Backhoe Backhoe Techniques Question

wushaw · Jul 24, 2005

Loaded rear tires will help alot. Before I loaded my rear tires I was constantly pulling the tractor to the hole/stump now with loaded rears I don't pull the tractor nearly as much as before.

AntrimMan · Jul 25, 2005

Sorry Bonehead but you will alway get some damage from the stabilizer pads. On the BH90 the pads are reversible so the big bumps will dig in and prevent slippage instead of skidding along on the two outside lips. Yours may be similar, look to the manual. On big slopes I stick the FEL bucket lip into the dirt too otherwise I put it down flat to minimize the damage to the area. And the good advice above about curling the hoe bucket to dig should be heeded when needed.
All the best,
Martin

MMM · Jul 25, 2005

I've seen some post that tires should contact ground, but I find the 3 pt stance works better. A lot of the time ground is unlevel and tires can;t contact ground anyhow. Everything a couple or 3" off ground works better for not getting drug around as pads sink in a few inches.
This is with a considerably heavier tractor though. You may not have enough weight for the hoe. Maybe you could fab some removeable 6" spikes for pads to keep you firmly planted. Good luck.

Ronzonie · Jul 25, 2005

Place your stablizers down lift the rear wheels off of the ground.it might help if you also plant your front bucket. The main thing is when you are digging with the hoe, try to dig upward instead of reaching out and pulling toward you. A little practice and you'll get the hang of it!

JoshJ · Jul 25, 2005

I've only used a hoe once to trench, but I had the same problem if i tried to take too much of a bite or had the bucket teeth at the wrong "angle of attack" if you will. At least for the trench, if i dug too deep, the hoe would slide backwards. but if i didnt dig so deep as i brought the bucket in (still filled) it would work better. Dont know if that helps or not. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

willfick · Jul 25, 2005

It's all good advice, even the apparently contradictory. Sometimes one thing works, sometimes another.
As strong as the hydraulics are, something's going to move; either the stump or the tractor. The hard thing for me is when the tractor starts moving I don't want to give up. Then the grass is really torn up.
Trick is, stop and move the bucket farther from the stump. Pop the root out where it's smaller and work your way back. A bigger hole, but less collateral damage.
Practice makes progress, nothing makes perfect. It helps not to have anybody watching. Replace your divots.
Wm

HomeBrew2 · Jul 25, 2005

I know I don't have several thousand posts to my credit and I don't have any experience other than my own, LIMITED experience, but I find seeking folks that actually do certain work for a living to be valuable tutors, if even watching while at a signal light in traffic. I have yet to see any "professional" hoe operator use anything other than the, previously mentioned, "tripod setup" ... rear wheels always spinning from oil viscosity ... but not greatly off the ground. And, as has been said previously, the bucket curl is, from experience and observation, the most efficient use of the equipment. I agree, as previously stated, the most efficient setup is both outriggers and FEL cutting edge jammed into the ground ... adjust outrigger bury depth and hoe digging depth accordingly.
Cheers!

tlbuser · Jul 26, 2005

<font color="blue"> if even watching while at a signal light in traffic. I have yet to see any "professional" hoe operator use anything other than the, previously mentioned, "tripod setup" ... rear wheels always spinning from oil viscosity ... but not greatly off the ground. </font> This is true to some extent but dangerous in some others. Operators do stuff with their equipment 8+ hours a day, sometimes 6+ days a week. Somethings we do, an inexperienced person shouldn't try. And the type of equipment has limitations all on its own. A 20ish hp cut w/hoe is not the same as a JCB 214 which is not the same as a cat 416 which is not the same as a cat 325 excavator. They all have little quirks which make them a little bit different.
Setting up the machine is all site dependent.The closer the wheels are to the ground, the deeper you can dig but; if you want to lift, then you would set the stabilizers as high as possible. Uneven terrain, one may be all the way down and the other half up.
On the smaller machines, bucket curl is where most of the power really is. For stump pullling, you would undercut as much as possible, then use the bucket to pry up on the bottom of the stump, popping it out of the ground. Leverage is the key, because there isn't enough raw power to accomplish the task.
Side to side sweeping, like trench filling, is another technique that a small hoe isn't equipped for. You can do it, but you can only move small amounts at a time.
BTW, Rear wheels spinning is usually because the brake isn't set or the shift linkage is loose.

PineRidge · Jul 26, 2005

I agree that there is more than one way to work a BH some better than others. The information that I posted previously came right from the New Holland operators manual for our particular BH. Maybe it doesn't apply to all BHs but this is how we have always used ours and it seems to work for us.