The Up Side to Downsizing

When a full-size tractor-loader-backhoe is too much machine for the job, look to compact equipment as an effective use of power, time and space.

If you rely on a full-size tractor-loader-backhoe for septic system construction, it can be easy to dismiss the value of a compact TLB for your work.

After all, large machines offer a lot more power and capacity for digging, loading and moving earth and gravel. That means you can do more work in less time to produce more profits. Right?

Not always. Not when you’re tackling a repair job in close quarters, digging test pits or doing other work where much of the performance built into a full-size TLB goes unused. That’s where smaller machines can save you time and effort. They can also prove valuable for making some money in other light construction work, from residential construction and drainage jobs to water, power and communication line installation.

A compact TLB can squeeze through a restricted access point too small for a full-size machine. It can also work more efficiently in the confined spaces of a back yard, where sidewalks, trees and bushes can hamper or even prohibit use of the larger units.

Smaller can be better

Just like their full-size counterparts, compact machines can be equipped with a variety of loader and backhoe attachments. There, again, smaller can be better. For example, using a compact machine with a 12-inch trenching bucket to install a gas line reduces the amount of spoil to be removed and replaced by one-half compared to using a full-size TLB with a 24-inch bucket.

A smaller package also means a lighter machine. The operating weight of TLBs with digging depths of 7.5 to 12 feet generally ranges from 3,000 to 8,000 pounds. That can pay off by minimizing damage to lawns, sidewalks and other sensitive surfaces and the time and money to repair it. What’s more, depending on the size and local licensing requirements, you can also transport many compact TLBs on a trailer pulled by a pickup truck, eliminating the need for a CDL.

Don’t let the small stature of these machines mislead you. Offering roughly the same power and capacity, proportionally, as full-size TLBs, many are built to withstand long, hard work, manufacturers say. And, compact machines generally come at a lower price tag and with lower operating costs.

Take a look at the latest in two lines of compact TLBs and you might be surprised by the ability of these machines to help you out of a tight situation.

Performance features

Allmand Brothers Inc. prides itself on the heavy-duty construction of its six gasoline- or diesel-powered models. They range from the 20-hp, 3,115-pound TLB 220 with a 7.5-foot digging depth to the 35-hp, 5,800-pound TLB 6235 with four-wheel drive and 10-foot digging depth. Loader lift capacity of these models at full height ranges from 1,700 to 2,100 pounds. Loader breakout force for the 6235 tops out at 3,400 pounds, while maximum backhoe digging force is 6,000 pounds.

Rather than offering the lowest price tags, this line is built to provide top value, reports Doug Dahlgren, product manager for Allmand Brothers. “We design our models for the rental market,” he says. “That means they have to be able to handle a wide variety of applications, a wide range of operator experiences, and limited maintenance. So we build them with components that go above and beyond the minimum requirements.”

This includes the likes of oversized chrome cylinder pins for added durability, sealed bearings featuring poly-lined bushings to eliminate metal-to-metal contact and reduce wear, and planetary axles designed to outlast single reduction axles.

Durability features on Kubota compact TLBs include a heavy-duty rear axle with multiple wet-disc brakes and an integral main frame that absorbs twisting loads during backhoe and loader operation without transmitting flex to the tractor chassis. “This makes the tractor’s structural integrity extremely sound,” says Keith Rohrbacker, product manager for Kubota Tractor Corp.

Kubota’s line of diesel-powered TLBs includes the 26-hp B26 with an 8-foot digging depth, the 39-hp L39, with a 9-foot digging depth, and the 59-hp M59, the newest and largest TLB, introduced in February.

The M59 occupies a niche abandoned by makers of full-size TLBs, Rohrbacker notes. “The engines of the very first TLBs started out in the 50-hp range,” he says. “Then, as the demand for bigger and bigger machines grew, many full-size machines now have engines with 70 hp or more. Our newest model fills this gap.”

Complementing the M59’s lifting capacity of 3,960 pounds is its maximum lift height of 10.5 feet to the pivot pins for loading into a standard dump truck. The 8,345-pound M59 also has a loader breakout force of 5,961 pounds and backhoe digging force of 7,602 pounds.

Sophisticated systems

Load-sensing hydraulic steering helps enhance the performance of Allmand’s compact machines. “Unlike conventional steering with open-center circuit hydraulics, load-sensing is more sophisticated and efficient, supplying hydraulic fluid only when turning the steering wheel,” Dahlgren says. “This provides maximum available hydraulic power to the backhoe, loader or attachment.”

Some models also have a servo-controlled hydrostatics transmission. It provides positive neutral and infinite control of the machines along with less pedal effort in either forward or reverse travel mode.

The high-performance inching valve on the Kubota compact TLBs results in smooth, precise operation of the backhoe arm and boom, Rohrbacker says. That is handy for moving the arm and boom simultaneously when using the backhoe for finish work.

Another Kubota feature, similar to that found on full-size TLBs, is the backhoe crawling mode. “This allows you to creep along while at the controls of the backhoe, saving you valuable time when repositioning along lengthy trenches,” says Rohrbacker.

Added versatility

Loader bucket capacities of the compact TLBs range up to about one-half to one-third cubic yard, while width of the backhoe buckets can range from 8 to 36 inches, depending on machine capabilities.

Many compact TLBs offer standard or optional quick-attach systems for changing loader and backhoe attachments. On the loader end, you can attach a wide range of types and makes of skid-steer loader attachments, including pallet forks and landscape blades, depending on size and power of the TLBs.

Optional auxiliary hydraulics, with convenient thumb control in some cases, can be used to power hydraulically-driven tools, like augers, 4-in-1 buckets, and sweepers. Specific choices depend on the hydraulic capacity of the machines.

For extra versatility, the backhoe on Kubota compact TLBs can be removed to install either a Category I or II three-point hitch, which stores out of the way when not needed, for use with such implements as disks, rototillers and mowers.

Ease of operation

Manufacturers have also kept operator comfort and convenience in mind with ergonomic cab design and control placement. For example, some Allmand models offer servo-controlled hydrostatic transmissions for smoother, easier operation, and separate seats for tractor or backhoe operation. The seats flip out of the way when not needed.

Kubota features include an auto-leveling valve that keeps the loader bucket level as the boom changes to minimize spillage; a slanted boom and hood design for improved visibility; and a curved backhoe boom. The curvature makes placing material in the center of a truck bed easier and allows you to dig at maximum depth while minimizing the length of the trench cut.

More information is available at www.allmand.com and www. kubota.com.

Greg Northcutt is a freelance writer based in Port Orchard, Wash. He can be reached by e-mailing this publication at editor@onsiteinstaller.com.



Discussion

Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. Comments are moderated before being posted.