I see several users here have the BX and maybe larger with back-hoe. How much use are the back-hoes getting for the bucks involved? Is renting a skid steer with back-hoe an option instead? I know they make a good rear weight, but at what cost. Maybe some discussion here will help those in the buying mood.
Why would you need a back-hoe for typical non-comercial owner.
- Thread starter cerlawson
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TripleR
Active member
Equipment
BX2200, BX2660, L5740 HSTC, M8540HDC and some other tractors and equipment
I suspect this could become a pretty hot topic without a clear winner so to speak. Lots of people feel they can't live without them and often with good cause, sometimes for convenience.
We've owned a backhoe and used it a lot for a few years and now just rent an excavator every few years. As much as I like them, for our use, a backhoe is just a waste of money and storage space.
We've owned a backhoe and used it a lot for a few years and now just rent an excavator every few years. As much as I like them, for our use, a backhoe is just a waste of money and storage space.
85Hokie
Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX-25D ,PTB. Under Armor, '90&'92-B7100HST's, '06 BX1850 FEL
I bought my BX BECAUSE of the backhoe.......now true....I DONT use it much, I have about 90 hours on my machine now, backhoe has about 12.......
AND yes I paid close to 7 grand for it .......
but and this is a butt, when I need it - I have it !!! At ZERO % - I said WTF - I am too old to wish for stuff, SO I HAVE IT ......would not go back and change a thing, when i need a ditch, I have it, aint gonna rent and fill out a bunch of paperwork to rent a machine....
to each his own, and in my case - having that heavy mo fo on the rear is the cats lick!!! Cant wait to use it more.....when I find the time !
Last December I passed on buying a L1500 with a backhoe because it was pretty beat but also because I couldn't see a need for a backhoe attachment.
I then spent Christmas day and the day after swinging a pick through frozen ground looking for our septic tank. I ended up having to wait 3 more days to be able to rent a mini excavator to finish the job and get the tank pumped.
Moral of the story, if you can afford it, get it. You will use it.
I then spent Christmas day and the day after swinging a pick through frozen ground looking for our septic tank. I ended up having to wait 3 more days to be able to rent a mini excavator to finish the job and get the tank pumped.
Moral of the story, if you can afford it, get it. You will use it.
It is a great tool when you need to dig anything, small or large. Removing stumps, prepping a field, removing rocks, it is pretty good.
I agree with the others if you can afford it I would go for it, if not rent one when needed. Either way you can do what you need.
I bought my BX25D because of the backhoe (and loader of course) . I have 163 hours on my machine and I would say over half are on the backhoe . The reasons why . I burn wood , about 5 cord a year . That backhoe makes it so easy cutting . Topping out a fallen tree ? No problem , cut a large limb , pick it up with the hoe and carry it out to where you can cut it . And while holding it up in the air , no more cutting in the dirt . Splitting wood with a log splitter , piece too big to pick up ? pick it up with the hoe and set it on the splitter . Now comes yard work , digging stumps , digging out trees and tipping over stump and all . Pulling brush out , maintaining ditches . So for me it was the best money I have ever spent .
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I had a BH and while handy it had it's issues. For my own preference buying a used mini trackhoe was the best thing ever. I never put the BH on the tractor again and ended up selling it. For me the mini x is 10 times more usefull and was cheaper than what I paid for the backhoe attachment. JMHO
I've had mine for about a week, I've dug up about a dozen good sized stumps. Just Love it. Another great benefit. No one needs to really piss me off. I NOW HAVE A BACKHOE.
We have the L3800 with BH77. We certainly could have done without the backhoe but the price was right for me and it works for our small ranch property- dug out 2 acres of wild rose that had been growing for 20+ years, I use it to move certain items. My job makes it difficult to rent equipment on other's time frame and having the equipment at home for whenever I am ready to use it makes it incredibly handy. If there is a job that I can't handle, we have a farmer down the road that rents him and his equipment for $70/hr and makes short work of big jobs. Thus far there has only been on job that I could handle. We still have spring boxes to build, a cistern to bury, electrical wire to bury, a sprinkler system to put up, trenches to maintain, and culverts to bury and other projects. Currently, it sits in the barn awaiting the next project. If I could do it again, I still would. Some may not need one, but I wanted one for my purposes and it works for us.
If you can afford it and you have use for it, go for it.
If you can afford it and you have use for it, go for it.
Lil Foot
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
1979 B7100DT Gear, Nissan Hanix N150-2 Excavator
Well, cost wasn't too much of a factor with mine, it came with the tractor, but I spent about $800 rebuilding it. I love using it, completed several projects that I could not done with a pick & shovel, (even if I wanted to, which I don't) and I'm the neighborhood hero when folks want to plant trees & plants or dig out a stump. I know three families with tractors, but I'm the only one with a hoe, so we swap work & barter a lot. Besides, it looks cool, and fulfills my boyhood dreams of running "heavy" equipment.
I wouldn't trade the backhoe for NOTHING. Except maybe a bigger one, although the one I have treads light on the lawn compared to a full size. I worked for an excavator for a few years and had the displeasure to run his backhoe attachment on the skid steer. It sucks. If you want just one toy, get the tractor w/hoe. If you have lots of money, get a tractor and mini excavator
Still looking for my first Kubota, but I won't buy one without a backhoe. For my needs that would be like buying a dump truck with no dumper. Sure I could still haul things, but I wouldn't get the full benefit of owning a dump truck either. I think it strictly comes down to how much you need one, and whether or not renting is your answer. I agree with others though... having it, if you can afford it, is always better than needing it and not having it when you need it.
I like your train of thought! Big difference between need and want. And that hemi was a 392!
We're humans and use justification (or gratification) more than reasoning at times. I could have gotten by with the first tractor I bought back in '89 and skipped the last three tractor purchases. As humans we also think we make better choices than our neighbors, and argue that they would be much better off having done what we chose to do.
85Hokie
Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX-25D ,PTB. Under Armor, '90&'92-B7100HST's, '06 BX1850 FEL
Skeets,
I am with ya,..............didnt need that Kawi ZZR, after a divorce final, I BOUGHT it!
Didnt need the BX............thought about it for about 5 years.........came to the same conclusion, want at my age looks mo better than need, but I am finding that WITH it, I can do those things I could not do before!
I didnt NEED the B7100, but it is one of those things that I said wth......too good to pass up, and will use it and learn from it!!!
Big boys with expensive toys!
Daren Todd
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
Massey Ferguson 1825E, Kubota Z121S, Box blade, Rotary Cutter
Now that's some honest wisdom! Ever heard of "cognitive dissonance"? Still wish I had a BH, don't really need it though.
I don't need or want a hoe on a tractor. I have a Ditch Witch R40 with a hoe on one end a trencher on the other and a 6-way backfill blade. Bought it 15 years ago for 5G, paid for itself many times over and I don't have hoe in my way when I use my tractors.
Each of us justifies our decisions. That's the nature of a human, I'm right---you're ......not, if you disagree with me.
Each of us justifies our decisions. That's the nature of a human, I'm right---you're ......not, if you disagree with me.