houseprojects
Active Member
Hi.
If there is one thing that I could change about myself, it would be to be less indecisive. However I also like to think it's a result of being thorough... or what I tell myself.
For the last 6 months or so, I've toyed with the idea of getting a machine to make my life easier at my house. Not too long ago I moved to WNC and with that decision left a lot of friends and family behind. Before the move, when I needed some extra help, a few phone calls got me the manpower I needed to get some stuff done. I don't have that luxury anymore - now when I need help, I muscle through it myself. It takes me longer than it would otherwise and I yell at the clouds more. A lot more.
My neighbor has a nice Kubota tractor. He's an older gentleman (maybe in his 60s) and he is way more productive in his yard than I am (I am 35) in mine. Seeing the perks of his tractor is what initially got me looking for equipment. My search went on and off since it wasn't a dire need for me early on. Not to mention, I could not believe my eyes when I started seeing the cost of tractors. $20k-$30k was the going rate for the machines I was looking at. Bit of a sticker shock to me as I was expecting the machine I was looking for to be in the mid teens. Every time I went looking for some tractors, I lost motivation since the tractors in my price range looked more like mowers than tractors.
Fast forward a few months to Sept 2024 and hurricane Helene. I had over 20 trees uprooted on my property. This is in addition to the 10-15 trees we tagged to get cleared around the house and in the backyard. I'm not cheap, but also like to make sure my money is going in the right places. Rather than spending $11k-$13k to have a tree removal service clear my property from the fallen trees, I figured it was the right time to try and rent some equipment to get a better feel for what I would like to own myself. I rented a Vermeer BC1000XL wood chipper and a Hitachi ZX26U5 (6,000lb mini-ex). Figured with the thumb, I'd have the versatility I needed to move and stage all the logs, and the bucket would allow me to remove some roots.
I. LOVED. IT. I was hooked on the fact that having a machine took my productivity to a whole different level. In two days time, me and my brothers took care of almost all of it.
After that rental, I have been all over the classifieds, doing research, and trying to make sense of what equipment is best suited for me.
For a little more context, some work that is at the top of my list (in order of importance)...
- Still have (3) trees down: two pines and one red oak.
- About 10 or so root balls that need to be picked up and moved from the front yard.
- Need (4) trenches dug (15ft-25ft long) to address all the crushed corrugated piping that diverts water from gutters.
- Have ~40 4x4 posts to pull out of the ground from an old fence.
- Have a front patio to install, including installing a retaining wall roughly 30ft long, 2-3ft high.
Being that I had a great time with the excavator I rented, my search naturally started there. The 6,000lb machine, though very efficient was a smidge smaller than needed (after all, I initially put in for an 8,000lb machine but it wasn't available). In my area, a decent running mini-ex goes for $17k-$20k in the 8,000lb range. I have seen a few come up in $14k range, but those sell FAST. There were a few I inquired about that were listed just a few hours prior and they were marked sold before I got an answer. Regularly I see machines in the $10k-$14k range too, but they're beat to **** and come with a lot of "buts"... no service history, "worked great when it ran", etc.
Truth be told, I feel like a skid steer with a bucket and grapple would get me 60% of the way there with what is currently on my plate. I see some really nice Bobcat 743Bs on the market for $12k. Some with the attachments I'd need. Maybe getting a skid steer and just renting a mini-ex for the jobs that really need it?
I've recently even delved into the market of backhoes too. Those poor things get no love. I see tractors sell for 2-3 times the price of a backhoes, and I feel like a good portion of people that buy tractors just get them for the front loader and backhoe attachment? Backhoes are cheap (compared to tractors). $12k-$18k (depending on the age of the machine) will get you a 12,000-15,000lb machine that provides a tremendous amount of power and utility. I can do with a bigger machine as I have the space to do my work, so naturally the tractor fell out of contention with this discovery.
Going full circle to my opening statement, I am quickly learning the benefits of each type of equipment. Excavators, backhoes, and skid steers are at the top of my list. Deep down I want a 8,000lb excavator, but my ceiling is $16k. Not a penny over for the initial purchase. A backhoe, which to me seems just as utilitarian as a mini-ex, can be had for cheaper and has more earth moving ability. Ideally I'd like to rent a backhoe to experience the shortcomings of it, maybe size is an issue. But spending the additional coin on rentals just takes away from me getting what I want sooner.
Having written all that, I guess I've lost the initial intent of my post. I think I am just looking for some feedback from fellow members that were in my spot before. I know there are a lot of people here that just homestead and have the machines to do it more efficiently. Any other shortcomings of a backhoe that would veer me back to where I started, getting a mini-ex?
I've done a lot of reading here, but any other feedback I can get would only help.
PS - If it wasn't obvious from my post, I am shopping used only. Most of the machines I look at are 15-30 years old.
If there is one thing that I could change about myself, it would be to be less indecisive. However I also like to think it's a result of being thorough... or what I tell myself.
For the last 6 months or so, I've toyed with the idea of getting a machine to make my life easier at my house. Not too long ago I moved to WNC and with that decision left a lot of friends and family behind. Before the move, when I needed some extra help, a few phone calls got me the manpower I needed to get some stuff done. I don't have that luxury anymore - now when I need help, I muscle through it myself. It takes me longer than it would otherwise and I yell at the clouds more. A lot more.
My neighbor has a nice Kubota tractor. He's an older gentleman (maybe in his 60s) and he is way more productive in his yard than I am (I am 35) in mine. Seeing the perks of his tractor is what initially got me looking for equipment. My search went on and off since it wasn't a dire need for me early on. Not to mention, I could not believe my eyes when I started seeing the cost of tractors. $20k-$30k was the going rate for the machines I was looking at. Bit of a sticker shock to me as I was expecting the machine I was looking for to be in the mid teens. Every time I went looking for some tractors, I lost motivation since the tractors in my price range looked more like mowers than tractors.
Fast forward a few months to Sept 2024 and hurricane Helene. I had over 20 trees uprooted on my property. This is in addition to the 10-15 trees we tagged to get cleared around the house and in the backyard. I'm not cheap, but also like to make sure my money is going in the right places. Rather than spending $11k-$13k to have a tree removal service clear my property from the fallen trees, I figured it was the right time to try and rent some equipment to get a better feel for what I would like to own myself. I rented a Vermeer BC1000XL wood chipper and a Hitachi ZX26U5 (6,000lb mini-ex). Figured with the thumb, I'd have the versatility I needed to move and stage all the logs, and the bucket would allow me to remove some roots.
I. LOVED. IT. I was hooked on the fact that having a machine took my productivity to a whole different level. In two days time, me and my brothers took care of almost all of it.
After that rental, I have been all over the classifieds, doing research, and trying to make sense of what equipment is best suited for me.
For a little more context, some work that is at the top of my list (in order of importance)...
- Still have (3) trees down: two pines and one red oak.
- About 10 or so root balls that need to be picked up and moved from the front yard.
- Need (4) trenches dug (15ft-25ft long) to address all the crushed corrugated piping that diverts water from gutters.
- Have ~40 4x4 posts to pull out of the ground from an old fence.
- Have a front patio to install, including installing a retaining wall roughly 30ft long, 2-3ft high.
Being that I had a great time with the excavator I rented, my search naturally started there. The 6,000lb machine, though very efficient was a smidge smaller than needed (after all, I initially put in for an 8,000lb machine but it wasn't available). In my area, a decent running mini-ex goes for $17k-$20k in the 8,000lb range. I have seen a few come up in $14k range, but those sell FAST. There were a few I inquired about that were listed just a few hours prior and they were marked sold before I got an answer. Regularly I see machines in the $10k-$14k range too, but they're beat to **** and come with a lot of "buts"... no service history, "worked great when it ran", etc.
Truth be told, I feel like a skid steer with a bucket and grapple would get me 60% of the way there with what is currently on my plate. I see some really nice Bobcat 743Bs on the market for $12k. Some with the attachments I'd need. Maybe getting a skid steer and just renting a mini-ex for the jobs that really need it?
I've recently even delved into the market of backhoes too. Those poor things get no love. I see tractors sell for 2-3 times the price of a backhoes, and I feel like a good portion of people that buy tractors just get them for the front loader and backhoe attachment? Backhoes are cheap (compared to tractors). $12k-$18k (depending on the age of the machine) will get you a 12,000-15,000lb machine that provides a tremendous amount of power and utility. I can do with a bigger machine as I have the space to do my work, so naturally the tractor fell out of contention with this discovery.
Going full circle to my opening statement, I am quickly learning the benefits of each type of equipment. Excavators, backhoes, and skid steers are at the top of my list. Deep down I want a 8,000lb excavator, but my ceiling is $16k. Not a penny over for the initial purchase. A backhoe, which to me seems just as utilitarian as a mini-ex, can be had for cheaper and has more earth moving ability. Ideally I'd like to rent a backhoe to experience the shortcomings of it, maybe size is an issue. But spending the additional coin on rentals just takes away from me getting what I want sooner.
Having written all that, I guess I've lost the initial intent of my post. I think I am just looking for some feedback from fellow members that were in my spot before. I know there are a lot of people here that just homestead and have the machines to do it more efficiently. Any other shortcomings of a backhoe that would veer me back to where I started, getting a mini-ex?
I've done a lot of reading here, but any other feedback I can get would only help.
PS - If it wasn't obvious from my post, I am shopping used only. Most of the machines I look at are 15-30 years old.