Jchonline
Elite Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2018
- Messages
- 3,071
- Location
- Red Feather Lakes, CO
- Tractor
- Kubota L6060, KX040-4, M7060, X1100C, M62(S)
A skid steer would be preferred, I don’t disagree, especially if I was building multiple houses a year. I should have clarified that I’m looking at building one house a year and while I know that a tractor would be clunky, would I be able to do trench work and landscaping with it? The tractor would be the tool of choice for maintaining acreage, it would be a double win if trenching and loader work could be done with it as well.
Eric the problem with a tractor backhoe (unless you get a true TLB (full size Deere/NH or the Kubota line) is usually reach. For instance the mainstream subframe backhoes on a larger compact tractor have a 9 ft reach. That seems like a bunch until you are digging 5 feet in the ground and you realize you have to be just about over the spot you are digging and move the machine every 3 spoil dumps. My backhoe is 14 ft and I can't imagine having one much shorter. I dug foundation footings, water line, gas line, propane tank hole, and electric lines with mine and it was fine. Foundation was sketchy in spots and a larger machine would have been better.
The second problem is grading. Yes you can get a box blade and move some dirt around, yes you can back blade with the bucket and spread some material. The problem with the tractor IMO is wheels. Skid steer tracked or bulldozer or mini-ex with a blade push the dirt, meaning you are contacting the uneven patch before the machine runs over it. This is crucial to getting quick, level passes and establishing grade. I messed with a 2 acre area on my place with a rear blade, root rake (for roots) and the bucket for a couple of days before I had a friend with a D4 come in and finish it in 2 hours. Just no comparison.
Can you get it done, sure. Is it going to take you 4 times as long...at least. The point here is if you consider your time spent and the wear on the machine it is probably more cost effective to just rent the equipment you need and be done with the dirt work in a day than it would be to spend 4 days of your time on a tractor. If time is money, then the tractor is a bad choice for this type of work. If you have lots of time, then go for it. If I were to recommend 1 machine for that, it would be Kubota L47 or M62. They have great BH, construction quality build, and all the features of a tractor. They are $$$ though. Good luck!