About 20 years ago I bought a new Jinma 30HP 4WD tractor and an Italian 3 point attached backhoe. The combination worked but was not very stable and after reading about possibly cracking the tractor housing I made my own frame attachment out of heavy weight 4x4 angle. It it bolted to the bottom of the frontend loader posts and to the read axel. A second piece of the 4x4 angle is attached to the backhoe on each side. The bolts at the axel extend through the frame mounted piece so the backhoe [piece can be attached. I then attach the top link. This has proved to be a sturdy mount even with our hard clay. Tough to dig as it does not have the power of a full size backhoe but it still will get the job done.
3 Point Backhoe
- Thread starter sparkyjohn
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sreeb
Member
There are plenty of very cheap gas powered 1 ton mini excavators flooding the market now. I would look into one of them. Probably more capable than an add on to a smaller tractor and more convenient.
Too many Kubotas
Veteran Member
I had a 3-point hoe on an M6040 for a very short while. Hated it.
It took a fair amount of work to attach and detach, unlike the factory one I installed on my Kioti CK2026.
It took a fair amount of work to attach and detach, unlike the factory one I installed on my Kioti CK2026.
jdmeth
Bronze Member
Jaygyver
Bronze Member
It is not without risks as is most things.
Back in 2019 after 3 or 4 months of looking online I found around 4 instances of people having major problems. Well, 3 1/2 as one was a, "my buddy had a friend that knew someone that had problems". 2 had top link bracket mount issues, the bracket broke at the bolts and the other was the back of the transmission where the bolts went in busted out, and 1 transmission broke in half. I did find one where the factory hoe frame mount that did break. Different brand tractors and the newest post was around 5 years old?
None of them mentioned what they were doing at the time, were they abusing the hoe to the max or was it just a factory defect.
The top link is the one that takes 90% of the beating.
Just doing normal digging and the like there shouldn't be a problem but if you're digging out tree stumps for example then that type of use could be an issue. When digging the roots if you have a good pull on the bucket and it suddenly releases then THAT is the most strain full part of it as the top link is absorbing that back and forth banging. If you do it slow and carefully it can be done safely.
Contrary to rumors your 3pt does NOT raise or lower the hoe, the lower links just link it -statically- to the hoe. So if you do have the a Draft control you have to make sure it's disabled.
I only had the JD-770 at the time and I ended up getting the WoodMaxx 6600 series self contained one. The smallest they made and grey area if my tractor spec's made the min suggested. Pump and Hyd tank is built in. I was looking at quality to $$$.
For me it worked great. It can be a pain sometimes to attach, sometimes it only takes around 15 minutes and sometimes it takes almost a half hour. Just make sure to have a really flat area to park it. The WoodMaxx was actually only around 100 ish pounds heavier then the OEM one was, and IF you found a used one they wanted almost as much as a new aftermarket one.
I did have to chain my back blade onto the front bucket of the 770 if I had to go to the other side of my property as it just bounced too much. I've used it to dig out stumps, moved large rocks, logs, brush, etc. Sometimes I was amazed how much it would pick up and sometimes I was amazed at how much it Didn't pick up. I also got the hyd thumb with it, OMG I love it. I did get my larger LS and it works fine with it, I can't pick any more up with it as the relief valve on the Hoe will still release the same but I can go to the other side of my property with out doing wheelies.
Back in 2019 after 3 or 4 months of looking online I found around 4 instances of people having major problems. Well, 3 1/2 as one was a, "my buddy had a friend that knew someone that had problems". 2 had top link bracket mount issues, the bracket broke at the bolts and the other was the back of the transmission where the bolts went in busted out, and 1 transmission broke in half. I did find one where the factory hoe frame mount that did break. Different brand tractors and the newest post was around 5 years old?
None of them mentioned what they were doing at the time, were they abusing the hoe to the max or was it just a factory defect.
The top link is the one that takes 90% of the beating.
Just doing normal digging and the like there shouldn't be a problem but if you're digging out tree stumps for example then that type of use could be an issue. When digging the roots if you have a good pull on the bucket and it suddenly releases then THAT is the most strain full part of it as the top link is absorbing that back and forth banging. If you do it slow and carefully it can be done safely.
Contrary to rumors your 3pt does NOT raise or lower the hoe, the lower links just link it -statically- to the hoe. So if you do have the a Draft control you have to make sure it's disabled.
I only had the JD-770 at the time and I ended up getting the WoodMaxx 6600 series self contained one. The smallest they made and grey area if my tractor spec's made the min suggested. Pump and Hyd tank is built in. I was looking at quality to $$$.
For me it worked great. It can be a pain sometimes to attach, sometimes it only takes around 15 minutes and sometimes it takes almost a half hour. Just make sure to have a really flat area to park it. The WoodMaxx was actually only around 100 ish pounds heavier then the OEM one was, and IF you found a used one they wanted almost as much as a new aftermarket one.
I did have to chain my back blade onto the front bucket of the 770 if I had to go to the other side of my property as it just bounced too much. I've used it to dig out stumps, moved large rocks, logs, brush, etc. Sometimes I was amazed how much it would pick up and sometimes I was amazed at how much it Didn't pick up. I also got the hyd thumb with it, OMG I love it. I did get my larger LS and it works fine with it, I can't pick any more up with it as the relief valve on the Hoe will still release the same but I can go to the other side of my property with out doing wheelies.
jdmeth
Bronze Member
Many years ago we use 3 point hitch backhoes on our 8000 lb 75 hp ag tractors. Didn't bother the tractor at all and I had no mercy on it digging stumps. I now have a JD 1023E, I do not have a backhoe for it but I think it would handle a small one. Of course I have tens of thousands of hours using backhoes so I would know how much stress to put on one. If you are just doing no more then what a shovel would do I think you would be OK.
i have a new holland tc24 with a sub frame backhoe mount that is 22 plus years old and my opinion is on a small tractor subframe is the only way to go if you want it to last. i have a case 580 for big jobs... just remember small tractors are best for smaller jobs, took me 6 hours to get a 32 inch diameter red pine stump out with my tc24 not including back-filling, same size tree with my case 580 took about an hour and that was back-filling also.with the 580. i would push the tree over cut it up then pull stump.
Little Red Tractor
Platinum Member
As a follow-up on that, unless you're going to use it a LOT, if you have rentals available, it may be cheaper, in the long run, to rent for a week, use it long and hard and send it back.
When I bought my B2301, I considered a back hoe, but opted not to spend that money. I have no regrets and I'm still WAY ahead of the game for dollars spent. The excavator is also far more maneuverable and versatile. There's also the reality of time spent attaching, detaching, storing, maintaining....
ptsg
Super Member
Sub frame mounted backhoes don't really exist on this side of the pond but 3 point backhoes are fairly popular.
However, they typically add 2 extra links attached to a solid point on the tractor to spread more of the forces so it's not all concentrated on the top link mount of the tractor. It also adds stability to the backhoe. Just like this:
The ones sold here also have side-shift which is honestly a must.
However, they typically add 2 extra links attached to a solid point on the tractor to spread more of the forces so it's not all concentrated on the top link mount of the tractor. It also adds stability to the backhoe. Just like this:
The ones sold here also have side-shift which is honestly a must.
Too many Kubotas
Veteran Member
If there's one good thing about the backhoe on our BX25D it's that it requires very little time to install and detach it.
Unfortunately the tiny tractor is so light that it's hard to perform any actual digging with the backhoe.