You got to realize they've been using the backhoe to move stuff around the yard when there is not a steam available for a long time. Marvin, his sons, and probably the rest of the crew are quite capable of doing this without problems. I would imagine the Rogers is thought as a play toy. Might be nice to occasionally use, but not worth the effort to get started when the backhoe is already there. Plus the backhoe has a great advantage in the shop area, it can "run around a car" without needing a track.