Mini Backhoe

Plumber

Hey! My fathers niehborhood is finally getting city sewers in 08 and they need someone to come in and take them off septic and run to the city line. (City wants to charge them $2500.00 + $2500.00 tap fee).I can beat there price a little and still make a great profit. So I been thinking of buying a small backhoe. Like a termmite, I was wondering what other small digging machines are out there? (mini backhoes I mean) I'm giong to rent one for a while to build up some cash to purchase a used one. If anyone has any feed back on this feel free I'm always willing to learn something new.

Michael

jmic

Don't know what the soil conditions are like where you are but I just tied into a lateral this week 12' deep. The line was installed about 3 yrs. ago well in ledge, they ended the lateral about 30" from solid rock. I had 2 tri - axle lds. of rock to haul out.
IMO a terminite is to small of a machine to be doing this kind of work on a day to day operation. It would be way to slow and cumbersome. Unless I'm thinking of the wrong machine. I see many of these at the local rentals, they appear to be used mainly by week end warriors. Go with a full size rubber tire back hoe and even with that you may have some that you'll have to pass on.

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Joe

crb555

A teramite is a piece of junk n my opinion.

Now... we DO have a couple of the mini excavators (look like a small trackhoe)
They work well
Having said that, we only bought the mini-ex's after a full size backhoe. ( with quick release bucket, and extended hoe)

We do plumbing as well.... trust me that you will be unhappy with the teramite.. the increase in production time by going to a beefier machine more than offsets the additional costs.

Crb5

Builtbybeck

A mini excavator with and skid steer loader is an awsome combination. Fast compact and easily transported. The thing you don't imediately notice about the mini excavators is the abillity to rotate the boom independantly from the main rotation making it great for digging in odd tight places and angles against stuff much better than a backhoe loader combination. A mini excavator dissavantage is you need a seperate loader like a skid steer. another disadvantage is you may come to places you miss the stabalisers of a backhoe loader (for leveling the equipment) when digging on a steep grade.

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Beck Construction and Remodeling
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KillerToiletSpider

We have a Bobcat with a back hoe attachment, for small dig jobs it works fine, and can quickly be changed back to an end loader for loading excess spoil or hauling in back fill.

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Plumber

I thought also of an kubota L39 or L48. Even a john deere 110 -310 I just have to purchuse a big enough truck to pull it. Do you think an 93 Dodge 4x4 dually with a Cummins can do it? I found one for sale for $5,000.00. I did think of a mini excavator and a skid steer but that's 2 seprate pieces of equipment I have to figure how to haul around across town. Wouldn't it cost more for 2 pieces of equipment and insure both? I'm just tring to get by with what I have to work with for now. (I have an 77 Dodge power wagon 4x4 it will pull anything and eat a lot of gas. I aslo have an 06 F150 with a V6 and tow pkg which I know for a fact I can pull an termmite with no problems.) That's why I mention a small backhoe I know kubota make a mini one too. I guess I could just rent one of everything per job and see which one I like to work with the most.

Thanks for your time.

Michael

mdshunk

I was checking out a guy's JD 110 the other day he was using on the jobsite (landscaper). They're a pretty neat machine, that seems prett respectable to me. Four wheel drive, hydraulic takeoffs, uses bobcat attachments and buckets. I thought it was a pretty nice machine for a guy that only wants one machine.

http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCa...r=111BLV&tM=GC

MechanicalDVR

Never buy if you can rent, never rent if you can borrow. Two things I learned early in business. If you have to buy, do your research. Don't buy a machine because your current truck can pull it and it won't really do the job. In heavy equipment, look for auctions they can save you tons of money.

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POOLMANinCT

my brother has jd110, fun machine. the key for him is the skid fork for moving stone. he's a stone mason

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747

Kubota is a excellent name in my oppion. Concerning what you want to do. Check with city they might expect a bond to be put up. Most cities when dealing with sewers have a list of bonded contractors you must choose from. But that might not apply in your town.

skyhook

I rented a Mini Backhoe several years ago to dig footings. iirc it broke before I got 10 feet. The plumber had a full size and got it done quick and cheap.

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MechanicalDVR

Very good point, in my area many towns require a bond for the opening in the paving, so they can be assured that you will backfill and patch it properly.

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sonny

You won't be sorry! My little Kubota L 35 digs 10 feet down. Will rip a stump out of the ground - Fully Hydro shift. I have flat out run the living piss out of this machine that I bought new in 1995. Backhoe is frame mounted but comes off quickly & every attachment you can think of goes on quickly. Just keep your fluids & filters changed & don't ever let anyone borrow your Equipment!

Sonny

dirt diggler

oh wait - you're joking, right??


we're digging trenches? for pipe?? the Kubota you're talking about is the LAST thing in the world I would use.

For one - these are not made for efficient excavation.

1) if you're trying to back up (i.e., moving down the trench) - you're going to eat up time just getting on and off - you can't spin a seat around like you can in a backhoe. Very inefficient right there

2) these things move like molasses

3) you do not have enough reach on the boom to stockpile anything (adjacent to the trench) as you move down the line

4) taking out stumps??? how big are we talking?? not that big ...

5) digs down to 10 ft?? from what elevation???

skyhook

It had a weak link when I got it, I just finished it off.

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sonny

Hell the seat spins & also slides - 4 separate switches also work 4 overhead work lights. Full Hydro shift - no clutching - and the backhoe is faster than a Ford triple nickle. I have dug to just under 10 feet. And one time I dug out a cluster of Locust stumps over 6 foot across, I moved around that stump mound at the speed of light. After getting the stump in the jaws of the backhoe I brought up the outriggers to far & was slammed down backwards. Well I dropped the stump and pushed with the front bucket over to the burn area. Never have I seen a rig that was better than this Kubota for getting into tight areas & digging footers.

I put a lot of footers in , broke up hundreds of yards of concrete , & so many stumps I can't count. Also at least 10 septic systems , water lines you name this machine has done it. And it done it with out ever breaking down. It sits next to my barn for the last 4 years but still fires right up. So I guess you don't know squat when it comes to a Kubota.


Sonny

skyhook

........................

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BrianHay

...I have never seen a good backhoe operator spin the seat to move back away from his cut anyways. Reach behind you, lift the front bucket, pick up the the back tires/outriggers with the hoe bucket and give yourself a shove back. Spinning the seat and lifting the outriggers is a waste of time.

dirt diggler

and you're right -

but you can't even do that on a kubota tractor

dirt diggler

they are not for efficient (money making) excavation - end of story