Backhoe...thoughts?

My FIL has a backhow business. He's run them for years, along my my DH. That said, if you find a cheap backhoe, there are bound to be lots & lots of mechanical problems that are fairly expensive.

FIL bought a JD for a reasonable price, but still had quite a few repairs on it. He also has a Ford, she's semi retired now.

I think the piece of equipment he uses the most is is Bobcat/Skidsteer. From cleaning out the barn, moving & smoothing dirt piles, pushing brush, carrying loads of spilt firewood, making ATV trails in the woods. Lots of uses. However to actually dig a trench or hole, he uses the backhoe.

Tricia

If your good with a wrench it's a real please to own your own. I have enjoyed mine for about 4 yrs now. It's a gas model 580 Case with a manual trans. Basic and cheap to work on. I spent a few hundred getting it in shape when I first got it but have not done much since. Dug several hundred ft of power and water lines, removed stumps, two septic tanks, loaded a bunch of gravel and dirt in my old dump truck, dug two resident lagoons, bury dead cows, etc. It's just nice to have. Cylinders are cheap to reseal. Shaft seal is less than $20 and the most common leaker. If your handy and like grease----------I got about $6000 in mine. Buy a modern one with power shift-------too exp if it breaks, stay away. FB