Backhoe

[FarmerZeb]

I've got a seemingly endless list of digging projects around the farm and am considering a backhoe. The largest is the removal of a half a dozen half buried old cars from a ditch. How big am I gonna need to go??? Will a 3pt attachment do it or something like a Case D530 or a Ford 4000 industrial? There isn't much left to the cars only chassis and some sheet metal. I don't think i'll need to lift the cars just dig out enough dirt so I can winch them out of the ditch.

thanks,

paul
 

[VicS]

A 3 pt backhoe is a lot better than nothing. We had one on a 6140 Allis. But I wouldn't recommend one. I wanted to haul my backhoe and I had a 15000 gvw trailer and a Gas pickup. So I was looking for something like a 580B or C Case. I ended up with a 480E Case. It weights 10000 lb. It also has a hyd thumb and a Cummins engine. Unbeatable! I have did a lot of work with it. It will lift a complete WD45 Allis tractor and put it on the trailer. I can grab most any car by the roof, with the thumb and put it on the trailer.
 

[George Marsh]

FarmerZeb ,
If you look at an add on hoe, you may need to get off the tractor seat and climb on the hoe's seat. Every time you move, change seats.

You may also want to consider how much it cost to operate it. I know a guy that had an add-on on a ford and he said it was too costly to operate.

5 years ago I bought a Terramite, T5C. It's a small toy compared to most. Uses a gallon or less of gas per hour. Only weighs 3100 pounds and is 4 ft wide. Easy to trailer. Can get places others can't. Doesn't tear up the yard like a big hoe will. It's a little pricey, but I will never be without one. It's made in West Virgina, USA parts. It can dig a hole 8 ft deep. Just may take longer than the big boys. Won't do everything the big boys can do either. I put about 250 hours a year on it. Love it.
George
 

[ericlb]

a 3 point hoe will work for that as well as most part time digging projects on a home place, but its not a commercial backhoe either and its not intended to run every day all day and run in rock ect, that being said a couple of important things to consider first is the hydraulic output of whatever tractor your going to mount it on, a say 4020 jd no problem, a 8N ford, we got a problem, in the case of a tractor with a small hydraulic output like that you'll need a front pump to effectivly run the backhoe, the factory pump will run it, if you chain the lift arms down, but it will be very very slow operating, like a sip of coffee per function slow and thats with the cup sitting in a cup holder on the tractor, 1 function at a time, also dont get one of those add on hoes with the 1 inch diameter cylinders, i can tell you from personal and bitter experience those dont have any rip out force to them at all, the "yuppie tractor" hoes are ok for mulch or gardening but thats about it, the bigger the cylinder diameter the more power the hoe has, but that also means it must be a match for the tractor its going on, the implement dealer can help you with that even if you dont buy new, you can find which kind of hoe is suitable for your tractor, mounting a horse of a hoe on a pony of a tractor will destroy the tractor , in which case its money ahead to just rent a regular commercial backhoe for a big job, also consider one of the mini excavators which will outwork a mini backhoe 4 to 1, ive used several , the things small size will fool you, ive done several project with one of those that i flat had my doubts about the machines abilities, turned out to be a non issue
 

[Inno]

That is a pretty wide open question which will have a million good answers. So I'll just share my experience. With similar reasoning, I decided I needed a backhoe. My neighbor and a friend of his had just picked up an old 202 Massey Ferguson with front end loader and backhoe. Their plan was to fix it up and sell it, so naturally I tried it out and made them a deal.
It is a late 1950's model, gas engine and because of it's age and the fact that it's an industrial tractor, it's been well used. I replace pins/hoses when necessary and have learned to compensate for it's sloppiness. I have done many many projects with it and it's been indespensible. It's old, it's ugly, it has some leaks and it needs mechanical attention every son often but it does what I need it to. The tractor does have a 3pt hitch but the backhoe has it's own frame. I have heard it said that 3pt hitch backhoes can be pretty hard on the 3pt.
It can dig down as far as 12' (according to the literature I have) but I've never needed a hole that deep. I think it would be pretty slow going at that depth. The tractor is a 37hp and there is a front mounted hydraulic pump to run the hoe and the loader. It has plenty of grunt for digging, it would probably flip a car over but not pick it up, never tried but might be fun. The front end loader has more lifting power. Something newer/bigger with a cab would be nice but for now it does a lot of work for me that I wouldn't bother to hire out, it simply wouldn't get done.
 

[mkirsch]

Consider a small excavator (trackhoe) too. Granted you don't have the loader but the machine is much more maneuverable and versatile as a digger.
 

[old]

Most 3 point back hoes are very hard on the hyds of the tractor. Plus can be hard to take off and put back on. I had a neighbor that had one on his Ford Jubilee and it caused him problems over the years. He broke an axle one time and also broke the rear end housing. I have one on an 8N but that is all that tractor is used for but it is a frame mount system. See picture

 

[Inno]

Old, that 8N must be a lot of fun to steer! I don't imagine you use the loader on it.
 

[Mike (WA)]

Another brand similar to Terramite is the Allmand. Heavily built, hydrostatic, has loader and backhoe. Backhoe works very smoothly, I think its great. Like the Terramite, not a production machine, but gets the job done.

I've kind of been partners with a guy who buys and sells a lot of stuff from auctions, often Ritchie Bros. I was with him, and we bought the Allmand with my money, for resale. I mentioned that I had a couple things at my place I'd like to use it for, and please drop it off there first. He said "I think that's a mistake, but I'll do it if you want." Rather a curious statement, I thought, but didn't say anything.

When he called me in a couple of weeks about coming to get it to sell, I told him I'd decided to keep it. He laughed and said, "That's why I said dropping it at your place would be a mistake- I knew that's the last I'd ever see of it."
 

[George Marsh]

Mike, Never heard of an Allmand. Terramites are sold mostly to DIY rent a centers. Mine came used, 4 years old and 435 hours, form a rent a center.

The main reason I went with Terramite is that's it's gas powered. I can't stand to be within 300 feet of a desiel without getting a throbbing headache.

Terramite, to my knowledge, has no dealers. You deal directly with them. I call an 800# to get parts. Very simple to work on, so far.

Mine's a 2004 with about 1500 hours. I could sell it today for about what I paid for it. Have way too much fun and get a lot done with it to ever think of selling.

George
 

[Waltmo]

I have a 750 Woods 16" bucket backhoe on a Ford Jubilee. It will dig 7.5' down.
To keep from breaking axles and housings I take some of the weight off the rear wheels with the outriggers (you need outriggers with cylinders on them and keep them tight on the ground ), this keeps the pressure off the tractor. This setup has a PTO pump. I just let the motor idle for most jobs.
I am happy with this setup.


 

[Pops1532]

Paul, You didn't say what your budget is. $7500 should get you a decent 4500 or 555 Ford, or a 580C Case. There are allot of older hoes that can be bought cheaper. I saw an old MF TLB sell at a local auction for $1600 a couple years ago. It needed a little TLC but it wasn't too bad.
 

[Bob Bancroft]

Neighbor had a little hoe like the one pictured below. He found a David Brown 1200 tractor so cheap he bought it just to leave the hoe on.
We had one we ran mostly with a JD 2510. They will scratch and dig. But they don't have much lifting power or loading reach. If you might want the kind of power referenced below, you'll need an industrial, or track hoe as mentioned.
 

[Inno]

Also, many old industrial hoes that can be bought cheap are pretty much worn out. Re-doing the bushings and pins can get pretty pricey. With mine I just fix what's broke and deal with the sloppiness.
 

[old]

Steer what is that?? Funny thing is the front wheels are off the ground as much if not more then on due to how heavy the Scout back hoe is. It would work better if I kept say 2 or 3 tractor wheel weights in the bucket