I'm hoping you guys can point me in the right direction. Within the next few months, I'm going to start building my retirement home in the hills of Kentucky. After having enough of the rat race in south Florida, I took an early retirement and I'm outta here... I intend to do most of the work on the house myself, including digging the holes for the post foundation, digging the hole for the septic tank, digging the drainfield, cutting down trees, removing stumps, etc. I am a newbie in the heavy equipment field and would like to know what ONE piece of equipment would allow me to do the widest variety of tasks? I'm going to be somewhat taking my time and I intend to purchase a piece of equipment (used) rather than rent every time I need it. Would a Bobcat 323 or something similar allow me to do most of those tasks or am I being foolishly optimistic? I don't mind renting the occasional piece of equipment but I would like to just buy the one piece of equipment that will serve me the best. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. As far as learning to operate the machine, I'm not overly concerned; I have a lot of time and 76 acres on which to hone my skills. Thanks in advance!
One machine that can do almost everything..... I would say a ~15k backhoe without question. A bobcat 323 is a baby IMO....... With a max digging depth of less than 6', it will be a real struggle to just dig the septic tank hole. You could get a lot done with one if you patient, but with that same thought you could get a lot done with the shovel in your hand if your patient.
Yeah, the best description of a real tractor-loader-backhoe, (at least 15,000lbs) is "jack of all trades, master of none". It doesn't do anything as well as a specialized machine, but it will do more things than any other
I would go with a kubota L48 or john deere110, simply because you can do anything with it, dig footings in the morning or bush hog in the evening (they both have 540 pto with 3 point hitch) they are the most versatile in my opinion. Don't forget to spend a lil extra for a 4n1 bucket you will be glad you did, wouldn't own a backhoe with out one!