Backhoe Curious...

[UP Guy]

I was wondering how many of you are glad you got the backhoe attachment and was curious of some of the work you perform with it. The attachment is extremely expensive and I don't know if I could justify the expense. Like I said, just kind of curious what you do with yours.. Thanks guys.

 

[Soundguy]

Mine gets low use. So far digging up ok drain tile, and some trenching for a hurried no-dig fence. Burying large animals etc. Luckily I bought my woods 6500 3pt hoe used at auction. I would not have found it economical if new.

I made my own subframe

 

[Thomas]

I miss my backhoe..ALOT.
I use mine from stump popping,ditching,unloading heavy items from pickup,getting unstuck,lees work w/shovel.
You might be surprise when doing your bride project how handy backhoe will come in.

 

[MikeInEburg]

I don't use mine enough to truly justify the cost - but I'm glad that I have it. Even though it would be lower cost, occasionally renting a hoe is a time-consuming process.

 

[aginn]

I wish I could have one myself. Then I'd have one less piece of equipment to maintain. I ended up with a case 580 because I found a guy that wanted my jet boat instead of his hoe. I wanted something that would dig 14 feet deep so an attachment wasn't enough anyway. Once I get my main digging done the plan is to sell the case and get the hoe attachment. Only then would I be qualified as to the attachments long term usefulness.
I do cut all my own wood for heat though and stumps are a pain to keep brush down around. So to mow and keep the property cleaned up a hoe is necessary to keep the stumps to a minimum
I live a 2 hour round trip to any rental place. So transport of a rental hoe would end up eating up the savings for not owning my own.

 

[FredH]

Bought my 738C used when I bought my TC30 new . Dealer had it on another tractor , so they just switched it to mine . First couple of years , not much use , ditches for water lines to new outside spigots , etc.... . Then in 2005 , removed a old mobile home off property and had a manufactured home installed . All the pre-move work was done by me . Contractor just brought up his D-4 one Saturday and hooked to old mobile and down in the field it went .

After it was out , all the old cement runners , pads , etc.... were taken out by me , as well as uncovering the sewer all the way to septic for permit inspection purposes . After new home was installed , all back filling and irrigation install were dug by me , including 88 yards of top soil placed in to lawn areas . Although that part was front bucket use , having the back hoe on for counter weight was really nice . Sure I could of put a attachment on or made a counter weight , but the 757 was more than adequate .

All in All , over the 10 / 11 years I have had the tractor and hoe combination , I am most certainly Happy I have mine .

Fred H.

 

[ArmyPair2]

I use mine for stumps and got me 8 or 10 small ones this past 3 days. There have been times that I thought an easy small 5 inch will turn into a 200lb ball.

 

[AKfish]

My backhoe will be the last piece of equipment to leave the place if I ever sell out!

Let's see - tree clearing, stump removal, bury power lines and water lines to our buildings, load and unload all kinds of stuff on trailers and trucks in confined and cramped areas that you couldn't get a loader or skid steer in/out of, working up frozen ground that you could never dig with a loader, etc., building a rock and railroad tie retaining wall, placing construction debris and stumps, tree tops onto big burn piles, etc.

And, it's my "safety saw" for those trees and shrubs that are too close to buildings, power lines, sat dish, phones, and I don't want to risk using a chain saw to cut down. I push or grab with the thumb and have never had stuff fall on something I didn't want it to.

AKfish

 

[PHPaul]

Not so much any more, but it has more than paid for itself over the years. When I first got it, I had two acres of alder stumps to clear, water and electric lines to put in, bushes and trees to transplant, rocks to dig up and move, ditches to dig and maintain.

All of that was on my place, but I also hired out and did all of those things for other people. If you factor in other expenses, I probably didn't "earn" enough with it to actually pay for it, but it must have been close.

My place is now about 99% true to the ideal I had in my head when I bought the hoe, and I might use it 2 or 3 times a year, but it isn't costing me a dime sitting in the back of my barn, and it beats the **** out of grabbing a shovel at my age!

 

[s219]

I have a need for one about 1-2 times a year, and usually end up busting my back instead. I guess that is not enough justification for the cost and storage requirements, since I haven't got one yet! It would be a luxury item for me right now.

If a project was on the horizon that absolutely justified a backhoe in a way that was ballpark with rental use, that would change my thinking, and age might change that as well. As time goes on, I see many situations where spending the money for equipment is better than busting my butt. The other day I made three trips up and down a 2 mile road to get some fill dirt with my front bucket. The neighbor who gave me the dirt asked why I didn't tow my trailer up and make one trip, and the reply was "because then I'd have to shovel it out of the trailer". I had just previously shoveled 1 ton of sand out of my trailer, and my wrists were shot. Maybe spending money on a dump trailer is the next solution...