Howdy Folks. I will candidly admit that I only have limited experience with both units. I operate heavy equipment as it pertains to ranching: loaders, skidsteer, tractor trailers etc. I am constructing a feedlot and properly running waterlines in a farmyard I have purchased. It will involve trenching thousands of 8' deep waterlines up here in northern Saskatchewan. I am wondering what unit is best suited for this task, an older backhoe or a smaller trackhoe? the land is a mix of sand and clay without much for stones. I can backfill with my loader so I am only interested in the unit as to its trenching ability. Your experience and thoughts are appreciated. My budget is $15000-$20000 Cdn. Thanks for your time. Sorry to post in two areas.
8' seems awful deep to be laying water lines. What are you trying to protect them from from? I would expect that an excavator would run rings around the backhoe for trenching as you describe due to it's much faster movements and set up times (no stabilisers to reset or operating position to swap). The excavator will have far better mobility in slushy/rough ground into the bargain. What are your plans for the machine when you finish the job? Sell or keep for other duties? That could bias your choice depending upon which has the better appeal to buyers or what your future plans are. Obviously a backhoe is a multipurpose machine although arguably it does neither of its tasks as well as the dedicated machines do. Would hiring a trencher be an option?
Up here eight feet is required. better safe than sorry when freezing is a concern. as i write this it is -33 last week -51. I will likely keep it to install remote watering systems on dugouts install a septic tank clean out mine or my neighbours lagoons etc. i also forgot a key point. please mention what size excavator you suggest when responding. thanks.
It can be confusing, because somebody might not be aware of the other thread, and wonder where their post, or the posts they thought they'd read earlier, have gone. Let's put any further replies in the thread that has more at this time: