Why a backhoe is worth the money

[streamin]

Rob, I'm convinced. That is a huge solar panel, what do you run with that.Not to be off topic but is the solar power worth the investment?

 

[fishpick]

I talked to the dealer when I got my tractor and he did not recommend getting one, rather rent a machine that is for that purpose only. He thought the kubota BH was too wimpy for use with my 50 Hp. Does that make sense to anyone????

Nope - no sense to me what so ever... unless the conversation was around a full fledged BH machine... then sure - these tractor jobbies are NOT complete BH rigs...

That said - the micro hoe on my BX has done some amazing digging, lifting, prying, "crab walking" back saving things... If you have a 50hp machine - I would thing the hoe that goes on there could do a heck of a lot...

Likely - when he bought his rig - his wife said no... he read this thread... and is angry now

 

[3RRL]

Right, even a small backhoe on a bigger tractor is better than nothing. My backhoe you see in those pictures is on a 55hp Kama. The Nardi hoe is an 8 footer and seems small for my tractor. Yeah, I wish I'd gotten a 9 or 10 footer, but that's what I got when I didn't know any better. So I've done a lot with the one I got..

Rob, I'm convinced. That is a huge solar panel, what do you run with that.Not to be off topic but is the solar power worth the investment?

LOL ... It is when you have no other power source.
Go here to check it out the build: Solar Power Project and here to see how I'm using it: 3R Log Home Project

 

[LBrown59]

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.

***I had a choice between a BX2230 for 11700 and a BX23 for 15500.
Both tractors were alike except for the back hoe.
I took the BX 23 because of allergies, ya know like allergic to picks shovels and wheel borrows.

 

[ETD66SS]

I love my Ford 575D. http://usera.imagecave.com/whitedwarf4/Toys/575D_0002.JPG

I bought a fully wooded 63 acre lot back in 2003. My intensions were to clear about 4 acres, dig two ponds, and build a barn & house.

For the first year, the backhoe was great. Never having a tool like that it made me realize how useful it was.

Then I bought a CAT D6C dozer: http://usera.imagecave.com/whitedwarf4/Toys/CAT_D6C.jpg

For land clearing, the dozer put the backhoe to shame.

Then when I started digging my ponds, I realized I needed an excavator, so bought a CAT 225: http://usera.imagecave.com/whitedwarf4/Excavation_2007/DCP_0016.JPG

The excavator puts the backhoe to further shame for pond digging and stump removal. I subsequently added a manual thumb to the excavator, works nice for moving 24" diameter 30 ft logs around...

I rarely use the backhoe anymore. I imagine once all the heavy work is done and I sell the excavator, I'll get back to utilizing the backhoe.

I'll never sell it now that I own it; it's just too handy...

 

[bindian]

I love my Ford 575D. http://usera.imagecave.com/whitedwarf4/Toys/575D_0002.JPG

I bought a fully wooded 63 acre lot back in 2003. My intensions were to clear about 4 acres, dig two ponds, and build a barn & house.

For the first year, the backhoe was great. Never having a tool like that it made me realize how useful it was.

Then I bought a CAT D6C dozer: http://usera.imagecave.com/whitedwarf4/Toys/CAT_D6C.jpg

For land clearing, the dozer put the backhoe to shame.

Then when I started digging my ponds, I realized I needed an excavator, so bought a CAT 225: http://usera.imagecave.com/whitedwarf4/Excavation_2007/DCP_0016.JPG

The excavator puts the backhoe to further shame for pond digging and stump removal. I subsequently added a manual thumb to the excavator, works nice for moving 24" diameter 30 ft logs around...

I rarely use the backhoe anymore. I imagine once all the heavy work is done and I sell the excavator, I'll get back to utilizing the backhoe.

I'll never sell it now that I own it; it's just too handy...

ETD66SS,
Sweet! You have cooler toys than MtViewRanch. Were do you live? Anywhere near Texas?
hugs, Brandi

 

[ETD66SS]

ETD66SS,
Sweet! You have cooler toys than MtViewRanch. Were do you live? Anywhere near Texas?
hugs, Brandi

Nope, all the way up in New York State, near Niagara Falls. I changed my profile to show my location, as ppl keep asking me, lol.

Seems to be a lot of ppl from Texas on this site...

Yes, I do believe a backhoe is worth the cost. However, that all depends on what you use it for... Once you have one though, you'll wonder how you ever did without one...

 

[DavidVT]

I bought a beat up 7' woods BH with PTO pump in ford blue. I had to buy a 3pt kit for my Kubota. The BH looks funny on the tractor but it sure saves my back.

My primary usage has been for underground wires, installing drainage pipe, fence posts, putting several loved pets in their final resting place and severly firing up my wife when I decide to practice digging in the field...

I never run the tractor over idle as I like the old BH to run slowly. Even at that pace it would have out dig me even when I was young enough to want to have tried....

I still hired out an excavator for stumping about 10 acres and for a large french drain. Even if my hoe was new, it would have taken far too long for me to clear all those stumps. The french drain project would have burried my tractor in the abandoned and failed man made pond I was trying to remove. He did the stumps in 9 hours, the french drain in 4.

My friend bought a tired extendahoe for about twice what I paid for this old BH attachment. He got a much more capable machine for the $. Something to consider when shopping for a small BH. In some areas there are many tired but salvagable commercial backhoes out there on the market.

 

[skipro3]

If you figure in the time it takes to "shop" for a rental or a contractor to do all the small jobs around the homestead into the cost of a buy, then it's definately worth it. I can come home from work, with maybe an hour or two of daylight left, and get some digging done during the week and have my weekend free as well as NOT taking time off work to manage a contractor or run a rental hoe.

 

[Richard]

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

(I know this is a late response) but...

You probably don't want to hear about me taking my full sized industrial backhoe out for a funeral....but I'll tell ya anyway..

Hernandez.... Hernandez was an affable fellow... never said much, kinda hung around the house. Wife actually gave him a meal every day and he appreciated her kindness.

You see....Hernandez was a fish.... a little two inch long fishs who swam around a 12" fishbowl all day.

One morning, he was found belly up wife got all bothered about it. She wanted me to 'take care of him' and I offered to flip him out into the woods

Well... that set her off on the wrong foot.... she wanted him buried!! so she told me to go get a shovel and bury him in the woods!

I repeated....why not just flip him into the woods?

She was now ADAMENT that I was not to flip him anywhere!!!

So... to show how absurd this was...

I grabbed Hernandez, put him into a cup.....proceeded to walk outside and jump onto Brutus (full sized JCB industrial). Hit the start switch & drove Brutus up to the top of the hill behind the house, overlooking the lake in both directions (actually, the place we should have BUILT our house for the view )

I then commenced to turn the seat around and take control of the wobble sticks.... a few moments later, I had a hole dug in the ground....little Hernandez was still sitting in the cup next to me, starting to smell a bit fishy.

I got off the backhoe, grabbed Hernandez.... and yes...'flipped' him into his new 2' wide by 4' deep grave. Filled the hole up and drove home.

Now I get grief from the wife because I "actually" used my backhoe to bury a fish...