Kubota BX25-D "Sure-Footer"

4shorts · Jan 12, 2014

Last spring when we finally got the BX I spent about two months modding the things I could see I needed to change. After I got using BX and put 70 hours on it I got to see the things that really needed to be changed. The Kwik-Con on the back hoe was one and there are a few more that I'm working on this winter while I'm not using the BX.

One of the items that really bugged me last summer while operating this great little tractor was the back hoe stabilizer pads or the lack of them. They just have to small of a foot print in my opinion and would sink down in the soil in the matter of minutes and go down so far that the outrigger cylinders would have the chrome section down in the soil

Well I really didn't like that. I had purchased a set of optional pads from Kubota at the time of the tractor purchase and they were really meant for pavement but in the soil they would flip over on their own so I didn't like them much either.

The OEM pads being to small and no bar under them to help prevent them from sliding down in the soil I figured I'd build a larger set to more or less act like a snowshoe. I would put bars under them to help reduce the sliding around I had with the OEM ones. Yesterday I built the set of them. I had a few people in the past ask me to post more photo's of my builds so I added lots of photos for you guys, you know who you are

I call these "Sure-Footer". Now on to the next mod!

4shorts · Jan 12, 2014

More photos!

4shorts · Jan 12, 2014

The completed photos!

aczlan · Jan 12, 2014

That should hold it up anywhere there it is hard enough to lift the back end with the backhoe bucket... Nice.

Aaron Z

art · Jan 12, 2014

Very nice work!
Nice shop!
The larger pad sure will hold the rear up better is soft soils.
That looks like it will work better then using a car tire!

The larger pads are not even an option that I've seen although you can get the street pad addition which can use an extra old car tire to help here.

/pine · Jan 12, 2014

good idea and excellent job...

Can you shake the dirt off the feet before raising them all the way up?

sixdogs · Jan 12, 2014

Excellent job and excellent photos. What an impressive and practical job. I do have a question, however.
Your paint always looks so good and I wonder how you paint your projects?

Darrenone · Jan 12, 2014

Excellent work and what a great shop you have! Quite jealous.

4shorts · Jan 13, 2014

aczlan said:
That should hold it up anywhere there it is hard enough to lift the back end with the backhoe bucket... Nice.

Aaron Z

Thanks Aaron. I'm hoping it's an improvement. I'll know for sure this coming spring.

art said:
Very nice work!
Nice shop!
The larger pad sure will hold the rear up better is soft soils.
That looks like it will work better then using a car tire!

The larger pads are not even an option that I've seen although you can get the street pad addition which can use an extra old car tire to help here.

Thanks Art. It's kind of funny because although I'm in the shop everyday I hardly ever notice it. Glad you like it. As for the pads. I would get off the machine last year and put logs and even old steel plates under the oem ones. Hopefully this will do the trick.

/pine said:
good idea and excellent job...

Can you shake the dirt off the feet before raising them all the way up?

Thanks Pine. That was another issue I had with the OEM pads, They were to close to the outriggers and clearing the pads off before they were brought back up was tough because they would fill up with dirt. I designed these to have a bigger gap between the outrigger arms and the pads so cleaning should be easier. :thumbsup:

sixdogs said:
Excellent job and excellent photos. What an impressive and practical job. I do have a question, however.
Your paint always looks so good and I wonder how you paint your projects?

Thanks Paul. The painting depends on the size of the items. Sometimes I'll load up the HVLP gun and shoot it but in this case I simple used a shaker can. Considering where they will be during their working life It should be good enough. I do intend on building a rubber adapter to add to the bottom of them so they can be used on pavement.

Darrenone said:
Excellent work and what a great shop you have! Quite jealous.

Thank you! Glad you like the shop. you might not like it so much if you had to be here everyday working in it :laughing: Seriously. I try and keep it clean and it's warm here so Its a comfortable place to work.