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TLB's - Whats the future??

bear

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2008
Messages
541
Location
South Central Kentucky
Occupation
Math, Physics, keeping out of trouble and doing od
I think it's mostly young guys who are advocating the tonka toys.The TLB will always be the mainstay of most excavators.It's not going anywhere.

Can i get an AMEN! from the choir? :stirthepot :D :popcorn
 

JS580SL

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2007
Messages
558
Location
Massachuessetts
Occupation
operator
On the contrary, a few young guys still swear by the backhoe. Im soon to be 20. If you cant run a hoe than you shouldnt be on an excavator yet if you ask me. Learn the hard way before the easy.
 

Burnout

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Messages
1,448
Location
Edmonton AB
Occupation
Operator at Sureway Construction
I would rather run a backhoe than anything else, its just in our company the backhoe guy makes no money since all he does is hoe pack. But when I retire from sewer and water im gonna move back home, take up the old mans business and buy myself a nice Case 580 and go to town.
 

tuney443

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2006
Messages
1,216
Location
Dutchess County,NY
Occupation
excavating contractor
On the contrary, a few young guys still swear by the backhoe. Im soon to be 20. If you cant run a hoe than you shouldnt be on an excavator yet if you ask me. Learn the hard way before the easy.

I would then say you might be the exception to my {and most other old farts}thinking and I would just like to say a hearty thankyou for your post.You are absolutely right on in your thinking.My Dad made me learn 34 years ago on the jerkiest,ungainly,unbalanced machine on the planet--an old '67 AC I600 TLB.He said if I could run that,I could run anything better.He was so right.He also used to say before a man could run a hoe,he had to be able to run a shovel{the 1 with a wood handle},and before an engineer could design a job,he had to know how to operate a hoe.Miss him dearly.
 

JS580SL

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2007
Messages
558
Location
Massachuessetts
Occupation
operator
I wan't to buy my own hoe within the next few years, not go full time on my own, but side jobs and snow removal. I want to pick up another 580 or 590Super L 2.
 

Temu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2008
Messages
132
Location
California
General????

Hey I think I remember those machines, they were called the General or something like that.

Edit: a quick search turned up this pic.[/QUOTE

Please forgive me for breaking the thread, but I own a General backhoe w/front loader (not articulated). It is a "Power Commander", with a Perkins, fully hydrostatic. Don't know when it was made or by whom, does anybody have a link to these things? Was it Sperry-Holland? This thing is tired now, but it has been a workhorse over the years! Thanks for any info!:notworthy
 

Bellboy

COPPA
Joined
Dec 1, 2007
Messages
745
Location
KZN South Africa
Occupation
Student
My Dad made me learn 34 years ago on the jerkiest,ungainly,unbalanced machine on the planet--an old '67 AC I600 TLB.He said if I could run that,I could run anything better.He was so right.He also used to say before a man could run a hoe,he had to be able to run a shovel{the 1 with a wood handle},and before an engineer could design a job,he had to know how to operate a hoe.[QUOTE TURNEY]

Bellboy from South Africa. Hi.
My dad says exactly the same.

TLBs might be 'dying' in Americe, but they certainly aren't in SA. there are at least four guys in our little village of Hilton, that own a TLB, New Holland, Cat and JCB. all sideshift (predominant in SA). the tlb is quite popular, but i reckon that it is a bit of a 'surfboard on the roof' status symbol thing.

Operators are dying breed, so many of the guys operating are way past 65 (African) and have been operating since at least 16 or 18 years of age.
 

murray83

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Messages
260
Location
new brunswick canada
Occupation
jack of all trades....master of none
I wan't to buy my own hoe within the next few years, not go full time on my own, but side jobs and snow removal. I want to pick up another 580 or 590Super L 2.

Sound like me cept I'm a JCB fan,lol

I'm 25 next month and also can't see it going away,it can be used year round and do any job around the site the only other machine that comes close to being a multitasker would be the skidsteer.

Need a small hole dug for an addition on a house? equipment needed......

1.Backhoe and operator

2.Mini Ex,Skidsteer,float trailer and truck to haul equipment 1-2 operators

Lets not get into the operator wages,insurance,fuel,license plates and registrations,cost to maintain,tires etc etc

I have to vote backhoe over the mini/skid combo anyday,but to each their own right? everyone has an opinion
 

Phil

Senior Member
Joined
May 2, 2005
Messages
1,067
Location
Southeastern Ontario
Occupation
retired operator and mechanic
Allis Chalmers backhoes

I just have to comment on Bellboy's mention of the rare AC backhoe. I have only seen 2 in my travels of southeastern Ontario, both were disabled. I looked at one for sale near Algonquin park, in May last year. The bugs were so bad that I snapped a picture and ran back to the car, where my wife was cranking to get the windows up. Black flies, mosquitoes and deer flies as back-up, I have never seen all 3 work together, and it was noon and sunny. The other machine near Perth, was missing the transmission, someone had taken it to rebuild it, and couldn't get parts.What was it like running one of these? I understand they had a Perkins engine? Phil:)
 

Bellboy

COPPA
Joined
Dec 1, 2007
Messages
745
Location
KZN South Africa
Occupation
Student
Marray83 said something about the costs of operators and maintenance. Here in SA, we still have the 'cheap labour' issue, from the apartheid era, and contractors find it easier to employ this labour intensive method, as opposed to skidsteers and mini ex's
 

Bellboy

COPPA
Joined
Dec 1, 2007
Messages
745
Location
KZN South Africa
Occupation
Student
One of the first guys to have his say, said that TLBs have been replaced by telehandlers and mini exs. What about the Manihoe? Manitou was at our Royal Agricultural Show this year and i picked up a brochure for one of these, and it is a telehandler with a backhoe strapped to the back. Not in a bad way, but it's more like a TL+B. ie: teleloader + backhoe. The whole telehandler assembly is mounted along the centreline of the machine @ the front, with the engine and radiator at the sides, cab in between and backhoe on the back. The tele part only has one extending section, but still the lift height stands @ around 5.2 metres. I will post some pics as soon as i can (figure out how)
 
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