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Bobcat E50 vs full sized backhoe

Wyo99

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Wyoming
Hey everybody, I was wondering if anyone could give me a fair comparison between a Bobcat E50, (or any 5.5-6 ton compact excavator) and a full sized backhoe, specifically I’m wondering if the mini excavator can dig trench (5-6 feet deep) as well as the backhoe, I’ve operated a Case 590sm quite a bit, just curious if it can keep up. I’ve read the specs and I realize the E50 doesn’t have the breakout force that the backhoe does, I am just hoping to get some actual comparisons from some of you guys that have operated both, thanks!
 

JD8875

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2010
Messages
314
Location
Harrisonville, Missouri
A mini ex makes time against a backhoe in tight quarters and maneuverability. If I have a lot of trench and plenty of room my backhoe is my go to. If I have to work in tight spaces and fit in little backyards my mini ex quickly makes up time just because it's more maneuverable. How much time exactly depends on the job at hand truly. My backhoe has more hp, more weight, more reach, faster travel speed, bigger bucket. It becomes a hindrance though when things get real tight or I absolutely need to throw dirt more than 189 degrees.

John
 

Wyo99

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Wyoming
Thank you for a speedy reply! Another question, if it was a wide open place and not tight quarters would a excavator in that class (5-6 tons) come close to trenching with a backhoe?
 

690elc

Active Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2016
Messages
31
Location
Yosemite, California
I would own the backhoe and rent the little excavator when needed. The backhoe is the Swiss army knife of equipment and you can drive it down the road. Tough to do that with the excavator.
 

Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
12,259
Location
Canada
Just trenching, I think the mini would keep up if the buckets were a similar size. No stabilizers, no seat to turn around, better visibility, less fuel, better on soft/wet ground and easier to make corrections in direction. You have to make a fair comparison though. You can't compare a backhoe with a bucket 3 times the capacity of the mini ex.
 

NepeanGC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2017
Messages
203
Location
Ottawa, Ontario
Occupation
#dirtherder
Working in tight spaces, mini will win every day. With a tilt rotator, even more so.
Straight trenching, wide open spaces, backhoe will outproduce. Backhoe will also outproduce a mini if you've got a side dump bucket and need to fill trenches with sand or stone.
A backhoe the size of a 590 will also load trucks easier than a 5-6 ton mini in my experience.

Also depending on the distance between jobs, you also may not need a truck and float for the backhoe.
They're two very different tools, for very different work imho. Figure out you do 90%, buy for that, and then rent what you need for the other 10% of the time.
 

Wyo99

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Wyoming
Great input thank you, the reason I ask is because I want to start a part time water line repair business for ranchers in my area, I would also install drinking tanks or troughs for cattle, I have access to a backhoe, but no way to transport it. The area I would be potentially covering is very rural. I do however have a 3/4 ton pickup with a gooseneck tilt-bed trailer. My overhead costs would be relatively low if I leased a mini ex for 3 years as opposed to buying a truck and trailer big enough to pull the backhoe around, and the rental on the backhoe. I am just hoping the mini ex is up to the task, I am going to demo a few to get a feel for them. I may rent a Bobcat E50 for a week and put it to work to see if it will get the job done for me.
 

RTSmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2008
Messages
420
Location
Middle Tenn.
Occupation
Amateur demolition & dirt pusher
You can dig faster with a hoe, but you can reposition faster with the ex. So even on a long straight line dig, I'd think they may about equal out. But- backfilling? I have a blade on my 7T mini, but have never tried to do a lot of backfill with it as I always have a backhoe or skid around. I'd think closing the ditch may bring a whole other consideration into play.
 

Welder Dave

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2014
Messages
12,259
Location
Canada
The other option is to bring in a skid steer when needed. Mini-Ex and skid steer is a popular alternative to a TLB. Skid steer can be hauled on the same trailer as the Mini-Ex (not at the same time). If you have a good helper the 2 machines will be way more productive than one. 360 deg. rotation is a huge advantage on a lot of jobs. Saves having to move material twice.
 

Wyo99

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Wyoming
Does anybody have any experience backfilling with the grading buckets on a mini ex? Looks like they speed up the process considerably.
 

NepeanGC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2017
Messages
203
Location
Ottawa, Ontario
Occupation
#dirtherder
My experience is a Cat 308 shovel is equivalent to a Case 590sm, in terms of digging anyways.

Backfilling with a mini ex or back hoe kinda sucks. Precise sure, but slow. Skidsteer or loader if space allows is significantly faster.

As Welder Dave mentioned, the skidsteer and mini ex combo is a good alternative to a backhoe, and that is what we choose to run. Mini is made for digging, skiddy is made for moving and lifting. Our sites are too far apart to run a machine on the road, so we trailer them, but behind our single axle dump I can easily float the mini ex and skidsteer together.

The biggest advantage of a backhoe is the ability to road the machine. If that's not of significant value, I personally wouldn't bother with one. They're a jack of all trades master of none kinda deal. 2 machines is more versatile and generally faster, even if you have to jump back and forth between them as a solo operator. I do it regularly. That said to start out with, buying a mini and making some $$ with it, and then picking up a skiddy later on is a relatively low risk approach, and lets you figure out what you really need.

That's my 2 cents.
 

Wyo99

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
17
Location
Wyoming
I appreciate all of the advice guys, it’s nice to have a forum to pick your minds, lots of experience! I would expect most of the trenches would be less than 100 yards in length, although backfilling might be slow, it sounds feasible with the mini x. I do have access to a skidsteer, so that would be useful if I ever did need it.
 

backhoe1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2007
Messages
93
Location
South Dakota
I own 25 pieces of equipment and 20 trucks. I'm pretty sure we put more hours per year on my E50 than any of the others. It's big enough to dig water lines, small enough to pull behind a pickup, can backfill with dozer blade, and can easily run the plate packer to use in backfilling.
 

Norwegian Steam

Active Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2018
Messages
40
Location
Orange County
Hey everybody, I was wondering if anyone could give me a fair comparison between a Bobcat E50, (or any 5.5-6 ton compact excavator) and a full sized backhoe, specifically I’m wondering if the mini excavator can dig trench (5-6 feet deep) as well as the backhoe, I’ve operated a Case 590sm quite a bit, just curious if it can keep up. I’ve read the specs and I realize the E50 doesn’t have the breakout force that the backhoe does, I am just hoping to get some actual comparisons from some of you guys that have operated both, thanks!
You need about an 8 ton excavator to compare with a backhoe for an apples to apples comparison.
IE Cat 308, CASE CX80, Deere 80G

That being said, the backhoe market is dying a slow death because most people are realizing they can do more jobs more quickly by getting a skid steer and a mini ex instead of just a backhoe.
I was a territory manager for an equipment dealer who made most of their money in backhoes, but over the last couple years the backhoe sales slid and the mini-ex/skid steer combo sales grew and grew.

If you only want to buy one machine, a backhoe is the right choice. It can do several different things. If you’re willing to buy two machines, a skid/mini-ex combo will do more jobs more efficiently.
 

AzIron

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
1,541
Location
Az
I never could pencil out the skid steer mini ex combo as opposed to a backhoe it cost to much and needs to operators to get the efficiency certain applications they will beat a backhoe hands down but all around work you can get limited

I own a mini its handy as a shirt pocket in places I literally cant drive a backhoe into but typically if I can get into a job 95 percent of the time a backhoe kills it head to head a 50 size machine and a backhoe cant be compared a backhoe is way bigger weight wins every day
 

Norwegian Steam

Active Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2018
Messages
40
Location
Orange County
I never could pencil out the skid steer mini ex combo as opposed to a backhoe it cost to much and needs to operators to get the efficiency certain applications they will beat a backhoe hands down but all around work you can get limited

I own a mini its handy as a shirt pocket in places I literally cant drive a backhoe into but typically if I can get into a job 95 percent of the time a backhoe kills it head to head a 50 size machine and a backhoe cant be compared a backhoe is way bigger weight wins every day
We did the math with a couple clients and you’d need at least an 8 ton excavator to compete with a 590SN/430F/410 and closer to a 14 ton excavator to compete with a 710/450 size backhoe.

A good CTL, 5-8 ton ex and a skip loader is a 3 machine combo that will keep you working and getting paid constantly in our area if you know how to bid work.
 
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