best attachment for 20"+ rocks

[Anonymous Poster]

best attachment for 20\"+ rocks

Bobcat recently came out with a "Digger" attachment. This simple tool looks like it would work great for removing larger rocks and smaller stumps as well as for trenching. There is a video on the Bobcat web site. My question is whether there is anything comparable for a compact tractor. Has anyone used the Digger? I'm seriously considering a 753 Bobcat instead of a tractor just because of this attachment, which will avoid the expense of a backhoe.

 

[TxSam]

Re: best attachment for 20"+ rocks

alf - I believe if you go with a NH compact with the quick attach loader you can use many of the skid steer attachments. I'm not 100% sure about the 'digger' but I would assume it would work. Does it resemble a backhoe in looks?

I'm currently eyeing a TC35 with the 16LA loader which I can get the quick attach set-up for $250-$300. It seems to be a very worthwhile investment for the amount of flexibility it gives you. I'm looking at getting it for the pallet forks and, of course, the HD bucket. That way you can have your cake and eat it too! Hope that helps!

Sam - Tractorless in Big 'D'

 

[DDT]

Re: best attachment for 20\"+ rocks

alf
I looked at the bob cat site. I liked the digger, that could come in handy at times. have you priced it? I have a GB loader on my JD 4300 with quick tacth bucket, so any QT bob cat attachment fits. I got pallet forks (bobcat) for $600 and JD was $900. it is nice to have options.

 

[JimmyO]

Re: best attachment for 20"+ rocks

Alf, With no back on the Digger like a typical bucket I think unless you were in thick gummy soil you would loose most of the dirt that you were trying to get out of the hole. Also remember that instead of swinging the dirt to the side onto the spoil pile you would have to back up, turn and go forward, dump, back up, turn and go forward for every scoop you take. All that motion would tend to shake a lot of the dirt out of the scoop area. With the digger I bet you would spend an awful lot of time cleaning out the bottom of the hole/ditch with a hand shovel. As for stumps, I think it would only be good for the smallest stumps as a backhoe has much more break out force than a bobcat would be able to attain due to traction problems. I could be grossly wrong in my judgement without having seen it work in person, but I have spent enough time on a backhoe to know that I would become frustrated rather quickly if there was no back to the bucket. The digger kinda reminds me of a 3 pt scoop without the back. After giving it some thought it might work better to convert a scoop to front end loader use. You would have to rig some kind of an extension to get it further from the lift arms as in the digger's design.

Jimmy

 

[AndyMA]

Re: best attachment for 20\"+ rocks

I added the "Quick Attach" being discussed to my Ford (NH) 2120 after 12 years of use- I have a bucket, Woods forks and a rock screening bucket. I have the same quick attach on my NH TNS75 and share attachments. The TNS75 has the Bobcat type hydralics on the bucket frame which many of the attachments require. Pay attention to how many cfm the attachments use. Bobcats, etc. tend to have much higher flow rates than smaller compacts. My 75 is 16.9gpm and this is at the low end of what I found to be required for the attachments that I am looking at.

 

[Harv]

Re: best attachment for 20\"+ rocks

I took a look at the video, too, Alf, and now I want you to get one of them diggers and bring it over to my property to try it on my soil. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Seriously, it looked good in the video, but that was some mighty cooperative dirt it was working in. Of course, you and others here might just have that kind of soil, but it makes me wonder what its real limits are. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

Re: best attachment for 20"+ rocks

Because alf, started 2 new threads with the same subject matter (just different title), my post I wrote yesterday is kind of alone in the dark, so I will insert it here as well.

I am ordering a Bobcat 873 today.

I have looked into the digger attachment. It is a very handy tool. Retail prices for it are as follows:

12, 16, and 25" models are $1025
30" is $1100 and at 36" is $1125

I plan on getting a digger, and using it to trench water and electric lines, dig footers, and remove rocks -- I am sure I will find many more uses for it as well.


Dave "Gatorboy" Hoffmann

 

[Kent]

Rooter bucket rocks

I have the ATI quick attach (http://www.abcgroff.com/ic/ati6.htm#1) on my NH-TC40D (16LA FEL), on which I interchange my 4-in-1 with my Rooter bucket (http://www.kascomfg.com/rooter.htm).

I can't say enough good things about the Rooter bucket. It was about $1000, and does everything Kasco claims, and more.

I use its concentrated force to dig out huge rocks (the Rooter gives great leverage) and pluck out those 1 footers that keep popping up in the lawn each year with the frost. Because of the length of the bucket, you can dig holes 4-5' deep (be careful not to drive into them!). And because the tip is narrow, you don't have to make a 6' scar like you do with the big bucket just to get out a little rock. I have dug out huge rocks that I can't pick up with the FEL but can then push or tow with a chain.

Stumps, you ask? I recently dug out a dozen maple stumps, half of them 2' diameter (chainsaw cut) with root balls almost 8' across (where I severed them) and 3' below grade. Took about 2 hours per big stump. The smaller 4-6" stumps take only a few minutes. Used the angled edge on the Rooter bucket to snap the roots on all sides. Of course, I couldn't pick up the root ball, so I continually "combed" across the underside of the root ball to remove dirt and rocks until I could push the stump out by tipping it over. Very important to have 4' of the stump above ground for leverage when you push! Once tipped over, I would comb down to get the remaining dirt and entwined rocks off (helps to fill the hole in addition to cutting the weight).Yes, this is a lot of back and forth driving (thank you HST) and is a bit tedious. Then I slid them 100 yards through the woods over to my stump pile.

WARNING: Don't try this on a slope! Flat ground only. Also, you really have to be careful that you don't let the heavy root ball tip you over when it comes down. Root balls are VERY heavy.

FYI, I do not have a backhoe and generally have no need for one, so this is my cheap alternative. Yes, a dozer or backhoe would take out the stumps faster, but this way I can do them at my leisure and save some money (don't have much left after buying the TC40D!).

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: best attachment for 20\"+ rocks

Actually, I have rocky clay soil which gets really hard when dry. However, I think that when the soil is moist, the digger could be used to leverage larger rocks out of the ground and also to dig small holes (say 1 ft deep, 2 ft wide) for transplanting saplings, shrubs, etc. This is most of the digging I need to do. Hey, its got to be better than a shovel. The Bobcat can also run a brush mower (Brushwolf, Ammbusher, etc.). Although these are very expensive mowers relative to a rotary cutter for a tractor ($5000 vs. $1000), I like the compact nature of the skid steer, and I save $6000 on a backhoe. So I'm still $2000 ahead!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Rooter bucket rocks

Thanks a ton, Kent. This is the kind of info I am looking for. I'm still undecided between the tractor and skid steer. The skid steer has agility and size advantage on my woodsy trails. The tractor has advantages for field mowing and would be more stable on uneven terrain. Do you know how low capacity a loader (i.e., how small a tractor) could be used with the Rooter?