Regret not getting a backhoe for my tractor

[Jstpssng]

I had a little CadPlan "Caddigger" BH that a school teacher downstate welded up. I did a surprising amount of work with it, considering that it just rode on the 3pth.
You had to be careful and drag rather than push; otherwise you would get slammed into the roll bar.
I don't dig trees, I fell them and dig the stumps. It takes several moves; as previously mentioned you don't rip it out of the ground, you dig around it and cut the roots.
The biggest I ever dug was too heavy for my L275 to lift; I had to drag it off with a chain.
I sold that when I inherited my father's 750 Woods. Again, 3pth mount although I eventually will get a subframe. Unfortunately it will have to be modified from another BH.
I'm not sure if I'd go spend the money for a new one but this comes in handy. I dug a 275 foot trench to replace a waterline, and every year plant a few more fruit trees. I eventually plan to reclaim gravel from a 600 foot road into my field and the BH will be used to dig it out.

As somebody mentioned, you are constantly moving it. I go forward just far enough so that my rear tires are where the fronts were. Still, for my purpose it works well. I can put it on, use it and take it off in less time than it would take me to drive to a rental place.

 

[Eagle1]

While a mini ex would be ideal, I picked up my used LS with a hoe. Hardly ever comes off, great counter weight for the heavy lifting. Use it all time to dig holes for fence posts in my rocky clay ground when a Tpost can't be pounded in anywhere near where you need it. I can dig the bigger rocks to make room.
Buried 3 old dogs this year alone.
Planted a bunch of fruit trees.
Dig dirt/rocks from a hill and scoop and move with the loader
Handy crane when needed or post puller, post straightner after the cattle mess with stuff. Handy to remove multiflora and other pesky things in places I can't get the loader.
Only time I pull it off is when it's time to mount the rotary mower.
Granted I have the little BX to pull most things I need

And no 60+ mile one way drive to a rental yard.

 

[walnutman]

For my 7.5' backhoe on my 5000 pound tractor (with front loader and backhoe on), I generally limit myself to felling 12" trees and smaller. The 15-20" diameter trees I have tried to fell have taken FOREVER, with many repositions of the machine to be able to find the right roots needing cut. And then when a giant tree gets to swaying, you dont have enough backhoe leverage power to necessarily avoid a catastrophe if the wind blows randomly.

That's not taking out a stump LOL. That's taking out a tree. Very dangerous.
Here in Texas they bulldozer or trackhoe them.

 

[GWagon]

A backhoe is a great thing to have but it all depends on your usage. They are not just for digging.. If you have an hydraulic thumb they are amazing for lifting things into place or removing things!!

It is very important to make sure you get one with a sub-frame if you do decide on one for your tractor.

I have used mine quite extensively at times but then it will also sit for long periods of time. I decided on getting it instead of an excavator because I did not want to have an entire other machine with another engine and a drivetrain to sit around and have to maintain. Therefore the removable backhoe was for me the best option.

Just my 2 cents. I hope this helps!!

Absolutely. Must have the subframe. Never use a 3 point only mounted backhoe unless you want to break your tractor in half.

 

[karlmagne]

Backhoes are great tools, but terribly hard on farm tractors. Farm tractors just weren't built for backhoes, so they can't really handle abuse, just easy digging. If you get one, don't try to shove the teeth into the earth, curl the bucket and try to fill it up. Use a longer scraping action to gradually fill it up digging 4" at a time on a longer stretch to fill the bucket. The abuse of the backhoe can possibly break the tractor in half where the transmission bolts to the engine. Many tractors have died this way.

That's good info to have, thanks.

 

[karlmagne]

Good information on this subject, thanks.

 

[Brianczaw]

A loader is important, and I'm glad my tractor has one with a big bucket. It's proven very useful as I will explain shortly. But the loader just isn't good at digging DEEP holes. This is my first tractor/ranch and, to tell the truth, I was unaware just how critical a deep a hole would be. Don't get me wrong, the loader is great for scooping up the cash, but it just can't dig a big enough hole, in which to put it. In fact I just bought a 15 yard dump trailer. Now I can use the loader to fill it up with cash and then dump it directly into the money pit. A real time saver!

Funny!!!!! I have a waterfront property. Same issue.

 

[jfsawatzky]

Absolutely. Must have the subframe. Never use a 3 point only mounted backhoe unless you want to break your tractor in half.

I agree. I don’t think many people consider the stresses transferred thru the tractor frame to the front. That’s where the subframe avoids other potential weak spots. It’s obvious is a lot of stress is directly applied to and thru the 3 pt but some of that migrates thru the tractor frame.
Without a subframe I think you’re asking for problems.

 

[airbiscuit]

If you're looking for an efficient way to go through money, wouldn't it be easier to just buy a horse?

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Or a boat!