Backhoe why do I want a backhoe???

[chrisjbell]

Some good comments in the thread already...

I like my backhoe a lot and am glad that I bought it. I use it for a lot of things, and I enjoy being able to hook it up and use it whenever I feel the need.

For what it cost, it would have been a lot less overall $$$ to rent one project by project. What I paid for when I bought it, though, was the freedom to do my projects on my schedule (more slowly, when I have the time) rather than having to try and get things done quickly to keep from spending a fortune on a rental.

Someone mentioned lot size - that would probably be a factor in your equation. Backhoes also are handy for a lot more than taking rocks out, too.

Did anyone mention that they are kind of fun, too?

 

[huckie]

Thanks for the insight. first the thought of blowing stumps out of the ground puts a huge smile on my face until I think of what my wife would do to me.
Second yes it will be around a low 30hp machine.
Third I have 23 arces and it has (well lets just say charator).
Last the price of the bh IS the big issue, trailer, hog, logging winch all for the price of the backhoe.

And the last minor detail is just 3 hours ago my truck with 184,000 miles on it started making noises that may send it to the grave. And that would put a damper on the tractor.

 

[Marlowe]

A front end loader is a great piece of equipment. So is a box blade. Neither will do what a back hoe will do, and vice versa. Get what you will need most of the time because nothing is right all of the time. I've got the FEL / BB combo. Sure could use a back hoe now and then though.

 

[MarkLeininger]

I am very close to buying a tractor the only problem is I am not able to convince myself that I will be able to get rocks out of my yard/lawn/woods with just a box scraper and the fel. Stumps don't worry me the the rocks do. Any thoughts would be a help.

No one's mentioned mental health days. When all the turkeys at work get you down, come home and dig a big hole with the backhoe, then push the dirt back in with the bucket. Get out the welder and melt steel with fire. You now rule the world.

 

[Botabill]

If you can swing it you might consider getting a small used mini excavator. If you keep looking you can get one for $5000 or perhaps a bit more. I don't know what a back hoe cost but the great thing is when you have 2 independant machines you can have two people working on a project. I can use the excavator I have digging rocks and my wife hauls them away with the FEL tractor. Twice the fun er... work gets done.

 

[fishpick]

Here's my take on the BH dilemma as I went through these mental exercises prior to buying my tractor (with BH).
Sure - I could have saved $$ up front and "rented" a BH as the need arose... like all those other times I never rented one before I got my tractor. Not exactly sure why I would start renting one now - but I could.
Then there is the whole idea of just having someone with a BH do the job... so I added up 3 things I had quotes for: a drainage trench filled with gravel and 4" perf pipe along the driveway, new french drains, new cable/pipe run out to the shed. Quotes came in at around $3300 - with me not getting to do any of the work (sure I could have looked harder, but it's a rule of thumb I used).
Now that I have my BH - I use it all the time for things I never thought about - and someday the addition of a thumb will really make it a "must have". Wife wants a large plant moved--- 2 scoops out where it's going, scoop the plant up in the bucket, drive over, plop it in the hole. Stump, gone... Turning the compost pile - EASY. Rigging out right near the foundation - simple and painless.
If you are going to keep the tractor and the BH for a while - sure, you might not be able to "pay for it" in absolute cash value over many years... but renting (for me and my patterns) is something I only talked about - usually it ended up me, the day of the project a maddox, pick and shovel...
I love it and would never get rid of it... my wife was not sure about it when the totals for the rig came up... now, she says it's "the best thing we ever bought".

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Why do I want a backhoe???

To this point the discussion has been somewhat off topic. With the exception of chrisjbell, and MarkLeininger, Everyone has been discussing why you need a backhoe. You asked why you want a backhoe.

The answer to the original question is easy...

Because they're cool .

 

[Nuru]

Huckie,


I do not know for sure what size tractor you are looking at, but based on your other posts, I am guessing something in the low 30hp range? And based on your description I think your land and mine are not all that different.


That said, I have found the best way to get at the rocks is with my backhoe. But I have to tell you most of the time I am just to lazy to hook it up. I have no problem digging out 600# - 900# rocks with my FEL. Although there would be no way I could do this without the tooth bar and the larger pistons on my Koyker loader. It may take a little longer and make a bit more of a mess but it does get the job done.


Digging around root is a different story. For that the FEL is just too big. So I guess a lot will depend on how many rocks you are planning to move! But if you are going to be doing any serious digging I would NOT recommend a 3ph backhoe. Do yourself a favor and go with a subframe mount. You won't be sorry.


Hope this is of some help,


Gary

definitely agree, I did the stump removal with a FEL without a toothbar routine once, only once.

 

[Evaluator]

Everyone is throwing in there 2 cents so here is mine. I agonized over the purchase of my tractor, FEL and backhoe. I Evaluated it to death. Ended up purchasing a new L3130 with 723 loader and BH90 backhoe.

I have only had it a week but I know already that it is the best thing I could have bought. I worked primarily with the backhoe all day on Saturday. Got 4-months worth of manual labor work done in one day.

I like others considered renting, hiring it out, etc. But renting is not on my schedule and neither is hiring it out. Renting would require time to get used to the machine and by the time you are familiar with it, time to take it back. Also, everybody knows that there is no fun in hiring someone else to do it.

Best decision I could have made. Even my wife thinks so...Buy the backhoe. Also, listen to the folks on TBN. I was considering a 7.5ft backhoe, opted for the 9ft Kubota BH90. That extra 1.5ft has already paid off, not to mention the added strength.

My 2 cents...for what it is worth.

NB

 

[McDenny's]

My 2 cents worth is this ---- A backhoe could and does come in very handy for me. If you could see work around your yard that a backhoe would make it easier and make other projects faster, then its a given. If you see yourself maybe using a few times and then just sitting outback in the weeds, then don't waste your money. I am sure your could rent a machine or have a friend that could help with the few times you might need it. My tractor has a Bradco 509 with a hydraulic thumb, I do not use it every time I use my tractor and it hasn't been on my MF1445 for over a month, but I did use it steady for a week moving rocks, building a stone wall, and installing outfall drains on my house. I would not sell it now that I have it, if I didn't have one, I would be pondering the thought like you whether or not its worth the money.


just my opinion,
Dennis