Backhoe Backhoes--who has one? Would you buy again?

[fried1765]

Well, most of my digging is close here on the farm, but if I needed to move a couple miles, I have a trailer that will go a lot faster than my tractor in high gear. I got a really good deal on this mid 90's model IHI.....not much more than the cost of a high end tractor backhoe unit with far more capability.

I think most any TLB will travel at 12 mph or better, in high gear.
"a couple miles"...meaning 2(?) would thus be traveled in 10 minutes.
You can load a mini-ex, travel "a couple miles", and unload, in ten minutes?
Would love to watch that.

 

[4570Man]

I think most any TLB will travel at 12 mph or better, in high gear.
"a couple miles"...meaning 2(?) would thus be traveled in 10 minutes.
You can load a mini-ex, travel "a couple miles", and unload, in ten minutes?
Would love to watch that.

My 310 would run 25 mph. My Kubota TLB isn’t as fast. But they’d either one be there before you got the trailer hooked on the truck and the mini on it. Then when you need a loader you have to go back for a second machine.

 

[natedog75]

That’s why you see municipalities and road crews with Backhoes. That’s also why you see Excavators on construction sites. You get the machine that fits the given task.

But the backhoe is not the end all be all. It is a compromise between an excavator and a wheel loader. Both of those machines will out preform a backhoe in there respective tasks.

When you drive a backhoe to the site you are preforming the job of a truck and trailer. Will you drive your backhoe to a job site 40
Miles away. Most likely the answer is no. It is a compromise. It’s not as good as a truck and trailer but will do the task.

Can a backhoe dig the same places and excavator can. Sometimes. But you won’t see a backhoe matting it’s way into a swap either. You do that with an excavator. The back hoe can’t reach behind its self and pick up the mat.

#StirThePot

 

[Jstpssng]

The OP's opening post to this thread was his last. I wonder if he's reading our replies and shaking his head. Looking at his profile though he hasn't visited since the night that he started this so it could be that Birdlover has left the building.

 

[houska]

Well, I've had my (Branson) 42HP tractor with backhoe for a year. I'm very happy I got the BH (with matched subframe). It stays on my tractor except for specific days I need the rotary cutter instead.

It all comes down to how "developed" your property is, and therefore how often and for how long you need to dig.
I imagine if you've got your property essentially the way you want it, and most of your tractor work is *exploiting* it, a BH is unnecessary. Periodically you'll have special projects where it's useful, but if they're big and occasional enough, you'll do better to rent an excavator. And if you're property is *un*developed and you're clearing forest and cutting in roads, you also need a real excavator and/or other tools.

But for me, in between the two, it's a great jack of all trades that I use for 30 mins to 2 hours on most days I'm using the tractor.

1. Clear out silted up area around end of culvert on forest road
2. Create/deepen 15' worth of ditch
3. Flatten a 5x10' pad where I need it
4. Lift something up (have hook welded to BH) in tight quarters where it's tough to get loader end in
5. Push a small snag or pick up a small log
6. Slice up old pile of material so I can pick it up more easily (Piranha bar I got last fall helps on that)
7. Move a small boulder

Bottom line is it's like a pocket knife. It's not a real knife, but if you need to cut something small every so often it's great to have in your pocket.

 

[natedog75]

Bottom line is it's like a pocket knife. It's not a real knife, but if you need to cut something small every so often it's great to have in your pocket.

Great analogy.

 

[ovrszd]

What is this? Elementary school? My dad can beat up your dad?
So what?

No it's not Elementary School. It's an adult man asking an adult question. There's been several off the cuff comments touting which is better. And almost all of them have been about machinery that the OP didn't even ask about. Started on the first page.

 

[ovrszd]

The OP's opening post to this thread was his last. I wonder if he's reading our replies and shaking his head. Looking at his profile though he hasn't visited since the night that he started this so it could be that Birdlover has left the building.

I don't blame him. Within 10 posts we had him spending tens of thousands of dollars on a machine he doesn't need....

 

[Hay Dude]

The OP's opening post to this thread was his last. I wonder if he's reading our replies and shaking his head. Looking at his profile though he hasn't visited since the night that he started this so it could be that Birdlover has left the building.

Yep! Soon as the thread started, in comes the battle between backhoe and excavator.
Comparisons are good, but the “my dad can beat up your dad” stuff isn’t.

 

[Hay Dude]

Well, I've had my (Branson) 42HP tractor with backhoe for a year. I'm very happy I got the BH (with matched subframe). It stays on my tractor except for specific days I need the rotary cutter instead.

It all comes down to how "developed" your property is, and therefore how often and for how long you need to dig.
I imagine if you've got your property essentially the way you want it, and most of your tractor work is *exploiting* it, a BH is unnecessary. Periodically you'll have special projects where it's useful, but if they're big and occasional enough, you'll do better to rent an excavator. And if you're property is *un*developed and you're clearing forest and cutting in roads, you also need a real excavator and/or other tools.

But for me, in between the two, it's a great jack of all trades that I use for 30 mins to 2 hours on most days I'm using the tractor.

1. Clear out silted up area around end of culvert on forest road
2. Create/deepen 15' worth of ditch
3. Flatten a 5x10' pad where I need it
4. Lift something up (have hook welded to BH) in tight quarters where it's tough to get loader end in
5. Push a small snag or pick up a small log
6. Slice up old pile of material so I can pick it up more easily (Piranha bar I got last fall helps on that)
7. Move a small boulder

Bottom line is it's like a pocket knife. It's not a real knife, but if you need to cut something small every so often it's great to have in your pocket.

Backhoe is like a Swiss Army knife!