Backhoe Bxpanded backhoe dolly

sw03 · Feb 4, 2012

like2wheel said:
I made a backhoe dolly for my bx24 out of a left-over length of lam-beam & 3 tool chest casters. Cut the beam & bolted it together in a T shape, & put the 3 wheels on the bottom. Was one of those rare projects where everything worked out just right the 1st time, took all of about 30 min & works perfect. Fast on & off, small footprint, & sturdy too.

All wheels need to swivel to make it easy to reinstall, or else you'll need a lot of swing room to line it up.

Why? Serious here, the BH dolly has been around for years. Why would I do all this work when Harbor Freight has 2 for $18....

shownuff · Feb 4, 2012

what are they called on hf ?

like2wheel · Feb 4, 2012

ametcalf said:
Could you please post a picture and a couple of measurements? I would like to know the dimensions of the T. I would also like to know the distance from the floor to the top of the dolly. I tried to make a dolly for my BX23. It looks like the one for the BX25 but it does not work very well so I went back to just letting the backhoe set on the floor when I take it off. It would be nice to be able to move it around.
Thank you,
A.Metcalf

I'm out of town for the weekend, I'll be sure to post the dimensions when I get back. Not sure about pictures though, I've got everything packed in for the winter. If I can make a path to roll it out, I'll get some pics up.

like2wheel · Feb 5, 2012

sw03 said:
Why? Serious here, the BH dolly has been around for years. Why would I do all this work when Harbor Freight has 2 for $18....

I seriously don't recall telling you that you should. But if you consider bolting 2 pieces of wood together & fastening casters on the bottom "all this work", then you should instead spend your 30 minutes driving to Harbor Freight to buy yours.

I happened to already have a couple of those HF dolleys, but figured I might be able to use my 30 mins to build something better with some materials that I had laying around.

For me it worked out better, & since I've learned a lot from this site, I mentioned it here in case it might help someone else.

ametcalf · Feb 5, 2012

like2wheel said:
I'm out of town for the weekend, I'll be sure to post the dimensions when I get back. Not sure about pictures though, I've got everything packed in for the winter. If I can make a path to roll it out, I'll get some pics up.

Thanks for the response. Don't go to any extra work to get it out for the pictures. I'm sure if you just give me the dimensions I should be able to figure it out. I have some laminated beam left over from when we built our house in 2008 and a lot of castors from over the years. I am thinking I might be able to put something together that works better than what I already did. I am hoping the BX23 hoe comes off more like your BX24 hoe than the BX25 hoe.
Thanks again.
A. Metcalf

Deano · Feb 5, 2012

ametcalf said:
I am hoping the BX23 hoe comes off more like your BX24 hoe than the BX25 hoe.
Thanks again.
A. Metcalf

The BX24 and BX25 come off the exact same way as one another.
Not sure how the BX23 comes off.

ametcalf · Feb 5, 2012

Deano said:
The BX24 and BX25 come off the exact same way as one another.
Not sure how the BX23 comes off.

Deano,
Thanks for the response. I may be wrong but when I watch the videos on u tube of removing and installing the backhoe on the BX25 it looks to me like it is a different system than the BX23. Next time I am at the dealer I will try and see if it looks different.
A. Metcalf

like2wheel · Feb 10, 2012

ametcalf said:
Could you please post a picture and a couple of measurements? I would like to know the dimensions of the T. I would also like to know the distance from the floor to the top of the dolly. I tried to make a dolly for my BX23. It looks like the one for the BX25 but it does not work very well so I went back to just letting the backhoe set on the floor when I take it off. It would be nice to be able to move it around.
Thank you,
A.Metcalf

Sorry about the delay; I made the T out of a lam-beam I had that measured 1 3/4"x 9 1/4", 7 1/2 feet long. I cut 3' for the width & that left 4' 6" for the length. If you have something slightly shorter around, you could get by with less length if you stack some 2x boards to reach the bucket in the higher position. Bolted it into a "T" with 4 carriage bolts.

The front casters are from a tool chest, 5" wheels with a overall height of 6 1/4". The rear is slightly smaller, but that works out because the rear board is bolted underneath the cross. All 3 swivel for easy installation. The height of the wheels added to the thickness of the lumber gives the dolley an overall height of 8". Seems to be just about right for my bx24, not sure how those dimensions will work out for your machine.

The stiffness of the lam-beam, combined with the large diameter of the wheels makes it much more stable & easy rolling than some of the other options mentioned, especially if you have a rough floor.

Hope this helps, let me know if you need any other info.

ametcalf · Feb 10, 2012

like2wheel said:
Sorry about the delay; I made the T out of a lam-beam I had that measured 1 3/4"x 9 1/4", 7 1/2 feet long. I cut 3' for the width & that left 4' 6" for the length. If you have something slightly shorter around, you could get by with less length if you stack some 2x boards to reach the bucket in the higher position. Bolted it into a "T" with 4 carriage bolts.

The front casters are from a tool chest, 5" wheels with a overall height of 6 1/4". The rear is slightly smaller, but that works out because the rear board is bolted underneath the cross. All 3 swivel for easy installation. The height of the wheels added to the thickness of the lumber gives the dolley an overall height of 8". Seems to be just about right for my bx24, not sure how those dimensions will work out for your machine.

The stiffness of the lam-beam, combined with the large diameter of the wheels makes it much more stable & easy rolling than some of the other options mentioned, especially if you have a rough floor.

Hope this helps, let me know if you need any other info.

Thank you for your response. I am going to try and make this one when I have a chance. The rough floor part is especially appealing to me as our barn is an old tobacco barn with a dirt floor.
A. Metcalf

sw03 · Feb 23, 2012

ametcalf said:
Deano,
Thanks for the response. I may be wrong but when I watch the videos on u tube of removing and installing the backhoe on the BX25 it looks to me like it is a different system than the BX23. Next time I am at the dealer I will try and see if it looks different.
A. Metcalf

All the BH's on the BX's come off the same. Most are 90% the same tractor.