backhoe removal on Ford 4500

[Fairchild]

I need advice on how to remove my backhoe from my 4500. I have to pull logs, and with the backhoe on, the tractor feels top heavy on hilly terrain. Or is it just me? Also, I need to know how to position the thing for removal so that I can get it reinstalled without a crane!
 

[Ultradog MN]

Are you going to do it on concrete?
Got another tractor/backhoe/machine/? to do the heavy lifting for you?
If you answer no to both questions I would use the backhoe to help erect a couple of posts with a beam across the top. Use the tractor's own hyds to get it off as far as it can then use the beam and comealongs to pull it the rest of the way. Leave it hanging there till you need it again.
 

[Jack L]

I don't have a 4500 but an Industrial 4000 with a backhoe. On hills the boom will swing, probably because the pins are worn and when it hits the stops it feels like you're going over. It's quite a momentary adrenalin rush.

If you check the archives, John Bud did a very detailed instruction on how to remove a backhoe safely.

Jack
 

[john_Bud]

Yeah, it's in the archives.

Basically, lay down a sheet of plywood under the hoe. Extend the dipper stick out about 1/2 way, curl the bucket all the way and lower the boom until the pressure is off. Lower the stabilizers. Now loosen the connecting hardware. Should be 2 nuts that are about 1 1/4" to 1 1/2". Somewhere in that range. I actually have different ones on each side -- stuff happens over 45 years....

Then pull the connecting hardware up and back out of the way. It will be sort of stiff unless you have done it recently. With it out of the way (the hoe won't jump off), slowly raise the hoe by pressing down with the stabilizers. Raise it up (and straight by manipulating the dipper stick) until it is free of the saddles (bottom connection point). I like to put 3 or 4 strong jack stands under the hoe box on top of the plywood. 2 in the back and 1 or 2 in the front. Then lower the box down onto the stands, but still at least 2" clear of the saddles to allow for settling. The shut off the engine, take off the hoses, loop the hoses. The smaller one goes on the TRACTOR SIDE and the larger lower pressure return hose is looped on the hoe side. Then just drive off.

Hopefully, you are on a dead flat area. If not, situate it so you drive off slightly uphill. That will make reattachment easier. The trick on it is to get close and use the hoe hydraulics to move the last couple inches. Hopefully you have enough hose to do that. (I don't and it's a PITA).
 

[RickB]

Why an overhead beam and come-alongs when the backhoe has all those cylinders and the tractor has a hydraulic pump? Work smart, not hard.
 

[JF in CT]

What weight are you going to replace it with? When I take the backhoe off my 4500 it barely has the traction to drag ITSELF on a level surface let alone some logs. Keep that in mind.

Jim
 

[Ultradog MN]

You need to reread my post.
 

[Ecnerwal]

How are you pulling logs?

john Bud's description is pretty much exactly the factory method for backhoe removal/installation. The hoe gets itself on and off, using its own hydrualics. No fuss, no muss, no complications. You can actually pull the tractor a few inches forward without running out of hose and get the hooks out from under the pins. But then you have a light-rear tractor that does not want to move much unless you fabricate a weight box (or go hunt down a Ford original - good luck with that). If going that route, a weight box that also had an arch built in, with a winch (hydraulic, preferably - you have scads of hydraulic power on a 4500, and a wimpy 22 amp generator) would be a great stride down the path to skidder-hood, but it's too much bother for the amount of logging I do. It also costs too much - I'm decidedly cheap, though I will sometimes spend a lot of money and effort in the name of larger-scale cheapness.

I use my 4500 in the woods - pretty much exclusively - the only road it's been on is the 400 feet of dirt in front of my land, and the 700 feet of driveway through the woods that it built.

I use the hoe for twitching - put a chain grab hook on in place of one tooth, or weld a hook to the bucket (the tooth placement gives more motion). With the 13 foot hoe I can get almost 20 feet at a whack, and the control is much better than dragging while driving. Having yarded a few logs, I pick them up with the front loader bucket (3 hooks and a section of chain) crosswise, and drive. If your backhoe bucket is not limp-wristed (I either have a bad control valve, or need a new cylinder, since repacking did not fix it) a thumb offers more log-handling versatility.

The hoe can be flattened out to put its weight further down and back. It can also be swung to the uphill side, which no other counterweight can manage. This won't work if you are in a hurry, but being in a hurry will kill you some other way if you keep at it long enough in the woods. Especially hilly woods (oh yes, I have hills - and rocks.)

I have sometimes wanted the hoe off just to increase maneuverability, but I have managed without just by taking my time and figuring other ways to wiggle through the trees. Or cut another one down.
 

[john_Bud]

[William Fissell]

I think the question how are you pulling logs is important. Will a 4500 pop a wheelie if your log gets wedged against something? Backhoes can make good wheelie bars. I know.