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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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"rent an excavator when you need to dig"

... or a contractor who has the experience and can dig that hole more quickly and possibly more cheaply considering the cost of rental time, hauling, etc.

That 30X30X4 hole is about +130 cubic yards of material- a lot of material to move with a SCUT especially if your soil is rocky. My driveway project required a contractor to move ~175 yards and 180 yards fill. There is no way my CUT could have moved some of the boulders out of the driveway's subsurface. One needed both a mini excavator and an industrial TLB to move. I have had no problems moving that 175 yards (minus boulders) ;).
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