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I felt a need for a backhoe a few years back. Through an ad in a local advertiser mag, I found a fellow that had a couple Case 580B machines. I ended up buying 2 machines in nice restored/rebuilt/repainted condition for $20k. The idea was that my brother was going to buy one of them- I ended up selling his instead. These are 2wd machines and are very heavy. For my needs, they are fine but I think they are heavier and not as strong as the newer backhoes. The one that I sold had the extendahoe and the 4-in1 bucket. These features are nice, but added around a ton to the weight. The result was that the machine was pretty bad in the mud. I once got it stuck at a neighbors, and couldn't pull myself out. It just didn't have the strength. I had to bring the 2nd machine over to yank it out! The 580B that I am keeping has the simple bucket and the regular hoe- still it weighs 13k lbs. However, it is a bit more nimble and more able to get itself out of trouble. I have heard that starting with the 580C series, the machine was designed as a backhoe from the ground up. On the 580B's, they started with a tractor and added to it to make a backhoe. Still, they are very capable machines, and I wouldn't be without one at this point! The point of all this rambling is that you can buy a credible backhoe for $10k- I did. However, to get a 4wd backhoe, I think you will likely be more like 15k. And I like having the capability of a full-size machine. Try contacting a heavy equipment contractor. I heard of one locally that sells his machines once they get 5000 hrs on them.
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