Why a backhoe is worth the money

[rcrcomputing]

I got the BH because everyone at TBN said to. I couldn't live without it.

Rotweiler dies - dig big hole.
Septic unexpectedly went south last year - dig new lines.
Put a thumb on it. Now it's handy for new jobs.
Finally did something about the wet spots, french drains.
Planted 9 trees this year.
Needed to remove 4x4 fence posts - use thumb to jerk out of ground.
Installed culvert last year - backhoe
Had to clear road this year after ice storms. - Me on loader, son-in-law on backhoe. Grabbed two trees at once to drag off.

 

[RobJ]

I think they would be great if you can afford them. If I had one I probably would not keep it on all the time though. My only problem is that they are smallish and limited. When I put our septic in having one would not have helped, to small, wouldn't dig deep enough or pick up a 500 gallon concrete tank. I rented a Ford 555 4wd. For the 8 hour rental I dug and placed to septic tanks, put in a culvert, dug up 3 20" stumps, dug up many other trash elms, ran the 150' of field line, flattened out some of the hill behind us for more backyard area, and let the kids play some. All for $225 with free pick up and delivery and I never added any fuel. I haven't needed one since.

 

[asylum575]

I'm happy with my BH purchase. I was looking for a SCUT and liked the Kubota. Their BX24 package is so nice, it was a no brainer. If you priced out a 2350 with loader, the BX24 was only about $3500-4000 more. For that price I have dug up stumps and will perform some drain work. Fter that I'm sure things will come up. It's alot easier having a machine all setup on property than planning to go rent one, pick it up and return. Just my 2 cents

But I really like this answer
"I got the BH because everyone at TBN said to. I couldn't live without it."

 

[rcrcomputing]

And,,,, don't forget the "crawfish crawl" when your stuck.
All the way past the axles in muddy sink hole. Crawfish my way out!

 

[NuBota]

Biggest thing is factor in your time - I put a huge value on this. Figure out all the time you have spent with shovel and pick on a project - any project. Then consider how many times you would have rented one, but the job just wasn't quite worth it. Even at min wage that shovel time adds up.

Now you could argue that projects you never even considered now come into mind because you have the hoe. This is where the hoe can start to cost more. Hmm retaining wall here, oooh, a pond there, etc, etc. Usually mama comes up with these, but she DID let you buy it and now she is encouraging seat time.....

And as others have said - just plain fun. That's how I get my teenagers off the video games - they like pulling stumps

 

[mahlers]

Another thing that they're useful (I mean fun) for is destroying things you don't want around anymore. Old building that needs to be torn down - gone in sixty seconds. Junk like an old couch that needs to somehow fit into a 32 gallon garbage can - no problem.

To get really creative: got a really deep target with your metal detector and you don't feel like digging on your hands and knees for three hours - one scoop and you're done. This actually worked for me - I found an 1883 silver dollar that was buried about 18" down and tangled in oak tree roots this way. No way in the world I ever would have had the patience to dig that one up by hand.

Oh, and finally: need to clean a deer and get rid of the guts quick and easy - dig a hole, tie the back feet to the backhoe bucket, cut, plop, and fill in. Easy as that.

 

[brandoro]

I bought the BH for a particular job, thinking I would resell it when I was done. I finished that job almost three years ago, had a chance to sell the BH but still have it. Can't say it any better than that.
I was doing some work near the house, rainy weather, landscaping stuff. The tractor slid sideways and stopped about an inch from the house. I carefully moved from the tractor seat to the BH seat, eased the bucket down and sidstepped the tractor away from the house. Didn't even rub any paint off.

 

[fountain42]

I bought one because I thought it looked cool on my tractor .

 

[bigballer]

I weighed the decision heavily and decided it was worth it. i have removed over 50 stumps and trenched over 400ft of drainage ditches. helped a buddy dig a 300ft french drain. this summer i plan to take out another 70-100 stumps to clear space for more pasture, i also have another 300-400ft of french drain to put in, old split rail fencing to take out, culverts to install and the list goes on.. by the time i finish all of these projects the amount gained in property value increase is going to be at least 3-4 times what i paid for the thing. of course, there are 2 sides to every coin..

 

[fishpick]

I'm glad you enjoy your backhoe. All of the above work seems like very light weight stuff for a backhoe though.

The trees - NO WAY - they were unmovable without the backhoe with the size rootball I saved...

The rest of the stuff - sure - now I have done some really big projects in the past like drains and such - but these were all just made "simple"... sure - could have spent several hours doing each... but instead - they got done fast and with minimal effort.