Backhoe Stabilizers, How To

[RickB]

I never leave the tires on the ground on my 580K. The simple fact is that the stabilizers are steel while the tires are rubber. Rubber flexes while the steel is solid. Secondly the stabilizers will sink into the ground some as you work. If your tires are touching the ground they will get more and more weight transferred to them. You can even mask the problem of soft ground until you swing the backhoe to the side while working with a load and having the stabilizer sink in. If you like bouncing around then by all means leave your tires on the ground.

The idea that it raises the center of gravity making it less stable is completely wrong. Yes your center of gravity is raised some but the footprint is increased. The stabilizers a further back and much wider than the tires. In fact you should be curling your bucket down and the putting that on the ground to raise your front tires off the ground too. Remember that tractors have a front axle that pivots. With the front bucket down you turn a foot print that's the shape of a triangle to a much larger square and more stable square. So while you may have raised the CoG by 6" you've also added several feet in width and a foot or to in length at the rear which more than offsets the higher CoG.

The exception is a CUT with loaded tires. In that case, because of the extra weight, leaving them touching the ground will reduce stress. However, as I said, you need to pay more attention to the stabilizers sinking into the ground.

There is a discernible difference between having the wheels 2 or 4” off the ground and 12-14”.

 

[bcp]

Higher off the ground makes better shade.

Bruce

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Man I never thought about using the hoe for shade!

 

[bdog]

When I had my 310sj I always raised the tires off the ground when digging. Not way up in the air but definitely had the machine bearing on the bucket and outriggers. This gives a solid and wide and long stance. The rubber tires have too much give and bounce around not to mention they are narrow.

 

[PHD12]

Does angling the loader bucket forward to dig the lower edge into the ground and lift the front tires cause any issues for the loader hydraulic cylinders? Just thinking that with the cylinders nearly fully extended and the weight of the tractor + the pressures exerted by operating the backhoe it might be an issue. I have no idea, just curious.

 

[CMV]

Does angling the loader bucket forward to dig the lower edge into the ground and lift the front tires cause any issues for the loader hydraulic cylinders? Just thinking that with the cylinders nearly fully extended and the weight of the tractor + the pressures exerted by operating the backhoe it might be an issue. I have no idea, just curious.

On a construction backhoe - no. Meant to be used that way

 

[3Lfarms]

Does angling the loader bucket forward to dig the lower edge into the ground and lift the front tires cause any issues for the loader hydraulic cylinders? Just thinking that with the cylinders nearly fully extended and the weight of the tractor + the pressures exerted by operating the backhoe it might be an issue. I have no idea, just curious.

When I do that, it ends up pushing the bucket forward and drawing air into the cylinders. When I get done and raise the loader, the bucket is kind of floppy until I cycle it once.
A TLB is a different animal from a real backhoe.
My TLBs is four wheel drive. When the parking brake is set, all four tires help provide some resistance and the AG tires offer more grip in the dirt than the industrial tires on a regular backhoe. Mine actually is more stable keeping the tires on the ground, but the stabs are down all the way as well.