New Holland LB75B Delivery Day

[jinman]

I purchased a used New Holland LB75.B loader-backhoe this week from my local NH dealer, McMaster New Holland in Decatur, TX. The tractor has 3670 hours and has been worked hard, but it seems to have been properly repaired when something needed attention. The dipper had one bushing replaced, but it seems to be a decent job of repair. The engine, transmission, and 4wd drivetrain seem to be solid. The left front hub seal was leaking as was one of the axle seals on the rear. Both of those were replaced as well as one axle bearing on the side where the seal was replaced. They also installed a new cable for the boom lock.

I think I'm really going to like this tractor once I get used to it. Right now it seems terribly big compared to my NH TC45D. Getting used to the shuttle shift is also "fun" since I've been spoiled to HST. I dug out some big rocks in a rock pile and practiced for a couple of more hours with the backhoe. The controls are intuitive, but I'm a bit of a slow learner and a bit jumpy. I'm sure I'll learn to feather the controls and feel the hoe before long.

Here are some photos. The backhoe bucket is a quick-attach type. I only have one bucket, so that's not an issue at the moment.

 

[EddieWalker]

Congratulations Jim.

She sure is pretty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eddie

 

[JC-jetro]

Congrats Jim, looking good.:thumbsup:

jc,

 

[ScottAR]

Very nice... Congrats!

 

[Pops15]

Looks great Jim!

 

[jinman]

Thanks everyone for the good wishes and congrats. Pops, I know you just got a 555 and I'm looking forward to seeing pictures.:thumbsup:

Eddie, does your loader joystick have the electric clutch button? I really like that feature on the LB75B. I can press that button on the joystick and shuttle forward/reverse or lift my bucket without the wheels spinning. I also have the button on the gear shifter for changing gears on the fly. The only thing about this tractor that I don't like is the parking brake. The tractor is so heavy that the parking brake seems barely adequate for holding the machine if you are not on level ground. I put the loader down and it still slid along the ground as the tractor moved. I had to really pull up on the brake lever to get it tight enough to hold the tractor. It really makes me see that keeping 14k lb stopped on an incline takes a very good brake.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

That's awesome Jim. Whatcha gonna dig up?

 

[EddieWalker]

Hi Jim,

My parking break has never worked, and I use the lever as a good place to hold stuff like wasp spray or sunflower seeds. LOL I rely on the loader bucket for parking, and sometimes will use one of the outriggers if I need to. Especially if I have the bucket up for some reason.

I have to two buttons on my loader control also. One is for changing gears while driving, the other didn't do anything. That other button is what I use now for my grapple. I hold that button and it activates my solinoid, so I can open and close the grapple instead of curling the bucket with the loader control.

I remember thinking how huge it was when I first got it too. I had a few hours on a Deere 310, but didn't remember it being so big. The other thing that took some getting used to was how the hoe will move the entire tractor around when digging. It scared me a little bit at first.

Most of what I know on the backhoe is from trial and error, after seeing others working. I've learned the most from just sittting at a red light and watching a crew working on the roads. Those guys are good, and they do things that I never thought about. Picking up the rear tires with the hoe and moving them sideways is one of the scarriest feelings, but also the best,and sometimes, only way to get unstuck. I've had to go sideways quite a few times when working along wet areas. Especialy along the side of my ponds. You never want to back up to a pond and dig that way. The swing won't allow you to put material as far away from the pond as possible, but you are also in a lot of trouble if the tires get muddy and start to slide into the water. I learned that lesson the hard way with my dump truck.

I'm sure you already know abou using the frong bucket to lift and curl yourself back out of a bad situation. I also use the front bucket as a skid to go through areas that I sunk into. If you can't go backwards, sometimes forwards is the only option.

A lot of the time, the reason I get stuck is the front axle is so deep that it locks me in place. The front bucket has to lift the axle out and then the hoe stick is to pull me backwards. I spent as long as 6 hours doing this to get out and only cover 50 yards. It can be exremely frustrating, but if you can move at all, you can get out one inch at a time.

Eddie

 

[jinman]

That's awesome Jim. Whatcha gonna dig up?

Like a kid with a hammer. . . everything looks like a nail.:laughing: I'm going to move a bunch of dirt and build some ponds. That sounds wacky, but in most instances, the holes for the ponds have been made by Mother Nature and now all I have to do is dam over narrow gulley passages to make ponds. I'll have to rent some other equipment as I go along, but the "lions share" of the dirt moving I can do with the backhoe, my 7-yard dump trailer, and my TC45D as the dump trailer tow vehicle.

 

[jinman]

I have to two buttons on my loader control also. One is for changing gears while driving, the other didn't do anything. That other button is what I use now for my grapple. I hold that button and it activates my solinoid, so I can open and close the grapple instead of curling the bucket with the loader control....

...A lot of the time, the reason I get stuck is the front axle is so deep that it locks me in place. The front bucket has to lift the axle out and then the hoe stick is to pull me backwards. I spent as long as 6 hours doing this to get out and only cover 50 yards. It can be exremely frustrating, but if you can move at all, you can get out one inch at a time.

Eddie

Eddie, I have a transmission disconnect button (clutch) on the gear shift lever and the loader joystick. The joystick also has a non-working button on the front that the Op Man'l says is supposed to be a horn button. If so, it doesn't work. There's a horn button on the left backhoe lever also. Neither button honks the horn, so I'd guess the horn has gone south. However, the warning horn for the parking brake works quite well. Kathy heard that from inside the house and thought I was honking for her to come out.

The 2nd backhoe I ever rented, I got stuck in the edge of a muddy ditch. It took me about 2 hours of rental time, but I was able to use the loader and backhoe to crab out. That was a 2WD Case 580. I know the time will come that I will probably get stuck with my New Holland, but having 4WD and being cautious will hopefully make me much more likely to be able to escape. My biggest concern is my terrain. I have lots of slopes that my TC45D can navigate with ease. I will NOT be taking the LB75 up/down any of the really steep ones like in my avatar.

About the outriggers slipping. . . My outrigger pads are pavement pads. I think I'd be better off by flipping them over to get a better grip on my sandy soil. When I was digging out rocks on Friday afternoon, the backhoe was dragging the outriggers across the top of the soil like they were skis. I need feet that will dig in and hold a bit better. My Op Man'l says I can flip the feet, so I'll have to do that soon.

EDIT: Oh yes... There is a local rental yard with two dippers off a LB75 and an LB95. Both are identical in design, but the one off the LB95 looks new except for a small dent in one side. It looks like somebody bumped a tree with the dipper. Anyhow, the rental yard says their insurance won't let them rent a backhoe with a any dent in the boom or dipper. They said that liability and lawsuit possibility if an accident occurs is too risky. They've replaced these dippers with new ones and are asking $450 each. They've had them on craigslist for several weeks and I think one would be a good buy, just for spare parts and the fact that their bushings are new and very tight. What do you think of the price? I was thinking of offering $300 and see if they would dicker with me.