Backhoe attachment decision

[the whispering oaks farm]

I have the LS xr4046HC with backhoe-it is mounted with a sub-frame and one hydraulic line. it does a nice job of digging, almost 8 feet deep. it doesn't have the power of say a Case contractor backhoe but it isn't $100,000 either. I bought it because our septic tank was full and the pumper said it would be at least $2000 just to locate the tank with a backhoe so I bought one instead. it took a half hour to find it. now I can dig out trees,clear ditches, dig small ponds, etc. I use it a lot now that I own one. I did get a package deal but it was around $6000. it sure is handy when you have a broken water line or ? I have a 35 acre farm so there will always be stuff to do. It takes about 10 minutes to install and is very stable. Hope this helps.

 

[loweryc]

Thats similar to my situation, always something around this farm that needs attention, but always 5 things waiting that are more important. My tractor is only 50 HP so I'm a little apprehensive. I hope it's enough. I won't work it too hard.It will not be used to provide an income.

 

[the whispering oaks farm]

Mine is 46 hp and it does well, I wouldn't want a smaller tractor though. Weight plays an important role in it. I fluid filled both the front and back tires. I bought both a 12 and 16 inch buckets and like the 12" bucket best. I have been adding water lines to our fruit trees and planting new stuff in the pastures. I also use it to clean the ditches and culverts in the front along the road. If you have it you will find it very useful for things all around. I am going to dig out an old oak tree that was killed in a storm.

 

[beaglebriar]

Heck my little 1920 is only 32 HP and the only thing I've found that will stop the hoe is solid rock. The backhoe isn't as nice as a mini x but it will pay for itself quickly if you have a small farm.

 

[chuck172]

I'm thinking about adding a backhoe to my kioti ck35. Really confused though. I'm afraid that I'll end up with an expensive toy that isn't strong enough to do what I want. Then there's frame mount vs. 3pt. hitch, woods brand vs. kioti vs. others.
It's a big 10k gamble.

 

[beaglebriar]

I'm thinking about adding a backhoe to my kioti ck35. Really confused though. I'm afraid that I'll end up with an expensive toy that isn't strong enough to do what I want. Then there's frame mount vs. 3pt. hitch, woods brand vs. kioti vs. others.
It's a big 10k gamble.

As far as being a gamble you may be right. I'm happy with my set up it's more than adequate for my needs. Frame mount is the way to go. Thursday I dug a 90 ft ditch in front of my barn it was 2 ft deep on average and it took me a good eight hours. It wasn't an easy dig and a lot of it was working on a side hill. I also had to clean up th removed dirt as I dug which meant a lot of loader work. I figure a pro could do it in half the time but it still would have cost me 600-800 bucks and that's not including the back fill and clean up. So you can save money in the long run if you have enough work to do with it. But 10 grand might be hard to justify

 

[ScottyChip]

Hi there, if you go with the backhoe attachment you will not regret it. I have a Kubota B7510 and bought a woods bh-6000 with sub frame this spring and love it, it's not a mini x, but I didn't expect it to be. Now I do things when I want to, rather then rushing to get the job done with a rented mini x. My tractor is light and the hoe can certainly bounce it around, but the sub frame adds a lot of stability and rigidity. I would never go 3 pt mount. The woods look like original when mounted and does not stick out the back too far. I think you will be pleased no matter which brand you go. Enjoy.

 

[/pine]

Personally I would look around for a used (stand alone) backhoe...in many areas you can find working hoes/loaders for around $5k and up...shop around for the right deal and you can use it for a few years and get your money back selling it down the road...

 

[St3v3n]

I just purchased a JD 5055 and I am adding a Wallenstein GX920. The JD dealer said the 3pt hitch is just fine and that the sub frame mount is not available for the JD 5055E. I looked at the Wallenstein mount applications and it lists the JD 5055E but says 4pt. I'm not sure what that means. Anyone have any experience with it?

 

[rmorey]

I'm thinking about adding a backhoe to my kioti ck35. Really confused though. I'm afraid that I'll end up with an expensive toy that isn't strong enough to do what I want. Then there's frame mount vs. 3pt. hitch, woods brand vs. kioti vs. others.
It's a big 10k gamble.

I had an '04 CK25 with the KB2475 hoe. It was incredible what I could lift (300-400 lb rocks) without a problem. :cool2: The only issue was that when digging trenches, you have to move all the time. It was so useful that when I got the new DK40, I upgraded to the KB2485 because I couldn't imagine not having a hoe on the machine.