first time backhoe purchase

I recently purchased 60 acres of land in Vermont. I am looking for something that I can dig a foundation with, put in and maintain a driveway, plant trees, dig ditches, drag logs, put up stone walls, and maybe put in a modest pond. I would like something that will help me in most everything I need to build my house, and then be able to manage the property.
I plan on maintaining this myself, which makes parts availability very important.

If you have recommendations on horse power, make, 4wd vs 2wd, and places that I should be looking to find one, please let me know. (Budget is that of a young Vermonter 2 years out of college.) I have never worked with a backhoe, so anyother sorts of advice, safety and common sense things that have been learned through exprience would be great.

Thank you,
Kagan

If the land is dry and relatively flat, the 2wd would likely be fine most anytime.

In addition, if you need to log the property, that isnt really something that a loader backhoe is well suited for. You can hire that out or get another peice of equip.

I have a '69 Case 580 2WD loader/backhoe and 60-something IH TDC5 Skidder/dozer. I live in Maine, so the mud season is something I have to live with. I use the skidder dozer in the winter for logging and in the summer (but minimally) for some grading and small stump removal. The loader is used in the summer (post-mud season)for landscaping, rock moving, large stump removal, etc. I am going to use it this fall to dig a foundation for an addition, too. I got these peices of equipment just 2 years ago, and prior to that had no experience. I bought both for ~$8,500. Another thing about having 2 peices of equipment, if the wheeled loader gets stuck, you can use the tracked dozer to pull the stuck one out.

You can certatinly do all that you need to do. Take some time with someone to learn to run whatever you've purcased. Get the manuals (Owners, service, and parts)! Especially if you are going to service them yourself. Take it slow and use your head (think about what your going to do before you do it). Best of luck and have fun.

Lots of good info here so far and I"ll ad a little. I grew up using my dads mid-70"s Massy Fergison (M/F)loader/hoe. He got it almost new and it has done a lot of work on our ranches and paid for itself by doing a few side jobs over the years. Still gets used today. Then dad got a Deere 450C loader/hoe in the early 80"s and I thought I was in heaven. This tractor could pick up things, (4 in 1 bucket also called clamshell.) I didn"t have to worry about traction, I could get set up anywhere to use the hoe to dig a stump or rock etc... Down fall to this tractor around my place is pavement and it takes a long time to move things of any distance.

I have used a few different Case 580"s over the years. I am still unable to use Case"s standard backhoe levers because they are "backwards." The 580"s feel top heavy to me.

In 98 I got a Deere 310D rubber tired backhoe, 4/1 bucket, extendhoe, 4X4. Boy, did I discover what I was missing. The crawler has only seen about 50 hours on it since. They both have their place and I"ll keep both, but the rubber tire hoe gets a whole lot more use. 2WD VS. 4X4... if you have not been exposed to it then you don"t know what you are missing. Even though 4X4 cost a little more and a little more maintence you will save a little in the long run in replacing the rear tires and you will have a lot less frustration when working. Something as simple as backing up a slight slope on a 2WD with dirt/rock/stump in the bucket may cause the rear wheels to spin. Options for this situation; rear axle lock (posi), sometimes a lever or pedal - this can be dangerous on side hills, you can carry a load of dirt in the backhoe to give you a little extra traction, you can extend the hoe out to give you more traction and thats generally all you need. But if you have to do that all day it gets old, where 4X4 you would be in and out and on your way. My hoe is in 4WD about 98% of the time.

I would take someone who knows equipment to look with you. Look around, you get what you pay for. I believe in spending a little more for a cleaner tractor because the repair costs can be a lot. Stop at job sites and watch backhoe"s work, see what other people do, how they use them, etc...

It"s hard to have one piece of equipment for a property, they all have their place and thats what makes it easier to justify having it.

My 2 cents, good luck.

Now, that aside, 2wd backhoes are worthless to us. Yes theyre cheaper, but if you have no experience with a backhoe, you'll get stuck the first time it rains. You can get around with a 2wd if you have the experience and know how to run the machine to its limits. With little to no experience though, a little 4wd goes a long way. Besides, if you buy a used machine, the rear tires are probably beat, and you will get nowhere without a good set of rears that will cost a lot of money to replace. We replaced the fronts on our 4wds 3 times before the rears, because the fronts make that much difference when youre pusing dirt.

Also, we got by just fine without the extendahoe for years. Theyre great to have, (and we love ours) but you dont need one. Its just more maintainence and money to have one.

One more thing to keep in mind- Backhoes are TOPHEAVY!!! they react differently to hills and snow/mud than farm tractors, bulldozers, or whatever. Be careful. They are not just toys that push dirt. You must always know what is happening to every part of that machine and know where every part is when you operate it.

When you try out the machine, lift up the bucket and then immediately turn around and lower/raise the stabilizer arms. This will test out the reverser for the hydraulic system. The speed that it runs with will usually help to determine the quality and life left in the machine. If the arms go down and up right away, thats Very good. If theres a long delay, like more than 3-5 or so seconds, thats not so good. It could indicate some very expensive problems to fix down the road.

Off the top of my head, I would recommend a case 580D for you. Theyre not too heavy, and will work very well with tough ground. Also they are pretty common, so hopefully not too expensive.

Good luck!

Foundation excavation holes, excavation piles, utility trenches, etc...

Carrying anything heavy on uneven ground.

The point being, it IS easy to flip a Hoe,
especially the large ones like the 580's.
There's alot of weight up high.

Heck, I almost flipped a 580 coming off the tilt bed trailer, cause as I was coming down, some stupid homeowner pulls right up behind me
and I had to slam the brakes. Front end raised up high, and started going left, etc.

That was an a-hole puckering experience
and a good learning lesson for me.

Always cone off behind and around me if
in a residential area, and alway make sure
no ones even nearby when I unload.

The above combo will give you the maximum in versatility.

Now in the perfect world, you'd have seperate
machines (Loader and Excavator), but thats not
what you asked.

Between a backhoe, and an excavator, each
has its strengths and weaknesses.

Now as to your question of 4whl drive vs 2,
its a trade off in versatility, weight, and repair costs.

4whl gives more versatility, at the cost
of weight (about 3k pounds) and higher repair
costs. In some cases, weight is important.
For example around my area, the soil pumps
up fast, and that addl weigh of 4whl, is
the difference in completing a job before
the soil pumps up, and starts making holes.

With respect to your question about machine operation, etc,thats a very broad topic.
Find some manuals on machine operation and
read them. Case, John Deer, all have operator
manuals thats are good for a starter.