Struck Magnatrac mini tracked crawlers

[grweldon]

Poston posted a while ago about Magicman needing one of these and it I requested more information about them from the company.  I was wondering if anybody has one of these and how useful it is.  I'd also like opinions about their value.  I suppose that the 4800 model with backhoe and loader is right around $15K.  For that amount you can get a decent used backhoe, which would serve my needs as well.

http://www.struckcorp.com/models.html

What'cha all think?

[fishpharmer]

Look at the specs for a backhoe in comparison to the 4800.  Or better yet, rent a late model backhoe for a day, put it through a workout, dig some holes, load some dirt.  Then look at the Struck specs closely.  After that I would be suprised if you want a struck.  Although, I am sure they are very useful for specific applications.

[Mooseherder]

I think someone would have buyers remorse every time you saw it sitting beside the barn after it's work was done.

[beenthere]

You put that very well, Mooseherder. My thoughts, but you put 'em into gentle words.

[Mooseherder]

Yeah, and thinking about all those 2000 dollar attachments hanging around would cause the wife to give you more guilt/grief. :D

[thecfarm]

With all my projects the only time it would be sitting is when I would be sleeping.

[WmFritz]

$15,000?   .  I never would've guessed they ran that much. I remember seeing them in the back of Popular Mechanics and daydreaming about setting one up with a snowblower attached. I never checked into the prices.  My lawnmower has a Kohler 25 HP and I can't imagine moving much dirt with it.

For that kind of money, I'd look for a skid steer with low hrs  and if you have a use for one, maybe a backhoe attachment. Or like you said, go right for a nice used backhoe.

[plaindriver]

Poston posted a while ago about Magicman needing one of these and it I requested more information about them from the company.  I was wondering if anybody has one of these and how useful it is.  I'd also like opinions about their value.  I suppose that the 4800 model with backhoe and loader is right around $15K.  For that amount you can get a decent used backhoe, which would serve my needs as well.

http://www.struckcorp.com/models.html

What'cha all think?

GR, Whats your primary objective? Just the backhoe, or do you want a blade or dirt mover?? Reason I ask is that I just pulled the trigger on a small 'tow behind' backhoe. Paid $3449 out the door, delivered. Its pretty beefy too. Just assembled it out of the crate yesterday using only a floor jack and FEL on my tractor. Its around 1200#, decent specs, a 9 + 14" bucket. 



 

[Magicman]

Poston posted a while ago about Magicman needing one of these 

I think that David forgot about my "Fat Albert".   ;D


 
You don't send a boy to do a man's job, plus it will also dig in the dirt.   ;D

[beenthere]

Reason I ask is that I just pulled the trigger on a small 'tow behind' backhoe.

plaindriver
We'll be very interested in seeing some pics and a report on how well this backhoe works. When do you plan to start digging, and what will be the project?  8)

[plaindriver]

Well, Im sorta waiting for the ground to dry up a bit. I thing we have had about 3.7 million inches of rain since June 1.
I have a few small tree stumps to dig out, and I want to get started on a workshop/man-cave soonly- -about 28x48 or so. So, it will need to have footings dug. And the trenches for conduit, gas lines, water & drain lines. I also need to do a french drain at the base of my main house, then bore a discharge line beneath the driveway 30' or so.  And, this being Tn, AKA Rocky Top, the ground here seems to grow rocks, so I will often be trying to dig up some of those.
Surprisingly, this thing is rather burly. A lot of the steel is .375' thick. Only poss negative might be the China engine, which is a Honda clone, 9HP rated. So far, its started right up and seems good. I installed an hr-meter prior to first start, as I did on the bandsaw (and have done on any gas engine equipment I have)

Im sure there is a learning curve to operating these and I will post lotsa pictures and a report on how well it works and if it meets my level of expectation.

[loggah]

There a good toy, but i think that much cash could be spent a lot wiser,JMO. Don

[plaindriver]

Reason I ask is that I just pulled the trigger on a small 'tow behind' backhoe.

plaindriver
We'll be very interested in seeing some pics and a report on how well this backhoe works. When do you plan to start digging, and what will be the project?  8)

Well, we've had a few days of no rain, so I took the new little backhoe out for its maiden voyage. First victim was an old 4-5" round wooden fence post in concrete that prev owner had cut flush. Couldnt scare it with the FEL/chain on tractor. Towed the backhoe out, and within a few 'spoonfulls', I had it out. Next, I tinkered with a stump of a sourwood tree. The stump was about 8" dia. Took several bites, and waala, ripped it out of the ground! Its amazing how much beak-out force that can come from relatively few HP when hydraulics are involved. There is a learning curve to using this implement, and I am way behind that curve at present.  After the stump was out, I then thought- -why did I just do that for? Woulda been way cleaner to just burn it out where is. But, when you have a new toy, . . . .well, Im still just a boy at heart.

You can sorta see the wood post in the middle of the concrete.


 

8" Sourwood prior to backhoe attack.


 

8" stump no match for little backhoe.


 

[Al_Smith]

That little wee crawler in the link only weighs about a shade over a 1600 pounds .Sure it's a crawler but I doubt seriously if it has much more guts than an 8N Ford if as much .Too little but it is kinda cute .

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Plaindriver

I am impressed with your towable backhoe. Looks to be well make and have plenty of power for its size. Would think it could be very handy loading logs on to a flat bed trailer or dump trailer like the one i have.

I am thinking about ordering myself one. Will be watching this post to see how you like it when you put a few more hours in the pilots seat and try it on a few more challenges. Have you tried lifting a log yet?

[thecfarm]

I wonder??? Scary!!! Could a grapple be put on that too?? Could swap them to what ever is needed. Would help us manual mills guys. I use my loader on my tractor now,for the big ones. Don't saw too many big ones anymore. I'm impressed by what it did.

[grweldon]

I think that David forgot about my "Fat Albert".   ;D

You don't send a boy to do a man's job, plus it will also dig in the dirt.   ;D

Lynn, What is the make/model of Fat Albert?

It appears to be exactly what I would need/want/use!

After hearing all the comments here regarding my original post I don't really need to wait for the information that I requested to arrive.  I pretty much thought the same as just about everybody who posted but it's good to hear that I'm thinking along the right lines.  I think the backhoe would be the way to go.  I might be able to swing a purchase next year.  I don't want to go in to debt to buy one...

Thanks for all the helpful replys...

Plaindriver... that tow-behind backhoe looks like it may be a good compromise.  What brand/model is it?

[plaindriver]

Plaindriver

I am impressed with your towable backhoe. Looks to be well make and have plenty of power for its size. Would think it could be very handy loading logs on to a flat bed trailer or dump trailer like the one i have.

I am thinking about ordering myself one. Will be watching this post to see how you like it when you put a few more hours in the pilots seat and try it on a few more challenges. Have you tried lifting a log yet?

OK, I havent tried hefting anything with it. Please dont pull the trigger on one of these YET, till I can give you a pirep (pilots report) on its log lifting capabilities. It occurs to me that you would have to get the CG of the log awful close for balance reasons. Also, I aint sure how high you could lift. Plus, with a (say 1000#) log att to the bucket, I question what its mobility might be like. Its born mainly to dig, not heft.
It is pretty burly, tho. Note thickness on some of the critical iron components. And everything is powder coated.

The brand is "Forest King". Here are some specs on it:
**************************************************************
Mini backhoe, operating radius is 130degrees.

- 9hp 4 stroke OHV motor               

- 4 double action hydraulic cylinders

- ca.130 degrees operating radius   

- ca. max lifting 1,800 lb.

- ca. ripping force 4,500 lbs           

-dig's up to 7 feet deep

- reach = up to 8 feet

- comes with a trench bucket  9"x11 1/2x 18" ; Also has a 14" bucket option.

Stabilizer arms (manual):


 

The rest of the pics just show thickness of critical components. I use my Swiss knife for ref.



  

  

  

  

  

 

[grweldon]

OK... one more question concerning the mini-crawler...

I've been looking at a used Kubota BX24 backhoe/loader.  Total weight of the tractor (not sure if it includes the BH/FEL) is right at 1500 lbs. Without considering cost/value, how does everybody feel the Kubota (3-cyl diesel) would stack up with the pulling/digging/pushing cababilities of the mid-size Struck 4800 crawler?

[beenthere]

Apples and oranges. They crawler and the loader/backhoe do two very different tasks. Both are likely good for what they will do.

[Al_Smith]

Quite frankly the mini tractor/loader would probabely be a lot more handy than that toy crawler .If you get on to it you can fine grade with a loader about as good as that teeny crawler .Besides that you pick stuff up with a loader and all you can do with the crawler is push it around .

[plaindriver]

OK... one more question concerning the mini-crawler...

I've been looking at a used Kubota BX24 backhoe/loader.  Total weight of the tractor (not sure if it includes the BH/FEL) is right at 1500 lbs. Without considering cost/value, how does everybody feel the Kubota (3-cyl diesel) would stack up with the pulling/digging/pushing cababilities of the mid-size Struck 4800 crawler?

Personaly, me thinks you would be way better off with the Kubota tractor. I dont know their model numbers, but. . .In '85 I got a new JD small tractor, 3 cyl Diesel, maybe 25 HP or so? Had a FEL, 60" rototiller, box-blade, and PH Digger w/6" & 12" augers. Still have it. On 2nd batt and have done oil changes only. Has about 650 hrs on it. The FEL is good for around 1200 lbs. I can dump stuff into a truck or container with about 7' hi sides. Has 4-WD and thats important. Recently, I was eyeballing PTO driven backhoes for the JD but opted for a tow-behind unit as it had better specs, was ruff the same $$, but the PTO unit could be hard on the tractors sub-frame. Plus, I figured the separate unit would be easier to sell if need arises. If you get the Kubota, ascertain whether the B/H is plumbed to tractor or a PTO drive? For a sm tractor, you are better off with the Kubota brand B/H attachment and one that is plumbed rather than PTO drive.

The tractor w/roto tiller


  

Hefting a 30' wide oak, perhaps 12" at fat end


  

Loading an 11' maple maybe 15", on to stake bed truck, that is 44" hi


 
 

Hefting a 15' wht oak, perhaps 18" at fat end


 

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

GRweldon

I had a Massey 2310 TLB that was virtually identical in size, hp, and weight to the Bx24 you are asking about.

It was a very nice little tractor for a small home owner, but is pretty much useless for any type of logging chores if you plan on moving decent size logs. It was rated to lift about 800 lbs, but that had better be on close to flat land, because it got pretty squirelly fast if you raised a load high on a slanted hillside given its narrow wheel base and short wheelbase.

The backhoe was ok for trenching and pulling small stumps, but suffered from the tractor itself not having enough weight in the front. It was very easy to lift the front of the tractor in the air when getting a grip on a good size root with the backhoe. Even filling the front bucket with dirt did not help keep it down much.

Pulling and pushing, i think i would have to favor the struck dozer simply because it is a track machine and has more contact with the ground. Even in 4wd you could spin the tires pretty easily on the massey if you were digging into a dirt pile or looking to push a good size pile of snow.

Like I said, I think it is a fine unit for a home owner that wants the ability to do some digging and scooping around the house, but would not recommend it for day to day use at a sawmill

[easymoney]

there was one at a consignment auction in my town this last Saturday. it was like new. the owner no sale it. it had very low hours. looked new. the general census among the folks was that it was a toy. would be fun to play with tho. i would not want to pay anyone much per hour to try to do any serious work with it.

[grweldon]

I finally got some information from Struck and it isn't good.  The model 4800 is no longer available and the only model I would be interested in is the model 8000.. the biggest.  The "sale" price for the crawler is $18233.  All of the prices I'm listing are "sale" prices.  List prices are much higher.  The loader kit is $2599 with ROPS. 35HP upgrade is $549.  The backhoe kit without bucket is $6056.  Thumb kit is $813. 12" backhoe bucket kit is $283.

Configured as listed above the price before shipping is $28,532.

With that in mind, how could anybody justify buying one over much heavier-duty piece of equipment that will do nearly the same thing?  I imagine they don't sell many at those prices...

[loggah]

Buy the kubota and never look back !! i have a B2400 4x4 and haven't done a thing to it other then services in 10 years, those mini crawlers are just toys. Don

[Piston]

The Kubota BX won't be very good at pushing/pulling due it's very light weight.  The BX (subcompact tractors in general) are really geared towards doing landscaping type work for the homeowner.  They are good all in one tools for digging with the backhoe to plant trees/shrubs, light ditching, firewood handling all while being a fairly good lawn mower at the same time.  They keep the weight down to minimize compaction of the soil.  It really isn't a viable "woods" machine although many people use them for that, since they already have them. 

For less than the price of that 18k dozer, which I think looks like a neat toy, or trail making tool, I don't think it's very practical for many things.  I picked up an L series (used) kubota for less than that, and it has been insanely useful.  I am still amazed at how much it can do, despite the fact that I can still use a larger tractor.  Sometimes I don't give my tractor enough credit. 

I would go with something like this, over the mini dozer any day. 





Something the size of a BX just doesn't have enough lift capacity to do heavy work.  Although, they are excellent tools for what their designed  ;D

[grweldon]

I agree that the BX24 is a bit small but for the advertised price of $2750 I'm going to pop for it unless there is something major wrong.  I had one reply to my inquiry asking for an email address to send pics to but nothing since.  I'm figuring somebody already snapped it up.

[beenthere]

gr
That sounds like one from the CL where there is no such tractor, and the price is listed at way below market value. Just be careful if it is, as you will get a run-around and see some of your good money just disappear. Such deals pop up regularly on CL, so just saying "beware" .

[Piston]

I agree that the BX24 is a bit small but for the advertised price of $2750 I'm going to pop for it unless there is something major wrong.  I had one reply to my inquiry asking for an email address to send pics to but nothing since.  I'm figuring somebody already snapped it up.

If this is a CL ad, be sure to flag the ad and stay away from it.  If it's a word of mouth thing then there is a very small chance it could be true, however, that tractor is worth many times more that price.  I would be leary as all get out! 

[petefrom bearswamp]

Piston, looks like you have both forks and the grapple?
also is that a landscape/road rake on the back?
how functional is the grapple?
My tractor is a Kubota 8540 85HP w/forks bucket and winch, which is a real workhorse, but expensive.
I would like to buy a grapple for the front.
pete

[pineywoods]

Comments from a happy kubota owner...The B series is just too small to be of much use around a sawmill. The medium sized L series is better but a bit pricey. contractors love them, small, compact, but with plenty of power. Kubota also makes a full sized farm type tractor, model M series, power from 45 hp up to over 100. Used, they can be had for less than a new smaller tractor. With the larger machine, 2 wheel drive is adequate for most situations, especially if you fill the rear tires with fluid. I use a 50 hp M series, 2wd with a loader, forks, and a winch on the back to support an lt40 woodmizer. It does everything I need. Parts ....Had it over 10 years, never needed the first part. The only problems I have had is fuel contaminated with water or  gasoline..

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

If that was a legitimate deal on that bx24 for that price I would jump on it in a second, but i do think you need to be careful. I would think $5000 would be a fair price for just the used  Bx24 tractor itself. They used to run for about $15,500 for the tractor, fel, deck and backhoe.

My first inclinations would be to agree with the others, that it sounds like a CL scam artist practicing his trade.  But having said that, I did pick up the Massey 2310 with front end loader, backhoe, 60 inch deck and with only 192 hours on it for $5800 off of ebay. The fellow that listed it made and error. He owed $5800 on it and meant to list that as the reserve, but instead listed the $5800 as the buy it now price. I bought it 2 minutes after he listed it and to my suprise he went through with the sale. My hats off to him for having so much integrity to do so.

I kept it two years, used it for a few jobs around my house and at friends homes and sold it on cl for $12,500

[Al_Smith]

Well first of all on used equipment you have to strike while the iron is hot and know what you are buying.It takes cash on the barrell head .For heavens sake get a bill of sale .CYA. ;)

[r.man]

The little dozer would really shine on a small width trail system. Read about a woman who used a different make just for that. She used it a lot and was very impressed. Other than that it would be hit and miss as to its suitability for any job but if you have one of everything.....

[Piston]

Piston, looks like you have both forks and the grapple?
also is that a landscape/road rake on the back?
how functional is the grapple?
My tractor is a Kubota 8540 85HP w/forks bucket and winch, which is a real workhorse, but expensive.
I would like to buy a grapple for the front.
pete

Pete,
The grapple is absolutely, without a doubt, the best thing I've ever purchased.  I've never gotten more use out of anything!  Since buying the grapple, I've only had my bucket on a handful of times, at one point I went over a year without attaching my bucket since we had so little snow over the winter. 

I do have both forks, and grapple, for the tractor.  The forks are only used when picking up pallets, which is pretty rare for me.  Sometimes I palletize my firewood.

It is a landscape rake with drop down blade on the back.  It's useless.  The rake works fine, just as a normal rake would, but the blade is worthless.  I now keep a heavy duty box blade on the back. 

A grapple on your M8540 would be the best tool you could invest in.  If you do anything at all in the woods, it is absolutely priceless.  I'd buy a lesser tractor with grapple, before buying the nicest tractor in the world without one. 

There are more pics and info here:  Feel free to ask questions there so we don't take over this thread.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=50047.0

Pineywoods, are you using the M5040?  That's a nice size tractor. 

[grweldon]

gr
That sounds like one from the CL where there is no such tractor, and the price is listed at way below market value. Just be careful if it is, as you will get a run-around and see some of your good money just disappear. Such deals pop up regularly on CL, so just saying "beware" .

Certainly I wouldn't even consider buying something like this without first seeing it and there is no question I would get a bill of sale!  I was thinking about this a couple days ago... I don't know the answer... Do tractors get titled?  I didn't get a title when I bought mine...

[fishpharmer]

Tractors aren't titled in MS, SC or AL. Can't speak for the other states.
There is usually more than one serial number location on a tractor.  Write it down and keep it in a safe place.

[Okrafarmer]

Never ever ever send money to anyone from CL. The proper way to use CL to buy something is-- you respond to an ad, you ask any questions you might wish to know about, and then you arrange to meet the person and see the item. If they hedge on meeting you, and make excuses, then it IS A SCAM. The most common excuse I get is that they are in the military overseas and MUST SELL IT NOW, so they are giving you this once in a lifetime deal. Their "brother-in-law" or other relative will get with you when he comes back from vacation in a couple of weeks, but you need to send them the money NOW because otherwise someone else will snap the thing up. DO NOT do it. Cash on the barrel only after actually seeing the thing, and then you must get a bill of sale to protect yourself, and always include the serial or VIN on the bill of sale and make the seller sign it. Someone doing legitimate business will never have a problem signing a bill of sale.

On the Struck, my friend in Idaho has one, and they enjoy it, but it is basically used like a rough tough lawn and garden tractor. Consider it an LGT that has better traction and has some nifty attachments. There is no way you should buy it new, look for a used one to come up for sale for around $2-3,000 or so (that's about all they're really worth, used, regardless of what anyone's asking). They have many attachments available, plus, if you;re handy, you can make your own. They can have dozer blade, loader, backhoe, rototiller, lawn mower, and possibly other things.

If you really want a good little crawler to do some real work, get an Oliver OC-3. Parts are available through Zimmerman Oliver-Cletrac in Ephrata Pennsylvania. The bare OC-3 weighs around 3,000 lbs, plus the attachments (and operator!). The OC-3 is a time-proven worker. You should be able to get a working one for less than $5,000, or a really nice one for about $5-7,000. All parts, manuals, and service are available for the OC-3 through Zimmerman.

[Al_Smith]

Just as general info most crawlers will pull about 90-95 percent of their weight on a dead pull .

For example the Nebraska test of the Oliver model HG which is the same as an OC-3 weighed in at about 4100 pounds and pulled over 3900 .

If you look at those tests though 2 wheel drive tractors with ballasted tires would probabley pull upwards of 80 percent or higher .

So you take that midget crawler at 1600 pounds you really can't get much of a pull .Probabley about as much as an empty pick up truck .

[Okrafarmer]

Yes, Al, you are right. A little handier to till your garden with than a pickup truck though.  ;)

[plaindriver]

Yesterday I had chance to put 2.5 hrs on the mini backhoe. Here is my pirep:

The control inputs want to make the arm or bucket 'jerk' some. I suppose I will eventually learn the feel of the hydraulic controls. Has (2) 4-way joy sticks. There definitely is a learning curve. Can be used while attached to tow tractor ONLY for real light digging, or else it will put way too much upward force on the tow ball.
You cant tow it to work area with a riding mower. Too heavy and bulky over uneven ground. A pickup will work, and a tractor is ideal. As for loading logs on a saw deck (or trailer)- -forget it. Wont do it. Doubt if it could even put a 12" log on a 24" hi trailer-clearance wise. Only possible way it would work is to establish the CG of the log flawlessly, heft it, then drive a flatbed under it.  To dig on its own, you have to take the wheels off the front receivers and inst them in the rear. Quick and easy once you lift the deck by grounding the arm/bucket. As far as mobility- -its done by lowering the bucket then extending it to move 4-5' at a time. In a race, a stud operator might could move it 20-25' in a minute. Maybe.   IE, its real slow to move it from this part of the yard to that. Also, precision placement will take a while to master. Chair isnt real comfortable, especially on uneven ground. And, my damp clay soil didnt always want to easily drop out of the bucket.
Yesterday, I started on a retaining wall trench. Dug about 20' @24" depth and maybe 16"-18" wide. Then I "walked" across the yard and pried out some 200-300# boulders that were embedded in the soil. It had the balls to do it, just had several tries to get a good grip on the boulder. (A manual thumb is avail, but I didnt get it.) 

All in all, its a decent value, but for digging only. It cant be considered versatile in the least.




  

  

  

  

 

[Okrafarmer]

Well, there you have it!

[grweldon]

Thank you sir.  Answered all my questions!

[Al_Smith]

Yes, Al, you are right. A little handier to till your garden with than a pickup truck though.  ;)

Well since you mentioned it when I had the other place I did pull an 8 foot disk with the Ollie HG in my garden.Things have changed ,the garden is 4 feet wide and 36 feet long now ,roto tiller does it nicely. ;D

[Okrafarmer]

By the way, for those not putting two and two together, the Oliver HG is the model that came before the OC-3, and they are almost identical, the OC-3 is just an upgrade. Zimmerman services both models. The HG and OC-3 are the most common models of Oliver / Cletrac crawlers, and all the parts are available.

[Al_Smith]

There were at one time many "two ton" crawlers made .Oliver,IH ,Allis-Chalmers ,Caterpillar,John-Deere  and probabley a dozen more lesser known names .

They kind of fell out of popularity and for the most part are  collectors items at this time .

When my grand father came to Ohio from Pittsburgh in 1937 they had a Cletrac that used what now is called the elevated track design .That thing was built in 1919 .So as much as Caterpillar was so proud of the design it was just an old idea revisited .

It wasn't very fast but with an 8 foot disk,spike tooth harrow and timber drag it worked ground in one pass .Took about a half an acre to turn the thing around though .My father used to say it was about the speed of a team of Belgians which is about 2 MPH .

[thecfarm]

I wonder if cooking oil in the bucket would help on that wet clay. There is a guy that comes here with used cooking oil in the back of his truck. He uses it to spray inside of his dump truck when he hauls hot top with it. He says it slidles right out now.No need to get into the body with a flat shovel and scrap off the hot top that sticks onto the body of the truck. I suppose you could just wipe it on with a rag.

[jdonovan]

I wonder if cooking oil in the bucket would help on that wet clay.

One thing new backhoe operators try to do is dig with the bucket like an ice cream scoop. That might work ok in sand, or other loose material, but not in clay. It tends to work better to loosen material with the teeth and let the loose dirt flow into the bucket. The prevents packing the material into the back of the bucket and you can dump it more easily. You will get some sticking in clay but this can help reduce that tendency.

[Okrafarmer]

It takes a strong / heavy backhoe to get into the clay around here!

Caterpillar stopped making anything smaller than 3.5 tons by say, World War II, and maybe a little earlier. IH made some babies, like the T-4, T-5, and T-340, that were intended more as ag tractors. The same for Oliver's OC-6 and John Deere's MC. JD's 40 replaced the MC around 1953, and was much better, as well as its replacement the 420, and its replacement the 430. Those 2-ton crawlers were pretty good little machines, but I think overall you will find the HG / OC-3 simpler to work on and more reliable. Deeriphiles will contest that and threaten me with entanglement in a PTO shaft for my sacrilege, but I really think the OC-3 is the better machine.

The Terratrac Crawlers came out after World War II, and eventually the company was purchased by Case to become Case's line of crawlers. I don't know a whole lot about those ones, or the Allis Chalmers crawlers, such as their baby the H-3 / HD-3.

The Cletrac from circa 1919 with the high-drive track sprockets is the Model F. Landis Zimmerman has or had one of those on display at his place when I visited there ten years ago. I always thought they were one of the niftiest-looking pieces of vintage machinery every built. The Model F was only a 1-ton machine, more in the category of the Struck. They are very much in demand as collector's items now.

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Plaindriver

Is it just me, or are you not as pleased with the towable backhoe as you were in your initial review? This go around, you just don't appear to find it as useful as you did in your initial review?

I was dissapointed to hear of its lack of ability to load logs efficiently as this was one use I was considering buying it for. I am glad i read your review before I went ahead and pulled the trigger and bought one.  Your timing was absolutely perfect in keeping me from making a mistake and I thank you for that.

[plaindriver]

Plaindriver

Is it just me, or are you not as pleased with the towable backhoe as you were in your initial review? This go around, you just don't appear to find it as useful as you did in your initial review?

I was dissapointed to hear of its lack of ability to load logs efficiently as this was one use I was considering buying it for. I am glad i read your review before I went ahead and pulled the trigger and bought one.  Your timing was absolutely perfect in keeping me from making a mistake and I thank you for that.

Beaver-I would buy it all over again, its just that it is solely and specifically a digging machine. It is in no way to be considered mobile. I dig about 5 lf of trench, spend 30 sec to re-position, then dig another 5' and so on. Not great for tight quarters. But it is awful strong.
As far as log loading- -if you go thru the pita of establishing the CG on a log, then heft it, your bucket is occupied meaning you cant reloc the unit, you could only drive a trailer under it. Take the max ht of the arm in the up position, deduct the chain length around the log, the dia of log, and the bucket, I doubt you would even have 24" ground clearance. It wouldnt even make sense to mount it to a flatbed and use it only for hefting.

When (and if) the ground ever dries out here, I intend to dig about 250' of French drain, maybe 15" initially and as much as 24" as it progresses. Luckily, the route has a gentle downslope.

PS: Glad you didnt pull the trigger.

[Al_Smith]

Some of those itty bitty little hoe /loaders did pretty good for no larger than they are .Bolens made a nice little unit that would dig about 6 feet deep at one time .You could probabley dig a basement with it given enough time .

Just like taking a 3 foot oak stump with a D4 Cat it's just going to take more effort that if it were a D8 .Then again just about any thing beats  a pick and shovel even a mule with a slip scoop .