Hitch on your backhoe

   / Hitch on your backhoe #31  
Ultra,

It is the only mig I've ever used so could not give you a comparison. I believe I paid a bit over a grand for it including a cart and my own argon tank - I have never used my flux core wire though save it for emergencies. It will weld anything from sheet up to over 1/2" (with multiple passes) though it's penetration may not be as good as stick in the heavier stock. I have never had a problem with it in 5 years and have run countless spools of wire through it. I recall I did a lot of research before I bought it and yes I would buy it again. When I was younger I had some experience with stick and it has it's place in fab - however I don't believe I'd ever go back for the type of projects I do.

As mentioned earlier, the hitch is an elegantly simple design and must give my older son Alex credit for turning me in the direction that created it - I was suffering from a case of severe cognitive lock (all you designers are all too familiar with this infliction) and sugestions from him broke me out of it. The toughest part was the bend on the 3/8" backing plate - I do not have a press (wishlist) so had to beat it over my anvil nose after I got it red. If I could find a quicker way to bend you guys can have as many as you want.

And by the way fiddler and for all you bx "capacity" guys, the beginning of my driveway is over 15 degrees slope and in low and 4 wheel + two kids in the bucket to keep the nose down the bx doesn't even know the 5000lb boat and trailer is behind it. I usually keep the wheel stand down just in case. The E brake also holds in the first lock position.

Dave
 
   / Hitch on your backhoe
  • Thread Starter
#32  
Dave what do you carry in the pill boxes on the tractor like the one you have on the front of your chassie.
 
   / Hitch on your backhoe
  • Thread Starter
#33  
By the way are you still able to operate the tractor with the roof not in its up right position. I ask this because I don't have the clearance in my garage door . Also do you have the roof high enough so you are able to stand up on the tractor.
 
   / Hitch on your backhoe
  • Thread Starter
#34  
Dave what is the other piece that is also stored under the back hoe base along with the hitch?
 
   / Hitch on your backhoe #35  
Fiddler,

The front box has 30' of 3/8" g70 chain in it - 3 10' lengths w/grabber hooks on each end. The box @ the fel arm has tools, the two other standard tow balls, a bunch of hooks and shackles, and spare fuses. By coincidence those size boxes fit like a glove, almost "0" clearance on the front one - cheap money too @ your army surplus store + waterproof.

With the top all the way down, you could get inside but you wouldn't as it's only for being on the trailer. Halfway up is where I normally keep it - easy to get in and out at bh or front though you can't stand up in it - can't stand up in my truck either & never was an issue. The top is just under 80" tall & my garage door trim is 81". That benchmark was used to determine the halfway height. All the way up it looks kind of strange - like a surrey - & never put it there unless it's raining & I'm working the fel. I initially cut 3" off the bottom legs of the rops as that's the most you can take off before the bend in it starts. Even with that the top looks too tall for the tractor with it all the way up. I would have cut more at the time but it would have meant sectioning the top sides of the rops & rewelding - it is not very thick stock & would have had to have been sleeved - looking back through all the work that has been done now, I should have sectioned them by another three inches.

Some of the design considerations were;
1) Height of garage trim.
2) With the top halfway down, the rops function is severely compromised so brace arms were added.
3) Folded all the way down the starboard front canopy arm had to be shifted outboard a bit to clear the fel control and also wanted full function of that control at that position. Also the canopy had to stop just short of the boom in it's locked up position.
4) The canopy needed to stay level for looks in all three positions - That was done on graph paper 1st and then mocked up with 3/4" wood sticks. It was achieved by the location of the pivot points and length and bend of the front arms.
5) By default the two up positions give rain coverage at either the BH or front stations.
6) Found after fab it took all I had without busting a nut to push the top up from full down and difficult to position it accurately with one hand to pin the locking bolts in. Added 2 90# struts and solved the problem -100# would be neutral & will switch them out later.
7) Wanted all wiring hidden and not get pinched inside the rops' pivot as well as up @ the marine hinges.
8) A "factory" look was important, so even with the great welds you can get with the mig, all welds were faired will aluminum powder filled polyesther resin - a little pricey @ $30/quart - but way better than plain bondo, and it's thicker consistency is easier to work with & feathers better too.
9) The coating is 1986 Yamaha dark silver marine outdrive paint from Tempo. As a laquer it touches up invisibly unlike most paints even with the metalflake in it. I bought a case for the shelf as Tempo is now closing it's doors. In the process I put about 10 coats on the intake screen - noticed most in the dealers yards were starting to rust from foot scuffs.

Spent an evening with the heat gun and vaporised all the decals except the backhoe removal instruction which I kept as a boot scuff guard. Would like to detail the loader arms and other locations when I'm done customizing with some pinstriping - am looking for some one near Cape Cod who's a good artist if anyone has advice.

The blue arm you see is for the wallenstein thumb. I store it there instead of on the thumb as it is sort of in the way when using the bucket - even when folded down.

Dave
 

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   / Hitch on your backhoe #36  
ACHINBAC said:
Defective,

You got it amost right . . . . I LIVE to build tractor uprades...

I am a renovation, maintenance & painting contractor & had worked only in wood for 20+ years. 5 years ago I bought a miller 175 mig with some extra cash - a toy I'd always wanted to own - & a 12" dewalt abrasive chop, though I find myself doing most of my cutting with my hand held right angle grinder (10k rpm with 4" to 5" whizzer blades in it cuts wicked fast and accurately also awesome for cutting bolts to size & doesn't mess up the threads). I also have a 16" drill press and all the usual shop toys. I taught myself to weld and work with steel by trial & error and actually rarely build wood projects any longer except my day job of course.

There are very few things I own that have not been tweeked, enhanced, reshaped, (wrecked sometimes) by the desire to have them perform a little better - a curse I inherited from my Dad.


Amen to the angle grinder used for cutting steel ! I use mine all the time to cut. It cuts fast, clean and quite accurate. Only use my torch when I Have too

Bob
 
   / Hitch on your backhoe #37  
bob_wood said:
Amen to the angle grinder used for cutting steel ! I use mine all the time to cut. It cuts fast, clean and quite accurate. Only use my torch when I Have too

Bob
do you guys use a cut of tool for 1/4" or 3/8" thick metal???
 
   / Hitch on your backhoe #38  
I welded some mounts for a 2" ball on the BH lower frame. this works good . I can load the trailer with the hoe and not remove it.
trailor on hoe.jpg
I did lower the ball mounts to make it easier to clear the dump.
there are more pic on the second to the last page of
Pond dreaming is over.
 
   / Hitch on your backhoe
  • Thread Starter
#39  
This is how I had planned on putting hitch on backhoe when I initially started this post . The reason I show this is so people will be understand what it was I was going to set up . I went with the pintel because it was a bit more forgiving especially when using it up around the cabin where the terrain is not that even and it gives fore a more secure connection. I can't see the hoe being strained here anymore than the strain it would put under during use again up here where our ground is very rocky.

Feedback would be appreciated.
 

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   / Hitch on your backhoe #40  
If that were attached there all the time would the arm and bucket clear it when you curl it up I know mine would.but perhaps not a problem .
 
 
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