Sun Treader
Member
I wanted to share my experiences with my WoodMaxx WM-8600 3-point backhoe.
This is the big backhoe they sell, digging depth is 9' and weight with bucket is 1,150 lbs. I've using it for hobby-farm and light construction, strictly personal use.
I'm running a mid-90s Case IH 495 utility tractor. About fifty horse power give or take, MFWD and 6,000 lbs not counting the filled rear tires and front loader. The backhoe is recommended for 25-60 hp.
I had never run a backhoe or other digging equipment before hooking this guy up and trying it out. I'd never run a tractor before reading the manual and jumping on my tractor either. So not a lot to compare to here but I can share my experience with this specific equipment.
I looked at dozens of backhoe models. I researched the factories and designs of these machines and looked at other vendors selling the same product from the same over-seas supplier. I knew I was going to be on the low-end of the spectrum and wanted the biggest one I could get as a 3-point model. There are slightly cheaper models out there, but they were really sketchy eBay specials and that sort of thing. While there were other models and builders I would have gone with, WoodMaxx addresses the short comings of many Asian built machines by installing high quality Italian hydraulic controls. WoodMaxx has developed a sterling reputation and they have exceeded even that for me.
I wanted to have the machine for a year before providing this review, I ordered and received the machine last February. Total was $5,600 including a 15 bucket, PTO powered hydraulics, stabilizer pads, ripper, and hydraulic thumb. I had wanted yellow, but black was all that was available. I don'd care one bit about the color of my implements. They all end mud colored.
Machine came very quickly, driver was great getting it down and onto my trailer, no hiccup there at all.
Setup was decently easy, I spent two slow afternoons getting things together and running. The only issues I encounter in setup were lots of loose connections in the hydraulic valves and tank. About half of them sprayed fluid under pressure so I went over them all. A set of offset hydraulic wrenches were an absolute must here.
Being a 3-point setup the connection to the tractor isn't rigid when riding around, it can bounce around a good bit, this is a fine trade off for not needing to fabricate a subframe and the ease of attaching and detaching. So far I've been setting it down outside with my other implements until I can build an implement shed. Hook up involves backing up, attaching the PTO pump and using the machine itself to get it into position for hookup.
I have read all the warnings about 3-point backhoes being prone to breaking the 3-point connection and taken them seriously. My tractor has a Cat 2 hitch and I've watched everything carefully and feel confident in the setup. The backhoe is powerful enough, the tractor weighs enough, and the connections are robust enough I am confident in the strength of the setup. I believe the weak point to be the top link pin on the tractor side. It's a Cat 2 pin reduced to a Cat 1 diameter to accommodate the backhoe's integral top link connection.
I have observed the top link pin beginning to bend slightly after a lot of digging, not enough to bind coming out but it isn't perfectly straight. If anyone can recommend a top link pin that is high strength that would be helpful. The setup on the Case is a Cat 2 diameter pin hole on the right side, with a Cat 1 diameter pin hole on the left. It uses pins machined down at different points to take either a Cat 1 or Cat 2 pin. Maybe this is an excuse to get a lathe. The top link member on the backhoe would need to be machined to accommodate the larger pin so I think a high strength steel Cat 1 diameter pin is probably the best way to go.
Originally I had wanted to run the backhoe from the tractor hydraulics to take advantage of the rear remote connection and to not have an additional hydraulic system to worry about. I've completely changed on this, the PTO hydraulics work great, much less stress on the tractor hydraulics and just feels like a robust solution.
On two occasions after running the backhoe pretty hard all morning I have observed the fluid temperature higher than I would like and the tank has felt hot enough I have stopped work to let it cool down for a few hours and then gotten back to things. This was heavy digging in clay for hours at full speed, so I don't blame it.
Being able to vary the speed of the backhoe by throttling the tractor up and down has been nice. While I was leaning I kept it pretty slow but within a few hours I was up to full speed and feeling good. From no experience at all to very little thinking about the controls was just a few hours. Its very quick to learn.
Setting up to dig I've been following the rules. Stabilizers go down enough to feel solid but not enough to lift the tractor wheels, loader goes down in the same way. Wheels on the ground all around. This has been very solid; the tractor hasn't ever been pushed around. On a few occasions digging adjacent to trenches or other difficult areas I've very carefully dug with only one stabilizer down and that has been okay. I would like the stabilizers to be longer, big tractor here, the backhoe rides higher than it is probably intended.
On the problem side, and I expect some sort of problems on any sort of small-volume, mechanical system. Very quickly I had one of the bucket pins break in very light use, it was just clearly way too soft. WoodMaxx had a new one to me immediately. The thumb teeth begin to spread outwards and the pin holding it also bent enough that it needs to be cut out. They also sent a new Thumb and pin. Customer service has been excellent, couldn't be better and hats off to them for their support. WoodMaxx is better than it has to be.
The valves have been perfect after getting them tightened up. They are very easy to feather for fine and controlled movements. I've been able to dig perfect holes for tree planting, cut away the sod, tear open bags of soil amendments, place that material, and do everything but put the tree in the hole without leaving the seat. I can even put back the sod using the backhoe and thumb. The speed of the boom swing took some getting used to but by the end of the first project I could scoop, swing, and dump into my utility vehicle's bed all in one smooth motion. Having several cylinders activating in a smooth and consistent manner just feels really good.
This backhoe has a neat feature with one quick level push it will switch between SAE and ISO controls, when I've had another guy check it out and play some he was used to the other controls and so we were able to switch without even thinking about it. Very nice feature.
The ripper tooth is very heavy duty, I can't imagine a situation in which it will be the weak link, it has made pulling stumps fun.
I highly recommend a hydraulic thumb, its allowed me to do all sorts of things I didn't even consider before. I've added a 9" trenching bucket as well, perfect for sewer pipe.
I've dug stumps, excavated a foundation and footing into a hill side, dug a few hundred feet of sewer line, made some nice planting holes for trees, pulled and moved big trash and other stuff with the thumb to load onto trucks and trailers, and probably a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting. Once I dug a hole as deep and as square and smooth as I could just to try it out. I was able to get to six feet deep with a nice square and smooth hole without moving positions.
The big downside to a backhoe instead of something like a mini excavator (which would be amazing, but just not justified for me) is having to basically store everything and hop off to reposition. There is a bit of hassle hooking up but that is true of any implement. There are some grease points that are difficult to get to. It would be nice to have a higher tolerance fit on the pins to take out some slop but its about as good as any other backhoe I've seen, not up to excavator standards, but for the price, amazing.
Climbing and dismounting take some getting used to and paying attention to, the step up is slippery, and the once seated I have picked up some bruises from the spots I end up bracing my legs; but again, price is so low and performance so good its hard to complain too much about ergonomics that I can fix.
The best endorsement I can give is I'm going to order the WoodMaxx hydraulic chipper next, they offered a 5% discount on any future machines after purchasing the first one and I don't see any chipper anywhere that comes close to the price/performance of theirs and even if there was the customer service is such that I feel like I have their full support right with me and if anything goes wrong, either my fault, or defects, I can get parts and knowledgeable support immediately. WoodMaxx only sells a few types of machines, but they seem to really know their product inside and out, I appreciate that specialization and dedication.
At this point I wouldn't imagine buying attachments from anyone but WoodMaxx and EverythingAttachments. I've had great experiences with both.
I just realized I have more shots of the failed parts than actual action shots. I'll try to get some more next time I'm digging.
I lurk the forums just about everyday so thanks to the community for this resource. When I have questions I can almost always find the answer searching past threads. I'm trying to give back as time allows!
David
This is the big backhoe they sell, digging depth is 9' and weight with bucket is 1,150 lbs. I've using it for hobby-farm and light construction, strictly personal use.
I'm running a mid-90s Case IH 495 utility tractor. About fifty horse power give or take, MFWD and 6,000 lbs not counting the filled rear tires and front loader. The backhoe is recommended for 25-60 hp.
I had never run a backhoe or other digging equipment before hooking this guy up and trying it out. I'd never run a tractor before reading the manual and jumping on my tractor either. So not a lot to compare to here but I can share my experience with this specific equipment.
I looked at dozens of backhoe models. I researched the factories and designs of these machines and looked at other vendors selling the same product from the same over-seas supplier. I knew I was going to be on the low-end of the spectrum and wanted the biggest one I could get as a 3-point model. There are slightly cheaper models out there, but they were really sketchy eBay specials and that sort of thing. While there were other models and builders I would have gone with, WoodMaxx addresses the short comings of many Asian built machines by installing high quality Italian hydraulic controls. WoodMaxx has developed a sterling reputation and they have exceeded even that for me.
I wanted to have the machine for a year before providing this review, I ordered and received the machine last February. Total was $5,600 including a 15 bucket, PTO powered hydraulics, stabilizer pads, ripper, and hydraulic thumb. I had wanted yellow, but black was all that was available. I don'd care one bit about the color of my implements. They all end mud colored.
Machine came very quickly, driver was great getting it down and onto my trailer, no hiccup there at all.
Setup was decently easy, I spent two slow afternoons getting things together and running. The only issues I encounter in setup were lots of loose connections in the hydraulic valves and tank. About half of them sprayed fluid under pressure so I went over them all. A set of offset hydraulic wrenches were an absolute must here.
Being a 3-point setup the connection to the tractor isn't rigid when riding around, it can bounce around a good bit, this is a fine trade off for not needing to fabricate a subframe and the ease of attaching and detaching. So far I've been setting it down outside with my other implements until I can build an implement shed. Hook up involves backing up, attaching the PTO pump and using the machine itself to get it into position for hookup.
I have read all the warnings about 3-point backhoes being prone to breaking the 3-point connection and taken them seriously. My tractor has a Cat 2 hitch and I've watched everything carefully and feel confident in the setup. The backhoe is powerful enough, the tractor weighs enough, and the connections are robust enough I am confident in the strength of the setup. I believe the weak point to be the top link pin on the tractor side. It's a Cat 2 pin reduced to a Cat 1 diameter to accommodate the backhoe's integral top link connection.
I have observed the top link pin beginning to bend slightly after a lot of digging, not enough to bind coming out but it isn't perfectly straight. If anyone can recommend a top link pin that is high strength that would be helpful. The setup on the Case is a Cat 2 diameter pin hole on the right side, with a Cat 1 diameter pin hole on the left. It uses pins machined down at different points to take either a Cat 1 or Cat 2 pin. Maybe this is an excuse to get a lathe. The top link member on the backhoe would need to be machined to accommodate the larger pin so I think a high strength steel Cat 1 diameter pin is probably the best way to go.
Originally I had wanted to run the backhoe from the tractor hydraulics to take advantage of the rear remote connection and to not have an additional hydraulic system to worry about. I've completely changed on this, the PTO hydraulics work great, much less stress on the tractor hydraulics and just feels like a robust solution.
On two occasions after running the backhoe pretty hard all morning I have observed the fluid temperature higher than I would like and the tank has felt hot enough I have stopped work to let it cool down for a few hours and then gotten back to things. This was heavy digging in clay for hours at full speed, so I don't blame it.
Being able to vary the speed of the backhoe by throttling the tractor up and down has been nice. While I was leaning I kept it pretty slow but within a few hours I was up to full speed and feeling good. From no experience at all to very little thinking about the controls was just a few hours. Its very quick to learn.
Setting up to dig I've been following the rules. Stabilizers go down enough to feel solid but not enough to lift the tractor wheels, loader goes down in the same way. Wheels on the ground all around. This has been very solid; the tractor hasn't ever been pushed around. On a few occasions digging adjacent to trenches or other difficult areas I've very carefully dug with only one stabilizer down and that has been okay. I would like the stabilizers to be longer, big tractor here, the backhoe rides higher than it is probably intended.
On the problem side, and I expect some sort of problems on any sort of small-volume, mechanical system. Very quickly I had one of the bucket pins break in very light use, it was just clearly way too soft. WoodMaxx had a new one to me immediately. The thumb teeth begin to spread outwards and the pin holding it also bent enough that it needs to be cut out. They also sent a new Thumb and pin. Customer service has been excellent, couldn't be better and hats off to them for their support. WoodMaxx is better than it has to be.
The valves have been perfect after getting them tightened up. They are very easy to feather for fine and controlled movements. I've been able to dig perfect holes for tree planting, cut away the sod, tear open bags of soil amendments, place that material, and do everything but put the tree in the hole without leaving the seat. I can even put back the sod using the backhoe and thumb. The speed of the boom swing took some getting used to but by the end of the first project I could scoop, swing, and dump into my utility vehicle's bed all in one smooth motion. Having several cylinders activating in a smooth and consistent manner just feels really good.
This backhoe has a neat feature with one quick level push it will switch between SAE and ISO controls, when I've had another guy check it out and play some he was used to the other controls and so we were able to switch without even thinking about it. Very nice feature.
The ripper tooth is very heavy duty, I can't imagine a situation in which it will be the weak link, it has made pulling stumps fun.
I highly recommend a hydraulic thumb, its allowed me to do all sorts of things I didn't even consider before. I've added a 9" trenching bucket as well, perfect for sewer pipe.
I've dug stumps, excavated a foundation and footing into a hill side, dug a few hundred feet of sewer line, made some nice planting holes for trees, pulled and moved big trash and other stuff with the thumb to load onto trucks and trailers, and probably a bunch of other stuff I'm forgetting. Once I dug a hole as deep and as square and smooth as I could just to try it out. I was able to get to six feet deep with a nice square and smooth hole without moving positions.
The big downside to a backhoe instead of something like a mini excavator (which would be amazing, but just not justified for me) is having to basically store everything and hop off to reposition. There is a bit of hassle hooking up but that is true of any implement. There are some grease points that are difficult to get to. It would be nice to have a higher tolerance fit on the pins to take out some slop but its about as good as any other backhoe I've seen, not up to excavator standards, but for the price, amazing.
Climbing and dismounting take some getting used to and paying attention to, the step up is slippery, and the once seated I have picked up some bruises from the spots I end up bracing my legs; but again, price is so low and performance so good its hard to complain too much about ergonomics that I can fix.
The best endorsement I can give is I'm going to order the WoodMaxx hydraulic chipper next, they offered a 5% discount on any future machines after purchasing the first one and I don't see any chipper anywhere that comes close to the price/performance of theirs and even if there was the customer service is such that I feel like I have their full support right with me and if anything goes wrong, either my fault, or defects, I can get parts and knowledgeable support immediately. WoodMaxx only sells a few types of machines, but they seem to really know their product inside and out, I appreciate that specialization and dedication.
At this point I wouldn't imagine buying attachments from anyone but WoodMaxx and EverythingAttachments. I've had great experiences with both.
I just realized I have more shots of the failed parts than actual action shots. I'll try to get some more next time I'm digging.
I lurk the forums just about everyday so thanks to the community for this resource. When I have questions I can almost always find the answer searching past threads. I'm trying to give back as time allows!
David
