Backhoes

[CWS86]

Hello all, is it just me or are there not many backhoes for sale other than JCB 3cx’s? It’s not that I don’t like JCB but I was just wondering if their market share is that huge.

 

[CWS86]

I should add I mean on the used market.

 

[Regy53]

Certain areas have different pockets of machines but generally I’d you look there’s hardly any backhoes for sale anywhere. I had a good 50-60 units last year and in contrast have probably had 6-8 this year. Jcb generally do have that much market share

the whole backhoe market is retracted as people go for different setups like tracked machines

The uk numbers must be dwindling as Europe specifically Poland and czech republic are buying 80% of used machines.

I always try to sell to the uk first as often if its a later machine they may have a Px but they are to slow, sadly they want things for nothing when buying but when selling want everything. So we take a lot of backhoe calls get kicked in the balls on price and then get told ok iv got a day off in three weeks il come have a look then.... to late machines gone for a nice deal to Poland without much ball kicking .

volvo do not make any more
Case is not popular
Terex is not popular
New holland is shite resale and not popular

the last three manufactures probably have 10% market share

 

[Nick...]

I think the reason backhoes are dying out are mainly due to the fact that there are hardly anyone who can use them well.no agency drivers have any experience having been reared on 360 machines.and finally the rates are rubbish.the rates need to be around £45/50 an hour but I suspect they are nearer £35.im not far of that with a 2.5 ton tracked machine and I could buy 3 of these for price of full spec 3cx.having had a case 580b,580f.590sle,590st,ford555 and the biggest pile of s**t ever a cat 432e I’ve done a massive of time in backhoes and learnt my trade but it’s been 6 years since I sold the last one and not had a single call for one since.i do miss using them but they have to pay their way.must admit it’s easier to turn up with a2,5 ton machine,not make much mess and drive home in comfort and not be burning fuel and wearing up tyres and bouncing about aswell as I woukd in a backhoe.if I had piles of cash I’d buy another but fir work they have pretty much had their day.also at the very end of their development so no new innovations coming either.im sure they must be available fir self drive hire but getting rarer that’s hens teeth.RIPbackhoes
Nick...

 

[JD450A]

Nick...

Nailed it as far as i'm concerned.

Lack of operators, cheap self drive hire (you can get a midi digger, 3t dumper and telehandler for the same rate as a 3cx and driver) and cheap s**t agency drivers have killed it.

Only technical developments left are the big 4x4 Pivot steer machines like the Hudigs and Hydrema's.... But sites are getting smaller, not bigger where I am and tbh the 7 ton machines will soon be too large for some work hence next digger will likely be on the 4t mark.

I keep toying with a older, direct drive 2wd ford 555 or 550 for trial pit work for a geotechnical firm as it would pay it's way....but easier to arrive with a 1.5t digger on a trailer...

 

[Smiffy]

Just an observation but does anyone else find it weird that alot of Europe seem to have replaced there backhoes with sucks but they are still a rare site here apart from motorway work
Doing civils and the like it seems common practice to struggle in some circumstances with a road towable machine where a backhoe would have been used when you would have thought the natural progression would have been a duck rather than struggle with a machine that isn't big enough

 

[JD450A]

Doing civils and the like it seems common practice to struggle in some circumstances with a road towable machine where a backhoe would have been used when you would have thought the natural progression would have been a duck rather than struggle with a machine that isn't big enough

Ducks are not all they are Quacked up to be ( i've had that for a while....).

European "self drive" hire doesn't really exist from what I understand and where it does it's quite expensive.... so it makes sense to hire a machine and driver, and for a small half day job, yes a duck wins.

Ducks don't like hills, don't really like boggy ground or grass with clay underneath that becomes glass, and need a good driver. In the Uk we have lots of hills, s**t ground and s**t drivers . If you look at videos featuring off road ducks they tend to be happily on gravelly sand, perfect!

Ducks are also double the price of a equivalent track machine. the rates aren't double though

 

[Antony Holmes]

saw this one on face book marketplace this morning looked ok. I would of cost about £21K when new and at £8500 now so lost £12.5 k over 30 years that's £400 per year not bad
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ttps://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/187277945958846/

 

[Regy53]

we recently sold a 2002 non turbo sitemaster 3cx for 22k... i bet that wasn't £35k in 2002.

 

[CWS86]

Thanks for the replies, I hadn’t realised that the market was dwindling quite so much. We used to have a Ford 655c which was woefully underpowered but good at digging, we sold it when we bought our js160. Now that we’ve nearly all our big work done the he sits about the majority of the time so we wondered about trading it and a Loadall for a wheeled digger. I started looking for decent used ones with pilot controls and they’re not there. We’re on a farm too so a site spec/low powered machine wouldn’t ideal.

 

[pettsy]

A few firms round my way run them still. They look to be on council subcontract work mostly.

 

[Jimoz]

As @pettsy Got a firm round here with 5 or 6. Mainly subcontracting to the county council. They book them in with like a days notice sometimes. It must pay because he's buying new ones regularly think 55k. Sure I was paying early 30s per hr last year. Good for clearing a site pretty powerful with breaker too

 

[V8Druid]

Thanks for the replies, I hadn’t realised that the market was dwindling quite so much. We used to have a Ford 655c which was woefully underpowered but good at digging, we sold it when we bought our js160. Now that we’ve nearly all our big work done the he sits about the majority of the time so we wondered about trading it and a Loadall for a wheeled digger. I started looking for decent used ones with pilot controls and they’re not there. We’re on a farm too so a site spec/low powered machine wouldn’t ideal.

Barnesy used to have lines of 'em, but hasn't had for quite a while ... he's very choosy about what he buys, so can't be out there to be had .. all he has currently is this lever model

* JCB 3CX Contractor P12 * YR01 * VERY NICE * 40k Turbo 4X4 Sitemaster * | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for * JCB 3CX Contractor P12 * YR01 * VERY NICE * 40k Turbo 4X4 Sitemaster * at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[CWS86]

It looks a tidy digger, there’s a few about with quite low hours for their age. It seems that looking for pilot controls may be a stumbling block!

 

[Smiffy]

Ducks are not all they are Quacked up to be ( i've had that for a while....).

European "self drive" hire doesn't really exist from what I understand and where it does it's quite expensive.... so it makes sense to hire a machine and driver, and for a small half day job, yes a duck wins.

Ducks don't like hills, don't really like boggy ground or grass with clay underneath that becomes glass, and need a good driver. In the Uk we have lots of hills, s**t ground and s**t drivers . If you look at videos featuring off road ducks they tend to be happily on gravelly sand, perfect!

Ducks are also double the price of a equivalent track machine. the rates aren't double though

I wouldn't expect to see them on site but I always remember as a kid hundreds of backhoes running around on utilities and local authorities work
And I looks like there perfect replacement would be a duck
I watched a three gangs all working on a major dual carriageway the other week
First gang had an 8 tonner which was boss of the job dropped out every day then had to have a grab lorry to service it
Second gang had a mini struggling away and a grab lorry to service it
Third gang had a backhoe which was on top of the job and a dumper to service it as the backhoe could rub down the site to load the dumper

So the 2 common setups had the cost of a wagon sat around

And alot of the small utilities gangs are going out 2 in a van so if one drove a machine to site the other would be finished putting up the millions of a sighns and barriers by the time the machine gets there and they then have a full size machine on site as half the time round here they seem to ring up and have to get something bigger dropped out anyway
It just seem that this country likes doing everything the crack handed way the whole time

 

[GazCro]

Reliability first thing that springs to mind with 3cx and that's not wanting to start a bashing thread it's from experience. It cost more per year to keep the last couple of 3cx going we had than it costs to keep a micro 1.5, 4 and 8 tonner running. Re ducks as an alternative 8 ton duck will cost 20k more than 3cx. The sad part is 3cx when compared cost wise are v v good value but nobody wants to drive one anymore.

 

[CWS86]

For a decent farm backhoe what would people recommend? We were leaning towards a lb115/110 or equivalent machine. It wouldn’t be replacing a loadall completely as we have another loadall.

 

[GazCro]

For a decent farm backhoe what would people recommend? We were leaning towards a lb115/110 or equivalent machine. It wouldn’t be replacing a loadall completely as we have another loadall.

Despite how much negative stuff i could say about jcb i still wouldn't go past them for a backhoe. One thing to be aware of with other makes is weight i think New Holland equivalent of a 3cx could weigh about 2 or 2.5 ton more if you're taking off the yard into fields

 

[CWS86]

That’s good to know when they’re so common second hand. Any to really avoid? What about the lesser popular makes like Hidromek, Volvo etc?

 

[Regy53]

JCB
CAT
TEREX
VOLVO
CASE
NEW HOLLAND

In that order