OP
Nathan_OR
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2003
- Messages
- 62
Alright so I've had some more time to play around with it and yes I'm getting the on/off time down to a lot lower. A few things I'll share (not to say I'm right and anyone else is wrong, just my experience):
- the reason that the rockshaft arms didn't line up the holes without help from the stabilizer arms was because the brass hook plates (can't recall the proper name) on the backhoe bracket were not adjusted properly. When I got my backhoe, the plates were in the same spot as the hooks on the frame... basically doing nothing but reinforcing the existing hooks. I found that I couldn't get the holes to line up without using the stabilizer arms and the bucket. However, the manual mentioned adjusting them if the holes didn't line up, so after a few trials (lift backhoe up, see that it's too low, lower it, adjust plates, try again), I got the plates adjusted, and now raising my rockshaft all the way lines the holes up perfectly. I can literally hook up the backhoe in less than 5 minutes, because the angle doesn't have to be perfect... the rockshaft lifts it into place and I put the pins in and I'm done. If you have been using the stabilizer arms I suggest trying to adjust those brass hook plates, because it means much less swapping of the power beyond hydraulic hoses. It still takes a bit of time to take off the 3ph though. Speaking of which...
- I replaced the funny "keychain" style rings on the draft link pins, and all the cotter pins on the iMatch, with linchpins. Now it takes a few minutes less to get the 3ph off. Plus I figured out a way to get the whole thing off assembled (i.e. without taking the iMatch frame off the 3ph arms) without killing my back: I put a block of wood for the iMatch to sit on, and then I unhook the toplink (it's annoying that I have to raise the rockshaft all the way up to get the toplink pin out!) and swing the toplink out over the iMatch frame, and hook it to a chain I put around a fencepost (I'll make a more permanent wooden 3ph removal station later). Now I can take off the rest of the arms and the iMatch sits on top of the block. When I'm done with the backhoe, hooking back up is easy because I hook up the draft links first and then the whole thing is held up by the block while I attach the toplink. I haven't timed it but I think taking off the 3ph takes less than 5 minutes, and doesn't require any lifting of the iMatch frame.
- I started parking it with the stabilizers up and using the 2x4 trick from jeffinsgf. But I had to do a few things differently. First my 2x4 was a bit shorter because where I park isn't perfectly flat, it's a gravel floor. This means I need to park in the same spot more or less, so I just marked the gravel with marking paint. Then I measured out the distance from the bucket to the boom pin. Now I can curl the bucket to level, then when it's all parked I put in the 2x4 and it's maybe 1" shy of touching... if it settles to touching it won't be enough to make it hard to lift. I couldn't curl the bucket to touching the 2x4, because the 2x4 is on the ground, and by the time my bucket is on the ground, I've already got the hydraulics attached to the rockshaft arms.
Anyway, it's fun
Oh but on an unrelated note, how the HECK do you guys get that PTO on the cutter attached without busting your back? I have to kneel on the cutter, brace my stomach on the 3ph attach frame for the cutter, and with one hand pull back the locking collar on the cutter's PTO shaft while pushing the thing onto the PTO with the other hand! It about killed my back last time I did it, and it took me 15-20 minutes and a lot of sweating and straining to get that thing to slide onto the PTO. Lining up the teeth isn't easy either since the cutter blade rotates a little as I push hard on the u-joint and then they aren't lined up any more. Tips?
Thanks guys this forum rocks.
Nathan
- the reason that the rockshaft arms didn't line up the holes without help from the stabilizer arms was because the brass hook plates (can't recall the proper name) on the backhoe bracket were not adjusted properly. When I got my backhoe, the plates were in the same spot as the hooks on the frame... basically doing nothing but reinforcing the existing hooks. I found that I couldn't get the holes to line up without using the stabilizer arms and the bucket. However, the manual mentioned adjusting them if the holes didn't line up, so after a few trials (lift backhoe up, see that it's too low, lower it, adjust plates, try again), I got the plates adjusted, and now raising my rockshaft all the way lines the holes up perfectly. I can literally hook up the backhoe in less than 5 minutes, because the angle doesn't have to be perfect... the rockshaft lifts it into place and I put the pins in and I'm done. If you have been using the stabilizer arms I suggest trying to adjust those brass hook plates, because it means much less swapping of the power beyond hydraulic hoses. It still takes a bit of time to take off the 3ph though. Speaking of which...
- I replaced the funny "keychain" style rings on the draft link pins, and all the cotter pins on the iMatch, with linchpins. Now it takes a few minutes less to get the 3ph off. Plus I figured out a way to get the whole thing off assembled (i.e. without taking the iMatch frame off the 3ph arms) without killing my back: I put a block of wood for the iMatch to sit on, and then I unhook the toplink (it's annoying that I have to raise the rockshaft all the way up to get the toplink pin out!) and swing the toplink out over the iMatch frame, and hook it to a chain I put around a fencepost (I'll make a more permanent wooden 3ph removal station later). Now I can take off the rest of the arms and the iMatch sits on top of the block. When I'm done with the backhoe, hooking back up is easy because I hook up the draft links first and then the whole thing is held up by the block while I attach the toplink. I haven't timed it but I think taking off the 3ph takes less than 5 minutes, and doesn't require any lifting of the iMatch frame.
- I started parking it with the stabilizers up and using the 2x4 trick from jeffinsgf. But I had to do a few things differently. First my 2x4 was a bit shorter because where I park isn't perfectly flat, it's a gravel floor. This means I need to park in the same spot more or less, so I just marked the gravel with marking paint. Then I measured out the distance from the bucket to the boom pin. Now I can curl the bucket to level, then when it's all parked I put in the 2x4 and it's maybe 1" shy of touching... if it settles to touching it won't be enough to make it hard to lift. I couldn't curl the bucket to touching the 2x4, because the 2x4 is on the ground, and by the time my bucket is on the ground, I've already got the hydraulics attached to the rockshaft arms.
Anyway, it's fun
Oh but on an unrelated note, how the HECK do you guys get that PTO on the cutter attached without busting your back? I have to kneel on the cutter, brace my stomach on the 3ph attach frame for the cutter, and with one hand pull back the locking collar on the cutter's PTO shaft while pushing the thing onto the PTO with the other hand! It about killed my back last time I did it, and it took me 15-20 minutes and a lot of sweating and straining to get that thing to slide onto the PTO. Lining up the teeth isn't easy either since the cutter blade rotates a little as I push hard on the u-joint and then they aren't lined up any more. Tips?Thanks guys this forum rocks.
Nathan
