Final thoughts before purchase in the 3500lb+ cab range?

[CoThG]

I am sure that a backhoe is not for everybody, but I doubt very seriously that most who have BH's would now be willing to surrender them.
To put it into perspective, there are two more bits of BH information I should share.
#1) I am 80 years old, and do not like picking things up that weigh more than 75 lbs., or wrestling them around.
#2) My L48TLB hoe has an 11' dig depth, so it is a light construction type piece of equipment, and can lift, move, or dig, substantially more than a 6' or 7' hoe.
My Kubota L48TLB will be in my barn until I am under the ground,..... perhaps, it could even be used to dig that final hole for me.

L48TLB is a great machine!

 

[DieselBound]

The OP said he wasn't going to get a BH. End of story. Let's concentrate on what he NEEDS...

As 5030 noted, you have to size according to the power REQUIRED by the attachments/work at hand. It might very well be that in order to achieve the necessary power you will have to buy used; if so then that's what you should look to do: don't rule things out, don't paint yourself in a corner. I bought my B7800 amply used. Bought my Kioti new for nuanced reasons.

Keep in mind that any price that you see is the advertised price, be it new or used. And in the used arena you have a chance to hook up with a seller that actually NEEDS cash, and if you HAVE cash then there can be a good deal for the both to be had. When I list things to sell I often set prices a little high in anticipating a price drop for a sale.

Also keep in mind that this isn't the best time of year to be looking for deals. We're pushing well into spring and most tractor work really is picking up. Others who have procrastinated, or just coming into the position of needing a tractor, are vying for machines, thus holding prices higher. I buy (though I admit it just seems to work out this way) in mid-to-late fall.

 

[Garson]

I had an L275 Kubota for 20 years and loved it, but after two more size upgrades my choice for my present RX7320 Kioti without cab was simple. It was $10,000 CAD cheaper than the competition and my homebuilt cab fits in an 8' high garage door. It's a great stump remover and their regen design is great. It's never demanded a regen in 200 hours. Just keep your rpm above 1500 rpm. It's the Boss of these 50 acres.

 

[shooterdon]

I run a 74” pull blower with 32PTO HP. It is marginal at times, but I can take a smaller “bite” when I need to. I do not get much wet heavy snow.

 

[greginfinity]

So the Boomer 40 was sold and I went back to try the Boomer 45 one more time and they are very helpful and let me play around with a pile of dirt/clay. I am glad I did because I am not sure I feel comfortable with the loader that far out. It was extremely tippy and I hated the feeling. Granted the tires aren't currently loaded, and this didn't have a backhoe on it like the L4060 did, but this was an eye opener. And not just tippy front to back, but with a slightly unbalanced bucket load it was kind of scary. Now I am not sure what to think! Is a better loader geometry going to help? Do loaded tires really help that much? Should I just get a smaller and lower CoG tractor? Makes me want to buy a track loader instead!

 

[dodge man]

Loaded tires help but you need ballast on the 3 point.

 

[Doug62]

I'm pretty happy with my Massey Ferguson 1835M. I've had it about 8 months.

 

[RustyA]

Loading my tires and a fairly heavy duty back blade eliminated all tippy feeling on my Boomer 40. Without rimguard and back blade it was spooky to drive with bucket loaded even keeping it low. Love the visibility with bucket, bale spear, or forks on.

 

[buck12]

So the Boomer 40 was sold and I went back to try the Boomer 45 one more time and they are very helpful and let me play around with a pile of dirt/clay. I am glad I did because I am not sure I feel comfortable with the loader that far out. It was extremely tippy and I hated the feeling. Granted the tires aren't currently loaded, and this didn't have a backhoe on it like the L4060 did, but this was an eye opener. And not just tippy front to back, but with a slightly unbalanced bucket load it was kind of scary. Now I am not sure what to think! Is a better loader geometry going to help? Do loaded tires really help that much? Should I just get a smaller and lower CoG tractor? Makes me want to buy a track loader instead!

You have to have something on the back or at least loaded tires when doing any loader work. It is night and day difference in the feel on my tractor when I use the loader with nothing hang off the back compared to the feel with a rear implement.

 

[Frogmore]

My tractor is much smaller (B2620). I have loaded tires. I can carry a load of manure fairly easy with no additional rear weight. But anything heavier demands more. I have a 200lb rear blade for light loads and a 400lb grading scraper that is 4 feet long and wide. There is quite a difference in feel with a bucket full of rock between the blade and scraper and downright unsafe without anything.

I have heard good things about wheel spacers. But, they make the tractor wider, which is great for stability, but not so much for everything else.