Backhoe To hoe, or not to hoe?

[WA790]

I haven't had my tractor long but even in that short time its been awful nice to come home from work and put in a couple hours in the evening of digging with the backhoe. This is my first tractor and backhoe but I have rented plenty of equipment in the past. I hate the sense of frenzy to get as much as humanly possible done when you have a rental machine. But then again I'm also the guy that thinks if you pay for an all you can eat buffet you better eat yourself sick.:laughing:I like the idea of having it at my disposal for any digging or lifting chore.

 

[Carykong]

You can handle logs,stumps,and bucked sections with forks on your fel a lot cheaper than a backhoe. I would get some forks first and then decide later if you you want to spend dollars on a backhoe. I have considered getting a pamco shovel about $150 for my forks. Has anyone on the forum used the pamco shovel? Sounds like a very cheap alternative to a backhoe for digging.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

WA790 the 265 MF is a naked tractor (it as so good to drive it today putting on Pat's Quick hitch) and my BIL talked me into going for a FEL for it.

Well I could not find anything used of interest and new was going to be about $5K when the dust settled. I noticed on Ebay, etc I could find fair used tractors with a FEL starting in that price range. Then I found for just a little more I could get a complete backhoe letting me keep the late FIL 265 MF naked for bush hogging and blading.

I have already dug up and pushed out a couple stumps with 25 years of tree growth from suckering. It is nice to have a strong backhoe and FEL. It is nice to have a naked tractor that does not stretch out to 25 feet too.

As you know a BH will work your butt off unlike mowing in circles.

While we just got the BH so far I am pleased to get a FEL and Backhoe for $7200 with a nice 60 HP tractor tossed in Free.

Backhoes like much of our equipment does not make financial sense in accounting terms but are nice toys for some of us. I agree renting can take the fun out of it due to the pressure to "get you moneies worth" out of the piece of equipment. The more our BH sets the less it costs.

I say get what you want if you have the cash free. With the used stuff there is not depreciation but there is the upkeep which is more than for new stuff.

Some like to dig with a FEL put from what I have seen digging with the tires off the ground is more productive and less hard on the machine.

Let us know what you decide in the end. Best of Luck.

 

[Water Boy]

I would not be without my backhoe. Period. My back is worth more than 6 or $7000 dollars.

WB

 

[Car Doc]

I bought a brand new 3pt back hoe with my tractor so I would never have to ask anybody for help or rent anything again. Best of all I can now dig right when I want or need to as the case may be with sewer emergency's on and on etc.

I have used it a lot more than I expected a lot more!!! Fact I have found projects that improve my way of life and property value that I can do for little expense that most people would never dream of doing now I have the hoe.

Guess I am saying I believe I am getting enough use out of mine so for me it is definitely worth having it and am looking forward to many years of projects I haven't even thought of yet plus I can hire out if I want to. good luck

Steve

 

[Gizmo2]

I have used it a lot more than I expected a lot more!!! Fact I have found projects that improve my way of life and property value that I can do for little expense that most people would never dream of doing now I have the hoe. Steve

A BH will for sure make work for you, isn't it great.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

The money spent now will be recouped if you sell it later, at least a large percentage.

At least that's the theory.
People say that tractors hold their value, but when I wanted to trade one in on a new one, I was offered less than half the original cost on a 400 hr tractor.
Regardless, I want to hoe.

 

[Car Doc]

A BH will for sure make work for you, isn't it great.

Yup that's for sure and now and then even get paid for working! I cant say how many times in my life I would have done something in the dirt but didn't because I didn't have the tools.


Steve

 

[dangerdoc]

So I think I have found my first tractor, and the time has come to figure out how I want to have it equipped. It is a Kubota L3700 (which is replacing the venerable old L3400). It is basically the same machine as the 3400 with a couple extra horsepower. It come with a quick detach FEL.

I have some really rocky woods that I would like to turn into field. I also would like to be able to skid logs out of the woods after I cut them. So a backhoe sounds great for digging up rocks and stumps, as well as for lifting up cut tress so that I can get a chain around the trunk.

The dealer I have been speaking with has downplayed the usefulness of a backhoe on this size of a machine, as have a couple of my tractor friends. They say that, for the price of a backhoe, I have many, many hours of excavator rental. Then I wold have a machine that is really up to the task.

But I see so many tractors of this size, and even smaller, with backhoes. I have to wonder. What do you think?

What are some of the best reasons to have a backhoe of the size that would go on a 37 HP tractor?

I greatly appreciate your advice. Thank you.

I had an industrial backhoe that I bought for some projects then sold it when I was finished. I now have a tractor with skid steer mount on the front. I can't dig a trench but most of the jobs I can do better with the versitility of the skid steer tool.

I have a grapple that works better for dealing with surface rocks, not only can I grub them out, I can also pick them up and move them without turning the whole machine around. If you are in the woods, turning a backhoe can be a bugger.

If you are on a hill, a backhoe can get tippy pretty quickly. My wife couldn't watch me work it scared her so much.

In the end, I don't think the horse power is a real issue. I think machine weight and pump output are going to the biggest limitation on a tractor that size. If you can run a hoe, I think you would be money ahead just renting a real backhoe when needed and buy a grapple.

 

[dangerdoc]

Best of all I can now dig right when I want or need to as the case may be with sewer emergency's on and on etc.


Steve

I had a water line break, shut off the meter, pulled up the back hoe, after about the third shovel of soup, I put the backhoe back in the barn and called a guy to fix the line. He spent three hours slogging in the mud, about an hour of it in the hole with a short handled shovel, knee deep in muck.

It was $300 well spent. LOL.