Backhoe attachment for 2N?

[Brian60950]

Has this been done? Do they make any that'll be under 1200 lbs & run on the PTO? I can't find in my service manual where it says the PTO horsepower but I think it's 545 RPM @ 1500 engine RPM.

I gotta dig up & replace a septic tile. I figure if I can get a cheap back-hoe off Craigslist I can do it myself but I don't even know where to begin looking as far as HP range, RPM, spline shaft size, etc. I'd need one with outriggers because I don't trust the tractor's brakes.

 

[Brian60950]

I'm wondering if I could put this on a 2N. I don't know what kind of tractor it shows it on, but it looks roughly the same size.

http://southbend.craigslist.org/hvo/4270768960.html

Doesn't use the PTO. I'd have to tee into my loader hydraulics. No big deal.

 

[old]

You mean like this one on my 8N 1950 side mount distributor. But if you do not have a loader forget it because the front end will be in the air due to the back hoe being to heavy. I still have part of a Sherman back hoe also but the one in the picture is a Scout back hoe and Deere-Born loader

 

[Graham from New Zealand]

All that weight and working strain I think would
just about soon flatten the poor little tractor

 

[TheOldHokie]

(quoted from post at 18:46:22 03/12/14) Has this been done? Do they make any that'll be under 1200 lbs & run on the PTO? I can't find in my service manual where it says the PTO horsepower but I think it's 545 RPM @ 1500 engine RPM.

I gotta dig up & replace a septic tile. I figure if I can get a cheap back-hoe off Craigslist I can do it myself but I don't even know where to begin looking as far as HP range, RPM, spline shaft size, etc. I'd need one with outriggers because I don't trust the tractor's brakes.

RENT a machine. This little sucker cost $165 per day when I had it - now up to $220/day, $750/week and will dig you a whole new septic system in a day. The only downside is once you spend an hour or two in the seat you will want one. If you have never operated one before I would suggest you spend an hour or two well away from anything important doing a little practice :roll:

TOH

 

[Jimmyjack]

Listen to TOH! Best Advice!But be careful, I now
own a Kubota B21

 

[Royse]

I'm with TOH, I'd rent a machine.
Cheaper, faster, less work and less chance of breaking your tractor.
One like this is pretty cheap to rent and works great on small projects.
We rented one to bury water lines below the frost line in red clay.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I also agree with TOH.
Rent one.
I rented a mini excavator like Royse shows when I put the addition on my house a few years ago.
Dug all the footings in about 6 hours.
I had never run one before but it was easy to get the hang of and fun too.
Cost then was under $300.

 

[David G]

Rent a mini excavator, you will beat the CR@p out of your tractor with a backhoe on it.

 

[nebken]

My dad has a Sherman grave digger (backhoe) on a 641. The parts books show brackets for 9n-8n tractors. The backhoe is very heavy. I can't beleive a 2n would handle the weight very well.

 

[ScoutB]

Don't rule out hiring it out. I was looking at $300 to rent a mini-excavator to dig a hole for an addition but found this guy to do it for $200. Not to mention that he had the right instruments to get the depth right. He was a surgeon with that machine, skimming the clay off the basement walls without touching concrete. One hour, no fuss, no damage, but less fun than running one yourself.

 

[mhb@ufe]

That's a 3 point hitch backhoe and without some extra reinforcement would likely rip the rear end housing apart.

Mark

 

[tesmith66]

Went through this last fall. Needed to bury some water lines and run some drains and a few other things. Ruled out renting because I didn't want to be pressed for time and didn't want to have to spend time getting it and returning it. Renting it multiple times over multiple weekends would have been $$$$.

Jumped on Craigslist and found a 6.5' Kubota 3pt backhoe for $1400. I put it on my IH 340, though, not the N.

Anyway, for the cost of about 4 rentals, I have one I can use at any time and never have to return.

 

[TheOldHokie]

(quoted from post at 22:46:06 03/12/14) Don't rule out hiring it out. I was looking at $300 to rent a mini-excavator to dig a hole for an addition but found this guy to do it for $200. Not to mention that he had the right instruments to get the depth right. He was a surgeon with that machine, skimming the clay off the basement walls without touching concrete. One hour, no fuss, no damage, but less fun than running one yourself.

Just goes to show how different situations can be. The first time I rented that Case hoe was to install a 1000 gallon in ground LP case tank. The lowest quote I got from local contractors was $500 and that was just to dig the hole. If they had to hang around to set the tank and/or back fill it was going to be more. At the time I could rent the hoe for a$600/week. and since I had a few stumps on the hill behind the house that I didn't really need and it was a "no brainer"....

I am no "surgeon" at the helm but another week digging footers for the Garaj Mahal and I felt proficient enough that I dug the trench for water/electric service from the house. I didn't press my luck and settled for a shovel to get the last foot where it entered the foundations ;-)

That said the guys that do this for a living can beat the he!! out of me for speed and accuracy. I have had a retired gentleman that used to own a large excavating company and still does a little side work on his own do all my track loader work. He is fast, cheap, accurate, and very hard working. But I still have the urge to find out what it's like sitting in the seat of that machine with all that power at your finger tips ;-) Below is Drex at work early on and the nearly finished site 2 days later. Just watching him go at it I know it would have taken me a lot longer. Looks like "fun" if you don't have to do it non-stop eight hours a day for 40+ years ;-)

TOH

 

[gears]

BTDT rent the best tool for the job - it was a trencher for me. $65 and an hour later I was done with my 100 foot trench to run utilities to my barn - I'd been messing about with a sod buster, root hook, single plow on my 9N for about 3 months off and on before that.

Sometimes it helps to get a friend to drive you to the rental place

 

[Ultradog MN]

I had an old Cat 955H Traxcavator similar to that one for a few years. Like a D6 with a bucket.
It was a marvelous old machine - about a 1960 model.
I put a new road in at my lake property and did a bunch of stuff for myself, dad, brothers, cousins, etc, etc.
It would lift a stupendous amount!
Like, I transplanted a bunch of trees with it.
Dig under the roots and lift an entire 8" tree and root ball with it then transport it to a new location. I lost a few trees but several of them are still growing fine today.
I sold it for about $300 less than I paid for it.
But if even a small thing had gone wrong with it I would have been up a creek as it would have been cost prohibitive for me to repair.
I was lucky it ran good and had a Lot of fun with it. Even let my sisters, nephews, bro, friends drive and dig with it.
Photo is just one I found on Google.
Mine didn't look as nice

 

[TheOldHokie]

(quoted from post at 16:26:53 03/13/14) I had an old Cat 955H Traxcavator similar to that one for a few years. Like a D6 with a bucket.
It was a marvelous old machine - about a 1960 model.
I put a new road in at my lake property and did a bunch of stuff for myself, dad, brothers, cousins, etc, etc.
It would lift a stupendous amount!
Like, I transplanted a bunch of trees with it.
Dig under the roots and lift an entire 8" tree and root ball with it then transport it to a new location.

I had Drex up on the hill "transplanting" some trunk-less root balls for me and I pointed to a big boulder on the hillside - way to big to get in the bucket. I asked Drex if his Cat could shove it off to the side for me. He looked it over, said "Yes - but once I get it out of it's spot if it gets away from me and starts down the hill no telling where it will stop". It could have gone through the woods like a freight train and I decided it was fine where it was....

TOH

 

[Brian60950]

I see the consensus is to rent a machine or find a machine + operator.

I haven't actually gotten an estimate on the whole job yet but in the past, around here neighbors have told me about it costing thousands to hire out anything that requires digging.

(quoted from post at 18:03:01 03/12/14) You mean like this one on my 8N 1950 side mount distributor. But if you do not have a loader forget it because the front end will be in the air due to the back hoe being to heavy. I still have part of a Sherman back hoe also but the one in the picture is a Scout back hoe and Deere-Born loader

That concrete counterweight on the front scares the crap out of me. I don't want to trash my 2N with that kind of weight. I do have a loader on the front.

I'd have to tee into the loader's hydraulics for the back-hoe.

I think I'll just rent something.

I've always been good at operating machines, never damaged anything when I was unfamiliar with the machine but I do tend to be slow with them at first. Especially when I first get on the machine & don't know what any of the levers do.

 

[pconnie]

pic. brought back many good memories. i dug basements with one in the 60s. the co. had 5 of them. dont ever remember one breaking down.

 

[pconnie]

i thought the hoe is pto driven. doubtful the hyd
on the 2 would run it..with the bucket on the front
you could fill it with dirt to keep the front on
the ground. going slow you could get lots done..i
have had a 4000 hoe for 20yrs. like these old fords
it always starts and run when i need it. there were
a slew of n's with hoes used in cemeteries back
when. use it when you need it then take it off.
once you have one you'll love it

 

[Roger Missildine]

Hey Brian,
I know you're needing your backhoe work done sooner than later,so as the others have said, rent or hire out.

In the mean time, or afterwards if you so feel the desire, check out Kevin LaRue's site myfordtractors.com. He built his own backhoe for one of his 8N's, and offers the free "prints" for download.

While they lack in some areas, and he will tell you that the prints were for layout only, they are quite easy to understand.

I kinda like building things, and being on a semi-fixed income, can't and don't have the green backs to fork over for even a worn out hoe.

His design will dig down 6', but I'm modifying mine to dig 8'. Not sure, but from what I have figured, I don't think the whole unit will come in at 1200 lbs, but it may. I've already started gathering salvage material for mine, and hope to get her built sometime this summer or early fall.

Roger

 

[dbNga]

I have a pto operated Arps 80 hoe for my "50 8n and no loader on front. Yes the front end is very light but is doable. Pto operated hoes are fine as for horsepower/performance. Mine will dig (I think) 80 inches deep. All the weight hangs off the top link fitting so be careful. I don"t pick up the back end and push if I need to move forward, I let tractor pull itself. I usually run about half throttle and seem to do fine. Rent if a one time thing, find/buy a pto op"d one for multiple uses.