DR Power Equipment Backhoe

[DerekF]

I am looking to see what people think of the DR Backhoe. It has really good reviews on their website. I know a lot of people have a "hunch" that these things are expensive toys as I have seen it put before, but I want people with real experience with the DR specifically or really any towable backhoe for that matter, to tell me what they think. Thanks in advanced.

 

[Diggin It]

The DR shows at $6300 plus extras.

The HF unit is $2800. Is the DR better? Maybe. Is it $3500 better?

I paid less than the DR for my BH, but of course I had to buy the tractor too, so ...

 

[MossRoad]

1:18 promotional video on their website shows about 15 seconds of digging. The rest of it shows it being towed around and some guy carrying a shovel. I wish manufacturers would do better videos showing their machines working, rather than some guy talking.

$6300 seems pretty salty compared to the harbor freight at half that price.

I'd look at youtube videos of both and start comparing.

 

[Diggin It]

Remember that neither is a backhoe. At best they're trenchers or motorized shovels. They simply do not have the weight necessary to do bigger work. Even the tractor mounted units like mine have serious limitations.

 

[DerekF]

Remember that neither is a backhoe. At best they're trenchers or motorized shovels. They simply do not have the weight necessary to do bigger work. Even the tractor mounted units like mine have serious limitations.

I certainly understand that. I swear I watched a YouTube video on some guy digging a septic tank hole with his HF Trencher. I am not comparing these things to commercial equipment. But it seems like if you have the time they can do some serious work. I honestly cant find any Youtube videos on the DR outside of the DR youtube channels that I feel like almost do nothing for the machine like MossRoad said, and then one other guys really old videos that aren't super helpful either. In the future I am wanting to do a good sized garden, a pig pen and chicken coop, and then a small orchard. This will require a lot of trenching and digging and I am thinking it would be worth it to get something like this. I just have seen to many bad reviews on the harbor freight to feel comfortable getting that one. The buckets break, the square tubing the feet mount into splits, so on and so forth. I do weld and weld fine to keep something like that up, I just don't know if it will be worth it if I am doing that all the time.

 

[/pine]

Check the local market for used Ditch Witch etc. trenchers...I see them all the time in good running condition with backhoe attachments for less than $6K

 

[MossRoad]

Check the local market for used Ditch Witch etc. trenchers...I see them all the time in good running condition with backhoe attachments for less than $6K

That would be a good find!

 

[slus]

I have one that I bought used. It's actually a powerful little thing, I used it for a couple projects hooked to the hitch of my crew cab F350 and it would drag all 4 wheels (locked in 4x4, in gear, brake set) when I was using it to pull out 2-3 foot rocks. It digs really well. I have no clue how people use it for heavy jobs hooked to an ATV. The biggest pain is the non hydraulic stabilizers. To get the right leverage, you have to use the bucket to lift up the whole thing, drop the outriggers, pick them up until you find one of the 3 holes for the pin, then drop it back down and dig. If you don't get it right, it will just drag your tow vehicle around. So every 6-8 feet I'd be lifting the trencher with the bucket, pulling the pins and positioning the outriggers to the "up" position, getting in the truck, starting it, driving 6-8 feet, getting out of the truck, lifting up the trencher with the bucket, dropping the outriggers, lifting them back up to the nearest hole, getting back on the trencher, rinse and repeat. That and the mobility issue of getting a truck AND a trencher in the right location in the first place.

Is it better than a shovel? **** yes.

My father in law picked up the same tractor as me, and got a backhoe for it. I'm going to sell the DR, put the subframe mount on my tractor, and just borrow his backhoe for projects. I won't be sorry to see the DR go after using the BH on the B2301, it's way more time efficient.

 

[davepg1]

I have been using one of the HF trenchers for a couple of seasons putting in drain tile and various other digging projects. For what it is, it is impressive. The DR just was not worth the additional money for a machine with the same capability. I will be adding a thumb to the HF trencher this spring to make it easier for digging out large rocks. In my book, it sure beats a shovel!

 

[DerekF]

I have been using one of the HF trenchers for a couple of seasons putting in drain tile and various other digging projects. For what it is, it is impressive. The DR just was not worth the additional money for a machine with the same capability. I will be adding a thumb to the HF trencher this spring to make it easier for digging out large rocks. In my book, it sure beats a shovel!

Good to know. The DR just looks better engineered and like it might be a little better. I’m sure they are both made in China but thanks for the opinion!