subcompact and compact backhoe owners I want to hear from you.....

[barry1me]

As I understand it Barry wants to try out a subcompact machine to get a rough idea of their capabilities in general. Renting the small excavators will cost more than hiring an experienced excavating contractor with a 15 to 20klb hoe or excavator.

Correct...Im cool with spending $200 for the day for a SCUT TLB to see if I want to move forward with a $20k purchase on a tractor.

 

[ricklman]

I am extremely happy with my CK30 / BH setup. The subframe mount setup was new to me, but it makes the hoe part of the tractor rather than an attachment. I can mount/unmount the hoe in less than 10 minutes with 2 pins and 2 hoses.
I use a 16" bucket and it moves my dirt/rock/stumps around like a champ. :thumbsup:

With that said, I'm not impressed with the FEL at all. It's just plain weak, so for this range, I'd recommend a larger tractor for front end alone because, if you use a hoe, you're gonna use a FEL.

With that said, if you get a FEL, load the back tires or you're gonna have plenty of "brown alerts" :shocked: when you find yourself with your bucket in the air and only 2 or 3 tires on the ground.

 

[boggen]

Correct...Im cool with spending $200 for the day for a SCUT TLB to see if I want to move forward with a $20k purchase on a tractor.

goto some actual dealers in your area, and see if they have a place to test drive the machine and operate backhoe on it. granted it really is not the best way to really test out a backhoe but will give you an idea of power and reach.

 

[Mousefield]

Have a Kioti CK35 HST with a Woods BH-70X backhoe complete with thumb.
Most of my property is treed and having the thumb was a must for me.
Great setup and really happy with it.

 

[Car Doc]

I have a 45hp tractor so maybe a bit tword the cut side of your question but I like it glad I have it and has about half paid for itself up to now give or take.

Important point here is I also realized it would be a $4500 attachment sitting 99.5% of the time once my project list got caught up.

But the .5% when I do use it I need it for on weekends and holidays emergency sewer repairs etc heck anytime I need it its there saving me big money vs hiring it done. ymmv :thumbsup:

(just realized I dont have the hoe in my sig line I will fix that )

 

[CHDinCT]

barry1me - what size are the pine trees you're looking to remove? I have a BX25 and removed these five trees earlier this spring. Trunk sizes ranged from about 8" to 14". They took about 20-30 minutes a piece except for the last one which was the largest. That one took over an hour and I had to cut a few of the larger roots with a saws-all. When you try out the BX25, or any backhoe except maybe a commercial TLB, leave the trunks about 3'-4' high to use for leverage with the FEL and BH bucket - dig a little, push a little, repeat, etc.

If your pines aren't too big and you're not in a real hurry, a SCUT or CUT backhoe should get the job done. You wouldn't want to try making a living using it for that, but they work for homeowner use.

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[CHDinCT]

Oh yeah, should have added that a thumb comes in real handy for this kind of work.

 

[not2old]

I have a Massey Ferguson GC2610TLB and have removed at least 75 pine stumps with it. On several that were about 4" in diameter, one scoop did it. Most of them were between 6" and 10" and took from 1/2 hour to nearly two hours for a few of them. You couldn't tell ahead if time how difficult it might be. One old big pine was about 14" in diameter until I got down more than 3' deep. I suspect the ground was filled around it years before it died. This one took 4 hours or more to remove. The worst stump was an old multiple trunk birch that took six hours to dig out and then needed my 4x4 pickup to pull from the hole. When out, my loader wouldn't lift it so it was over 8oo lbs. This was the first stump I removed so the time might be a lot longer than I would need now with some experience. I picked this machine over the Kabota for the extra capacity of the loader but wish it had more. It would be nice to have a longer reach on the hoe, but don't really need it and I'm satisfied with the power. I did fill the rear tires when new.

 

[Gittyup]

For the smaller pines (< 8") it's easy to not cut them, put the bucket up high and push them over rootball and all. Then back up and finish pushing the rootball out of the ground. Easy as pie. Of course you will probably need a tractor with weight, not a little SCUT. Your Dad is right the SCUT backhoes just don't have enough weight, or reach. That's why I went with Kioti: heavy, great hydraulics for about the same price as a SCUT JD. Excellent for this kind of work. I suggest a CK20, as a better option for you.

Pines are generally a lot easier than hardwoods (stay away from Norway maples) and as has been pointed out, you can get by with a SCUT. But, I'm just not an SCUT fan. Too small to be a real tractor; too big to be the best mower. Don't buy too small and regret it.

 

[MarkV]

Guess it all depends on the type and size pines you have. I have a L39 Kubota that is designed as a light commercial TLB and also have pines that are 24 to 30" diameter. It can take a long time to get the tap root loose and many times my 39hp tractor can't lift them.

Barry has a good idea renting one to try. There isn't any sense in buying too big for just one project. You can always rent a mini-ex or hire it out and then do the clean up with a small tractor as time allows.

MarkV