I plan on digging deep trenches and ponds around my property, and am debating about whether I should get a 580 backhoe or a 3.5 Ton excavator. An older 580 in good condition seems to be about $12-13k while a 3.5T excavator seems to be about $15k. I want to know if they have same kind of reach and digging capacity in my scenario. I'll also be digging out and into slick mud. Pros of the excavator: Better resale value (seems people don't care so much about backhoes anymore) Likely newer machine Smaller, easier to maneuver Cons of excavator Single purpose machine, would need to figure out a better solution for moving the dirt away (albeit not very are) if my weak tractor's FEL won't cut it Expensive Pros of backhoe: Comes with a loader so I can move dirt around; would potentially let me sell my tractor Has better ground clearance so I can go deeper in mud easier Initial cost is fairly low Cons of backhoe: Big and unwieldy, would need to cut down some seedlings to make room for maneuverability Lower resale value, lower demand Likely an older machine Are any of my assumptions incorrect? Also, how does the digging reach and power of a 3.5 ton compare to a 580 backhoe? Can I get away with using an even smaller excavator? A perfect scenario would be finding a 50 HP TLB (which should be strong enough, but also small enough to maneuver, and can have the backhoe removed if needed) but those seem difficult to come by.
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