Considering a Backhoe Purchase

[fried1765]

For me I don't have a pressing need for one. I like the convenience of being able to drive an excavator to the spot and digging without all the set up of a backhoe on the back of a tractor.

The mini is the handiest?
I can drive my TLB to the work site at least 3 times faster than a mini can move.
My set up consists of turning the seat, and lowering the stabilizers.
I can remove excess dirt 5/8 yd at a time, and at 15 mph.

 

[paulfun9]

For me I don't have a pressing need for one. I like the convenience of being able to drive an excavator to the spot and digging without all the set up of a backhoe on the back of a tractor.

Around here you would be out to the spot, done digging and back home with a TLB before you could drive the excavator to the spot.

With my backhoe attachment痴 installing the backhoe on the tractor is easier than attaching the trailer and changing down the excavator. So I ask what is so hard about installing the backhoe? It seems most are as easy and some even more so than hooking up a 3 point attachment.

Convieniance to me is putting the hoe on the back, pallet forks to carry the bucket, grader or land plane to the work area in one trip, digging, getting the work done then filling and grading all with one machine in one trip!
Seems to me also that the excavator can dig faster but it doesn稚 fill, level or get there and back very fast at all. When the task involves loading one of the trailers or moving amounts not worth using the trailer for it also falls short.

Anyone guessing the answer here is Yes I have lots of experience running an excavator and yes they have a place but it痴 not with the average person that would benefit from owning a backhoe, unless your rich, have time to waste or just like having more machines than you really need.

 

[paulfun9]

All good points. I'm close enough to a tractor dealer that rents a backhoe that they will deliver.

At what size of tractor is it worth buying a backhoe to do decent work? 48hp?

I've heard that once you utilize something like a mini-excavator you will not be as pleased with a frame mounted backhoe on a small tractor.

You heard wrong! Even when I owned an excavator it wasn稚 my go to machine for every job and I have not been displeased in the performance of any backhoe I ever owned.
I was once disappointed in an old Dynahoe I operated because it kept breaking down but I didn稚 own it so that didn稚 count!

 

[4570Man]

The mini is the handiest?
I can drive my TLB to the work site at least 3 times faster than a mini can move.
My set up consists of turning the seat, and lowering the stabilizers.
I can remove excess dirt 5/8 yd at a time, and at 15 mph.

Agreed. Mini excavators are way overrated. They’re bar non the best digging tool but awful at anything else. And move painfully slow. A backhoe will move 5x faster and do anything else better. A backhoe is always ready to dig, load, or move.

 

[DK35vince]

Around here you would be out to the spot, done digging and back home with a TLB before you could drive the excavator to the spot.

With my backhoe attachmentç—´ installing the backhoe on the tractor is easier than attaching the trailer and changing down the excavator. So I ask what is so hard about installing the backhoe? It seems most are as easy and some even more so than hooking up a 3 point attachment.

Convieniance to me is putting the hoe on the back, pallet forks to carry the bucket, grader or land plane to the work area in one trip, digging, getting the work done then filling and grading all with one machine in one trip!
Seems to me also that the excavator can dig faster but it doesn稚 fill, level or get there and back very fast at all. When the task involves loading one of the trailers or moving amounts not worth using the trailer for it also falls short.

Anyone guessing the answer here is Yes I have lots of experience running an excavator and yes they have a place but itç—´ not with the average person that would benefit from owning a backhoe, unless your rich, have time to waste or just like having more machines than you really need.

Takes me 10 minutes or less to install my backhoe.
5 minutes or less to remove.

 

[fried1765]

Takes me 10 minutes or less to install my backhoe.
5 minutes or less to remove.

I never take my backhoe off, although I too could do it in 10 min.
I just use another (smaller) tractor for other things.

 

[paulfun9]

Takes me 10 minutes or less to install my backhoe.
5 minutes or less to remove.

Curious why it takes you so long to attach? Do you take a coffe break in the middle of installation?

Not really trying to be funny but the only time it took ten minutes for me with the Kioti was because I was interrupted by the fed x guy pulling up with a delivery!

 

[Diggin It]

Not sure why these threads always have to devolve into the buy/rent/mini debate.

I want to see somebody drive a tracked mini a mile or more down a paved road, out into a field, dig a hole to bury a cow, fill the hole and drive back home in less than two hours.

Or pay for a rental BH, haul it home, do the same job, haul it back..... What, $200-300 or more to bury a cow?

 

[Diggin It]

Takes me 10 minutes or less to install my backhoe.
5 minutes or less to remove.

Curious why it takes you so long to attach? Do you take a coffe break in the middle of installation?

I have virtually NO level ground at all. I store the BH on a turf area, not a smooth, level paved surface. I also have a short machine where it's hard to look behind and down to get lined up. It takes a few times getting on and off the machine to get lined up on the cradle pins, then some jockeying around of the hydraulics to get it all seated to be able to install the keeper pins.

 

[machinerycircle]

Better to rent or subcontract a sub he rather than looking to purchase