred on the dozer. When I have more time I intend to write a full review of these industrial machines. The gist of my perspective is that the machine should be sized to the tasks at hand. Twenty years ago I had the naive expectation that I was going to be able to buy a piece of land and do all the work that was required to build a house and barn with my Ford. Today, after using the Cat's, I realise that was unrealistic. Clearing land and doing the initial excavation requires ( arguably ) industrial equipment. However, I did a lot of work with my Ford and it's Wood's backhoe. I had both ag and turf tires for the Ford. My ex girlfriend ran a landscape design business. With the turf tires we were able to drive over lawns, dig holes for planting trees, crane the root ball into the hole and plant the tree without doing damage to the established lawn. I would not be able to do that with the Cat. Equipment has a RANGE of work it can do. If the majority of work that needs to be done is within the range of the machine then it may be practical. The majority of the work that I need to do now is within the range of the equipment that I have. Some of it is at the upper end of its capabilities. I will be able to do it but larger trackhoes and dozers would be better suited for the job. However, it would not be practical for me to bring in larger machines to do the very small amount of work that these machines would be better at. The same may be true for smaller tractors with detachable backhoes. The majority of the work that they do may be within the comfortable range of their capabilities. Ocasionally they may be pushed to their upper limits. But, you can look at it from this perspective: would the work have got done otherwise? And what is this worth to you personally? There are many thing that will get done on my property that would not have gotten done if I had hired out the site prep, simply because I have the machines on site and can do whatever I want with them.
My neighbor has a older thirty horsepower or so range Kubota that has a front end loader and backhoe. He has 47 acres and has done a tremendous amount of work with his machine. I brought my dozer down to his property and let him use it for a couple of weeks. He put 40 hours on the machine. he tells me that it would have taken him months of work to do the same with his kubota. He dropped his backhoe, put on his brush hog, and cut my field and power line right of way. Something that I cannot do with my equipment.
I have said it elsewhere, but I'll repeat it. I bought my industrial equipment because I had raw land to develope and because I'm contemplating doing work with it when I retire. If I had bought a house already finished and landscaped, I would have bought a CUT with a frame mount bachhoe.
As to whether a small backhoe is worth it? Consider the RANGE of work that you wish to do and the RANGE of work that the backhoe is capable. Realistically. And, as I said earlier, consider the work that would not get done otherwise. What is that worth to YOU?
As an aside: Consider the wealthy man that buys a custom made house with beatiful custom millwork and all the trimmings. Does he get as much joy in the house as the man that built his cottage himself? I visited my 94 year old widowed Aunt and sat in the kitchen of her modest home. She said: " Ed ( her husband) built these cabinets". They were simple, rustic knotty pine cabinets. They were the most beautiful thing in the world to her.
RonL
