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Advice needed on the most versatile machine for me

6224 Views 14 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  JB222
So after a few months hanging out in the Lawn and Garden section I am starting to think about a CUT for some of my Spring projects. I am going to try and describe my intended use and experience as well as I can. Hopefully you all will have some recommendations to point me in the right direction.

I am a General Contractor doing Residential additions, remodeling, repairs, and some new construction. For years I have rented either a mini-ex or skid steer whenever needed for the job. However now that I am getting into tractor in general and some larger scale projects I am thinking a CUT loader backhoe might be the best machine for me.

One reason I am leaning toward the CUT is the versatility of the rear hitch and/or a quick disconnect on the loader. This way I can rent or down the line purchase attachments for post holes, seeding, soil prep etc. as I go. I would like to keep the machine plus trailer weight below 10k for easy towing. I think 4wd would be very helpful as I tend to get myself into "those spots" very often. Also I would like the machine to be used and less the 10k in price.

Being that I have been enjoying nothing but Case garden tractors I was originally looking into a Case 7020 LBH. I really like the set up of these machines and have gotten very comfortable with working on them. However I am not sure the 7020 will be big enough for some of my tasks. The biggest project I have in mind for this spring will be the site work associated with a 30x30 addition with a 4 foot deep crawlspace for the foundation. This would also include some trenching and digging for the septic and utilities. Anything bigger than this and I would still hire an excavator for the work.

Thanks in advance for the input and advice. If you need any other info on my plans please don't hesitate to ask.
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TUDOR has some good points, the other things I've noticed that you spec'ed were the price and weight. The weight shouldn't be a problem, most smaller CUT's are fairly light and even with a BH weigh in about 3-5k lbs, the price on the other hand might be harder to find....10k doesn't seem to buy much in the 4wd TLB CUT department. If you do find one in this price range its most likely going to have pretty high hours and possibly in need of some maintenance.

That being said I have seen a few older Kubota L-series TLB packages selling for 12-14k which appeared to be in decent shape based on the pictures, also the older JD 75x- 95x's seem to sell in that price range. Just remember that backhoes can be quite expensive to get back into shape if they have not been maintained for sit alot as there are a lot of pivot points and hoses to wear and deteriorate.

If you don't need it right away just keep and eye out for something to pop up, good luck and happy hunting.

Brad
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