3 Alternatives To Harbor Freight's Towable Backhoe

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If a backhoe isn't on your Christmas list this year, you're probably not alone. You may have a shovel, rake, and electric equipment like a mower or leaf blower in your garage, but most of us live our entire lives without ever purchasing such large landscaping equipment. That being said, this expensive piece of equipment can be useful even if you aren't sitting on several acres of land.

A small backhoe has a multitude of uses, from digging trenches and clearing land of trees, stumps, and other debris, to digging ponds and removing debris. If you find yourself doing any of these jobs by hand or with smaller tools, you'll probably quickly realize that these big projects require a bigger tool. You can rent backhoes, but those rental fees can quickly add up, and your project will face a strict time limit. Purchasing a portable backhoe will allow you complete projects in your time after only one, albeit rather large, investment, and easily move the equipment around your land with an ATV or tractor.

Harbor Freight sells a towable backhoe from Central Machinery for $3,000, and while the price may be right, it may not be the perfect choice for everyone. Here are three alternatives to Harbor Freight's offering that may better meet your needs.

The NorTrac towable backhoe trencher is a great choice if you're looking for more power at a similar price point as Harbor Freight's backhoe. Currently available from Northern Tool for $3,199.99, this backhoe is only $200 more, but it offers 15 horsepower, almost double the 8 horsepower put out by Harbor Freight's offering. In heavy machinery like this, more horsepower typically gives you added speed and increased digging power, though you may pay for it in fuel efficiency.

Both backhoes share a similar weight profile. The NorTrack comes in at just under 1,000 pounds, which is an important detail if you plan to tow it. It offers a 6.7-foot digging depth, compared to Harbor Freight's 6-foot depth, and it also has a slighter long reach at 8.4 feet. The only area where the NorTrac falls short is its 340-pound lift capacity. Harbor Freight's towable backhoe can lift almost twice as much, up to 660 pounds.

The NorTrac backhoe trencher's bucket has a capacity of 1.24 cubic feet, and the boom can swing 60 degrees to the left and right. The dual hydraulic system includes an auxiliary circuit providing up to 8 GPM flow for other hydraulic tools, giving users even more versatility. This backhoe comes with a two-inch trailer coupler, transport wheels, and stabilizing legs for easier towing and positioning. It has a one-year warranty, which falls short of Harbor Freight's generous two-year warranty window.

The Kwik-Way DirtMaster towable backhoe works well if you're not too concerned about the budget. It's much more expensive than Harbor Freight's budget option, with a retail price currently around $10,000. HitchDoc does not offer standard shipping for this item, and buyers must call to arrange pickup or special shipping.

What truly sets the DirtMaster apart from competitors is its towing capacity. It can be towed behind a variety of vehicles up to 45 mph. Harbor Freight's option is not to be towed on highways or public roads, and the NorTrac can only be towed at speeds up to 30 mph. These limits may pose a problem for some users, forcing them to move the backhoe with a flatbed trailer, rather than towing it.

The DirtMaster offers an 8.4 horsepower Honda engine and a bucket rotation of 147 degrees, giving it more range of motion than the competitors included here. It has a digging depth of up to 6.5 feet, falling just shy of the NorTrac's, and has a horizontal reach of 8.3 feet. The ripping force comes ina t 2,600 pounds, which should make it easy to penetrate hard or frozen ground, or cut through stumps and tree roots. Two pairs of stabilizers give it a solid base, including one hydraulic pair near the front and a manual pair in the rear. It comes with a 12-inch bucket, and buyers can also purchase additional buckets and other accessories, such as a ripping tooth, from HitchDoc.

If you have a few big jobs on your DIY list, but you're not ready to shell out thousands of dollars for your own backhoe, or you simply have no place to store such a large machine, you can rent similar machines from several retailers.

Home Depot has a few options for rent that may get the job done, including mini excavators and tractor loader backhoes. While their functions overlap, these machines are distinct from a backhoe, so do your research to ensure it will meet your needs. Its 1.5 to 2 Ton Mini Excavator has similar capabilities to Harbor Freight's backhoe, offering a dig depth of 6.2 feet and a maximum reach of 10.3 feet. Unlike a towable backhoe, an excavator easily moves around your job site on its rubber tracks, and can be used for irrigation digging, landscaping, drainage projects, and more. It's available for $359 per day or $1,077 per week at time of writing.

A tractor loader backhoe is a heavy-duty piece of machinery meant for big jobs. It has a front loader bucket along with a rear digger. This micro backhoe rental from Home Depot offers a dig depth of 6.1 feet, and the front loader can hold up to 745 pounds. It's available, with proof of a valid driver's license, for $262 for four hours, $349 for a full day, or $1,047 for a week. If you simply need to dig a trench, Lowe's rents several sizes of trenchers, with prices starting at under $100 for four hours.

To select alternatives to Harbor Freight's towable backhoe, we focused on several factors. The first was price — several towable options sell for thousands more than Harbor Freight's offering, so we sought to include one backhoe in a similar price point. We also focused on the towable aspect of the backhoe available from Harbor Freight. While towable on private property at low speeds, it cannot be towed on public roads, leading us to one option that can be towed at higher speeds on standard roads. Finally, we recognize that not all consumers want to spend thousands of dollars on heavy machinery, so we included options that are easily rented from nationwide retailers.