bradco vs Bh Hoe

gray · Mar 21, 2004

Bucky4,

I took no offense at all in your observation. We can not hide our thoughts if they are to be helpful to others and if others can be helpful to us.

There are good products of many designs and some not so good. I am willing to stick my neck (opinion) out there when I have seen or used one. It is the meet of this forum.

I like to hear yours and others opinions. If I don't agree, I will say so.

Keep the info flowing.

grandad · Mar 22, 2004

Somehow, I doubt there are very many L48 owners out there saying "Sheesh, I wish I had bought that Bradco hoe!" , and likewise, there aren't many Bradco owners having buyers remorse either. Either one gets you top-of-the-heap performance.

gray · Mar 22, 2004

Grandad,

You hit that nail square. Any insights on when either of these companies is going to offer extendahoe options? 2 more feet would be super. Some day?

tanman · Mar 23, 2004

Thanx for the input.

grandad · Mar 23, 2004

Your guess would be as good as mine!

lamarbur · Mar 23, 2004

You're right and your right. I have a 11 ft Bradco and feel it is the top of the line or near enough it isn't worth arguing over. As far as extenda hoe, Hardy has had one for some time. It is the 8 DL model I believe. 8 ft with a two foot extension. It, cost almost as much as buying the Hardy 12 ft hoe. Something to think about here.

Bert04 · Mar 26, 2004

Tanman, Email me, I wanted to talk with you privately. marc2004@adelphia.net

rbargeron · Mar 27, 2004

Gray:

Extended-dipper Bradco backhoes were available in the '90s. And Kubota offered the model L5412 backhoe - which was actually a Bradco. It was available with an optional "PowerExtend" dipper - about 2 feet of extra reach. I have never seen one up close - but there is a photo of it in the Kubota brochure for the L4350, L4850 and L5450. (RaT?)

Making a telescoping dipper is expensive to do well. They are subject to a lot of wear in a very harsh environment. The hose loops are exposed, the slide has to resist jamming from dirt & rocks. As Lamarbur points out, the extra cost can be higher than getting a bigger model hoe, so the market is very limited.