Backhoe Bradco 3375 Backhoe on JD 4300

[wood911]

I just bought a used Bradco 3375 backhoe to go on a 2000 JD 4300 and am trying to decide whether to put subframe mounts(SFM) on or just put it on the 3ph. It seems to mount fine without the SFM. I am just wondering if there is enough strength in the lift arms over time. According to my JD manual I should be able to lift about 2200# with the lift arms and the backhoe weighs about 1050#. Of course, additional pressure could be applied during operation of the BH. I called the Bradco customer service people and they thought it was okay and even sent me an operator's manual which talked around the issue but didn't really address the issue. JD dealer had no idea. He just said the JD BH has a subframe mount. I have seen where Kubotas have used BH without a SFM but their top 3ph connection is bolted on and can be replaced cheaply. ON JD, the top connection is part of the body casting so it is more critical to not break it. Just looking for information. Thanks.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

I advise going with the subframe.
3ph mounts can crack the cast housing due to lateral stress.
(maybe not in the first 10 hours of use, but eventually you're likely to remove an ear or worse off the casting)

 

[dfkrug]

WOOD, here is what JD uses for a subframe: it is really a couple of large
brackets that mount using the bolts that connect the axle housings to the
center final drive gearbox. Though the gearbox is steel, the axle housings
are ALUMINUM!

This is all the more reason NOT to use the 3-pt hitch to support a backhoe.
So far, I have found the JD4300/JD4310/JD3320 to be the only tractors in
this weight class that use Al for this critical structural component.

Take a look at the broken casting on my thread about rebuilding my 4300.

Also, it has been reported by BRIMSTONE10X, a JD service tech, that the
bosses that support the factory hoe subframe have sometimes cracked
due to the stresses.

When I mount my hoe to my 4300, I will use the same attachment point
used by the ROPS. I wonder what kind of subframe is offered by Bradco
for the 4300?

 

[wood911]

Thanks, I'll check Monday with the Bradco dealer here in town to see if there is any adaptation for the 4300. THe Bradco customer service did not indicate there was. THe Bradco guy here in OKC is a NH dealer tho, so he may not be real familiar with JD. I'll let you, and those that follow, know.

 

[sunnyside360]

I know of at least two dealers (Deere and Kubota) that will not sell a backhoe with 3 ph attach due to risk of damaging rear housing. They only sell subframe attached backhoes.

 

[wood911]

An update as promised, after talking with several dealers and an engineer at Bradco, I bought a subframe mount which the local Bradco dealer told me was the most expensive SFM he had ever ordered.. Vitually everybody I talked with said it was needed for a 4300. Some thought it might work on a little bigger tractor like a 4600 or 4230.

 

[dfkrug]

An update as promised, after talking with several dealers and an engineer at Bradco, I bought a subframe mount which the local Bradco dealer told me was the most expensive SFM he had ever ordered.. Vitually everybody I talked with said it was needed for a 4300. Some thought it might work on a little bigger tractor like a 4600 or 4230.

Bradco makes very heavy duty hoe attachments, mostly for skidsteers. The
3375 is a compact tractor hoe attachment, similar in size, weight and specs
to the Woods 7500. Their later 4-pt subframes run over $1000, and it takes
a while to get them. A quick search of the Woods subframe catalog shows
that Woods only makes their older style subframe for the 4300. I would like
to see how Bradco does their subframe to mitigate the weaknesses of the
4300 aluminum axle castings. The 4300/4310 is a fairly common tractor, so
I would have assumed there were more subframes available....

Any more info you may have on the Bradco subframe would be appreciated,
including pix.