Excavators

pantheraba

pantheraba

More biners!!!
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
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We are looking into getting a smallish excavator to use at our farm in S. GA. The dams need some work to save them...beavers have been damaging them for years. I am looking into getting a Takeuchi TB240 after discussions with the local United Rental fellow recommended to me by a contractor friend. We need to start with a smaller unit to be able to safely access the dams for now...may get a larger one in a few years once we do the basics with this one.

Ideas/thoughts on excavators. I know Carl @lumberjack has a biggish one. Carl...any recommendations?

I do know the United Rental folks in Valdosta (about 13 miles from our farm) can do service.

They are offering a TB240 with 2525 hours for $28,995.00. They do regular maintenance as part of their rental fleet and have service histories on their units.

This is a generic pict from the web....the actual pict they sent is only 7KB.

I know we want a bucket with a thumb...will dig and work the dams with it and then probably buy a mulcher head for it. I have been told to NOT buy used mulcher heads but to buy new.

Takeuchi tb240 generic.jpg


It will also help dig out beaver dams (there are at least 15 on the property that are affecting water flow) and keep the pond spillway open.

beaver dam pipe (1).jpg beaver dam pipe (2).jpg
 
The thumbs can be added at any time later right? Assuming there’s an auxiliary or whatever extra hydraulic fitting?

I don’t know the model off the top of my head, but a guy I sometimes climb for has a Bobcat mini excavator with a thumb, it’s freaking awesome for tree work, I was floored by the massive pieces of red oak that thing was lifting and loading, and the precision the operator had with the machine. Very hard on the lawn though.

I see I’m not much help to your questions, but definitely get the thumb, it’s amazing. :)
 
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Any input is good, Johnny. I only know enough right now to ask basic questions. Still puzzling out "high flow" and such for attachments. Alex also insisted on a thumb. I figured to leave it at the farm...he looked at me like I was nuts...said there is a lot we can do with it here, too. I bet it could be good for some treework.
 
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Besides... I think I have already figured out a way to stand on the bucket to reach low limbs. It's not a ladder, right? Only ladders are dangerous.
 
Heh... Last year my boss lifted me in a bobcat bucket to trim up a willow that was hanging over the drive. He was in a hurry, and I didn't have my climbing stuff, so... It was actually pretty safe, but I felt like a youtube star getting lifted in a bucket D^:
 
pantheraba said:
Besides... I think I have already figured out a way to stand on the bucket to reach low limbs. It's not a ladder, right? Only ladders are dangerous.
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I can’t call many names, but I have personally been on job sites where that may or may not have occurred.

Actually, I have ridden the BMG on my Gehl for several hours over the 8 years I’ve had it...I can reach ~16’ standing on the mounting plate.
 
Yes yes yes yes yes. I'm pretty sure i mentioned it before, but i couldn't imagine owning any property without some form of equipment. How much you want to spend, if you will also be using it for your tree work as well, and if you are dead set on an excavator are what you gotta figure out. If you aren't going to use it for the tree service, aka is going to be at the property mainly, i wouldn't rule out a backhoe. In fact i would very strongly suggest a backhoe over an excavator. It will be cheaper up front, cheaper to maintain, and more versatile.

An excavator is more efficient digging (or handling brush) than an backhoe. With a knuckle by the machine like the minis have it'll line up easier (you can dig a wider trench straight without repositioning) and can dig up against structures. The minis have a grading blade that turns it into a baby dozer for backfilling and grading. It can swing dramatically more, which is very handy. It takes up less room and is lighter, so it's easier to move and gets into tighter areas. But none of these will matter to you if you are using it mainly on the property.

The undercarriage on an excavator is very expensive, and on a rental it will have been abused to the nth degree. Backhoe tires are far cheaper, and it will be able to run around the property rather than death crawl. Tracks can be more turf friendly, and will provide more floatation in muck, but if you are doing it for yourself you won't be in those conditions or will be able to make mats or simply repair the mess just as easily. People who don't know any better will say you can get an excavator in where a backhoe would get stuck, but that's because they can't drive. You can use the boom to push or pull yourself through about anything, a good backhoe hand will astonish you at what they can do. I've seen guys calmly crawl them down in holes to dig stuff, and will move materials around faster than anything except a wheel loader.

The front loader is super handy, and with the right tool and technique will make the mini ex look stupid grading. The wheels can be used to compact dirt, using what on paper seems like a disadvantage to a huge advantage. You can add forks, lift more weight, load trucks faster, push brush and trees into piles, etc. Maintaining your gravel roads is a cakewalk with a backhoe, as will moving trailers, etc. I'm voting backhoe. Like i said a mini does certain jobs better, but a backhoe will do far more and be cheaper, possibly enabling a bigger machine.
 
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Good input for sure...thanks. Alex has a backhoe on his Kubota tractor that we have taken down before...it was super handy. But the reach is not what we will have with an excavator...that reach will be critical to some of what we need to do.
 
Cool rundown, 09.

I sorta thought mini ex's had replaced back hoes. For example, an excavator/scraper friend of mine has been in the biz for about 6o years, he sold his JD 4wd back hoe over 5 y ago, he has large wheel loaders, large excavators and 2 mini ex Takuchi like in Gary's picture, I think they are both larger than the one in the pic. They are reliable workhorses.
 
Gary,

I have been very happy Takeuchi equipment, I've got a TB290 with a Fecon CEM36 head.

I would advise against installing a mulcher head on any machine without an enclosed cab and a Lexan windshield.

A TB240 is not going to be a powerhouse with a mulcher head, I would think 5"+ material is going to be very slow to process.

The TB240 would be a great size machine to move around for a wide range of jobs, including light forestry and residential tree work depending on your market.



Tak 1.jpeg Tak 2.jpeg
 
The TB240 is a decent sized machine, around 4 metric tons.

Definitely get a thumb, no reason not to.

A mulcher without protection isn’t much fun... when stuff comes out of the mulcher, it can be big, fast, and angry.

All things considered I can’t see not having a quick coupler on most minis. I have a 12’ jib for my excavator that is used infrequently, but it paid for itself a couple times over before lunch the first day I made it 7 years ago.
 
Then look at a comparable machine. A tractor with a backhoe attachment won't even come close to an actual backhoe. The Takeuchi TB240 is ironically very close in weight/ size as my 1952 case 320 backhoe, and my backhoe reaches a foot further. Obviously the mini will walk around my old beater 2 wheel drive, but for the money you could probably get a case 580 that could damn near pick up the mini. An actual full size backhoe is an apples to apples comparison. Rent one for a weekend and see what i mean.
cory said:
Cool rundown, 09.

I sorta thought mini ex's had replaced back hoes. For example, an excavator/scraper friend of mine has been in the biz for about 6o years, he sold his JD 4wd back hoe over 5 y ago, he has large wheel loaders, large excavators and 2 mini ex Takuchi like in Gary's picture, I think they are both larger than the one in the pic. They are reliable workhorses.
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Yup, because he owns an excavating company. Minis will dig trenches (most excavating work is exactly that) faster, and will be able to dig next to structures. When you have enough work to justify wheel loaders and large excavators on a job, there's no question that's the way to go. The backhoe wins on smaller jobs where you don't need a half million of equipment tho. Another reason backhoes were so popular was because the operator unions usually have a set number of machine changes they can do in a day before you have to hire another operator. This cuts down on low rent outfits trying to have a guy running back and forth on different machines, with potentially different controls, slopping mud on the floor creating hazards. In a backhoe the operator can do multiple jobs in different locations, and remove the need to trailer the machine for close jobsites.

An excavator will dig faster just because they will be able to swing more, and can just pull forward. They also can spin off trenches easier too. Many have zero swing radius, so they're easier to use in a street. Many operators anymore are better on an excavator because there is less to learn, to be good on a backhoe you gotta learn both the front and the back, and on a job guys will often label a guy if they can't do both with equal proficiency. From a production standpoint, they are slightly better. With a backhoe, you shouldn't ever hardly drive if you are digging with the hoe, you lift the front bucket, lift the outriggers slightly, then use the hoe to push you forward or to the sides to reposition the machine. With an ex you just lift the blade of you have one, spin the seat, and track perfectly straight.

The fact that exes are better for an excavating company means you will find better deals on a backhoe. You will get more machine for less money, and it will do more. It won't do everything better, but it does do more. I would bet that in comparable sized machines a backhoe will have much more hydro flow, look around and you will often see the older company backhoe with a hydraulic breaker on it almost permanently. Really easy to shoot down the street, bust up hard surface, and then shoot to the next hole. Just because they are slowly being phased out of dedicated earth moving companies doesn't mean they aren't up for the work all of a sudden. They were the most in demand machine on construction sites for over 60 years, and are still just as viable and versatile. If you really wanna save some coin, go to a utility auction and buy the 2 wheel drive machines. Most will not want them, and with chains and knowing how to push yourself around with the hoe while trying to drive will get you thru almost anything.
 
For busting beaver damns or doing tree work, a full sized backhoe (or smaller for that matter) would not be my pick by a substantial margin.
 
Agreed. But if he's using it mainly on the property it would be almost a no brainer. More machine, more versatile, less money, less maintenence. An ex with a grapple is far better for trees, absolutely, but for around the farm a backhoe would be a viable alternative.
 
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Thanks, Tom, for that input. The 290 does look like a powerhouse. Nice mulcher head there, too. Good info on mulching, enclosed cabs and windshield...had not parsed that out yet. Carl says same, too.
 
Tree09 said:
Agreed. But if he's using it mainly on the property it would be almost a no brainer. More machine, more versatile, less money, less maintenence. An ex with a grapple is far better for trees, absolutely, but for around the farm a backhoe would be a viable alternative.
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Absolutely, if I had 100 acres and only one machine, I’d not want to spend my life tracking the excavator around the property... the backhoe is a great choice. I was assuming that it’d get brought back into suburbia and used for profit.
 
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We have a small Kubota on the farm now...use it for small dirt jobs and general running around, dragging limbs to the burn pile, etc. We have a box blade and auger with it, too.

Hayden on Kubota (2).jpg Hayden on Kubota (5).jpg
 
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I have a feeling it (an excavator) will find its way back to town with us...Alex will find uses for it I am sure.
 
Yeah i thought you said for the property. A backhoe will do tree work too, maybe rent one with a 4 way front bucket so it has a built in grab and you'll see what i mean. What do you use for trees currently?
 
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