in the market for a backhoe or mini ex

[herm0016]

@skyking @Greenman
anyone else?

looking to spend under 15k, will be splitting with a neighbor ( yes I know, Danger Will Robinson!) but I know he takes care of his equipment and so do I. any leads? anything to watch out for? I see a lot of case 580s, some 560s. smaller is good and a mini ex would be maybe more useful but price is a lot higher.

advice?

projects include a french drain along the back of my house, cleaning out my drainage/irrigation ditch, digging a 400 foot trench for a water line, etc.
I could go for a 3 point mount on my branson 4720h but have heard a lot of horror stories about 3 point mount backhoes and I don't have aux hydraulics so i would be looking at around 7 for an attachment and a couple more for tractor upgrades for a machine that is a lot less capable.

 

[Greenman]

The only experience I have is rented equipment, and not much of that. Though I did own a small Kubota TLB for a few years. I went that rout because I otherwise would have had to buy a mini excavator and a bobcat. The TLB simply had more utility for the money and could operate on steeper terrain than the mini excavator. I was doing drainage in the hills at that time in some very tight areas.

I did buy a bobcat off of ebay some years back, and discovered after the purchase that it was a gray market machine. Since that bit of information wasn't disclosed in the listing the seller refunded my money.
Skyking is going to be your man advice on this one.

You might want to check out the Chinese mini excavators on youtube. There are a few videos from guy's that bought them cheap as dirt and were surprised at how well they were built. For $3500 bucks you could use it for lawn art if it dies.

 

[herm0016]

The only experience I have is rented equipment, and not much of that. Though I did own a small Kubota TLB for a few years. I went that rout because I otherwise would have had to buy a mini excavator and a bobcat. The TLB simply had more utility for the money and could operate on steeper terrain than the mini excavator. I was doing drainage in the hills at that time in some very tight areas.

I did buy a bobcat off of ebay some years back, and discovered after the purchase that it was a gray market machine. Since that bit of information wasn't disclosed in the listing the seller refunded my money.
Skyking is going to be your man advice on this one.

You might want to check out the Chinese mini excavators on youtube. There are a few videos from guy's that bought them cheap as dirt and were surprised at how well they were built. For $3500 bucks you could use it for lawn art if it dies.

the little Chinese ones are tempting. I would like something with maybe a 6 foot minimum stick and 5 to 6k lbs. that would fit on my existing trailer and still have some power. the 2 ton and smaller and little 4 ft stick ones seem pretty useless unless you have some kind of tiny space requirement.

TLB wise really the minimum for something cheap is like 15k lbs but they usually have a road gear and can just drive.

 

[Greenman]

the little Chinese ones are tempting. I would like something with maybe a 6 foot minimum stick and 5 to 6k lbs. that would fit on my existing trailer and still have some power. the 2 ton and smaller and little 4 ft stick ones seem pretty useless unless you have some kind of tiny space requirement.

TLB wise really the minimum for something cheap is like 15k lbs but they usually have a road gear and can just drive.

My little Kubota was around 4k pounds, dug 6' deep. It was handy to be able to drop the hoe and put on a box scraper or rototiller.
I guess you just have to watch the local auctions to find a mini. Though they seem to really hold their value.

 

[skyking]

After a few decades of doing things like this, my conclusion is to rent a real machine, every time. I know that the desire to have it when you want it around the clock any day of the week is strong, but I value a person's time too much to compromise.
If you did get a case 580 in that price range, it would be a minimum of 30 years old. That is daunting, when you think about parts and repairs.
You have the distinct advantage of having that little tractor for backfill. Take advantage of that.
Rent a nice new 35 for ~1300 for a week, and knock a bunch of those projects out while getting to operate some really nice new iron.
Get the digging you mentioned all done, and then return the rental and use your loader to bed the pipe, put in the drain rock for the french drain, and restore it all at your leisure.
You could up the ante and get a 50 if you had room for that. Personally I'd stay with a 35 unless the drainage ditch clean out required more reach.
I know that this is not nearly as sexy as ownership. Having $55K of new iron at your disposal will really put a grin on your face, compared to a broke down backhoe that is your problem.
Do you have any excavator experiences?

 

[skyking]

Here is a 580 in Longmont that will sell at auction on May 24. Watch this sale and get an idea of what you can get for how much $$.
It is 34 years old. There are no pictures yet but that will change.
https://www.rbauction.com/idp/1989-...nvId=13872562&id=ci&auction=denver-co-2023177

Here is a much newer M model
https://www.rbauction.com/idp/2009-...nvId=13867605&id=ci&auction=denver-co-2023177


There is a JD at the auction too. A handful of used mini ex and a shit ton of agrotk brand new minis with gas engines for cheap.
When you look a the chinese imports you need to ask, who is doing any warranty work? Where will you get parts?
Can you get parts?


I looked at Denver CL for backhoes.
This C model is asking 18.5K and is in the model year 1975 to 1980. 43 to 48 years old.
https://pueblo.craigslist.org/hvo/d/coaldale-580c-case-backhoe/7610385448.html

This Cat 420D is a classic scam.
https://fortcollins.craigslist.org/hvo/d/windsor-caterpillar-420d-loader-backhoe/7609212361.html
This one is 11K
Lyndon B. Johnson-ish Ford backhoe

Iron is going way too high these days.
Now loop back and look at renting a decent machine for even 2K, twice or three times over the course of a few years.
You'll need to consolidate the jobs for you and the neighbor for it to seem worth it, but it is well worth it to have all the problems be somebody else's problems.