Opinions on Trailer Mounted Towable Back Hoe

That's true @coaltrain and I might end up renting one for the bigger stuff. I think my logic is that when I am done hopefully I can sell it and recover some of my cost. Also, I hate renting equipment only because it makes me in a rush to finish with it, these days I am trying to put the "rush" aside.

I have used one to dig a hole before. They are very lightweight! The hydraulics are strong enough to pull the machine around. If you have to dig in hard soil I’m not sure how well it would dig but it is definitely is better then shovelling by hand. It is a handy little machine that’s better priced then a backhoe for a tractor just respect the limits of its light size. If you do get it and use it on your 3 point hitch you will need to chain the hitch down as it will pull. When I used it on a tractor the tractor had a chain rigged on the 3 point so it could be chained down to the drawbar.

Carvel Loafer said:

That's true @coaltrain and I might end up renting one for the bigger stuff. I think my logic is that when I am done hopefully I can sell it and recover some of my cost. Also, I hate renting equipment only because it makes me in a rush to finish with it, these days I am trying to put the "rush" aside.

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I agree with you about renting. The closest rental place to me is 45 minutes away. They have an absolutly terrible attitude. I think they only want to deal with contractors and just mistreat homeowners.

And I agree about rushing also. I am one who wants to get the most out of my money and see myself shorting myself on the time I would actually need a piece of equipment.

The next rental place is 1.5 hours away and seemed very nice with a couple of my inquires. But my issue is if I have to make two 3 hour round trips that would add two days of the rental time as I only have so much energy I can expend each day.

I’m confused about towable vs 3 PH mounted. I can’t speak to performance of the machine itself, but I will say that you should stay away from 3PH mounted backhoes. The stresses induced in the hitch and drivetrain will be significant and I would not recommend it. If you’re using it standalone and just towing this with your 1 series, I think you’re fine. Just stay away from 3ph mounted backhoes, subframe mounts only.

scooterman said:

I’m confused about towable vs 3 PH mounted. I can’t speak to performance of the machine itself, but I will say that you should stay away from 3PH mounted backhoes. The stresses induced in the hitch and drivetrain will be significant and I would not recommend it. If you’re using it standalone and just towing this with your 1 series, I think you’re fine. Just stay away from 3ph mounted backhoes, subframe mounts only.

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Thanks @scooterman , when I mentioned the 3 point hitch it wasn't for attaching a hoe to it, it's just that to use a JD backhoe on the 1026R I have to take the arms off and install the hoe, then if I need the 3PH the hoe has to come off... etc. So I would tow it with the 1026R using the 3PH for the reciever.

It seems like it would have very limited uses. Because of its light weight it probably does not pull tree stumps well and because it is trailer getting it positioned on anything but nice flat open land will be tricky. Also not sure how well it would be for digging trenches since you are going to have a hell of a time getting it maneuvered. So digging graves this thing is probably great, maybe planting a single tree at a time. But if I had to plant a dozen trees I would spend way too much time positioning that thing.

Or maybe I just really suck at backing up small 2-wheeled trailers!

i used to watch a fella on u-tube who had bought one of them diggers several yrs back. he done all kind of mods to it to make it better. it didn't do too bad of a job with it. IIRC--untill he redid a valve on it along with a bigger motor-so he could dig and start swinging right after he had a full bucket-then he said he was happy with it. then the swing pin broke or wore out-can't remember for sure-he got a better one made and welded in, then he really went to town with it,

as far as needing a tractor to move it around, u can pull urself around to where ur working at-another fella dug his pond with it-now not a big, big pond but still a pretty nice on. i think Harbor Freight sold this digger back in the day. and IIRC-it was like half the price of what u showed us. but that was several yrs ago now.

Jimmy Walker said:

I don't have an opinion on it but this video entertains me

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Ok that makes everything I said null and void! (except the part about being too light to do stump work, video kinda highlights that issue).

Carvel Loafer said:

I'm kind of thinking about this trailer mounted towable back hoe for some earth work I need to do. Yes, it would be nice to have one mounted on my 1026R, but the cost makes it difficult to consider (I think they are around $6K but haven't priced lately). Also I use my 3 point hitch so much that I think it would be a hassle to put the hoe on and off, though I don't have experience with this so not sure. Anyway, for $4K this looks appealing for what I have to do.

Do any of you guys have experience with these lightweight trailer mounted back hoes or even just opinions to share?

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Don't buy Chinese, the ones I have seen are small, light, and appear to be cheaply built. Most cannot dig deep enough to satisfy me.
Check out Home - CanDig Mini Excavators Inc. they have several models and are made in Canada. Their mining models look to be tough.

Dave

Something I haven't seen mentioned is hiring someone to come in with their equipment and do the work for you. If they are experienced they can do the job in a quarter or less of the time it'd take you. When the job(s) is done the equipment leaves so there are no maintenance costs, no driving to and from a rental facility and no storage issues.
If you rented a small excavator do you have a truck and trailer heavy enough to haul it? Will the rental facility allow you to haul it?
Scheduling someone who has another job in your area can save on transport costs. Talk with them, they should be willing to work with you.