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Thread: Personal Backhoe?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    South Coastal Massachusetts
    Posts
    6,824
    Where I come from, we call a personal backhoe a shovel.

    I believe this implement falls into the category; "know someone with a..."
    Pickup truck, power boat, trust fund, law degree - not necessarily something I would want to own personally.
    Last edited by Jim Matthews; 02-11-2012 at 1:49 PM.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    Quote Originally Posted by Todd Burch View Post

    So, tell me... how big a tractor would 3.5 acres justify??? It would be handy for getting the property in shape, and moving lumber around.
    The subcompacts and lower end of the compacts are perfect for this size property. My BX22 (currently a BX-25 I believe) has more than paid for itself, IMHO. Of course, it's not unlike tools for the shop: an opportunity to acquire handy accessories. In addition to the backhoe and loader on mine, I also own a small trailer, a back-blade (restored by me from a very rusty one I bought used), a landscape rake, a chipper/shredder, a post-hole digger (that lives at the barn we board our horses at) and a carry-all platform. Mine originally had a mower deck, but I sold that after I bought a ZTR for mowing.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Shenandoah Valley in Virginia
    Posts
    919
    Bought a used ford backhoe in 1988... Girlfriend said it was my Tonka Toy... One of the best investments I ever made... Bought it to maintain my road, 5/8 mile, all uphill...dug out a spot to park it in side of mountain... ended up making enough room for two double garages (one is woodworking shop, other is for cars)... could sell it for double what I have in it, but it is just too handy to get rid of...

    Go ahead & buy a used one.... it will take you longer to dig than a pro, but a lot more enjoyable and you end up with good equipment when you are done...

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Morristown, NJ
    Posts
    51
    After renting a backhoe for a month ($1,800 off season) for one of the construction projects to do backfilling, garage excavation, 3 dry wells, I quickly learned that it is a very useful tool to have around during construction. So, shortly after ('06) I decided to built my own house, I bought a used JD 410E ('97) for 10K. Used it to demolish the existing house, dug my foundation, dry wells, back filled, pulled tree stumps etc. The project is about finished now and I was thinking of selling it, but have another project lined up to start in few weeks. I'll be tearing a house and building a new one for someone. I may hire someone to excavate for foundation just to speed things up, but it will be still very useful machine to have around.

    If you don't mind to tie up few grands in the used equipment and don't have a specific dateline to finish your work, than go for it. You will not regret it.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    New Hill, NC
    Posts
    2,568
    Quote Originally Posted by Ed Hazel View Post
    Just beware once it starts.
    Once you have a backhoe you will need a dozer then a skid steer + attachments, then you will think you need a bigger backhoe and bigger dozer, and you thought woodworking was expensive?
    Man, ain't that the truth....

    Filling my big dozer wasn't bad ten years ago when off-road diesel sold for .79 per gallon; today running 125 gallons a day through it at $3.50/gallon is a whole different proposition...

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
    Posts
    5,427
    There is some skill to running a Bobcat or backhoe. I once rented a Bobcat to regrade my backyard. I had never done it before and the results were not good. The Bobcat sprung a major hydraulic leak less than an hour in so I returned it to the rental store and didn't get another one. I had so many problems doing the grading myself I hired someone to do it and they didn't charge that much more than the cost of the Bobcat rental.

    Doing it yourself can be cheap if you just want to move piles of dirt around or something, but I can't see digging for a foundation without any experience.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Anaheim, Ca
    Posts
    908
    As a contractor and someone that added on 2400 sq to their house I rented a small unit and yes I did a good job everything was spot on until the accounted for the concrete for the over excavation in width next time I will hire it out would of cost me 250.00 more then the rental and the overage of concrete plus 2 weeks.
    Craig Matheny
    Anaheim, Ca
    45 watt Epilog Laser, 60 watt Epilog Laser,
    Plasma Cutter, MiG Welder
    Rikon 70-100 Lathe
    Shop Smith V510, To many hand Tools and
    Universal Repair Kit (1- Hammer and 1- Roll of Duck Tape)

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