Is the backhoe loader a thing of the past?

[doobin]

Thanks for your insight
Didn’t realise they were 110k now, but then with my list of options it’s prob not far off!! I was thinking of swapping 3 bits of kit worth 85k ish and just have 1 new machine instead..

Someone said £110k for a LB110 on FB the other night, guessing a JCB is more!

 

[DaveDCB]

Someone said £110k for a LB110 on FB the other night, guessing a JCB is more!

Or that’s why no one on this earth buys a NH

 

[Furniss]

110k for a backhoe ! - no wonder they are quickly becoming a thing of the past ...

 

[Furniss]

110k would buy something really useful ... like a week a months off for the next 2 years

 

[Lancs Lad]

£110k upwards investment for £65 downwards hourly rate.

Drinks more white diesel roading than a tractor towing a 9 tonner.

And finally, don't be fooled by this years dry summer. If you buy a backhoe it will rain from now until the day you sell it (ask me how I know!)

Bosh....@jcb come back at that one

I wonder how much the plant industry would suffer if some folk actually worked out ROI? Rather than Instagram likes...

 

[Gunners]

Someone said £110k for a LB110 on FB the other night, guessing a JCB is more!

I know for a fact that even a top spec limited edition 4cx is £10k less than that.
And a 3cx is about £10k less than a 4cx.

Mine did about 1L of fuel per mile which wasn't great but I doubt any worse than a tractor and trailer. Or certainly not the John Deere I've been hauling grain with the last few weeks. And it used less fuel on site on various tasks than that Kubota 8ton with Rototilt I had for a couple of weeks. I measured it.

Don't believe everything you read on Facebook

 

[DaveDCB]

Seems to be fair few folk buying 4cx lately, must be for the glory because I see no real reason for them unless your shoving a lot of stone out with the front end, or getting them stuck daily! They are just more awkward and expensive for no other gain imo!

 

[Smiffy]

Seems to be fair few folk buying 4cx lately, must be for the glory because I see no real reason for them unless your shoving a lot of stone out with the front end, or getting them stuck daily! They are just more awkward and expensive for no other gain imo!

I don't really understand why the 3cx compact isn't the most popular one. Will still load an 8 wheel tipper but the compactness of it and the tiny turning circle make them so much more useful on modern sites than a full size machine.

I drove through the m25 j10 roadworks a few weeks ago and there must of been 6 or 7 <it machines parked up having been used for the odd bit of braking out and scratching around and presumably to much of a chore to move around. Surely this is where a backhoe should win hands down having one machine that can nip up and down the work site save having multiples sat redundant.

 

[Stroppymonkey]

I don't really understand why the 3cx compact isn't the most popular one. Will still load an 8 wheel tipper but the compactness of it and the tiny turning circle make them so much more useful on modern sites than a full size machine.

I drove through the m25 j10 roadworks a few weeks ago and there must of been 6 or 7 <it machines parked up having been used for the odd bit of braking out and scratching around and presumably to much of a chore to move around. Surely this is where a backhoe should win hands down having one machine that can nip up and down the work site save having multiples sat redundant.

Imagine they don’t like wet ground much

 

[Smiffy]

Imagine they don’t like wet ground much

in my mind I'm thinking of applications where you could avoid being off road.

 

[DaveDCB]

in my mind I'm thinking of applications where you could avoid being off road.

The problem with them is backend is just a 3ton mini pretty much, mostly used with a breaker for knocking out the odd kerb! Basically they are the old 2cx but without an air compressor on the back.

 

[Smiffy]

The problem with them is backend is just a 3ton mini pretty much, mostly used with a breaker for knocking out the odd kerb! Basically they are the old 2cx but without an air compressor on the back.

I'd say they are closer to 4 or 5 t. Or at least in terms of breaker that they can handle. We have them on site for all the prep work prior to tarmac and what you can achieve with them over a mini is great albeit niche. However there are definitely a lot of places on big sites where their niche would fit but is overlooked for a mini by site managers.

 

[pettsy]

How do the compacts compare price wise to a full size 3cx? Maybe it’s the case that they’re a similar cost for 3/4 of the machine?

 

[hiluxman]

How do the compacts compare price wise to a full size 3cx? Maybe it’s the case that they’re a similar cost for 3/4 of the machine?

They are about 50k.

However if your a decent 3cx driver then most sites are workable. Loading a lorry with a 2cx/3cx compact is more than tedious.

There's a reason whey 3cx was called a site master.

When I had the cat 432's there's only 1 job I turned upto that I couldn't do.

I do sort of miss those times, but I've changed as a Bussines rather than the actual jcb and driver hire I did for many years...Was definitely a good way to learn and a good way to put you off the job, if you wasn't interested.

I do still contemplate going back to digger and driver only, for the simplicity

 

[DaveDCB]

I do still contemplate going back to digger and driver only, for the simplicity

This is my thinking, except it’s not for hire work just purely for use on my own sites, since retiring my last 3cx 10years ago I’ve just amassed aload of extra kit to do the same job I once did with one machine

 

[Furniss]

This is my thinking, except it’s not for hire work just purely for use on my own sites, since retiring my last 3cx 10years ago I’ve just amassed aload of extra kit to do the same job I once did with one machine

Like a 6t or 8t and dumper

They got a 4cx where i worked in u.k and the the most experienced bloke there thought it was just a lump on site, but it seemed to be liked for working with the trenchless in wet going,pulling headwalls,pulling the tractor and gravel cart out and loading the gravel carts etc

Fiber outfit and water companies all use hookloaders and midi machines, only place i know round here (including all bigger firms with dozens of machines) that has a wheeled machine is council yard.

Think its all nostalgia tbh

Loading....

 

[CPS]

A neighbor has just bought a brand new 4CX dual drive that i have to do a few bits to, looking forward to getting my hands on it

 

[DaveDCB]

A neighbor has just bought a brand new 4CX dual drive that i have to do a few bits to, looking forward to getting my hands on it

Don’t post any photos, thanks

 

[Simon edwards]

Been on hire 4 days messing about this week and used less than a tank of fuel so far including travelling,

 

[Simon edwards]

I completely agree with you Dave ,for your own projects you cannot beat a backhoe, when we were building houses everything was done with it for many years,I actually think the perfect set up is a3cx,2 ton excavator and a 3 ton dumper,you will pretty much do anything with this little fleet.
Like Hilux I would love to pull back to this set up but genuinely think I would struggle to keep busy enough ,the operated hire market is a complicated one now,you need to be able to offer a range of kit to be viable.
It’s much nicer running fewer machines and having the time to look after and enjoy them a bit,I find a dozen machines quite hard to keep on top of as I don’t like working Sundays anymore.