I don't know much about earthmoving equipment and need some help deciding the best machine for the job. I bought some mountain property and need to build a road and level out building sites including a foundation site to pour cement. It's roughly 15 acres I'd be working with, so not huge. I would use the machine each year to regrade the road. After looking at different options I thought a front loader with a backhoe would be the most practical option. I also thought about a mini ex, but I like the option with the front loader to move more dirt at one time. The ones that I would be able to afford are front loader farm tractors that have the backhoe accessory that hooks up to the PTO. Do you think that would work fine? Is there a minimum hp with the tractor I should be looking for? I would hate to buy a machine and not have enough digging power. Any suggestions would be appreciated on whether my idea will work and what to look for. Thanks
Welcome to the forum. A farm tractor is NOT a digging machine although better than a shovel. S'pecially not with a 3 point backhoe. You're proposing serious earthmoving ie road building and grading. On a hillside this is dangerous work for a newbie. Get a grading contractor to build the roads & pads. An ag tractor can then maintain it. I have an ag tractor that I make hay with. It is a plastic sand shovel compared to my mid sized backhoe (Deere 310C) for moving dirt.
Hosspuller is right a tractor is not a digging machine. I don't know how hilly your land is but at a minimum you would need a real backhoe of at least 70 HP. You might have enough work to warrant a dozer. If you do plan on using a backhoe you will want teeth on the loader bucket so you can really dig with it. For leveling out sites a skid steer works great. You might want to contract out the big work and rent or by a skid steer for future road maintenance
mountainmanut, The guys are right. Unless you will need the 3 point hitch for some accessories, you won't find the backhoe or loader very good for landscaping work. A friend of mine bought an ag John Deere tractor, it's as large as a commercial backhoe but each time he works it like a commercial backhoe he breaks something. They are made for handling loose soil and manure or hay. Even an 16,000 - 18,000 lb commercial backhoe can take forever to build a road. Depending on the type of soil and the grades you will need to work and the length of your road, it can take months or more than a year to build that road. like hosts puller says, hire to build the road and maybe even clean up your building lot. Then finish up and maintain your land with a commercial backhoe. Leave the ag tractor to the farmers.
I agree with all of the above. A backhoe with a thumb will be able to handle clearing well in the form of brush and small trees, but thats refering to a commercial size backhoe. Other than that, you will need an excavator for large trees and a dozer and blade to handle the actual road building. What is your budget for equipment? You can find some pretty good deals on Case 580L's and alot of folks swear they are the best Case ever made. Its an industrial size hoe but should be able to handle all the work you can throw at it. But as far as making a road, youd be much better off finding a dozer or a blade.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I was hoping the tractor versions would work because they're so versatile in the different attachments you can get, but of course they are only as beneficial as the amount of work they're actually able to perform. I guess I'll have to get some quotes on having someone come in and build the road and level the terrain in different areas. On the Case Front Loaders/bachhoes, I've seen 580C, 580M, 580S, 580L. Is the 580L the best of all of them for some reason?
The 580L is one of the better machines Case built. The K is a good one as well. Any of them are pretty good. If you could find a lower hour L that would be a good choice.
I found a 590 SL and it is a beast. The extra horsepower and heavier hydraulics might be the machine you need. The model k was a good machine but at this point they are very old. Look for a model l with 5k or less hours.