Yes rubber tire backhoe. It seems you get more value with them, lifting capacity and backhoe reach and depth especially compared to a Mini Ex. Older backhoes range from 10-15k that are fully operational where 5 ton minis are almost double that.
Might just be the time of the year or my area for the lack of Minis for sale.
Will be doing all maintenance and repair work myself.
I rarely see a backhoe around here anymore, they've been replaced by minis. Or if moving or loading material, a loader, usually tracked, is added. A mini is just better at digging but not so good at loading. The typical dozer blade can be handy though, my nephew's mini has an angle blade and thumb. So I think supply and demand has made the backhoe cheaper relative to mini.
When I was shopping, I saw what you're seeing. There were some good deals on commercial backhoes, maybe from guys 'upgrading' to minis. I ended up with my L35 for a few reasons
* I had a bridge limited to 11k # and most backhoes are this or more
* Maneuverability, I'm in the woods a lot so overall length comes into play
* Comfort, I felt more confident about operating and maintaining a tractor-based machine than a heavier, more complex machine
* 3ph & PTO capability. So far, even though I bought the hitch kit, I haven't used these functions. As I mentioned earlier, I can't verify the value here. I have the use of a bigger tractor for bush hogging, rear blade, etc.
* Ran across a good deal, never hurts
Where the backhoe has the advantage is travelling, whether it's between job sites or moving material on-site. And the commercial backhoe functions better/smoother, due to better hydraulics, than a Kubota TLB, even the Mxx.
