Is a backhoe on a ck20s worth the price?

[joe48]

Thanks everyone - I keep going back and forth on it. I've got about 13 inherited acres of at least 20-30 years neglect that I spend what time I can spare cleaning up.

If you're going to clear the whole 13 acres then you can easily justify the hoe. Ask Island or see his old posts(with CK20) about getting a tooth bar (absolutely necessary and a bargen for under $200 from Markem) and a grapple ,plus a thumb for the hoe. All essential for clearing that much land. (I'm jealous about the seat time.)
Just a suggestion from personal experience when clearing a bunch of the wild elderberry type bushes and small saplings etc. I started by digging them with the hoe, then discovered it was faster to pop them out of the ground with the toothbar. Both methods make a mess of small holes and rough ground and all the brush to collect and pile. Then progressed to bushhogging them off first eliminates the brush except bigger branches , then popping out any big stumps left that would give my 4' KK tiller a hard time. This is good way to go because you're recycling the organic matter back into the soil when you till it anmd don't have as much collecting ,leveling etc to do. I'd have to say I cut my clearing time almost in half. The bigger tougher bushes or really dense growth I backed over with the hog, sometimes picking it up and setting it on the bush or tree, I've chopped up 3" saplings this way. Safety Note; wear safety glasses and put a piece of heavy screen across your ROPS when hogging brush. (Now you got justification for a bush hog and a tiller too!!!) HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE!

 

[Not Retired Yet]

Thanks for the advice! At best I'll be able to clear a third to half the land. The rest is too steep even for an atv. I plan on leaving larger trees. Just a tough decision on ck20 hst tlb or ck27 hst with loader and a few implements (similar costs)....

 

[joe48]

Thanks for the advice! At best I'll be able to clear a third to half the land. The rest is too steep even for an atv. I plan on leaving larger trees. Just a tough decision on ck20 hst tlb or ck27 hst with loader and a few implements (similar costs)....

If you can hack the cost difference, it's always better to have more power. And as you say there's not much more difference in cost between a 4' hog and a 5' or 6'. And since the sizeand weight of a CK25,27,30 is the same go with the 30hp. You won't be sorry.
The reason I went with the CK20 was the size of my lot and the ability to get into tight places etc when working for others, I can do stuff in places bigger machines can't get to, it just takes me a little longer.

 

[Not Retired Yet]

The jump from a 20 to a 27 seems to be a big one considering frame size, weight, hp, etc. The jump from 27, 30, 35 is a jump in hp only. I could jump up to above 27 but then have to drop implements to offset the increase in tractor price. Hp wise I think the 20 or 27 either one will do what I need. With a 20 tlb I may not be able to get additional implements. With a 27 without hoe I could get some implements (grapple, box blade, etc). Tough decision!

 

[joe48]

get the TLB , then its easier to add other implements because youre talking , smaller $ investments.
another option I used is I bartered for several of my tools. One large yard (about an acre) I needed a tiller and york rake, they were purchased by my customer as part payment plan, the rest was at $30/hr. Note: if you do any off home site work, you'll need "INLAND MARINE INSURANCE" on your equipment because your home owners is void the minute you leave your property whether its for fun or hire doesn't matter. I have $30k coverage on all my stuff for about $300/yr.

 

[rcrcomputing]

The jump from a 20 to a 27 seems to be a big one considering frame size, weight, hp, etc. The jump from 27, 30, 35 is a jump in hp only. I could jump up to above 27 but then have to drop implements to offset the increase in tractor price. Hp wise I think the 20 or 27 either one will do what I need. With a 20 tlb I may not be able to get additional implements. With a 27 without hoe I could get some implements (grapple, box blade, etc). Tough decision!

Let me give you what I was given here by members 6 years ago.

For the tractor, look at what you need etc etc. Get one size larger (or two sizes larger)
Get remotes for TNT, grapple etc installed now
A backhoe is not a have to, but you'll probably never get it if you don't get it now.
(For me a backhoe is a have to)

Implements in order for me
Bucket (with hooks welded on)
Forks (great for limbs and trees etc) Mine are 5 seconds on, 5 seconds off. Love them.

Boxblade
Rake
TNT (Tilt only for me)
Welder
Zero turn lawn mower
Big barn

As you see, I have no grapple. But use the easy on-off forks very very often.
I use my toothbar only now and then.

 

[Not Retired Yet]

By my estimates I can either afford a ck20 in TLB configuration (no box blade, bush hog, etc) or I can afford a ck27 with FEL plus some implements. I figure if the backhoe on the ck20 is $6,500 ($1k per foot) then even after going the extra on the larger tractor I should still have several thousand to play with - meaning grapple, TNT, bush hog, box blade, and tooth bar. No matter what I get, I have a feeling it'll be the end of CFO approved spending on the farm for at least this year.:laughing: I'm really leaning toward the 27, etc - the backhoe would be nice but I think I can get more immediate use and make a bigger impact with the other implements. Thanks everyone! You have really helped me sort out what is a "need" versus a "want"! Now I get to wait until the end of April when money gets freed up!

 

[Dargo]

I'll confuse you some. Sorry. I've owned 3 different tractors with removable backhoes. As others have said, they really are great for trenching, landscaping or working on a smaller stump. Problem; they are a PIA (IMHO) to remove and re-install when I need the to use the PTO for bush hogging, clearing snow with a snow blade or moving dirt with a box blade. I found that I generally left it off and tried to rent a backhoe for my 'real' backhoe work. Not really cost efficient.

So, when I sold my last tractor with a backhoe (and, no, it didn't help much at all on selling price or ease of selling - most wanted to know how much I would take for my tractor if I kept the backhoe ). I bought a larger tractor and a 10 year old 580 Case backhoe. If I could get my wife to help, she would run the tractor with a 1 yard bucket on the front and keep the dirt pretty much out of my way. However, I then found I really wasn't using the FEL on the backhoe.

I then made a mistake of renting a Takeuchi TB175 mini (really big for a mini, just over 17k pounds. Anyway, it absolutely positively ran circles around a backhoe when it came to really moving dirt or digging out larger stumps or rocks (boulders?). So, I sold the Case and bought me a Tak TB175 open station machine (since it's used in the woods a LOT). Being that it ran circles around a Case 580, it made the tractor add on backhoe seem like a toy for limited duties. Yeah, I liked the TB175 so much that I bought one with rubber tracks. The rented one with steel tracks was too hard on concrete or asphalt.

Right now the prices are going up rather quickly on mini-excavators as more and more contractors move to them as opposed to any backhoe because most contractors already have a skid steer or compact track loader (skid steer on tracks). I was fortunate enough to buy two Bobcat mini excavators, fix some small issues and have a friend paint them up to look new at his shop where they specialize in media blasting industrial equipment and painting them. I was able to make enough off the two Bobcats to almost pay for my Tak. So, being somewhat prudent, I sold off 1 backhoe I had to keep to sell one of my tractors on eBay, sold off other now not needed implements and bought a Tak TL150 to go with my excavator.

With zero turn radius mowers and other mowing equipment, my tractor now doesn't see that much use except in the spring when I put the 'non-loaded' R4 tires on it (making it as light as I reasonably can) and cut trails in on my property with my 8' rotary cutter. I have a wonderful Woods 990 I bought for it that just sits on the shelf and hardly ever gets used.

So, you can see that buying a backhoe attachment for my tractor cost me some money! It sure beats using a shovel for certain! However, when compared to my Tak TB175, it became no more than an expensive toy that I didn't enjoy taking on and off. So, my reply would be completely based on what you intend to do with the backhoe. For clearing 10 to 13 acres, I'd spend a fraction of what the hoe costs and just have someone else clear the property in a weekend for me. Then use your CK27 for clearing, leveling, tilling and other uses on your property. However, if you "just gotta have one" when it comes to a backhoe, buy one; either the add on for your CK20 or, for a few thousand more, a stand alone backhoe you can later sell. Your mileage may vary, but that's my experience.

 

[rcrcomputing]

Dargo,
Very well said!
Although, it only takes about 10 minutes to attach my backhoe.

I do agree, given his choices, he should forget about the backhoe at this time and go with the bigger tractor. (And extra remotes)

 

[Not Retired Yet]

Thanks guys, comparing what I could get for the price of the hoe and what I need (and knowing it'll be some time before I get the okay to spend a bunch again), it's nice to know I'm not alone in my thinking!