Hello all, I am looking for a backhoe attachment for my 2012 LS 4047. I would love to have one with the hydraulic thumb. If you could, give me your opinion on the best one (LS brand or not). Whether a sub mount or 3 pt. connection is better, hydraulic or PTO hookup difficulty of hooking up and taking off and of course PRICE? Thank you in advance for your needed opinions!
I would recommend strongly against going with a 3 pt mounted backhoe. Aggressive use can crack the transmission case, which would not be covered under warranty in a case like this. LS's own backhoe is a really good unit that has a nice solid frame mount attachment method that still allows for quick, easy, tool free removal and installation. Heck, you don't even have to remove your 3pt lift before you hook up the backhoe....really doesn't get any easier IMO.
Also, no reason to go with a PTO driven hydraulic pump. The LS dual pump hydraulics will provide plenty of flow and you've got remotes just waiting for you on the back of the tractor already....all you need is a few feet of hose from the backhoe with the right ends on it, which is already supplied from LS with one of their backhoes.
Finally, the LS hoe is probably cheaper than other aftermarket options anyway.
One thing you might not think of, but need to plan for with an aftermarket installation of an LS backhoe is the need for constant hydraulic flow from the tractor to the implement. The LS 2 way hydraulic remote control valves do not have a valve detent installed OEM.... so which ever remotes you hook up to, let's say the green pair, will require the green control lever to be held in the flowing position. You can do the ghetto bungie cord method, fabricate a hook which can be attached to a handy tapped and threaded hole you'll see in the body panel right next to your levers, or the cleanest option, which is a detent kit that gets installed in the control valve that provides a stop that will hold the lever in the flowing position.
More questions, feel free to send me an email to
john@rcotractor.com.