jinman
Rest in Peace
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2001
- Messages
- 20,387
- Location
- Texas - Wise County - Sunset
- Tractor
- NHTC45D, NH LB75B, Ford Jubilee
John, my last experience with at backhoe was to drain and two old ponds and the surrounding swamp created by an infestation of beavers. The ponds and swamp covered about two acres and I needed to drain it quickly and ensure it stayed dry until I sold the property (swampland in Texas?/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif). I had to dig a 1000’ trench 4’ wide and 3’ to 4’ deep and cut both pond dams. I had a rental yard only ½ mile away, so I rented a NH 555 LB and drove it to my location. In just 6 hours, I was able to dig my trench, cut the pond dams, drain the swamp, and stop long enough to take pictures of the panicked beavers as they tried to dam up the flow./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif. I even had enough time to remove two dead 30’ trees and fill in a couple of low spots before returning the backhoe to the rental yard. Total cost was less than $300. Of course, not everyone has a rental yard within driving distance, but that experience made a believer out of me.
Recently I also had a neighbor who put in about 1000’ feet of plumbing and electrical lines in trenches 10” wide by 4’ deep. He rented a Ditch Witch trencher and had all his trenches dug, conduit and pipe laid, and trenches covered in less than ½ day.
About the same time, I wanted to put in some tie-down piers for a portable building. I rented a 20 hp TerraMite loader-backhoe to dig the pier holes and found out that this little backhoe was too gutless to dig a 2’ deep hole because of dry, hard ground./w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif I believe the rent on that unit was about $150/day and I consider it wasted money./w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif Eventually, I used my posthole auger to drill the holes after putting water into them, and it drilled just fine./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Why all this rambling info? I am only trying to illustrate that sometimes what we think is the right tool for the job is not appropriate. At the same time, I can see the utility of a backhoe for the combined ability to trench or dig holes (like planting trees and installing septic systems). You just have to make your decision based on what you need to do and the number of times you need to do it. For you, a backhoe might be an absolute necessity and it sounds to me like you have put a lot of thought into it./w3tcompact/icons/clever.gif
Recently I also had a neighbor who put in about 1000’ feet of plumbing and electrical lines in trenches 10” wide by 4’ deep. He rented a Ditch Witch trencher and had all his trenches dug, conduit and pipe laid, and trenches covered in less than ½ day.
About the same time, I wanted to put in some tie-down piers for a portable building. I rented a 20 hp TerraMite loader-backhoe to dig the pier holes and found out that this little backhoe was too gutless to dig a 2’ deep hole because of dry, hard ground./w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif I believe the rent on that unit was about $150/day and I consider it wasted money./w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif Eventually, I used my posthole auger to drill the holes after putting water into them, and it drilled just fine./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Why all this rambling info? I am only trying to illustrate that sometimes what we think is the right tool for the job is not appropriate. At the same time, I can see the utility of a backhoe for the combined ability to trench or dig holes (like planting trees and installing septic systems). You just have to make your decision based on what you need to do and the number of times you need to do it. For you, a backhoe might be an absolute necessity and it sounds to me like you have put a lot of thought into it./w3tcompact/icons/clever.gif
