Questions about old backhoes

Ok, so here's my problem: I've got to do a bunch of work at my mom's house, big old barn from 1880's finally fell down several years ago. She's certain she can smell the rot and mold from the house and that she's gonna get sick from it. At the very least, it's a huge mess and I'd like to make it go away simply on that basis for her. My plan would be to dig a hole, burn it a little at a time, bury the trash when done. Couple things I'd like to save. Like the track than ran down the center of the roof, with the little trolley for bringing in the hay. Don't recall ever seeing the big hooks, but the track and trolley are still there. I'm sure there are specific names for these but I don't know them.

She also has a small shed by her garden, about 200' from the house, would be very helpful for her if I could run water and electric out there for her. Right now she's carrying water from the house to the garden, because the hydrant is buried in the now collapsed barn.

Additionally, my neighbor lady has some minor leakage from her drain field. She got the house from her dad; he told her that whoever put in the drain field didn't put enough peastone over the lines, that it needs to have the dirt removed and more stone put down, etc.

Neither my mom nor my neighbor is what you'd call wealthy. Mom is in her late 60's, retired, minor health issues, fixed income, etc. My neighbor is a single mom, two kids, substitute teacher and obviously won't be teaching for a few months. It does look like she'll be able to pick up some part time work, but I'm guessing that'll not do much other than keep the cupboards from being bare. Simply put, neither can afford to hire someone to do their work.

As for me, I work 50 hours a week, single dad, two younger kids of my own to take care of at home, spare time during the week if scarce. So I can only help on weekends, and fully expect each project to take more than one weekend. I'm guessing that renting a backhoe several times to finish both of these would cost nearly as much as buying an old but functional backhoe. I don't need something pretty, just functional and dependable. Although I'm sure dependability is inversely proportional to price. I can deal with a few leaks, sloppy joints, etc. for this.


Now that I've hopefully explained my need for an old backhoe, here are my questions:

Are the tractors with add-on backhoes durable enough for this kind of work? I found an IH 300U with a Henry backhoe(about 4 1/2 hours away from me, in OH) for $2500/BO. Seems like a reasonable price, but will it perform well for this kind of work? I know nothing about Henry backhoes. Pretty sure I don't want to try hanging a 3-pt backhoe on my 9N though.

Is it reasonable to think that I can find a late '70s or early '80s Ford or Massey Ferguson, still operable, for $2500 - $3000? I'm using these numbers because I would have to sell my IH Lo-Boy 154 to pull this off anyway. It's a nice tractor, but I don't really need it, and that's what they seem to be going for in my area(south central Michigan). From what I've seen, John Deere, and most Case, units are definitely out of my reach. Although I did find a Case 580B open station on EBay, only a couple days left, price was around $1100. But that dude's in southeast PA, about 10 hours away from me.

Bottom line is, I'd really like to help my mom and neighbor out. If I have to sell or trade the Lo-Boy to do it, so be it. Is this a feasible plan? Or am I grasping at shadows? Anyone have better ideas or suggestions?

Sorry for the long-winded post, opinions and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

Thanks for listening,

Anthony

Anothony, first check you local and state laws reguarding ceptic systems and drainage fields. You may be able to do the work yourself but may need to have it inspected as you go. If that's the case you may have to be present for the inspections during work hours.

Also check about burning and burying the old building. That may require permits.

The old backhoe parts bothers me too. You state that you really don't have time to invest and with old add on hoes you are going to have to work slow or something will break. I have a TLB that I picked up for 4500 and it's a heavy duty unit much newer than what you are looking at. I wish I had spent more and gotten something a little newer. Parts are hard to find. You get done with your projects and you can always resell it. You may be way better off renting something as you get a more modren faster working machine.

Rick

Look into renting one for a week, might be cheaper and will certainly be more reliable.

I wouldn't put a rubber tired backhoe into a demilition job. You'll be spending all your limited time fixing tires. I think that you are biting off more than you can chew. As others stated, more than likely you will have to deal with code enforcement and your local fireservice.. Bit the bullet and hire a contractor with a trackhoe to bury the barn. He can be in and out by the time you dig your first hole which will be to small. I have buried barns after fires, and it takes one heck of a hole to push them in and cover.

Rent one first. We have a compact new holland (35hp) with a new holland backhoe attachment it's ok for what it is. It's a long way away from a true TLB. I'd stay away from the fill lines I've put quite a few new systems in and also repaired them, I understand your wanting to help but you can end up over your head quickly and make a big mess in the process.

Get some estimates from contractors. Like what was mentioned, an excavator with an experienced operator can be in and out of there really quick and the barn will be gone. The hourly rate might be enough to choke a horse but it won't take many hours.

It's real nice of you to have the desire and embition to help your neighbor out. We need more people like you in this world for sure, but it's better to leave the drain field to someone who knows something about drain fields. Jim

I had a relative in Ill that had a barn burn down. Epa came in and made a big stink about lead paint in the ash. had to handle it as hazardous waste.

Hi Anthony: I did not see any comments about "selling" old barn lumber? I've seen many ads over the years from people looking for old lumber such as in barns. Some use it for adding to rustic look in a gaming room in a walkout basement.. Others want the big timbers for a work shop hoist etc.. Lots of needs for lumber. There are even places that recover and sell used lumber ( maybe sell them the whole pile??? ) Only thing most people can think of is burning and/or dig a big hole and bury it so years later it becomes a problem for new construction.. The good recovered lumber could be over half the barn and if stacked so it can dryout it would sell fairly quick... So maybe you could use a small loader tractor and extra log chains.. ..and a chain saw with extra chains. If you are not a backHoe operator, you will be very slow in getting work done.. I know since I had a Case Hoe for about 10 years for limited part time use. I always felt rusty getting started on a project. I hope my ideas cause you to re-consider making some money or at least break-even while doing your mom a favor.. ..and you would be getting some tractor-loader time to report on back here on YTmag. But first I'd try selling the whole pile to used lumber yards.. and/or use Craigs List Ads.. Hope this generates new ideas?

Poke around Farmers Advance, there are a few guys around Michigan that reclaim barns, may be able to make a few dollars.

Around here the fire department would burn your barn for you, might be your best bet. Ash takes up a whole lot less space then wood. This might get you around the shingle issue. Here you cannot burn shingles. But when the fire department torches it, its ok.

I bought the most expensive backhoe (meaning minimal repair) I could afford. I work like you, if you do buy a machine the last thing you need is to be wrenching on it all the time. If you are buying it for one job - rent instead.

Rick

I second that! Anything with air filled tires is the LAST thing you want around a demolition site! Get some quotes from experienced contractors with either a track excavator or track loader. A backhoe on a tractor isn't the best machine anyways because you can't swing 360 deg's. You also need some experience before you jump into a demolition job. Lots of things can go wrong. They might not allow you to bury the old barn or even burn it. Check with the local county regarding what permits and restrictions there are before going any further.

I think agpilot is on the right track here. Look around a bit and see if you can sell the old barn lumber and beams - a lot of people would love to get it for rec and family rooms, rustic cabins, etc. There is a fairly high demand for old barn lumber.
Craigslist can be a pain in the butt, but might be a good way to advertise the lumber. If you can't sell it, give it away for getting it hauled off. That much less to bury. Just make sure to get a release form signed by the people getting the lumber so they can't come back on you if they are injured getting it.
The concerns voiced by above posters are something to think about, depending on how you are located in respect to zoning, environmental laws, etc. and how stringent local inspection and enforcement is.

As to the backhoe, that can be a can of worms. I bought an old Ford 4500 TLB some years ago and gave premium money for it because I knew a bit about the history of the machine. (Gave $7500 for it over 20 years ago.) Had a rebuilt engine and not all welded and patched up, but I have been replacing hydraulic hoses ever since.
Every time I get on it, I have to learn all over again how to operate it, and since it is only occasional use, I will never get good at operating it. Just enough to get by, and slowly at that.
Bottom line, unless you hit a jackpot, there are no decent usable backhoes for less that 5K, and probably quite a bit more.
Sorry to sound negative, but you need to be aware of what you are getting into.

Myron

I would salvage what I wanted and what might sell out of the old barn. Then just hire some one with a track hoe to come in and bury what is left. Most counties don't allow burning of old buildings any more. You are only talking about a few hours of work for a big hoe. That should not cost more than $500-750.

Then if you want to runt he water line just rent a small hoe or trencher to do that some other weekend. I can rent a BOBCAT excavator here for $175 from Sat. morning to Monday morning.

As for the neighbor lady's septic field problem. STAY AWAY form it. If you are not licensed then you can be in hot water if you modify her system. Also you could cause her to have to install a new one that is up to current code. In Dubuque Co. you can be grand fathered in with an old system but if you do any updates then the whole system has to be brought up to code.

I had tree roots grow into the line from the house out to the septic tank. I dug in a new PVC line. Only twenty feet of line. Neighbor called the county health department. Inspector came out and looked it over. I was called in to the county health board. They asked me why I did not get a permit to work on the septic system. I told them I only installed a new line and clean out from the house to the septic tank. They said it made no difference, I was supposed to have a permit to do it. They condemned the whole system. It cost me $15,000 to have a new one installed.

Anthoney: I forgot to mention that I had over 30 buildable properties on the far West side of a large metro and one of those properties had been used to BURY old junk many years earier. I was very luck to quickly sell it to another home builder before the local goverment came after me to have all buried junk recovered and hauled off to an approved hazard waste site... The main idea I am getting at is that your digging a hole and burying everything could very well come back at you in a very expensive way.. Lots of people around with digital cameras and picture taking cell phones.. etc. Your trying to hide everything in a hole will NOT be a secret... Selling it is a safer bet... even if it is sold for one dollar and a deposit to insure a good job of removing everything and in a timely manner.. If NOT buried deep and and lots of air pockets removed, there will be ground setteling and various critters digging holes to get back into that junk if too close to the surface.. Like pack rats? Try hard to sell everything as-is and where-is.. Try to end up with no future problems with buried junk.. good luck.

Anthony: One post just to mention again that I have bought and sold over 30 properties close to a Metro area and if the seller does NOT tell me about a large amount of buried stuff, I would get a Lawyer real quick to demand payment from seller to cover removal of unwanted buried stuff. Digging a big/deep hole to bury stuff is something almost all new buyers will not like..
It would be asking for legal problems later on.. or a big reduction in property value.

take the single gal out to diner and explain why you cannot do septic unless county permits

Sorry, should have been more clear in the first place.

Roof was only shakes, wasn't maintained so the whole thing deteriorated from the top down. But no shingles on it at all.

The barn was basically empty, except for some junk my brother left in it. That stuff I would pull out and set aside to be disposed of properly. Don't plan to bury old tires, plastic bedliners or barrels of used oil. Only intended to burn the rotten wood parts and bury the ash pile.

It would be great if some of the timbers could be salvaged. That would put a few dollars in mom's pocket and reduce the amount of material I'd have to deal with. Will definitely check out the Farmer's Advance suggestion.

Thanks to all; you've given me some new ideas and pointed out issues I missed.

Thanks,

Anthony