Buying Advice BH? Is it worth it?

[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.