Backhoe Moving Your Tractor With Backhoe

   / Moving Your Tractor With Backhoe #1  

RobS

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From "Who regrets their backhoe decision" thread...

<font color="blue">I know with my backhoe it is not recommended that you move the tractor with it.
</font>

I do use my hoe to move my tractor but only rolling it along, not lifting to repostion side-to-side. I don't think it's too hard on it to do this, I can practically roll the tractor by hand.

My process is generally to 1) plant hoe to keep from rolling, 2) lift stabilizers, 3) raise loader, 4) adjust steering if needed then, 5) use hoe to roll tractor along and reverse process.

This works pretty well but I do occasionally have to switch seats for a more significant adjustment.

I think I have tried using the hoe to swing the tractor sideways but I wasn't comfortable with it. Perhaps my own skill level, perhaps an underlying feeling of abuse?

So what do all you more seasoned hoe operators do?

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Some clarifications may be in order...

I do all this repostitioning from the backhoe seat. I can reach the throttle, FEL control and steering wheel from there.

My tractor is GST and I leave it in neutral during hoe work. Not sure how this works with HST?

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
   / Moving Your Tractor With Backhoe #3  
Both of mine are TLB's, so using the hoe to manipulate the machine becomes a necessity. Side to side, front to back or jumping a trench. I have 0 experience with a 3 point mount (even subframe mount) and from reading the comments on TBN, I think my "bad habits" would result in alot of trips to the parts place /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
   / Moving Your Tractor With Backhoe #4  
Where are you located? I'm in Newburg (Charles County) and have just resold the Prairie Dog in favor of yet to be acquired TLB. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to meet with you to discuss your experience with TLBs. You can probably answer questions that I'm not smart enough to ask.

Thanks,

Dave
 
   / Moving Your Tractor With Backhoe #5  
As I pointed out in the other backhoe thread, My New Holland tractor has safety interlocks so that the only way the tractor will run, once you leave the operator's seat, is to set the parking brake. Of course, the tractor has to be running in order to power the hydrauylics for the backhoe. Further, the parking brake actually works -- the tractor will not roll when it is set. If I were able to release the brake with a stick or something, the tractor would immediately stall because no one is sitting in the operator's seat.

Unless one uses the bucket to lift the rear wheels off the ground, there is no way to move a late model New Holland with a backhoe.
 
   / Moving Your Tractor With Backhoe #6  
My wife and I use one of two systems:

for trenching, a second operator moves the tractor, while the hoe operator stays put.

Other times, we actually run over the tire to get between the two. it takes a lot less energy to go that way than climbing down and up... We both found ourselves going that way naturally, thought it was kinda funny the other was also doing it...

I have moved the tractor with the hoe, the RSA mount never has caused me any worry, but that isn't second nature, yet....
 
   / Moving Your Tractor With Backhoe #7  
Don,
If it was mine, the dumber safety interlocks would be removed pretty quickly. If you like them, fine. But, this may be something that you'd want to disable, and NH might even make that a standard practice if you had purchased with a BH. Now I don't know for sure, I'm just hypothysizing. They may not recommend moving the tractor with the BH, so it may not matter. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

My dealer, when he delivered it, told me about positioning the bucket so I can move the tractor with the BH. Now, I don't know if that was just a shortcut and not recommended by Kubota. I did not see any reference to it in the manual for the BH. If I had to guess, I'd say Kubota doesn't recommend this, probably as a CYA thing. I should ask the dealer what the recommendation is. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Chris
 
   / Moving Your Tractor With Backhoe
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Don, my tractor has an interlock override on the seat switch that will allow the PTO to run without an operator present. Presumeably, this is for a PTO driven, stationary implement like a generator.

I realize this situation is completely different than yours but perhaps some override is available or could be "rigged".

Particularly for straightline trenching, I cannot imagine having to switch seats everytime you needed to inch the tractor along. Very inefficient, but plenty of seats time /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
   / Moving Your Tractor With Backhoe #9  
<font color="blue"> Now, I don't know if that was just a shortcut and not recommended by Kubota. I did not see any reference to it in the manual for the BH. </font>

I just checked because this comment got me wondering if I was remembering something that was not in my backhoe manual...wouldn't be the first time... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

All I could find, in addition to "Do NOT lift or crane, or side-push dirt with the bucket" warnings, was this comment in the Kubota BL4690A manual, on page 12:

"Due to the configuration of the tractor, with separate operator's stations divided by the ROPS, the backhoe should not be used to move the unit. The boom and dipper and both stabilizers should be raised to clear the ground level, and the unit should be moved along the trench line or excavation with the tractor."

Interesting.

They basically say don't crane because the hoe does not have much lift capacity, and also because there is no safe way to attach a cable or chain to the bucket/boom. And they also raise stability issues.

And advise not to side push dirt, because lateral swing puts "huge stresses on the entire backhoe frame that will cause major failures that can effect the entire tractor-loader-backhoe." Additionally Kubota notes: "Lateral swing backfilling is perhaps the most common abuse placed on backhoes today..."

But the only reason they give not to move the unit with the backhoe is because it has two seats... /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I'm surprised but see no mention of unusual stresses, etc, as the reason...

Time to rethink my hesitation to move the tractor with the hoe perhaps? I like to keep the parking brake set...I guess if I put the tractor in 2WD mode lifted a bit and pushed...might just be the ticket when doing a long trench...
 
   / Moving Your Tractor With Backhoe
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Yeah Bill, I think the fact that there are two seats is a pretty poor excuse to have to use them both when trenching. There are also lights available but you don't use them unless you have to.

Think about all the stresses your hoe sees during "properly sanctioned" backhoe work and compare to the stresses involved in rolling the tractor along with the hoe. It's certainly not any harder on the machine and probably less stressful than normal digging. I'm talking about pushing the tractor along, not lifting it.

<font color="blue"> I like to keep the parking brake set </font>

I use the parking brake for everything except hoe work. While still in the tractor seat I'll lower the FEL with my foot on the brake. I've learned to then release the brake and curl the bucket down to lift the front wheels off the ground (there is some rolling of the tractor during this step which is why I release the brakes). At that point I'm usually confident the tractor is not moving so I'll switch seats and set the stabilizers. My caveat to all this is that my land is very flat. Could be a different story with slopes. Also, as I mentioned above, my tractor is GST. Is there a free rolling, neutral position on a HST tractor?

All this talk makes me want to be out on my tractor instead of where I am right now /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
 
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