Backhoe and tractor questions

[Nealm66]

It’s nice to have a tractor around on a couple acres. I love the forklift attachment. The backhoe is definitely been handy. Just recently ran some waterline out and put a freeze faucet in. Digging out decent size stumps with mine wouldn’t work but it’s big enough to do ditch work in my ground. I used it to dig the power in to my house. It’s a 33 new Holland and no complaints. I believe financing was under 2%. I’ve used the post hole attachment a few times and was glad to have it but probably wasn’t worth the cost and really not worth the time it takes to unhook the backhoe and connect it. Cost wise, I’d have saved a ton of money just renting when/what I needed but I’d probably buy it again if I could turn back time. Food for thought anyways

 

[SpaceBus]

For digging post holes I've been exceedingly happy with my loader mounted hydraulic auger drive. I run it off my third function and it can spin forward and backward. It was spendy compared to a PTO hole digger, but we have lots of rock/stone and hard packed clay and the reverse function and having it hooked to the FEL is really nice. If I had longer hoses I could run it off one of my rear remotes if I didn't have the third function. I also spent a bit more for rock augers with carbide teeth, but that might not be necessary for your application. Seems most newer turbo diesel tractors with an HST have enough hydraulic flow for smaller skid steer/CTL stuff, but definitely check the specs for whatever tractors you are shopping. I've seen some people run PTO hydraulic pumps if the tractor doesn't have enough hydraulic capacity.

 

[SpaceBus]

It’s nice to have a tractor around on a couple acres. I love the forklift attachment. The backhoe is definitely been handy. Just recently ran some waterline out and put a freeze faucet in. Digging out decent size stumps with mine wouldn’t work but it’s big enough to do ditch work in my ground. I used it to dig the power in to my house. It’s a 33 new Holland and no complaints. I believe financing was under 2%. I’ve used the post hole attachment a few times and was glad to have it but probably wasn’t worth the cost and really not worth the time it takes to unhook the backhoe and connect it. Cost wise, I’d have saved a ton of money just renting when/what I needed but I’d probably buy it again if I could turn back time. Food for thought anyways

There are times I wish I had financed the backhoe when I bought my tractor instead of passing on the extra expense.

 

[Nealm66]

There are times I wish I had financed the backhoe when I bought my tractor instead of passing on the extra expense.

The local new Holland dealer is pretty good here. They had me buy the woods backhoe and said it was better than the new Holland. I also saw a larger Massey Ferguson with they’re backhoe attachment in action that wasn’t as good. Guess I’m saying you wouldn’t be out any extra if you went that route but maybe interest rate might be higher

 

[SpaceBus]

The local new Holland dealer is pretty good here. They had me buy the woods backhoe and said it was better than the new Holland. I also saw a larger Massey Ferguson with they’re backhoe attachment in action that wasn’t as good. Guess I’m saying you wouldn’t be out any extra if you went that route but maybe interest rate might be higher

The Kioti backhoes are made by Woods, as are the loaders I believe. Some day I probably will get one. There's a boat shop down the road that has a Kioti or Kubota with a backhoe and I get jealous sometimes.

 

[Jags]

I will be giving up my case 580ck when I am.....dead

 

[salecker]

Yes there are 4x4 backhoes but you aren't going to find them cheap. But really a big 2wd backhoe is pretty capable.

Look around i bought a 1990 Cat 426 4x4 backhoe on a sealed bid for $3333.09.Foam filled tires,frost bucket,street sweeper,and front clam bucket.The coupler between the trans and torque converter is gone.
Best part about it is it's the same machine as i currently have,now i have to decide is it just for parts or do i fix it so i have 2 running.

 

[brenndatomu]

i bought a 1990 Cat 426 4x4 backhoe on a sealed bid for $3333.09.Foam filled tires,frost bucket,street sweeper,and front clam bucket.

Stop, thief!

 

[Firefighter44]

And then you need to store the backhoe in a proper place. Storing it outside is not a proper place. Hydraulic fluid and lines don't like the sun, snow, or rain.

There are millions of pieces of equipment that haven’t seen cover since the day they left the factory.

 

[showrguy]

There are millions of pieces of equipment that haven’t seen cover since the day they left the factory.

Yea, I bought my first John Deere 410 used 22 years ago for 10 grand, and planned to sell it once my house was built.,
well, that did’nt happen. once you have a real size,/weight machine and learn how to “operate” it you’ll never be without one..
I bought a 2nd machine, John Deere 310 for my camp in Clinton county 6 years ago>….. Don’t regret either of those buys..

 

[sloeffle]

There are millions of pieces of equipment that haven’t seen cover since the day they left the factory.

And there are million of pieces of equipment that get put away in a shed every night. To each his own.....

 

[SpaceBus]

And there are million of pieces of equipment that get put away in a shed every night. To each his own.....

I'm sure everyone would prefer to put their equipment in a building.

 

[salecker]

Stop, thief!

Had to move Backhoe#2 with backhoe #1 yesterday.
Of course the final resting spot was in the way for progress.
Put the batteries back in it and it fired right up one tire was low hydraulics all worked
But it still dosn't move on it's own,Parked for 4 years i was hoping that someone had fixed it.
Friggen night shift never does any work.

 

[ericm979]

A B7100 loader does not have SSQA. You'll need to add that so you can put a grapple on it. The mounting plate and even the lightest grapple will consume about 300-350 lbs. If I remember right the factory loader is rated for about 750 lbs. That does not leave a lot. And the B7100 is manual steering only. I had a B7100 and have a larger Branson with a grapple now. Grapple and B7100 just don't go together.

I got a used Branson BH for my Branson. It works but a mini ex would be better.

 

[spuldup]

IMHO for what you have to do, owning a backhoe doesn't make long term financial sense. And then you need to store the backhoe in a proper place. Storing it outside is not a proper place. Hydraulic fluid and lines don't like the sun, snow, or rain.

I'd look into getting a compact tractor or SCUT and then renting a mini-hoe to do the jobs the the tractor can't do. You can rent a mini-hoe for $500 - $600 a week. You should be able to knock most of your projects out in a few weeks. A decent size back hoe or mini-hoe that isn't going to need a ton of work is going to cost >10k. Good luck finding a good used piece of equipment these days too. They are about as scarce a brand new one ton Ford pickup.

This X100. Best advice.

 

[Ashful]

I had the same thought as well. Are there 4x4 backhoes? The grapple will be a little more difficult. Might be better to get a larger 4x4 cat 1 tractor and rent a mini ex for the big jobs.

I've had three compact utility tractors (Deere 750, 855, 3033R), and didn't bother with the backhoe on any of them. They take up a lot of space, add a lot of expense, and the number of times I truly need one around here is less than once per year. I've taken to either renting or just hiring someone with a mini-ex when I need something dug, way faster than any POS tiny backhoe on a compact utility tractor. But, if you have more frequent need for one, and you expect that need to continue past some initial period, it could make more sense for you to own one.

I'm also not a fan of any sub-compacts, not because they aren't capable, but because they cost almost as much as a compact. Unless there's some reason you really need something smaller and lighter, you might as well just get a real compact tractor for similar money, and skip the "sub".

I'm with sloeffle on storage. I wouldn't even touch any piece of equipment that's been stored outdoors. Aside from corrosion and paint failure, rubber rots in sun, and the sum of tires and hoses on a tractor with a loader could increase the apparent price of any used machine as much as 50%, once you start having to replace them.

I will also never understand someone so handy that they need a tractor with a loader or backhoe, but simultaneously so helpless they can't erect a simple shed roof or carport, to keep the thing out of the sun and rain. Read: "Lazy". Makes me wonder what else they ignored, in the maintenance of the machine I'm considering for purchase.