Hello, I have been looking for a 710 for a while now and have been having a very hard time finding one, but, then I noticed that the 410's had almost 100hp, and wondered if I could get away with using a 3' bucket on the machine. The reason I am looking at 410s is because there are so many more around. I will be using the hoe for digging basements, land clearing, septics, etc.
Sure you can get away with it, at least for a while? I use a 30" bucket on a 610c (similar to the newer 410's) and it handles it fine. Works great with a 42" muck bucket too, in ditches and ponds of course, it will pull one huge pile of mud in front of that bucket. That being said, mine is only a little more than a hobby, no serious hours on either bucket.
You should be fine. Just be carefull when your out over the side, might have to leave the stick in.
You should have no problem at all , i have been using a 36 inch bucket on my 410 heavy lift for digging out gravel and have the extahoe out for piling and it isnt a problem at all
I think the 710's are too big for the majority of tlb work. A rt loader and an excavator are both better performing options in a machine that size, unless you absolutely need it all in one machine, imho.