Backhoe 10 days till backhoe!

   / 10 days till backhoe! #1  

Boondox

Elite Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2000
Messages
3,873
Location
Craftsbury Common, Vermont
Tractor
Deere 4044R cab, Kubota KX-121-3S
Next Tuesday the dealer will come pick up Clementine and take her in to have the Woods sub-frame fitted. Figured I'd have them switch me over to Super-UDT at the same time...save me the hassle of properly disposing of 11 gallons of UDT fluid. So here I am with the Woods 7500 owner's manual, practicing the hand movements like good old Daniel-san. Wax on...wax off.

I already have about 30 stumps and 120 boulders mentally flagged for removal. Can't wait! This is as bad as waiting to take delivery of the tractor in the first place! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Pete
 
   / 10 days till backhoe! #2  
Sounds like a lot of fun (er I mean work) planned... watch them rocks they are like icebergs... everyone I have tackled was much bigger than first thought! I guess I could say the same thing about them stumps!

Question: What is the difference in the fluids (Super-UDT vs. UDT)?
 
   / 10 days till backhoe! #3  
Congratulations and welcome to the Nugget Miners Club! I think you will find that the 'hoe is one of the most usefull tractor attachments after a loader.
 
   / 10 days till backhoe! #4  
Pete, words cannot describe how jealous I am /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif Maybe one day I'll join you and the others in the backhoe ranks. In the meantime, I look forward to hearing about your experiences. Be sure to post plenty of pictures /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
   / 10 days till backhoe! #5  
Pete, congratulations!!! I don't know if anyone can truly justify the price of the BH but I do know that it is one of the best stress relievers that I have come upon. The satisfaction of removing a stump or rock or digging a trench and seeing the immediate results is awesome. You thought you had friends when you had Clementine with the FEL just wait til they find out you have the BH. Have fun, start slowly and above all else have FUN!!

Bill C
 
   / 10 days till backhoe! #6  
<font color=blue>I don't know if anyone can truly justify the price of the BH but I do know that it is one of the best stress relievers that I have come upon.</font color=blue>

I have to agree with the stress relief aspects of a backhoe. After having a really, really bad day, I used the backhoe to "customize" an old dodge van I am parting out. Really did a number on ripping the driver door off and adding space for a second door right behind the driver door. I felt much better after that.
 
   / 10 days till backhoe! #7  
Doesn't seem all that to long ago you were were pacing the floor waiting for your L3010 while still useing B1750,and now your going to add another attachment..hey thats great /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif..be careful when backing into the garage. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif
 
   / 10 days till backhoe! #8  
Pete,

Congratulations on the backhoe! I have a Woods 7500 with subframe on my B2910. I only have a few hours of actual backhoe experience, but the unit seems pretty forgiving. The extra weight of the L series should help keep the tractor "planted".

I would suggest making a dolly for the backhoe and frame, it really simplifies removal and installation if you can store it on a paved surface.

As far as someone's comment about justifying the backhoe, heck, I really couldn't justify the cost of the tractor in "foreseeable future" terms. However, over the next 30 years or so, I know it'll more than pay it's keep...the backhoe too! Plus, there's a certain intangible value to just "knowing it's there" when that next project arises.

I wish I had some of your acreage to play on, I'd sure get a lot more seat time then. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Good Luck,

~Rick
 
   / 10 days till backhoe!
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Rick -- Thanks! Storage when off the tractor is going to require some thought and preparation. The subframe is so large it would take up an entire garage bay, and that's the only concrete I have. I have plenty of flat ground around the garage, but during mud season things tend to settle a bit. So in the short term I'll probably set some of my 8x8 hemlock beams into the ground to spread the load. In the longer term will probably use the hoe to make a place for a concrete pad where the carport will eventually be built. I need the garage for the tractor, ATV, table saw and several hundred bf of maple and cherry Hurricane Floyd donated to us.

I could easily justify the cost just in the ease with which I'll now be able to repair our several miles of stone walls dating from the early 19th century. But being able to augment my water supply by tapping into that second abandoned springhouse up the hill, being able to ditch the road so it doesn't wash out every year and plug up my culverts, being able to do the excavation for septic repairs at our rental cottage, and having it on hand any time I need to dig are advantages I just couldn't overlook. Besides, $4k for a hoe with only 8 hours on it is a darned good price.

Oh, and the dolly idea sounds great! I saw what Peter Hayden did, but my garage slab is so badly cracked it would have to wait for the new carport slab. I'm really looking forward to this!

Pete
 
   / 10 days till backhoe!
  • Thread Starter
#10  
<font color=blue>Question: What is the difference in the fluids (Super-UDT vs. UDT)? </font color=blue>

From where I sit the big advantage is cold weather performance. When my hydraulic filter blew at 10 below zero last winter I couldn't believe how thick regular UDT was! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Pete
 
 
 
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