Backhoe as Tiller

[Ford tractor]

Here's one way.


Curl the bucket such that the teeth are pointed straight down. Lower the teeth so that they are vertically in the ground to the level of the bucket lip. Drive forward 10-20', raise the bucket straight up, jump off and kick the sod off the teeth. Circle back and repeat until you have the sod broken up. Cross hatch to break it up fine (well better anyway).

 

[CurlyDave]

Here's one way.


Curl the bucket such that the teeth are pointed straight down. Lower the teeth so that they are vertically in the ground to the level of the bucket lip. Drive forward 10-20', raise the bucket straight up, jump off and kick the sod off the teeth. Circle back and repeat until you have the sod broken up. Cross hatch to break it up fine (well better anyway).

Last week I was scratching the earth using a similar technique. Point the teeth down and use them as a rake to gather soil towards me, using the motion of the hoe, not driving the machine.

Now I was doing this to break up the earth in order to remove it with my FEL, but I did notice how nice and finely broken up the hard pan was. Back drag with the FEL to get it back level, or mound it up in a few places. I think you could easily do a couple hundred square feet in a few hours. More than enough for a pumpkin patch or two.

 

[MBDiagMan]

Good grief, my 88 year old mother makes a garden every year with only a spade.

LOL! When my Grandma was in her late seventies, she turned a pretty good size garden with a garden fork.

That said, I understand the mindset of the OP. I'm old enough that I remember a time when VERY FEW power tools were available. No weed eaters, no variable speed drills, no angle grinders, no impact wrenches, no air hammers, very few power sanders...... We did all kinds of things, it just took longer. TODAY, as jobs come up I start thinking about what power tool to use. OH NO!!! I don't have a power tool for that job??? Forget it! I'm exagerating, but the point is that I am spoiled to power tools/implements of all types and sometimes have conveniently forgotten how to use hand tools.

It's easy to forget that hand tools can indeed get things done. If I were in the same situation as the OP, I would go through the implement list in my head, but would finally figure out that I need to go get the shovel for those few pumpkins.

 

[Egon]

The bucket will also work very well for the job you have described. Quite a bit faster than the hoe. :thumbsup:

I have done this a few times and also removed rocks at the same time.

 

[MikeInEburg]

I actually DID use my backhoe instead of tiller on my garden. Worked like a champ. My garden is on a hillside, and I integrated irrigation ditch so that water ran down the row instead of down the hill. With this dry summer, it worked out well. However, next year I'll probably just borrow the neighbor's tiller and go back to the classic method - that's if we do a garden at all. The stinkbugs and late blight decimated the tomatoes. Other bugs ate the string beans. Blight got the potatoes. It was just a bad garden year. Many surrounding folks reported similar results - it felt good that it wasn't just me...
Mike

 

[peter_vii]

You are not serious? Are you?

What are you planning to grow? Grass?

For any root vegetables, you need to plow the land first.
Even a good tiller will not go deeper than 4-6".

For beats, carrots and garlic you need 8"+ of cultivated soil, preferably without stones.

I bottom plow the garden each fall, cultivate and till it each spring.
We have about 8-10" of top soil, but some spots have 4-6" and are not the best places to plant root vegetables.

Leave the backhoe for digging.

Good Luck,
Peter

 

[jbooth]

Best pumkins I ever grew came up volunteer from a discarded kid's jack o lantern. Based on that I would recommend using some round up to kill grass and weeds and then plant your seed and let nature take it's course. I believe a good fertilizer, (some horse or cow poo) insecticide, and watering is more important than the tilling method. You should be able to fold back the vines/plants and round up again for later weeds/grass. Really need to be careful with the round up as pumkins look to me to be an easy kill for the round up. Don't place the vines back until the round up has completely dried.

 

[TripleR]

LOL! When my Grandma was in her late seventies, she turned a pretty good size garden with a garden fork.

That said, I understand the mindset of the OP. I'm old enough that I remember a time when VERY FEW power tools were available. No weed eaters, no variable speed drills, no angle grinders, no impact wrenches, no air hammers, very few power sanders...... We did all kinds of things, it just took longer. TODAY, as jobs come up I start thinking about what power tool to use. OH NO!!! I don't have a power tool for that job??? Forget it! I'm exagerating, but the point is that I am spoiled to power tools/implements of all types and sometimes have conveniently forgotten how to use hand tools.

It's easy to forget that hand tools can indeed get things done. If I were in the same situation as the OP, I would go through the implement list in my head, but would finally figure out that I need to go get the shovel for those few pumpkins.

I am now in my sixties and my long term disability has gotten worse with age, so I can't do the things I once did and if I can't do it with equipment, I don't do it.

I however grew up clearing land with an ax and cross cut saw, no chain saws then. We worked in the fields chopping cotton. corn, beans etc; no herbicides. Even after my accident 40+ years ago, I exercised every day for a year and a half to be able to go back to school and farming. I got to the point where I could use my chain saws and split wood with a maul etc.

I used equipment, but there are just times when you need to shut everything down and get dirty. I have literally watched people spend an hour dinking around with a tractor when the job could have been done better by hand in half the time.

I fear overall that we are just becoming plain lazy. Of course I may also be just a cranky old coot who doesn't know about what he is talking.

 

[MBDiagMan]

TripleR,

Thanks for the post.

Sometimes it takes reading something like what you wrote to remember just how blessed I am. I am 61 years old and by the Grace of God, I'm in EXTREMELY good health and physical condition. Other than a few broken bones in my young adult years, I've experienced no serious accidents or had any health setbacks. I try not to take it for granted and try to remember that this can change at any second.

Had I experienced anything debilitating at a young age, I don't know if I could have soldiered on as you obviously have.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

OK, I think I've given up on the idea of the backhoe now. Maybe some day we'll get one of those nice Land Pride RTR tillers...:cloud9: