Buying Advice BH? Is it worth it?

[Hotrocks]

Evening everyone,

I want a backhoe in the worst way. My budget doesn't allow for it right now, but when it does, is it worth the money? My dad (who makes a living with his BX25), says he would be lost without it. My step father and nearby Kubota dealer said it wasn't worth spending all the money on it when you can rent a small backhoe when needed. This is not a convenient as having it already sitting in the garage.

This would be for a B2920, to be used for landscaping, planting trees etc. I hear it's great for digging out rocks. Thanks in advance to all for opinions and advice.

 

[crash325]

Once you have a BH, you will never want to be without it. haven't taken mine off the tractor in over 3 years. Save your pennies. :laughing::thumbsup:

 

[JiminGa]

I think if you have a landscaping business owning a backhoe sets you apart from alot of your competition...being different is a good thing

 

[Cat_Driver]

I'm going to have to agree with the renting. I've always has a backhoe on my tractors but I don't use them that often. Don't get me wrong when I NEED them they are invaluable, buy to gave that much cash sitting around isn't worth it.

Noe if you use it every wee, or every day, or even every moth that's different.

If I had it to do over again I would rent when needed. I've got a 12K backhoe attachment sitting around not being used when I thought I would / could use it it often.

 

[NOTV8]

It really depend on what are you planning to do with it and what is your time worth. Big job needs big toys and make it easy and that is where the rental is handy. But if you like me that only do it on my own time whenever I want, owning is better. I found a used Woods BH7500 and really love it.

 

[Mounted Madness]

Considering the price of a back hoe, it would be difficult to justify the expense if you plan on using it for business.

I had a BX24 with FEL/BH and when I replaced it with the B3030, I figured I'd go with another BH. Once I got the price though, I realized very quickly, that it'd take a large number of jobs to, at the very least, earn back the cost of the BH, let alone make any money.

I'd had some BH jobs over the course of 3 years, but certainly not enough to justify the expense of buying one again. If I get a call for backhoe work, I'll rent one.

Renting a unit as and when required, would be your best bet in my opinion. When your operation grows and you can 'justify' the expense, then go for it. They are a lot of fun, handy and a great toy. :thumbsup:

 

[radioman]

Oh gee, I dont know-- I just love mine and love having one. if your dad has a
BH, don't you get the father discount when you need to use one?

I am surprised the dealer talked you out of one.

 

[Hotrocks]

Oh gee, I dont know-- I just love mine and love having one. if your dad has a
BH, don't you get the father discount when you need to use one?

I am surprised the dealer talked you out of one.

The only problem with the father discount is that he lives 1200 miles away. Othewise...I'd be knocking on his door.

And, I think the dealer felt by not pushing the BH, due to my budget constraints, that he might be able to make the sale with just the FEL, keeping me within budget. JUst my opinion.

 

[charleyfarmall]

The bottom line is, it comes down to the bottom line. If you can afford to tie up the money, in my opinion, it's worth having. Saturday in january - my waterline failed. I had water in 24 hours. Every rental place was closed, thankfully Lowes wasn't.

Some projects take longer. i put in an 800 foot irrigation line over a period of several months as time permitted. I could not have done that if I had to rent. I also could not have compressed the time into a weekend or a few days if rental was my only option.

Planting trees on the spur of the moment? Dead animal to bury? For me, the flexibility of the BH made it worth having. I could hook it up no matter when and no matter what. Is it limited? yes. an excavator has more power and every once in a while you might need an excavator, but in 8 years, I never had to but I used the BH very frequently. 8 years cost me $1000 on the hoe in depreciation when I sold it. Just over $100/ year. One weekend of rental costs what? plus picking it up and dropping it off. I used the hoe 6 times per year for a couple days at a time.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Combustix]

I got mine when I got my tractor a B2710. If I had rented one I probably would have bought it twice by now. I just use it for my own needs and have helped out a neighbor or two. I was also able to keep my house from flooding by digging drainage ditches away from the house back in 09, that alone made that purchase worth it. Sounds like you will be using it a lot for your business so it would make sense and be much more convenient to have your own.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

No, it's probably not worth the money if money is tight and especially on a B model. I've owned a Kubota of one model or another for seven years. Actually have bought 13 during that time. I considered a BH each time I bought and could never seem to justify the cost. Finally bought a couple of F model Kubotas for mowing only so have to have a tractor. They are like PU trucks, once you own one you feel lost without one. Finally bought a BX25 which comes with FEL and BH. I have a rental property with six septic tanks and I felt I could use the BX25 half time home and half time business for write off. Well, I still say the BH is probably not worth the money but don't think I'll ever be without one again. My most used part of my BX25. Digging holes at the drop of a hat for myself and brother next door and even some of the neighbors. I do a lot of home landscaping and see plenty more in my future especially since I have the BH. I also like having tools and equipment to do my own work at my own schedule and not count on others to do my jobs. I do hire out major work or have in the past but most major and dangerous steep hillside work is done. No, probably not worth the money but.................

 

[ronjhall]

I have had my BH for over 7 years. Have taken out stumps, dug gas line, made a garden pond, dug out entrance outside entrance to basement, dug 2 drain systems for eve trough drains and many other projects. BH has not been out of barn for 2 years now. But it does not owe me anything. Have a couple of projects to do. But have not gotten around to it yet.
My BH is on a B2910.

 

[rswyan]

Count me in as one of the "not worth it crowd" ..... and I've actually used mine quite a bit .... (BL4690B on B2910)

I've been where you are at now ..... and if I had it to do over again, I'd either put the $7K (?) that I spent on the backhoe towards a used mini-excavator in decent condition, or towards a cabbed tractor - with heat and air (I bought a year or so too early and the B3030HSDC wasn't available yet)

I have spent at least half the cost of the backhoe since I bought it ..... renting mini-excavators .... and I'll be renting one again (for a week) later in the summer.

There is just no comparison between a CUT with a BH and a mini-ex ..... in terms of productivity.

Do yourself a favor - before you buy a 'hoe, get the dealer (assuming they also have Kubota construction equipment) to let you spend 30 to 60 minutes digging with a Kubota KX-41 or U17 mini-ex ..... and then same amount of time with the 'hoe and tractor you are thinking of buying ..... in that order .....

Even completely green on a mini-ex or backhoe, you ought to be able to do 2x to 4x the amount of work with the mini over the 'hoe .... easily ....

 

[Boondox]

If you have the land and tractor work is a serious hobby, if not an occupation, I'd say yes. I have 155 acres and was able to do everything I needed without one, but look upon my CUT as a land yacht of sorts. Instead of caring for teak decks I get implements.

I had a Woods 7500 on my L3010 which I liked...until a friend let me use his KX-71 mini excavator for a couple of months. After that, I was spoiled and simply HAD to have a mini X of my own. I use it as much as I use the tractor: planting saplings, cleaning silt out of ditches, turning the compost pile, digging up stumps, processing firewood (lifting logs to a convenient height for cutting, or lifting HUGE pieces onto the splitter to save my back). Heck, once I even used it to dig a trench around the car of a tourist trespassing on my land! (After he ignored my polite notes 3 days in a row.)

Digging is fun. If tractoring brings you joy, go for it.

Pete

 

[donn12]

Definitely get the backhoe if you can afford it. If not you can always add it later to a B2920. A mini ex is better but much harder to justify.

 

[TripleR]

Not worth it to me, we have a Case backhoe that hasn't left the shed in years. When I or one of my brothers need one, we rent something.

 

[newbury]

As others have said IT DEPENDS.

First of all - how much BH do you need/want? Big jobs usually mean big buckets. Rent a mini-ex.

How deep do you need to go?

Are you located next to a rental business? Or it it a haul to get a mini-ex?
Where I'm going it would take a 2 hour round trip to rent one.

Do you have lot's of small projects or a few big ones?
I'd have to line up a bunch of good small projects to rent one. DDon't have any large projects in view.

Do you plan, prepare and execute? Or all of a sudden it's a good day to spend 6 hours on that trench?
Weather was good, dug out the stump. Tried to PP and E a ditch, got started, rained for a week.

Are the $$ more important than your time? It's always easier to not spend the $$ and put something off.

And for me one of the ruling factors was how far would I have to drive it and what other equipment I'd need. My main projects will be narrow trails back in the woods, digging and filling ditches, holes, etc. I know I'm going to need a small tractor with a FEL plus some sort of BH. I couldn't imagine driving a mini-ex half a mile down a trail too narrow (on purpose) for a regular trailer. My ride is about the same speed with or without the BH on it.

For my projects I should have bought a small bulldozer, a mini-ex, a tractor, a box blade, a bunch more implements for the tractor and a 26' trailer to haul them all. It probably would have run at least $50K. Instead I got what's in my sig for about $20K.

 

[rswyan]

Definitely get the backhoe if you can afford it. If not you can always add it later to a B2920. A mini ex is better but much harder to justify.

Or maybe not ......

Here's sixteen KX-41's listed on Machinery Trader, ranging from $9,250 to $25K (asking price):

Kubota KX41 For Sale

For what I've already spent on my BH, and the mini-ex rentals, I could be styling in one of the lower priced units on that list. Yes, some are older units, and some have higher hours ..... and yes, some undoubtedly require much more repair and maintenance than a new unit .... but they are a machine that you can definitely do some real work with .....

I dunno .... but a well-maintained 1999 KX41-2 with only 1,144 hours for $9,250 might be a good deal .... as could a 2005 KX41-3 with 968 hours for $13,800 ..... given that a new base unit (sans any options .... like a bucket) lists for a tad over $29K .....

I'd imagine that there are deals out there to be had on decent used equipment that has been well-maintained ..... but it probably takes some looking to find 'em .....

Yeah - new units are definitely way pricey and hard to justify .... if you've gotta have new ..... unless you're really flush, or have an existing business that warrants it .....

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

The "is it worth it - or should I rent" argument can be applied to many things in life. Why do we buy the fancy 4x4 truck instead of a more plain jane model? Many good points have been made both for and against.

Here is a slightly different way of looking at the financial version of the question. In Feb 2008, I took delivery of a JD 3320 TLB. I sold it 3 years later for 7% less than I paid.

Looking at the BH portion only, it cost me $396 to have a Hoe at my beck and call whenever needed. That's $132 per year.

Was it worth it? No question in my mind.

 

[ChuckinNH]

What does justifying a backhoe have to do with anything? Just get it, and enjoy the heck out of having it when you need it, or just want to improve some spot on your land. Yes, they are great for digging out rocks, and doing all kinds of other things that are difficult with a loader bucket.