New trailer excavator backhoe for ATV or car

[FCM_group]

Check the new excavator on:
www.fcm-group.com
or in the classified ads section.

Donald

 

[bczoom]

Well, I tried your site. The "English" version appears to be under construction. Je ne comprends pas French.

BTW - I don't think you're allowed to advertise your company directly into a post without prior approval.

EDIT - OK, I opened your web page. About 2 minutes later, I get an e-mail from you titled "Out of Office AutoReply: [BULK] New trailer excavator backhoe for ATV or car"
How/why did you do that??? /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif I don't want an e-mail from any/every site I visit unless I request it.

 

[aigeezer]

I think I'm going to order one of these soon, probably the 4-wheel 9hp non-self-propelled version with the optional thumb for about Cdn $10k.
Despite the awkward original posting in this thread, the FCM web site is now pretty good and there are some good videos of the products on YouTube. It looks like my dealer may be Princess Auto, a big parts chain headquartered in Winnipeg. The people in Quebec and Winnipeg have been good to deal with so far - email and phone.

My main uses will be stump removal, trail making and ditching on 100+ acres. I spent a lot of time lurking on TBN (as I always do before buying accessories), and I came close to getting a Woods BH6000 or a Wallenstein GX620 backhoe or a Woods TSG50 stump grinder, among others. I thought briefly about one of the Asian towable backhoes, but chickened out because of the "no name" components and general home-made look. I thought the Alpine Magnum stump grinder was very cool, but I'm at an age where I'd better let hydraulics do most of the work.

It's quite a leap of faith for me to pick something that doesn't have enthusiastic support at TBN, but, gulp, I'm getting close to the point of no return. Wish me luck!

If anyone has experience with the FCM products, please share your views.

Thanks!

 

[MarkV]

Hope it works out for you if you buy. It would be nice if you could try one first. Digging stumps of any size can work and move my 7500 lbs. tractor/backhoe around pretty good. It is hard for me to imagine how something that light could be very affective if the stumps are of any size.

Welcome to the forum. Glad you decided to join.

MarkV

 

[aigeezer]

how something that light could be very affective if the stumps are of any size.MarkV

Thanks Mark. I'm stuck with something pretty light no matter what. My tractor only weighs a ton or so, and my budget is limited of course. I have no illusions about pulling stumps like carrots the way real forestry equipment does. I imagine I'll nibble patiently around the edges for a long time and call it "working hard". I've removed stumps that way with my tractor loader, but it's very slow and messy. I'm retired so "slow" is ok, and I don't mind fixing up the mess. If I were younger and/or being paid by the hour I might have chosen the Alpine Magnum though.

Oh, one other reason I'm leaning toward the FCM rig is that I can tow it out to the site then operate it independently from the tractor, which can then tow a trailer separately to fill with dirt, stumps or whatever. I couldn't think of a convenient way to load and haul stuff away if I mounted a backhoe on the back of my tractor.

I sure wish I could hear from some owners/renters of these things. It's odd - they've been around for a few years, but there's almost no mention of them on the Net other than from the manufacturer. If I don't get scared off in the next day or so I'll probably take the plunge - we got the final price and shipping details settled today with Princess Auto. If I get one, I'll tell you all what happens.

 

[amigauser]

I think I'm going to order one of these soon, probably the 4-wheel 9hp non-self-propelled version with the optional thumb for about Cdn $10k.

If your spending $10,000 on it, why not get a used mini-excavator?

 

[Groo]

or a used construction tractor or used dozer.

I've used a backhoe on a 35 hp Kubota to dig stumps. it MUCH more dificult than you are thinking it will be.

you'd have more luck with a sawsall and a come-along than your plan.

 

[aigeezer]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. My situation may be unusual in that I want to do this stuff mainly for "fun". At some level I don't really care how many stumps I dig or how long it takes. There are enough stumps here to last three lifetimes, which is how I like it.

I've been following ads in my area for used backhoes and excavators for several months and nothing has got me excited. Most of the stuff in my price range is 20-30 years old, and I have a weakness for shiny new things, partly because I have no talent for fixing up old machinery. My role in life usually is to be the guy who soaks up depreciation costs so others can get bargains when I trade in my stuff.

I thought a long time about mini-excavators also but they just don't seem right for my purposes. I'd buy one of everything suggested here if I won a lottery though - I do get your points. (Note to self: buy a lottery ticket).

For what it's worth, here are some of my reasons (rationalizations?):

1. I don't need the weight or the cost of a cab or even a canopy. I'll only be using this thing when the mood strikes me, and I want to get into some fairly confined spaces.

2. The work sites are scattered over a 106-acre property, so I'd like to move from one to another without much fuss - no slow tracked vehicle, for instance, and no heavy footprint. Even my little JD755 makes big ruts with its loaded R1 tires. There's lots of side-slopes here also.

3. If a stump is bigger than I feel like tackling, I'll just make the path go around it and I'll call it a "landscaping feature". I'm not trying to prepare a field, say, where the stumps really have to go or the mission fails.

4. I don't need the loader feature of a regular backhoe or the blade on a mini-excavator (for example), as I've got that kind of implement for my tractor.

5. The Honda engine appeals because I've had good luck with other small Honda engines over the years. This thing will sit in an outbuilding much of the time, so any diesel probably wouldn't get used enough to justify its cost premium. (Maybe I should buy two lottery tickets).

Still no opinions from owners/renters of the FCM towable rigs? I'm not sure if that's good news or bad news.

If I get this thing and it doesn't work out, it's ok to say "I told you so".

Thanks again!

 

[WantedWolf]

Well Im a good customer there but have never dropped that kind of $'s at princess auto. And I dont agree with people buying all the tools for a specific job, completing it the returning all the tools. but there starting to get to big for themselves and the service is down the chute.
So dont forget the Princess auto motto "no sale is final until your satisfied"

Lets hold them to it. Can you try the BH on your time and project after delivery. and If its not satisfactory, return it. You might have to eat delivery fees but they wont be 8-10k$.

 

[WantedWolf]

. Most of the stuff in my price range is 20-30 years old, and I have a weakness for shiny new things,

Maybe you could kill 2 birds sorta.

Buy the older BH or Mini-ex that is sure to do the job. Then satisfy the shiny urge with a new HVLP gun and stainless pressure pot

Paint the old machine any color you fancy, at you leisure

 

[aigeezer]

kill 2 birds

As luck would have it, we placed the order yesterday with Princess Auto. They've been good to deal with so far. We'll see what the future brings. Today there was an interesting ad at Kijiji Halifax for a used 2000 Bobcat mini-excavator 331 for $6500, but I don't yet feel any buyer's remorse in choosing the FCM rig.

I also reread the fine print on the local guy's Asian 2-wheel towable backhoes offered at Cdn $8k, and I still wasn't tempted to go with them.

Now that I'm committed I'll probably get really really defensive (at least until the wheels fall off or some such fall from grace).

Delivery is promised for May 28.

 

[aigeezer]

I took delivery today. Today was the promised delivery date, so no problems there. There were some on again/off again promises for earlier delivery that fell through because of confusion over what kind of rig was needed for transport. The factory had made it clear, but as A told B who told C and so forth things got garbled. I ordered (Nova Scotia) from a dealer thousands of miles away (Manitoba), and the factory is about half way between us (Quebec) - some confusion is inevitable, especially since this is the first-time for the dealer and for me. Everyone was very accommodating, and it all worked out ok.

The backhoe arrived on a tilt-bed truck. The driver off-loaded it easily, with a gentle pull from a chain on my tractor to put the first few inches of the pallet on the ground. The truck then just pulled away, leaving the pallet safely on the ground.

The pallet had some transport damage, leaving a few nails protruding where they might puncture a tire, so I decided to disassemble the pallet rather than risk pulling the backhoe off it. The factory rep had thought it could be off and running in five minutes, but it took much longer this way.

I jacked the backhoe up and put the wheels into towing position (easy to do) then noticed that it needed a 2" hitch ball. I had switched to a 1 7/8" ball a few days ago - I was sure they said only the self-propelled models used 2" balls! Oh well, no harm done but I was glad I wasn't at some remote site with no backup. Other than that, the backhoe hooked up easily to the drawbar on my JD755.

I took a quick look at some of the main features (see photos), then shoehorned both tractor and backhoe into a 30' membrane building that was already pretty full as my barn is getting repaired. I'll read the manuals carefully before I do anything further. I'll post here in a few days when I have some experience with the backhoe. So far, so good.

 

[farmboy12]

Looks great! Good luck!


Kyle

 

[yankeerider]

Any experience to post? Or can that new machine still be sitting inside undirtied?

 

[aigeezer]

Thanks for the reminder yankeerider. Good to see another JD755 owner - I bought my 755 new in 1998 and have been very happy with it. Um... I've only put about 4 hours on the backhoe, as other commitments and rainy weather have got in the way. Everything works as it should so far. The JD755 tows it without fuss, the Honda motor starts on the first pull, and so forth.

I've been using it to clear a path of rocks and roots. The rocks so far are all about 100 pounds or less, so the task is easy for the machine but it's good for me to learn the controls. My technique so far is very amateurish: Stare warily at five joysticks so I don't inadvertently lift a stabilizer leg; agonize over whether to extend the boom or the dipper stick next; tentatively push the boom swing in case it's really the bucket curl.... Everything takes me quite a bit longer than it will once I get some more hours in.

So far, I've only used the backhoe coupled to the tractor because I've been on slopes. This means it's less independent than I would prefer. One reason I didn't want to buy a backhoe for the tractor itself was that people here have said it is a hassle climbing from seat to seat every time you change from moving to digging and back again. I now see what they mean firsthand, and I have the extra nuisance of starting the tractor up and shutting it down for every move of a few feet. On the other hand, I've come to appreciate that the Honda engine on the backhoe is much quieter than the Yanmar diesel on the tractor. Once I'm working on level ground, I'll decouple the two and the seat-dance will be a non-issue.

When my hands do what my head wants them to, it's a joy to use - just like the big machines, I guess - with various simultaneous degrees of freedom so it all moves seamlessly.

Weather here is supposed to be good this week so I'm hoping to get some decent time in and improve my skills. I'll look for photo ops! When I can pluck mosquitoes out of the air with the thumb I'll post a video for sure.

No regrets so far. Oh, I should perhaps have ordered the hour meter. At the time I figured it was really for the rental market, but now I realize it would be handy for maintenance scheduling. Speaking of maintenance, it has over 20 grease nipples and the handbook warned that all should be greased before the first use. I was pleasantly surprised to see they had done it at the factory so I didn't have to.

 

[aigeezer]

Here are a few photos from my first "learning sessions" with the little FCM backhoe. Nothing very exciting, but possibly useful if you are planning to do similar things.

More recently, I've done some much more ambitious stuff with it and I'll post details when I get a chance.

For now, this is just about light duty path making in the woods.

 

[aigeezer]

Oh... I damaged a tooth on the bucket while attempting to dig up bedrock (I didn't know it was bedrock at the time). I replaced the tooth with a JD T2A, and I think I've come up with a good way to replace peened-on bucket teeth. Since I'm a rookie at this, let me know if you think I'm making a big mistake.

 

[aigeezer]

I know this thread is very old but perhaps this update is useful.

Yesterday I lost a bucket tooth - more than five years after replacing the first one! I had pretty much forgotten how to do the replacement but I remembered the details were posted here so I wound up using my own old instructions from the archive. I hope they have been of use to others also.

The little FCM backhoe has been a real workhorse. I've broken a couple of hydraulic fittings over the years (my fault) but there have been no other maintenance issues and the Honda engine still starts on the first pull. I tow it behind my JD3520 these days and it looks ridiculously small but it has handled any stump it's encountered so far. Yesterday was a five-stump day, for example - 12-inch spruce.

 

[schmism]

Its my understanding that the normal way to mount those teeth is to bend the ears over into the dimples in the tooth roots.

you heat them up till they are cherry red, then use a ball peen and 2lb hammer. This is not a sissy job, its a reach back and swing the hammer with determination!

I have a thread of how I did mine. from like 8 years ago.

to recap

roots

"tacked" inplace

finished version

FYI I lost one root shortly after I installed them. After I 2nd passed them with a proper 220v welder I have had 0 issues in the past 8 years with them and i have NOT been easy on them. I also dont regret for one min welding them on to my bucket.

 

[aigeezer]

My little FCM backhoe has finally had a serious setback. I was digging out stumps as usual when the stick control suddenly had no effect. I looked up and saw that the pin coupling the cylinder to the stick was missing - no big deal, I thought - it must have worked loose and fallen out. A closer look showed it had sheared, and on the way out had bent the housing badly. Yikes! Didn't hear a thing. Didn't feel it get hung up on anything. One moment it was fine, the next it was toast. I'll contact the manufacturer to see what my options are - warranty was over long ago.