Just ordered a new BX25, any suggestions?

[CompactTractorFan]

To clarify, I'm talking about moving the machine progressively forward when digging a trench with the backhoe. You've dug to the depth you want and you've dug as close to the back of the tractor as possible. You need to move the machine forward a few feet to a new "set" to continue the trench.

Make sure the transmission is in neutral and the brakes are off.
Put the BH bucket in the trench as close to the tractor as possible. The bucket should be uncurled. Push the teeth down into the dirt at the bottom of the trench. Without leaving your seat, reach toward the front of the tractor with your left hand and raise the loader bucket slightly above the ground. Raise the outriggers slightly above the ground. Using the backhoe "dipperstick" out and "Boom" down, push the tractor forward. When you've moved far enough, lower the loader bucket and raise the front wheels off the ground as high as you like. Lower the outriggers and raise the rear. That's as anchored as you can get. Then dig. Go watch a pro. You won't see him drivin' forward.:thumbsup:

Interesting...I'll have to try that...

 

[Tom_H]

To clarify, I'm talking about moving the machine progressively forward when digging a trench with the backhoe. You've dug to the depth you want and you've dug as close to the back of the tractor as possible. You need to move the machine forward a few feet to a new "set" to continue the trench.

Make sure the transmission is in neutral and the brakes are off.
Put the BH bucket in the trench as close to the tractor as possible. The bucket should be uncurled. Push the teeth down into the dirt at the bottom of the trench. Without leaving your seat, reach toward the front of the tractor with your left hand and raise the loader bucket slightly above the ground. Raise the outriggers slightly above the ground. Using the backhoe "dipperstick" out and "Boom" down, push the tractor forward. When you've moved far enough, lower the loader bucket and raise the front wheels off the ground as high as you like. Lower the outriggers and raise the rear. That's as anchored as you can get. Then dig. Go watch a pro. You won't see him drivin' forward.:thumbsup:

Actually, I completely understood everything the first time. When you say, "Lower the outriggers and raise the rear. That's as anchored as you can get," that just hasn't been my experience with my tractor in my soil. Digging Duripan is hard, and I have tried it both ways. This stuff is sedimentary rock. With the FEL toothbar and the outriggers down, the tractor still gets dragged toward the bh. With the outriggers down and the front wheels on the ground, it gets dragged a whole lot more. After digging a section, I have to get to the FEL joystick anyway, so I personally find it easier to get off the tractor and move it forward with the pedal. I am certain that if I had sandy loam, I could and would do it the way you describe.

When I was new to TBN, I assumed that what I experienced with my tractor on my property was what other people would experience with their tractor on their land in their circumstances. I discovered that some people wound up with different outcomes than I did on a number of things. I am saying that what you experience is not what I experience in my soil conditions with my tractor. You are more than welcome to come to my property and experiment. I'd be happy to have you! :drink:

 

[BXpanded]

Tom, I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with. If you're reading that I said you should have the loader bucket off the ground while you're digging, please look back over the 2 posts. In the first post I recommend that the operator "Lower the bucket, set the outriggers and dig." In the second, "lower the loader bucket and raise the front wheels off the ground as high as you like. Lower the outriggers and raise the rear. That's as anchored as you can get." I agree, to have any amount of stability, the front bucket must be on the ground to counteract lifting forces of the BH. Also, due to the necessity of manipulating the front bucket while operating the BH, the machines are built so the FEL control is easily reached from the BH seat. I've never seen an exception to that in a factory set up.

Tom, I spent over 10,000 hours on TBLs digging many, many miles of mainline pipelines in 17 different states. There are few conditions I haven't encountered and my intent was just to pass on a bit of hard earned knowledge. I'm really sorry if I seemed to be argumentative, I just thought Compact Tractor Fan should know the easy way.

 

[radair]

...After digging a section, I have to get to the FEL joystick anyway, so I personally find it easier to get off the tractor and move it forward with the pedal...

I leave the tractor in gear, raise the FEL and outriggers, and just pull on the front or back of the hydro pedal to creep backward or forward. I can do this all from the rearward facing seat. I've heard of some guys using a short stick to push on the pedal but it's not necessary on a BX. Pulling on the hydro pedal makes it less likely to trip the seat safety switch, which happens easier when trying to push on it. I've also used Harry's "neutral" method but prefer to have it in gear, especially on an incline.

 

[Tom_H]

Tom, I'm not sure what you're disagreeing with. If you're reading that I said you should have the loader bucket off the ground while you're digging, please look back over the 2 posts. In the first post I recommend that the operator "Lower the bucket, set the outriggers and dig." In the second, "lower the loader bucket and raise the front wheels off the ground as high as you like. Lower the outriggers and raise the rear. That's as anchored as you can get." I agree, to have any amount of stability, the front bucket must be on the ground to counteract lifting forces of the BH. Also, due to the necessity of manipulating the front bucket while operating the BH, the machines are built so the FEL control is easily reached from the BH seat. I've never seen an exception to that in a factory set up.

Tom, I spent over 10,000 hours on TBLs digging many, many miles of mainline pipelines in 17 different states. There are few conditions I haven't encountered and my intent was just to pass on a bit of hard earned knowledge. I'm really sorry if I seemed to be argumentative, I just thought Compact Tractor Fan should know the easy way.

O.K. in the first post you had been writing about the bh, and then said, "lower the bucket", that's the place where things got confused. Since you had just been talking about the bh, it seemed that you meant "lower the backhoe bucket." Thanks for clarifying.

 

[cruggles]

Whether the BX25 had creep ability was one of my first question to which the "TBN Board" answer was "no." But, I just read a thread here on B26 mod's where one poster outlined a safety switch on the seat that provides continuity when in the forward position but no continuity when rotated for BH duty and that's what prevents you from moving the tractor with the seat reversed. Apparently, he taped the switch to be closed all the time which allows him to creep the machine for BH work. I'm going to look for that switch on mine and give overriding it some thought. This would be just so I could delicately move the machine for BH work, and I would leave the operator presence switch in tact to keep a measure of safety in place.

You can swivel in the BH seat and depress the safety switch with one hand and push on the forward/backward pedal with the other. It's a bit of a reach and a bit hard on the back if you do it too often. You'll see the safety switches under where the seat goes when it's facing forward on the RHS. There are two. The forward one is relevant. It does work, but I prefer the method described above of leaving it in neutral and using the backhoe to push the machine forward.

 

[lhansman]

I have not operated a BX25 but I know that with a B26 you can certainly push the machine along on level ground with the hoe. However, this only works if you are on fairly level and clear ground I have found if the front tires hit any obstruction (a rock, tree root or unlevel ground) they may pivot and send you in an unintended direction. That is why I prefer to use the HST pedal with one hand to move my B26 while holding the steering wheel pointed in the direction I want to go. I use the hoe more for picking up the back of the machine and moving it left or right as required.

 

[CHDinCT]

You can swivel in the BH seat and depress the safety switch with one hand and push on the forward/backward pedal with the other. It's a bit of a reach and a bit hard on the back if you do it too often. You'll see the safety switches under where the seat goes when it's facing forward on the RHS. There are two. The forward one is relevant. It does work, but I prefer the method described above of leaving it in neutral and using the backhoe to push the machine forward.

Funny you should revive this thread. I was just digging a shallow trench for a retaining wall on Tuesday and used the hoe to push the machine forward while in neutral. But, like Ihansman stated, once I reached a slight upward and uneven slope, it didn't work so well. Not sure I follow on holding the safety switch with my hand. I did see those two switches on the RHS as you state and I assume the forward one is the operator presence switch so it would be activated while I'm in the seat. The other one must prevent machine movement with the seat in the rear facing position but I didn't look close enough to see how I could activate it by hand.