Backhoe Backhoe Brands

[dfkrug]

I bought a Prarie Dog 7.5 and it overheats the hydraulic fluid within a couple hours of use. I bought the hoe with the tractor package and the dealer is no help whatsoever. Contacting Grand Blanc was ok. It's just that with the hoe being 265 miles away, troubleshooting over the phone and waiting a couple months till I get to try something hasn't been productive yet. They suggested that the fluid pressure was set too high, but I have no way of measuring that.

The hoe works ok, but given my choices, I now would have looked elsewhere for something a bit more rugged. Mine is a 3 point hitch model and no one makes a frame mount for my Kama 554 and I'm not the machinist that my hero 3RRL is so I just have to take it easy.

I just recently went to change the pto pump gearbox on the hoe and found out there was no fluid in it! Whether it leaked out or wasn't supplied from new is unknown to me, but I can't see how it leaked out with only about 10 hours of use.

I haven't used the hoe since filling the gearbox and wonder whether this could have been the cause of the hydraulic fluid overheating. I just hope that the pump isn't smoked with the lack of lubrication. Time will tell, but I suspect it's life has to be shortened.

It only takes about 10 minutes to hook-up if I have an assistant to help. The Kama 554 is pretty rugged and I don't think that I will have much danger of damaging the tractor if I don't get too abusive.

A bit more rugged? The Prairie Dog is a beefed-up copy of the Woods
7500 hoe. Copying the Woods means you can buy Woods subframes for
many tractors. Few 7.5 hoes are as stoutly built from what I have seen.

I am very happy with the quality, performance, and rugged nature of the
several Prairie Dogs I have used. I have mounted 4 now on custom
subframes I have built. I am not a fan of using the 3pt hitch or the
PTO pump.

This unit sells for $4200 plus shipping from Flint, MI. PTO pump is extra.
This hoe is built in Bulgaria, but a new factory (possibly in Italy) may be
the source soon.

 

[fastpat]

I have the BH made for my tractor by (or for) Kioti, and want to reinforce the opinion about subframe mounts versus three-point units. The side forces are really too much for the three point hitch which is designed mainly for vertical loads, not side loads. I occaisionally push small trees over with mine, and some that don't want to go over really loads the BH to one side or the other. Sweeping dirt back into a hole does that too.

I'd look at BH manufacturers that make subframes for your tractor that can be used without modifications, this is not an area in which to compromise in my opinion.

 

[Ranch_Hand_Supp]

Due to the inquires I have had from this thread/post I added a page to my web site showing the Korean sub frame. This frame can be modified to be mounted on many makes of compact tractors. The backhoes can be purchased without the subframe or 3 point mount kit for the ones that want to make there own style of frame mounting system.

If interested click on link,

Jinma Dealer, Ranch Hand Supply , Compact Jinma Tractors


Ronald
Ranch Hand Supply

 

[dfkrug]

I'd look at BH manufacturers that make subframes for your tractor that can be used without modifications, this is not an area in which to compromise in my opinion.

Don't assume that a factory-made subframe intended for a particular tractor
is the best you can do. Indeed these factory-made subframes
are themselves compromises. I have installed and seen Woods
subframes, for example, that have rear brackets that interfere with the 3-pt
hitch so much that full removal of the brackets as well as the main part
of the subframe is required to restore 3-pt functionality. Furthermore, these
subframes often install the hoe much farther behind the rear wheels than is
necessary or desirable.

An excellent subframe worth emulating is what I have seen on a new
Kubota BX24 with BT601 small hoe mounted. It is very close-coupled to the
tractor. I don't know how it performs vis-a-vis 3-pt interference, however.

My latest custom subframe also is close-coupled and uses four
strong connections (1-inch bolts) and does not require remove of the 3pt
arms..

 

[RFB]

As I mentoned earlier in this thread, I have a subframe Rhino 85 on my Kubota 5030HSTC. (The Rhino, from what I have been told, is also the mfg that Kioti uses as their OEM labeled BH.)

The Rhino subframe is well engineered and executed, attaches at the front and rear of the tractor, has zero interference with the 3 pt hitch, and goes on/off the tractor in minutes with no tools required.

 

[shvl73]

Another excellent subframe is the one Bradco uses on the 10 series Mahindras.

 

[kentrodngun]

I've been thinking about a BH for a while too. Kind of a pain though since I change implements quite often. With that in mind, I was wondering if anyone has any opinion or (better yet) experience with this nifty looking item over at Northern Tool:
NorthStar Trencherman Backhoe — 9 HP |Backhoes | Northern Tool + Equipment
It's digs 7 feet, has an 8 foot reach, 12" bucket and is a self contained unit. Only $4,800 too which is cheaper than most BH I've looked at. Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[dfkrug]

I've been thinking about a BH for a while too. Kind of a pain though since I change implements quite often. With that in mind, I was wondering if anyone has any opinion or (better yet) experience with this nifty looking item over at Northern Tool:
NorthStar Trencherman Backhoe — 9 HP |Backhoes | Northern Tool + Equipment
It's digs 7 feet, has an 8 foot reach, 12" bucket and is a self contained unit. Only $4,800 too which is cheaper than most BH I've looked at. Any comments would be appreciated.

Before I had tractors, I built the CADDigger 728, which works like the
Trencherman, but the 728 was somewhat bigger. I used it to dig out
a water tank bench on my mountain side (50% slope) and do some
re-alignment of my creek. I also dug some trenches for pipes and
footers. The biggest issue with it is it has little weight, which
makes digging difficult. My 728 weighed maybe 900 lb. I sold it on
Ebay about 5y ago for a little over $3000. I would never have bought
it if I had a tractor, cuz now you can get a nice b/h attachment for
only a little more (my Prairie Dog is $4200). The only reason to consider
the Trencherman is if you need to do some digging where a tractor
can not go.