Buy a backhoe attachment, or get a contractor in?

[Industrial Toys]

So much about "the better life" ends up involving the laws of diminishing returns.

 

[Pete O]

Thanks to all for the very helpful replies, having slept on it and got up and seen all these comments you have talked me out of the backhoe attachment. Exactly the sort of information I needed, I don't want to pour money into something that won't do the job properly and will be impossible to sell later- which is probably what the person near here with the as-new 3pl backhoe for sale has found.

 

[Industrial Toys]

A good used 3ph hoe will always sell for just about what you paid for it, if you didn't ruin it.

 

[fried1765]

In my personal opinion owning a tractor mounted backhoe is a total waste of money. I guess if you have the liquid income to blow on one all well and good. I too had one and sold it and never looked back. It is much cheaper to rent a trencher and lay waterline our buried cable or whatever. less disruptive and 20 times faster. I can rent a self propelled trencher capable of trenching to 5 feet for 150 bucks a day, delivered and picked up, all I do is supply the fuel for it.

Last time I rented one, I laid 300 feet of waterline trench in 3 hours, try that with a mounted backhoe, or any backhoe for that matter, not gonna happen and very little disruption. Laid in the waterline, backfilled with a shovel, tamped it down with my feet, sprinkled on some grass seed and called it good. No dirt piles, no large cost of a machine and no storing it. It came and went and done.

I have much better things to spend money on other than a basically useless implement.

Ws talking to my dealer about just that the other day and he told me he sells a lot of backhoe's with new Kubota's and after a while they come back because the owners realize they are basically a high buck useless implement. he has a bunch of used ones in the lot out front,. Takes them on consignment because no one wants them if they have any sense.

Renting a machine or trenchers is a whole lot cheaper plus you don't have to maintain it because it's not yours.

With me, never again. Got rid of the one I had, I was lucky and found a sucker.

My 2 cents.

I am a "sucker"!
I was not aware that backhoes were "useless".
I owned a Ford TLB for personal use, for 33 years.
Even at my advanced age,...... I learn something new every day.
Following your logic; I probably should list my current "useless" Kubota L48 TLB for sale tomorrow.

 

[fried1765]

If you go with a backhoe make a proper mount for it, not the three point hitch.

Learning is learning. Faster for some slower for others. With an undefined list of jobs an on-site backhoe is there when you need it.

"With an undefined list of jobs an on-site backhoe is there when you need it"
EXACTLY CORRECT !!!!

 

[Industrial Toys]

It could be that if you look up "Useless" in the dictionary, you will see a trencher, as far as this stoney ground is concerned. Same with a post hole auger.

 

[Newby first timer]

I for one am Happy I purchased the Backhoe with my MX5800 Kubota
It takes about 5 minuted to take off and maybe 10 to put back on.
My first job was digging a leach field to repair a failed one.
2 of my neighbors paid $30K and 1 paid $25K in less than a yearto pay someone to do thiers when I needed mine done.
My Tractor cost around $55K with everything I ordered with it.
My Leach field cost another $600 in materials.
So my leach field cost me close to $56K.
since then I built 2 bridges , moved over 150 Cubic Yards of dirt to build a building pad and start a Pond. , Cut about 1500 foot of roads and taken out probably 20 trees all of which I used the Backhoe part of the time.

Yep I admit that my buying my tractor and the Backhoe attachment was a waist of money.
I would have been better off Paying someone else to do all of this work for me.

I myself would rather do my own work instead of hand over my hard earned money to someone else and have not much to show for it.

all the time I have spent on my tractor has been enjoyable to me even when I was working 10 and 11 hour days moving dirt.

I for one can not wait to find out what else I can build for my tractor and what other projects I can do for my self.

But that is just me I guess Wasting money on things that I will not use much is a curse that I have.

 

[4570Man]

My Kubota backhoe subframe on my tractor backhoe was a pretty complex piece. Unless you have a well equipped machine shop you won’t be building something like it in a couple days or probably ever and definitely not for a few hundred dollars. My tractor backhoe was a very useful piece that definitely earned its keep and paid for itself. It really wasn’t up to the task I wanted so I sold it and bought a John Deere 310. It’s a workhorse but not as great as I expected. It’s too big for a lot of stuff and really lacking in versatility. I’m probably going to get rid of it and get a M59.

 

[joefromga]

I love my backhoe and use it all the time on my small lot in the city. I rarely use a shovel or a pick axe. I don't bend and lift anything. I don't pull on posts or rocks. I bend to attach chains and that's about it. The backhoe does the rest.

I don't need a jack for trailer tires or moving trailers around. I didn't lift the 100lb propane cylinders off my trailer to prepare for the hurricane. The backhoe did it. It also moves 400lb generators much easier than crappy run flat wheels.

Some things a loader will do but the loader doesn't work side to side. It also can't get into smaller spaces or dig. I removed a 40ft palm tree with the backhoe. I didn't even get dirty.

It takes time to get used to but it happens fast. It also rips out old chain link fencing like nothing. Bushes, trees, branches, things with stickers and other stuff I don't want to touch.

Posts in quickrete? No problem. No prybars, or anything like that. Logs, cynder blocks, brick bats. Anytime I need them.

I wouldn't want a smaller one. My kioti 45hp is just right. The backhoe will lift the tractor up and I can move around with it if necessary. It's good for compacting the dumpster too.

It's not perfect for everything but good for many things and saves my back and hands so many times.

Everytime I use it I think how long would it have taken to do this with a shovel and how tired would I be?

Kioti tractor backhoe on Vimeo

 

[Pete O]

My Kubota backhoe subframe on my tractor backhoe was a pretty complex piece. Unless you have a well equipped machine shop you won’t be building something like it in a couple days or probably ever and definitely not for a few hundred dollars.

One of the factors for me is always the fact that I do have a well-equipped machine shop. Steel is expensive though.