Thinking about a used backhoe - dig into limestone?

jeudi 1 octobre 2015

Been thinking about getting a backhoe for our small ranch here in central Texas and one project I have in mind is digging a 5'x5'x6' hole for a concrete base for a crank-up ham radio tower. Our ground here is basically limestone rock, some pebble size some much larger with some caliche soil as a binder :)

So I guess the first question is would a hoe be the best piece of equipment to dig out a mostly square hole? Maybe the only other option would be a jackhammer and lots of manual labor (not for me, thank you.) I realize that a larger hole than necessary means more $$ for concrete. Even if my idea of using the hoe isn't practical, I can certainly put a loader/hoe to good use around the place.

As far as loaders/hoes go, I've spent a bunch of time looking through this section of HEF trying to get a feel for the market and what to look for and what to avoid. It seems the big three in the used market are Deere, Case with a few Cats thrown in. Any generalities favoring one manufacturer over the other, like parts availability, parts expense, ease/difficulty of repair and routine maintenance, ease of operation, etc? I'd like to get a machine no older than say mid 1990s.

How desirable is an e-hoe? I don't see myself digging out a 12' trench but it would be nice to use the hoe as a crane. Does an e-hoe add to resale value?

Thanks fellows!


Thinking about a used backhoe - dig into limestone?

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