It's all about range of motion vs. available force considering mounting points and cylinder travel. On mine the cylinder is mounted under the boom and forward of the boom pivot so if you drew a line through the pivot points it would be about 20 degrees from vertical. Mine also has a crook in the boom. If you make a straight boom that line would be closer to vertical.
You can look up specifications for backhoes that show the entire range of motion. That is a good place to start. If you're not going to use an existing design you will need to model your design somehow. Some like cardboard models, some prefer doing it on paper or with CAD. I even made a spreadsheet to calculate force and range of motion for a grappel that would work with any hydraulic member. Bottom line you want to have a good design for the whole thing before you start cutting and welding.
I learned my lesson when I tried a swag with my stabilizers. They work great except they don't retract as far as they should. It's still on my list of things to fix.
Brad