I've got a buddy that says everybody he talks to says the backhoe is on it's way out. The mini-excavator along with skidsteers and regular size excavators are what 'everybody' is using now. "nobody uses backhoes anymore". I'm sorry but I'm not buying it. I'd be curious to see sales figures on tlb's for the last couple years, I'll bet they're still selling quite a few. He was also telling me that when septic drainfields are put in now, the gravel isn't even dumped and spread anymore. it's taken out of the dumpbox with an excavator. None of this sounds right to me.......what do you guys think?
I dont think its going anywere, theres supposed to be a new BHL design coming out that the whole console swivels around and when it does the joysticks for the hoe become the steering and bucket controls. sounds perty good except when you get stuck and need to use the front bucket and hoe at the same time. I cant wait to see it though becaue after years of installing septics with a case 4 stick and bumping my damn knees all the time, I think it could work.
Lot's of backhoe's here in Canada.
Is the backhoe going extinct? I will bet you dollars to doughnuts that it isn't, and probably won't in any of our lifetimes... People always get caught up with 'the next best thing' and they assume that just cause some of the uses for the older thing can be done more efficiently by the newer thing, everything that the older thing does can be done more efficiently by the newer one... But this just isn't true... While surely in some cases one can replace a backhoe with a miniexcavator, and be able to do more and better work more efficiently, that is hardly true in all situations... Same goes when you talk about skidsteers replacing backhoes or even full size excavators replacing them... Let's remember that for some time it looked as if the crawler loader was headed for extinction, but especially lately with Deere for example getting back in the market, the rumors of the track loader's death were highly exagerated... The point is I suppose is there's a reason these machines have been used for so long, and so popular for so long. Sure in some cases they can be replaced with different machines in order to be able to do the work better, but not in all cases. And there are simply some cases where there is no better machine than a backhoe and in that, the backhoe I think will continue to be very popular for many years to come... Plus I think the day that Deere stops producing the 310, and Case stops the 580 the world will end anyway...
Does not seem right to me. Lots of small operators can't afford two machines and a backhoe is very versatile machine.
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My local Bobcat salesman has been spouting that junk out for a few years now. I have a TLB, and a mini/skid combo. The mini skid combo does have it's place, but only when you have two operators. My backhoe will out dig my mini hands down. It will dig in harder ground as well. I can't imagine not having a TLB. I do not have any plans to buy another TLB because I don't use it enough to justify a new one. I have thought about buying more of the smaller machine, and not because I need more of them. I just don't see them lasting as long as my TLB, even if you combine the hours (of the mini & the skid). I think that the inflated sales numbers can, at least in part, be attributed to the fact that many people think they can run one of those smaller machines, especially compared to a larger one. Therefore it stands to reason that they would have a larger potential customer base.
TLBs are here to stay they just have more competition these days.
versatility and it's VERY well proven track record will the TLB's on this earth for a long, long time to come!
Municipalities, utilities and small contractors will keep the TLB market going for a long time to come. Yes a lot of the small contractors were buying minis and skid steers but that gave them new markets and made them versatile enough to stay in business. It is hard to load a dump truck with a skid steer and a mini just can't run up and down the road dropping pipe or trenching and filling for cable all day long.
Deere has had this set up for at least a year now. You can still use the front bucket when you are turned around facing backwards. I tryed one out in the yard at the dealer. There is a mini joystick to control the front bucket. http://www.deere.com/en_US/cfd/construction/deere_const/media/pdf/backhoe/JSeries.pdf
backhoe There may be a little more competition with mini-excavators,but rubber-tired backhoes are going to be around for a long time yet.The venerable John Deere 310 or the 580 Case are icons of the industry. Dominion:canada
kinda hard to road a mini ex....
Backhoes are not going extinct......operators that know how to use them are.
Backhoes will be around for a long time yet, but we might see some interesting changes. Been expecting to see some radical hoe swing design, like a cross between a rubber-tired excavator and the backhoe we now have. Demand seems very strong for the compact backhoe, like the Kubota. If Case scaled down their big 580 and reintroduced a tough construction model about the same size as the old 530, might be a good market there.
Not seeing backhoes disappearing anywhere, actually I don't think our construction site could run without one for a long time. Sure we have tracked and wheeled excavator and wheel loaders, but still the backhoe is the one that's needed the most. One little thing here, carry some pipes there etc. But it's so true good drives on backhoes are going extinct. "theres supposed to be a new BHL design coming out that the whole console swivels around and when it does the joysticks for the hoe become the steering and bucket controls." JCB, Lännen, Huddig, Hydrema and apperently JD are already producing those. The four first ones of course on european models.
u guys seen the case 695 backhoe loader yet freakin monster
I do things with my 410G that my competition can't do with their excavators.The TLB isn't going anywhere--most versatile machine ever devised.
TLB's will stay,, you have two machines in one no jumping from mini to skidder/loader or hauling two pieces of equipment to the site.
Ive heard that crap so much its pathetic. I was at a friends house with my antique Ford 3550 and another neighbor was there with a smaller JD ssl and a mini ex. We were fixing a site in a hill for a barn addition. Well I had heard that same thing from him all day. The back hoe wil lbe out dated I can do everything that tlb can do blah blah blah. Well He was saying with the mini ex he didnt have to move the seat to travel. He almost it the floor when I showed him i could push myself forwards or lift up and shift my machine over teh trenches. The next thing was the ssl was It can do more than the TLB. I said I know one thing it cant do. He looked at me and I showed him loading over the side of a tall palem dump trailer. Well I wasnt as fast but I did have a bigger bucket. and road speed and I didnt have to run between them. I do have a Grey market PC50 mini ex and a 96 and 2000 Case SSL but the TLB still has several uses. I agree TLB operators are few and far between My dad andbrother are 2 of the best around here. Dad actually ran the first TLB in this county almost 50 years ago. I worked with a company that no one would run the new 580 Case only excavators. I really mov ed up whe nthey found out what I could do with it.
Funny you bring this up, I hear the same statements when I talk about buying my own machinery - "What can you do with a backhoe?, Buy a bobcat and a mini., Backhoes are slow." I always say that I can buy a decent IT cat for what it would cost me to get some scraper's used skid steer. When I say scraper, that's my term for the hack landscapers out there. But it seems to me that minis are a little on the light side for any serious work especially demo and people always point out that they'll dig a basement faster than a backhoe, but for serious basement work I'd be after a 315 sized machine anyway. Truthfully I think the people who say that stuff are scared of backhoes for whatever reason. I like them and they are the swiss army knife of equipment, well them and track loaders.
I'd have to agree, only a short term TLB owner and am in awe of it's power and reach, just so handy - great versatile piece of equipment.
nice pic.....
I have two mini excavators that are used the most. But when I need to dig deeper or move some material the 4X4 backhoes are the way to go. Front forks and you can unload a truck too.
Thank you, it looks even better now that all the bugs it came with [in pic above] are mostly ironed out, thanks to help from HEF and alrman , including but not least of all: 20kg+ grease and grime blasted off Broken Transaxle bolt 1" x 9" HT - 4 bolts / nuts Leaking LHS planetary - 1 bush, 3 seals + oil Leaking sump - gasket refit Leaking t/axle front prop shaft - seal Leaking Torque Convertor - 1 seal still requires 1 o-ring internally Possibly? Dot 4 in the brakes - flush with TCH for two hours - 3L TCH Damaged air filter - primary - secondary changed Broken bonnet restraint cable Low engine temperature - thermostat & sensor Leaking engine oil pressure sensor Forward / Reverse lever rubber boot Crushed swing hyd hose - supplied with machine Collapsed sealing on; clam, lift, curl, boom, dipper, curl and swing cylinders all kitted - steering to be completed Boom lock release cable stuck Front bucket tooth base worn down - restorative welding Transaxle floor plug missing for oil level dipstick Loose main line to front spool assembly leaking three drips / minute Seat dirty / squeaking and nil lubrication Temp' alarm circuit broken at heater filter cable clamp Few more minor bugs and some dry weather and we are good to go!
backhoes I work for a septic system company. We have two 580's, but since we got a daewoo 75V shovel, the backhoes have done a lot of sitting. They still have their places though!
Re: Backhoes extinct. Nah, just improving. Schaeff now Terex has produced the 41 series with an excavator turntable and a loader front end for over 10 years and it takes little getting used to but it's a hell of a digger. I ran one owned by Bristol TN about 8 years ago and I sure wished I'd owned it. Schaeff also makes a loader with a turret that turns the loader 360 so it can load going forward or backward primarily sold with rail gear and used in Germany and France for placing gravel on rail lines.
No way is the backhoe near extinction or even an endagered species! Even in a large mining company we are still buying backhoes for Utility works and general versatility. Often we need to do work on a remote borefield, pipeline or HV tower 10-20km out from the mine. Instead of sending out two trucks (one to carry a skid steer & mini ex and the other to carry equipment and materials) we send out the backhoe and one truck. Once on site we have an all purpose loader, excavator, crane, forklift etc that handles the whole job. In WA's northwest the ground is hard (we mine Iron Ore) Most of the time you wouldn't scratch the surface with a mini under 3.5T. The backhoe has the power to do the hard digging as well as everything else we ask of them. On our own farm the backhoe is the most versatile machine we own. We grade, cut tracks, push over and move dead trees, dig trenches etc with the one machine. How much time would it take us to walk a mini and/or a skid steer 3 or 4 km each time we had to work in a paddock? There is just no substitute. Often I hear people say that a backhoe is good at everything and brilliant at nothing. This may be true to a degree, however for the value of the one machine its unbeatable. The backhoe has a long future ahead of it. If not, why hasn't the backhoe already died out? Mini excavators and skid steer machines have been around for a long time now and yet backhoes are still being manufactured and sold. Karl
We used to use a wheelhoe for everything, but with the mini and the 8 ton excavator we tend to use those more now. As big as we are on the excavators we would be sunk without the TLB. We do dig material out of the box a lot too. Very true!
If I had an excavator on the job back in 2000 on the Mastodon site instead of my trusted JD 510B,the skull would have been partially destroyed as it was only 1-2'' below grade and I must have rolled over it at least 50 times with my tires.How do you say oops to hurting the skull of the youngest Mastodon on the planet????????? My experience with guys who don't get the usefullness of a TLB and prefer their little under powered minis and skid steers:They're young,usually wet behind the ears,and confuse speed[theirs] with power,practicality,and just 1 rig[ours].
I view the backhoe like the small family farmer. It can do a lot of different chores and do them well. It may not be ideal in every enviornment where an excavator or a dedicated loader might be better suited, but it will still get the job done. It is the single most used piece of equipment on my farm. I doubt very much the backhoe will ever be extinct, just like the family farmer. If it does happen to either, I won't be around to see it and wouldn't want to
I had to go visit case yesterday and they had a brand new 580M sitting out front the store near me dose not stock alot of them there , well anyways it looked so nice i sat inside comparing it to my 580L . i wish i had a need for another because it was tempting.
I would not know, however, my backhoe is the last piece I would get rid of if I had to sell everything.
I know what you mean. I feel the same way. :usa
bread and butter of any operation i say:usa
Here we are digging and drilling for blasting.
Here's some food for thought brought this topic up with some of our customers who only work residential. One company owner said he sold his 410 Deere TLB because people would pay more for two machines (35D mini X and an LS170 Skid) than the one multipurpose machine. He said they never consider there's only one operator. He is able to haul both machines on one trailer and scales about the same weight. Common sence is not very common.
A fencing contractor was working on my boundary last week and saw my 580K basket case. He has a 5-6 year old CAT and commented that "once you get that thing going, it'll be like your right arm.....can't do without it" I've had the property for about 13years and would have spent more than twenty grand on backhoe and bobcat hire over the years....I should have bought a backhoe in the first place.
I wonder if I could be introduced to those customers? I have some stuff to sell them. My customers could care less how many machines. They care greatly about the best bang for the buck.
Yes, Yes. I know. But usually in my area the PC30, is limited to use in soft ground. We may use it for water lines but very seldom for sewer or drainfield work, too many rocks. Or too solid of material that takes more power and weight to dig through. :usa
I agree totally. As a land owner I have had a hoe for 15 years now and it has been used for things you cant even imagine and all because it was just sitting there. If I were to suggest a single piece of equipment for a new land owner it would be a TLB.
That can be a two edged sword....A friend (farmer) has a JCB 3. He also has 2 Bobcats and two tractors with loaders, a 1486 and 806 IH. He is selling the TLB because all the neighbors think he sould a. lend out the TLB or b. do work for free. I am looking at buying it from him but I know how to say no and don't really care if they don't like it. Rick
Very true. I do work for free but only if I want to. I also know how to say NO. And I never lend the machine.
We Use Them More As A Tool Carrier & Loader Than A Digging Tool. Would Not Want To Be Without Them . We Leave One At Varies Housing Plans For Convenience !
Rubber Tired Backhoe taught me how to run equipment. Its like pulling teeth to get them out of the yard. Simply put most of the operators I know are one trick ponies.