What acreage tractor / backhoe?

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a good all-rounder tractor for all shorts of jobs on 13 acres of land. Anticipated uses over the next few years are:
- compatibility with a good backhoe that's not rare to find used, to dig 8-9 feet around the house for foundation repairs - also dig foundation for house extension
- trenching for installing cables and irrigation around the yard
- pushing dirt for grading
- moving junk and building materials around
- ability to receive a wide variety of attachments
- working the vegetable garden
- snow clearing in the winter
- mowing / bales
- installing posts
- reliable and with affordable spare parts
- not rare

What would you recommend?

I have a JD2010 in the yard, but it needs a motor. Also has a JD50 backhoe attached: it needs some welding on leg supports, main piston has some light pitting, not sure what else it might need but I've been reading that it's not a good hoe because of the type of sideways swing. It might be a good idea to choose a tractor that can receive it, just in case it turns out to be working and prove good enough? But don't know what tractors are compatible with it.

I also have an International 4166 that runs and drives great, but needs work on the hydraulics. It does not have a 3pt hitch nor PTO, not sure if I can add them and at what cost. Also, not sure if I can add a loader / backhoe to it, and of what suitability / performance. Ideas are to try upgrading this tractor, or try swapping it.

Land is mainly flat. I have mechanical aptitude and worked on cars before, but very new to tractors and farming. For example, a home-made 3pt hitch for the 4166 is beyond my abilities. Any help appreciated.

Thanks!

Sounds like you could use a good utility tractor with a front loader with universal quick tatch bucket and a 3 pt backhoe with a full frame/pto pump or something along those lines. Obviously you could rent for the foundation and limited excavation work, it is nice to own, as they are handy, but used they seem to be $5k or less around here.

On that 2010 your better off selling it because parts are hard to find for it and cost you body parts. As in an arm and leg plus some
For the most part your pretty much looking for say a Kabota utility type of tractor or other such one.

Sell both of those, get an Massey Ferguson 135, 150, 165 series, or a Ford 3000 or 4000 or 3600,4600. These will be either diesel or gas, whichever you prefer, all have 3 pt, live PTO, and can have an auxilliary hydraulic pump added (front mount) if needed, but will run a decent loader and backhoe. Many of these are available with a loader, just keep an eye out, and all will accept a 3 pth mouinted backhoe with or without independent hydraulics. Parts are readily available, tractors a simple and basically bulletproof and easy to run and maintain and not expensive to purchase. Bear in mind, they are 30 to 40 years old, so give it a good inspection; decent ones are not too hard to find.

Ben

Dont kinow how much of a garden but that will tae a tractor just itself for that as when things get growing you will need it several times a week and sometimes change tooling for the different crops. A Cub cant be beat for garden work they have hi clearence small for narrow rows and the cults have many tools that can be used for different crops. How would you take the backhoe off then put the cult on ect. Not any new types even have a cult for them but it depends on just what type of crops you are planning for a garden.

That's one of my decision problems: I've looked around briefly and the 3pt backhoe attachments that I've seen are all much smaller and with less digging capacity than the JD50, which mounts directly on the frame of the tractor in a bunch of different points, and it generally looks much bigger and industrial. It seems that to get something equivalent would need a lot of money?

I also have a Massey 1130 sitting in the yard, which probably doesn't run. Has a PTO but no hitch.

I assumed taking the backhoe on and off is not a big deal, is that not the case? What does the process involve?

Well you are wanting the tractor that has not been invented yet. LOL Cheap with a good loader and will take a back hoe that will dig 8-9 feet deep.

That JD 50 backhoe fitted mainly two models of tractors, JD 2010 and JD 1010 industrials. That is all the mount brackets where built for. You say making a three point hitch is beyond your current skills. Making a mounting bracket for that JD 50 hoe would be harder than the three point.

That IH 4166 is pretty much a wide open field tractor and not good for any of the jobs you listed. Then you say you have a MF 1130. Once again it is not really a good tractor for what you list you want to do. Then you have a JD 2010 with a bad motor. That could easily cost you $5-7K to fix just the motor.

Also taking a frame mounted backhoe off is not something you want to be doing very often. That can easily take hours just to remove the backhoe and install the three point hitch back on it. Most require removing the lift arms to mount the hoe to the mounting frame. So wanting one tractor to do all you want is not really going to happen.

There are three point backhoes that will dig as deep as you want but they are going to be in the $7500-10K range for a good one. Then that will need to be on a larger tractor too. It will need good hydraulics or a PTO mounted pump. Your MF 1130 is not good for this. weak hydraulics and light three point hitch.

I would recommend buying a tractor with a good loader, Independent PTO, and a good three point hitch. Then just rent a smaller track hoe for your digging. I can get a medium track hoe that can easily dig 8-9 feet for $250 a weekend. That would be cheaper than many of your options. IF you do not want to rent then you will need to buy a running backhoe/loader tractor. All brand s that need repair will cost you good sums of money so buy one that is in working order. They are not like a car where $500 buys you a good used running motor.

You can get a newer tractor with all the attachments your wanting to use but your going to be in the $15-20K range for it and all the correct fitting attachments. Even with newer stuff switching the backhoe back and forth is not a ten minute job, at least a hoe big enough to dig the depth your wanting.

I would sell or trade everything I have and get a 50 HP newer Kobota JD New Holland etc. My neighbor has a Kubota that has a frame mounted backhoe. A place to store the 3 point lift arms. A 110 JD. Will also. We have a Case backhoe and a few other tractors including a 4320 compact JD.

Rent a small track hoe. After using one you will throw rocks at anything mounted on a tractor

I have a John Deere 110 TLB, which is a small industrial, commercial, yellow tractor that has a permanent mounted loader with skid steer type bucket attachment. The backhoe slips off in 5 minutes or less. Backhoe does not attach with 3point arms but has heavy quick couple mounting brackets. It has 3 point arms that pin on. They are pretty expensive new but The rental people bought a lot of them when they hit the market in about 05. Should be some experienced ones out there pretty reasonable. A 3 point hoe is not much in my opinion, I had one back in the 70s. About all they are good for is sticking your tractor. A ridged mount uses the weight of your tractor for digging force. Picture maybe. Have to go to another computer to send you a picture but, I will

Promised picture Sorry, couldn't' find a clear picture

Would love to have a 110 TLB but it's $30,000 used... Ouch

You can find stand alone tractor loader backhoes (TLB) for under 5 K. No they ain't pretty and they will have some problems but it's fairly cheap compared to 30K.

The problem as I see it is you want a do all tractor that you are going to have to spend some serious money on. Then it will have short comings because a dedicated tractor designed for one job will do that job best. For example almost any farm tractor you can name will have loaders available for them. Lets say for a loader that will handle a 2 yard bucket. It's not going to dig or move dirt as well and will be more prone to problems than a dedicated loader tractor of the same size. The loader isn't going to do field work although I'm sure you could put remotes and a 3 point on it and try as well as a tractor designed to do that field work. I have a TLB but I know a few guys with 3 point hoes. Those guys if they have any serious digging to do either hire it out or rent equipment designed to dig. A tractor big enough to do the digging you need to do is much to big for the other work you want to use it for. So the advice to rent is good advice. Just the idea of trying to use a 50-60 HP tractor or larger in a garden is out there unless you have a lot of room to turn around or have a very big multi acre garden. The cub someone mentioned wont do the digging you need to do but is excellent for a large garden.

Rick

You are wrong about one thing. The KUBOTA TLB 325 is frame mounted backhoe and I can have it off and three point in place in less than 3 minutes any time, and used ones are out there for around 15 thousand or so and he would have something for lifetime. One place Kubota really got up on JD . The 310 has just never made it to the same level sales, or use.

keep your old tractors to work the dirt and do general work.
Sign your name on the dotted line for
a new/newer PS, HST, diesel, loader, backhoe, tractor.(any color)
Like a Kubota B, or L series.
(adding a loader and back-hoe at purchase time is cheaper than their dedicated TLB...still plenty tough)
The price scared me off for most of my life, but when I finally did it.....................I'm still angry with myself for not doing it earlier.........
and hey, at 0%, I'm just forced saving for it...and I get to have it while saving for it....LOL

A JD300 or 400 TLB could be had with 3pt and pto in addition to the backhoe. Very old now so price should be low. I bet the Ford models had this option too. Most just have the loader & hoe but you might just find one with a 3 pt. and if really lucky a pto.

I picked up my oliver 77 TLB for $2300, it runs like a champ. It needs minor touch-up's here and there, but nothing serious. The hoe drops off the back in 10min and it's just a tractor with loader.

I picked up my Ferguson TO-30 for under 1k, has frame mounted FEL and 3pt with PTO. I have a 3pt grader on it, and it's worked great. It'll run plenty of others off the 3pt, brush hog, finishing mower, plow, etc.

Don't discount older machines, they can still earn their keep.

That oliver lifted that ferguson strait up...

I prefer Kubota to JD but I bought the JD110 TLB rather than the equivalent Kubota because the Kubota had the brake pedals on the same side as the Hydrostat pedal. You would have to have a little Jap riding on the right fender to push the brakes for steering. I using the brakes for steering a lot when back-dragging and in tight spots. The JD 110tlb has the brakes on the left side and doesn't have a mechanical clutch like the Kubota.

I agree, you will throw rocks at anything mounted on a tractor. Some of the old ones will cost you a pant load in gas to operate because you have to run engine at full speed to get enough hyd pressure, no power steering, and you have to get your butt off one seat to climb on hoe's seat. Some you even have to get off tractor to get on hoe's seat. No thanks. Get a hear hoe made from ground up. Buy a real tractor to do your other work. No one tractor is good at doing everything.

So the consensus seems to be that the all-do tractor for the jobs I listed does not exist, especially not for cheap. Yet, it appears that the JD 2010 with the #50 backhoe that I have does just that. I found a spec sheet for the JD 50 backhoe and guess what, it is rated for a 13.5 foot digging reach and 11 foot loading height. It is frame mounted as discussed, and it fits the 1010, 2010, 3010 and 4010 wheel tractors, along with 1010 and 2010 crawler-loaders. I'm guessing the 301 and 401 too (i.e., the utility trim in stead of the agricultural one)? If somebody could confirm it would be great. There are 301s and 401s listed for $3,000 - $5,000 in (alegedly) good running order, with loaders, 3pt hitch and PTOs. 2 of them even have dual PTOs! I could buy one of those and put my backhoe on it, sounds like my problem solved?