Buying Advice If you could do it all over again....

[TripleR]

Like I said previously, I don't care if it took me a weekend to dig out a stump...actually, I could care less if it took a year, however then the fuel costs would have to be considered.

SCUTS don't burn a lot of fuel compared to bigger tractors, but as you say, run them long enough and they can all get costly.

My sons used a couple of our bigger tractors doing some dirt work and the fuel bill was about the same as we could have hired it done and they wouldn't have had to work all day and run tractors at night.

 

[jenkinsph]

smithrr,
I do this kind of work all the time and use the equipment in my signature to convert rough small properties into lawn areas. From an economic standpoint it is cheaper to use larger equipment to handle the larger and heavier tasks by a wide margin. I suspect that with a budget of $20,000 you would be better served to consider spending 10% of this to hire a larger backhoe with experienced operator for two or three days. Then take the remainng $18,000 and buy the subcompact without the backhoe. Get the attachments and implements you need the most for finish work.

An experienced operator with a full sized backhoe can dig up six or eight large stumps and fill the holes in an hour or two and can move to the next job at hand, no way you can compete with this. He can also blade an area smooth and flat so fast it will make your head swim. What I am getting at is use the right tool for the job if you wan't to save money.

In summary I would atleast get some bids from the best local excavating contractors to see what they think it would cost to deal with the heavy work you need done. It will aid you in the decision making process whether you use them or not.

 

[TripleR]

smithrr,
I do this kind of work all the time and use the equipment in my signature to convert rough small properties into lawn areas. From an economic standpoint it is cheaper to use larger equipment to handle the larger and heavier tasks by a wide margin. I suspect that with a budget of $20,000 you would be better served to consider spending 10% of this to hire a larger backhoe with experienced operator for two or three days. Then take the remainng $18,000 and buy the subcompact without the backhoe. Get the attachments and implements you need the most for finish work.

An experienced operator with a full sized backhoe can dig up six or eight large stumps and fill the holes in an hour or two and can move to the next job at hand, no way you can compete with this. He can also blade an area smooth and flat so fast it will make your head swim. What I am getting at is use the right tool for the job if you want to save money.

In summary I would at least get some bids from the best local excavating contractors to see what they think it would cost to deal with the heavy work you need done. It will aid you in the decision making process whether you use them or not.

We have four tractors in the 50 to 85 HP range and when my son in law needed some dirt work done twenty miles away, he went with a dozer who happened to be working a job not far away and the job was done for a few hundred dollars in a bit under a day; would of cost us that much in fuel and transport plus a lot of time.

 

[Smithrr]

So this is going to get interesting...2.5 miles up my road is an excavating company. I have thought about having him come down with one of his dozers and push some trees over and smoothing out the property. I figured there is 2 days work with a dozer and could have the other 20 trees in my front yard taken out and then another say 10 in my cleared area in my back yard. I agree with everyone in getting the job done; when it's a job that needs to be done fast.

So here's what happens if I get a dozer out here...I will most likely have to have a small backhoe to dig out and replace my crushed field lines for my septic tank. Yeah, that's easier than digging stumps. I will also have to have my lower half of the driveway replaced from the heavy equipment. The large dump truck that delivered 3 loads of top soil already did some damage, and I did hire someone to level that out at the time. It cost me $760 to have 3 loads of top soil hauled out and leveled. $250 of that was for the Bobcat to level it out which took about 90 minutes.

 

[Don87]

Scut with FEL, and rent a stumpgrinder..........or contract out the stumpgrinding.

This is in light of the new information given by the OP.

I had two 36 inch Pine stumps ground out in 20 minutes, at a cost of 60 dollars.

 

[Smithrr]

Scut with FEL, and rent a stumpgrinder..........or contract out the stumpgrinding.

This is in light of the new information given by the OP.

I had two 36 inch Pine stumps ground out in 20 minutes, at a cost of 60 dollars.

This is probably going to be the route I take, however I'll still get the backhoe. I have a french drain to make and do some digging better fit for a post hole digger, but can get done with the backhoe too. I have various little projects to use the backhoe for. Some just fun things like a waterfall into a goldfish pond...etc...etc...

I'm thinking sawing off the stumps as low as I can and grinding them down and I'll probably just have someone come out and do it and just leave the mess and I'll do the cleanup. These are all Scarlet Oak and Black Oak trees, so they are pretty hard. So for the sake of this thread, we'll assume those are going to be ground down by a contractor.

I still welcome comments on the SCUTs if anyone would like to tell me what to stay away from and why. I really did appreciate all the information given in this thread. I was hoping to get owners of the SCUTs to tell me whether they're happy with the purchase, had buyers remorse or wish they bought a different model and why.

I completely understand the advice of a SCUT not being efficient in doing what I have on my list and do understand that a larger tractor is more capable, however I also know that I could eventually get all the stumps dug out with a pick axe, shovel and wheel barrel.

 

[TripleR]

We have no buyer's remorse on our BX2660 and if it ever dies, it will be replaced with another SCUT.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I wish I had a backhoe. Could I justify one? No. Because my neighbor has an 85 hp Terex 4x4 backhoe and will come do what I need for about $60/hour. Cheap. He can dig out large 30" post oak stumps in just a few minutes.

 

[tsteahr]

This is probably going to be the route I take, however I'll still get the backhoe.

You'll never regret getting the backhoe. It's useful for more than just digging, especially if you get a thumb.

I was hoping to get owners of the SCUTs to tell me whether they're happy with the purchase, had buyers remorse or wish they bought a different model and why.

I could not be more happy with mine. Only wish I had bought it 10 years sooner. After 2 years and 250hrs I would buy the exact same thing again if I had to. Zero remorse.

 

[Don87]

I love my scut, no regrets here. And by all means, get the backhoe if you can afford it...........I wish I coulda got one.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

All a person needs is that 'one' time.......sewage line backs up, waterline breaks............on a Saturday afternoon. Rental places are closed, contractors are unavailable..............makes having a backhoe worthwhile.


EDIT: They do make PHD's for SCUTS: http://www.everythingattachments.co...st-Hole-Digger-p/lb-post-hole-dig-l7200jr.htm
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