CompactTractorFan
Super Member
I have never seen anything like that before. Thanks for posting. :thumbsup:
Back Hoe -vs- Excavator... Which do you prefer?
- Thread starter Localmotion
- Start date
- Views: 28893
I have never seen anything like that before. Thanks for posting. :thumbsup:
Dynahoes were a machine that could dig very well and fast. The early models had detroit engines, the last few years had Deeres. They were like having an excavator and loader all in one. The early years they were very slow. The best ones are the all wheel drive models with Deere engines. I think they scaled over 29000 lbs with the larger ones.
Deere makes the 710 model, very large powerful machine.
*SOLD*1985 DYNAHOE 190-4 - YouTube
John Deere 710J In Action - YouTube
Each has a place, if I could only have one I'd take a TLB anyday. Can drive from job to job around here and for me I can do more with one. Of course I also owned one for a few years and spent a lot time on others.
Deere makes the 710 model, very large powerful machine.
*SOLD*1985 DYNAHOE 190-4 - YouTube
John Deere 710J In Action - YouTube
Each has a place, if I could only have one I'd take a TLB anyday. Can drive from job to job around here and for me I can do more with one. Of course I also owned one for a few years and spent a lot time on others.
TBigLug
Bronze Member
Gotta vote for the TLB myself. I do too much on the farm to have a single use machine. Second biggest use my TLB does is move, stack and load round bales. Can't do that with an ex without tearing up my fields.
Ken45101
Elite Member
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- southern Ohio
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- Kubota M5040, M9540, B21 TLB, B2710, RTV900, JD 325 Skid steer, KX-121-3 mini excavator
As has been said, they are different machines which can do some of the same jobs.
However, a backhoe is pretty much limited to digging in one position and dumping 90 degrees away. When I have ground sliding into the driveway ditch, my only option with a bh is to dig it out and dump it 90 degrees way, right on the driveway. Then later move it with the bucket, leaving greasy clay on the driveway (very slippery). With the excavator, I can dig it up on one side of the drive and dump it 180 degrees away on the other side of the driveway. Much better.
Ken
However, a backhoe is pretty much limited to digging in one position and dumping 90 degrees away. When I have ground sliding into the driveway ditch, my only option with a bh is to dig it out and dump it 90 degrees way, right on the driveway. Then later move it with the bucket, leaving greasy clay on the driveway (very slippery). With the excavator, I can dig it up on one side of the drive and dump it 180 degrees away on the other side of the driveway. Much better.
Ken
Not really, I've cleaned out a lot of ditch by driving along side of the ditch with the backhoe and digging at 90 degrees to the machine and dumping the material as far as 180 degrees away. It also leaves the btm of the ditch round instead of flat. Just have to make sure machine is far enough away the outriggers won't slip into the ditch. My machine does not have the extend-a-hoe, the machine I use at work from time to time does and it's even easier.
Probably not as fast as an excavator but it can be done.
I also dug out 50' of barn foundation 10' deep with my backhoe doing the same thing. This way I could open the trench wide enough at the top so it wouldn't cave in and get the dirt well away from the hole.
I have a mini excavator and tractor with a front end loader. I considered a TLB but the digging jobs I had to do when I was in the market, a five hundred foot trench 4 feet deep and replacing a septic bed would have been very very long and painful jobs with the backhoe. The mini was perfect for those jobs. Also great for popping small trees and other digging jobs. Yes the tracks will rip up some grass if you are not careful when you turn but it can be done without mqking q mess. An excavator will out dig a backhoe hands down. You can position your dirt 360 circle, get closer to bulidings and have a very stable working base. I can even cross over or stradle a trench I dug. Don't think that would be easy with a TLB. Now in support of the TLB... When I have to go to the back of my 30 acre property with my mini it takes a long time. When I have a job off site that requires a loader and the mini it takes two trips to get the machines there. A TLB is a better transporting option.
Ken45101
Elite Member
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- 3,669
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- southern Ohio
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- Kubota M5040, M9540, B21 TLB, B2710, RTV900, JD 325 Skid steer, KX-121-3 mini excavator
Okay, with the bigger backhoes. But my Kubota B21 doesn't have the reach or the stability to dig off of the side.
That's not really hard to straddle a trench with a backhoe. Drive up at a 45 degree angle alongside the trench, straddle the trench with the FEL, put the outriggers close to the ground and use the hoe to lift and shift the rear end across the trench. I didn't know it could be done, but I watched a guy do it, and I've done it myself.
Ken
AGRIMAN
Platinum Member
To me you really need to consider all your options and what you plan to do with it before deciding which one will be the best fit. We recently started a project to replace over 200 acres of 40 year old fence. Needless to say, we have some clearing to do and I have been looking at used excavators for a few months now. Not really at mini excavators but rather a small full size machine, something in the 30,000 lbs range. Since my knowledge on excavators is just enough to get me into trouble, I asked a very good friend of mine who has many years of experience working with construction equipment to help me look for one.
From the start he was pushing me toward a 4x4 backhoe (rubber tire as we call them) over an excavator simple for its versatility. I wasn't sold on the idea, but as he pointed out, it won't be as fast as an excavator, but in the long run it will be a better all-around fit for farm use. After looking at several excavators that we both agreed weren't worth the asking price, I ran across a pretty good deal on a Case 580 backhoe (4x4). Still not convinced it was the best idea, I decided to give it a try since I already have a NH SL190 Skid Steer loader (which is a large machine)and I was thinking the two might be a good fit.
So far we have cleared about 3,000 of pretty bad fence and I have to say that I'm impressed with what the 4X4 backhoe will do by itself, but when paired with the SS it really makes things go faster. Now, there's no way it's going to out dig or perform a 30,000 lbs excavator for what we are doing, but when you consider the cost advantage, it does the job nicely. It was also really nice that I could just drive it down the road to complete a few small jobs that I wanted to do and drive it back within an hour.
I still would like to have a small excavator and if the right one at the right price where to come my way I would jump on it, but I don't think the backhoe is going anywhere. I'm satisfied.
From the start he was pushing me toward a 4x4 backhoe (rubber tire as we call them) over an excavator simple for its versatility. I wasn't sold on the idea, but as he pointed out, it won't be as fast as an excavator, but in the long run it will be a better all-around fit for farm use. After looking at several excavators that we both agreed weren't worth the asking price, I ran across a pretty good deal on a Case 580 backhoe (4x4). Still not convinced it was the best idea, I decided to give it a try since I already have a NH SL190 Skid Steer loader (which is a large machine)and I was thinking the two might be a good fit.
So far we have cleared about 3,000 of pretty bad fence and I have to say that I'm impressed with what the 4X4 backhoe will do by itself, but when paired with the SS it really makes things go faster. Now, there's no way it's going to out dig or perform a 30,000 lbs excavator for what we are doing, but when you consider the cost advantage, it does the job nicely. It was also really nice that I could just drive it down the road to complete a few small jobs that I wanted to do and drive it back within an hour.
I still would like to have a small excavator and if the right one at the right price where to come my way I would jump on it, but I don't think the backhoe is going anywhere. I'm satisfied.
20 20
Elite Member
Thanks Localmotion; I was trying to remember where I had seen a video of one of those. I've also seen the same setup except with tracks. Seems to me this would be a very hard machine to beat. I think once this hits the market(IF) big, it'll be the cats meow.
sdkubota
Platinum Member
I ran both for over a decade and will state they are the same for purely digging. An excavator has an advantage of dumping dirt within a 360 degree radius where the tractor backhoe only has 180 degree dump zone. Traveling...backhoe, carrying dirt...backhoe, multitasking...backhoe.