Backhoe B21 backhoe stuck on tractor

[kubotaswede]

My B21 backhoe (BT 751) has not been disconnected from the tractor for several years. Now is the time. Straightforward, I thought after reading the manual. Disappointed!!! The mount levers were both solidly fused to their axis by rust! Anti-rust spray, warming (careful - near to hoses) and violence have not done the trick so far. I am convinced that some of you guys must have had the same problem. Any suggestions? Would it be possible to remove the hoe by disconnecting the set pins from the mount lever and then press out the set pin by a screwdriver or someting? With the hoe away from the tractor it would probably be easier to do something about the stuck levers.

Suggestions most welcome!
Thanks,
Lars

 

[Jay4200]

My B21 backhoe (BT 751) has not been disconnected from the tractor for several years. Now is the time. Straightforward, I thought after reading the manual. Disappointed!!! The mount levers were both solidly fused to their axis by rust! Anti-rust spray, warming (careful - near to hoses) and violence have not done the trick so far.

Soak the affected area liberally with penetrating spray (PB Blaster, Aerokroil, etc.) twice a day for a week. Then, beat the snot out of the pins with a BFH. Usually works.

JayC

 

[nike]

yeap, what Jay4200 said, lol

 

[devildog1]

Ditto,
PB Blaster and rawhide or hard rubber mallet, make sure you play with hydraulics to find the sweet spot, a little never seize when installing.
Devildog

 

[eepete]

There was another thread posted by a gentleman that had the same problem, you might want to do a search for it.

Once you get it free, the key is to keep the lubed and take the backhoe off once a year whether you need to or not.

I had mine on for 4 years after I bought it and it was a little tight. No problems ever since.

Using the backhoe to lift the end of the tractor also flexes and bumps things and might help to either loosen it or help the penetrating spray get in.

Good luck with it, good advise given.

Pete

 

[RobbieBones]

Hmmmm! I have yet to remove mine, I wonder if I should try or at least start lubing.

Good Luck!

 

[kubotaswede]

Thanks guys! I will try lube and patience. Wonder why that did not occur to me spontaneously??
Lars

 

[Whitey]

HMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........maybe this is something I need to do.

 

[eepete]

If you do the annual "take the backhoe off", you don't have to completely remove it. It is tricky lining things up when the backhoe is completely off. You pull the hairpins, pull the levers back, open the clamps, and then lower the backhoe a bit but never actually take the lower pins of the backhoe that rest in the holders out of the holders. Once the top clamps are open and you've moved out an inch or two, that's enough to see if everything is all right, clean whatever needs it and you've moved all the moving parts.

It's a couple minutes and you're done. Spray/lube anything that needs it while it's open. Lube the shaft for the levers a few times a year when you're lubing other stuff.

Pete

 

[Jay4200]

Thanks guys! I will try lube and patience. Wonder why that did not occur to me spontaneously??

'Course, take know-it-all me with a grain of salt - I've had my tractor for 6 years and never removed the loader (not that I'd ever actually need to), and I don't know that it had ever been removed during any of the tractor's 2600 hours (I'm at least owner #3). I tried to take it off a while back, but it was quickly obvious that the main mounting pins weren't going to move anytime this millennium. I sprayed them down with penetrating oil a few times, but lost interest before I had any success with removal. I've since accepted the permanence of the appliance. Maybe I'll try again someday...hmmmm, where's that BFH?

JayC

 

[SixHoeBob]

Make sure that the weight of the hoe is not causing the pins to bind, use the bucket on the ground to carefully position the latches so they are centered around the pins. Can you disassemble the latches to release the hoe from the tractor? Mushrooming the various latch components with a hammer is not helpful. Once the hoe is off, completely disassemble the latches. Clean all dirt and rust off everything with a wire wheel. File or grind all mushrooming to resemble original shape. Coat everything with anti-seize, and reassemble.

 

[kubotaswede]

Thanks again! I have decided to stick to the lube and wait strategy for at least one week. I drilled a 5 mm hole through each bush and injects oil under pressure there twice a day. Uses an oversized wrench trying to move the thing as the mount lever is far too weak for anything close to what is needed for some action. If I am not successful maybe I will probably adopt the submission strategy by JayC accepting that some things just wonｴt come loose. But doing what SixHoeBob suggests is tempting... its a question of showing the damned machine who is in charge! I will let you know!
Lars

 

[kubotaswede]

Still lubing and waiting... But I could not help trying a trick today that moved the pivot on one side. I squeezed a big wrench from under the tractor around the bush taking support on the lever poiting upwards. Then I connected the end of the wrech shaft with a chain under the tractor to the FEL. Curling the FEL really moved the mount lever enough to release the mechanism. I can not tell what really moved or if I also bent the axis. I am not sure about that so I will give the other side a litte more time for lubing. Strangely enough I can not get the lever to move in the opposite direction even with help from the FEL (chain connected to the base of the mount lever, then inside the rear wheel and under the FEL-subframe). But this technique seems more adequate than the hammering... at least for my knuckles! So much for patience! To be contnued.
Lars

 

[ericher69]

Not offering any personal advice from experience here but

Anybody try drilling and inserting grease zerks to keep things from rusting/fusing in place?

 

[eepete]

Something dawned on me- I keep my B21 under cover (not outside) so the levers don't get water on them. I suspect between that and shooting a little lube in whenever I lube the backhoe or loader I've been OK. If I kept it outside I'd probably want to lube it more often and push the lever back and forth a few times to help work in the lube.

Grease zerks sound like a good idea, and if you parked your B21 outside grease would be better in the weather than a lighter lubricant. I don't know if the sleeve is thick enough for a zerk though.

When building our house, the B21 was outside on site for about 5 months. I got more paint fade and rust from that time that it got in the 8 years before that when it was under cover.

kubotaswede, I hope it works out for you

Pete

 

[lakeside]

I bought my B26 with a bit over 300 hours and had an interesting time getting the BH off the first time. A bit of penetrating oil and some muscle did the trick though. I sure wouldn't have wanted to wait till it had thousands of hours or I'd still be wacking at the pins.

I remove the BH and install a snow blower every fall so the problem of stuck pins has now gone away. Lots of grease or anti-seize compound on the pins in the spring is the way to go.

BTW: Whenever I take any pin or bolt off I smear lots of anti-seize on before I re-install it, you never know when you'll have to get that pin or bolt off again. Seems like cheap insurance, especially as things gets older and rustier, the equipment that is, not the operator! :laughing:

Good luck!

 

[Jay4200]

Not offering any personal advice from experience here but

Anybody try drilling and inserting grease zerks to keep things from rusting/fusing in place?

I doubt it is necessary, but surely couldn't hurt. Knowing now that they stick, if I ever get a chance to get them apart, or if I get a new one, I will slather the pins with some BelRay grease - that'll keep them submissive for many years.

JayC

 

[Jay4200]

BTW: Whenever I take any pin or bolt off I smear lots of anti-seize on before I re-install it, you never know when you'll have to get that pin or bolt off again. Seems like cheap insurance, especially as things gets older and rustier, the equipment that is, not the operator!

I do the same. I learned that lesson from 15 years of riding dirtbikes and working on my kid's sh*tbox cars. I virtually never install an untreated (dry) fastener - it goes on with grease, anti-seize, or loctite - whichever is most appropriate.

I also never install a bolt/nut without correctly torquing it, but that's another ugly story.

JayC

 

[kubotaswede]

Well, waiting and lubing doesnt seem to do the trick... I managed to release the pin set device used to lock the holder mounts on both sides by the chain trick I described earlier in the thread, even an iron bar used as a 5 ft lever does nothing on the ... thing! Maybe the BH never was off the tractor? Now I am thinking of removing the rear wheels to get access to the mainframe pins on which the holder mount grips when locked. The plan is to hammer them out. That would release the BH. Anyone tried that trick? With the BH off the tractor I think there will be much more room to deal permanently with the problem. Or should I just look at the BH as a permanent part of my tractor?? Is it worth while seeking professonal help? And I mean a workshop not mental! There must be some folks out there who had the same problem with a B 21. Sugestions appreciated!
Thanks Lars

 

[kubotaswede]

Sorry, I missed when editing this post. It is the holder mounts that locks the BH on the tractor that are the issues now... Seems to be permanently stuck!
Lars