BH860 backhoe transport length?

[houska]

Does anyone know the length of the Branson BH860 backhoe, from the front of the frame to the back of the hoe?

I need to get it from my woodlot to the dealer/repair shop (unfortunate encounter with a very large boulder...) and I'm trying to figure out if I can transport it myself on a 6x12 utility trailer or need to float it. I've found the backhoe weight (1500 lbs) online, but not the length, and neglected to measure it when I was at the woodlot yesterday. I'm now back at home...

BTW, interesting(?) accident.

As far as I can tell, somewhere, somehow the bolt holding the pin at the top of the stick in place sheared, and the pin probably started wiggling out. I didn't notice. I did do a visual inspection in the morning, so it either happened since then or I just didn't notice.

Nothing happened while I was digging dirt. But then I was rolling off (to the side) a large 30" boulder, at the backhoe's capability limits. I extended the stick cylinder to get a better angle while the weight of the boulder rested against the side of the bucket. With the stick pin held only by one side plate, the cylinder itself ended up getting torqued and bent as it extended. The side plate where the pin is still holding is bent too, so the pin won't go back in the other side.

The cylinder still operates and -- so far -- no leakage. But doesn't feel like a good idea to continue digging boulders and stumps, and more than I can fix in the field with crescent wrench, hammer, and large boulder as tools

 

[Asteral]

this is everything i could find on that model of back hoe i dont know if it will help you but its worth posting for you none the less

Digging Depth	103.2 in
Reach from Center Line of Swing Pivot	134.4 in
Loading Height	92.4 in
Swing Arc	180 degrees
Transportation Height (maximum)	91.2 in
Transportation Overhang	50.4 in
Bucket Rotation	151 degrees
Bucket Standard	16 in
Stabilizer Spread (downward position)	88.8 in
Stabilizer Spread (upward position)	68.4 in
Undercut	34.8 in
Bucket Cylinder Digging Force	4,435 lbs
Dipperstick Cylinder Digging Force	2,694 lbs
Shipping Weight (less bucket)	1,500 lbs
Hydraulic Pressure Requirements	2,346 psi

 

[Aquamoose]

I’d simply pull the cylinder off instead of hauling the entire backhoe to the shop. I’ve bent a cylinder one and with my 20 ton shop press and some oak blocks, I got it straightened out & worked fine ever since.

 

[ning]

I’d simply pull the cylinder off instead of hauling the entire backhoe to the shop. I’ve bent a cylinder one and with my 20 ton shop press and some oak blocks, I got it straightened out & worked fine ever since.

+1
Definitely seems like less effort to haul that way
And as the force on the rod is along the length (most of the time...), a minor reduction in strength from the bending and (un)bending shouldn't affect usability much at all.

My guess is that the side weight didn't make much difference on this failure; the tweak would've happened without it because the pin not being anchored at both ends allowed some rotation up there which set up the cylinder not to extend in a straight fashion. I'd check the bore that the pin goes through on the right side if you pull the cylinder yourself for repair; I leave it to more knowledgeable folks to provide a repair suggestion if the bore got ovalled by the tweak.

@houska if you'd like I can measure mine, it's a BH86 but is probably very similar.

 

[houska]

this is everything i could find on that model of back hoe i dont know if it will help you but its worth posting for you none the less

Thanks Asteral....too bad the length isn't in the published specs. Oh well.

 

[houska]

I’d simply pull the cylinder off instead of hauling the entire backhoe to the shop. I’ve bent a cylinder one and with my 20 ton shop press and some oak blocks, I got it straightened out & worked fine ever since.

Thanks. I'll take another look, but I think it's not only the cylinder that's bent but also the hoe side plate "ear" on the side where the pin stayed in. But it's possible it's just the cylinder end throwing things off; I'll double check.

I'm still pretty new to all this. Is it easy to disconnect the cylinder from the hydraulic system, and then refill the hydraulic system after replacing it? I don't relish squirting pressurized hydraulic fluid everywhere (disconnected, of course), or having to "bleed the system" of air after filling it back up like a home heating radiator. Or maybe that's not needed?

 

[ning]

There shouldn't be pressure in the system if it's at rest (move the valves a bit). Unscrew the connections.
Bleeding = exercising it briefly before digging and the fluid will dump back to the reservoir.

I agree that that "ear" looks bent outwards. The ear has a nice heavy channel for the pin, so I doubt the pin ovaled the hole.
I wonder if you could use a hi-lift jack to clamp/bend it back?

 

[Aquamoose]

I agree with ning. The rod repair is the easy part. Getting force to bend the ear back is the challenge. Best method I can think of is to position the tractor between two anchor points, lower the inner boom, and get a high carbon steel rod with the same diameter in the bent ear hole and chain/strap the outside of it to pull it back in place. I’d imagine an 18” long will do the trick.

 

[houska]

Thanks for all the replies.

I appreciate the collective brainstorming on how to bend the metal "ear". Unfortunately, on closer inspection it turns out both ears are bent, and the small holding bolt was torn out with enough force to mangle its hole pretty badly. Since the machine is on an off-grid woodlot where I have no workshop, presses, bits of rod lying around, etc., it's more than I want to attempt to fix on-site myself.

I measured the backhoe myself. For future reference if anyone finds this thread, the length from front tip of subframe to the back plate where the boom is attached is precisely 108" (the boom and stick then hang off to the back from that). So it will fit a 12x6 trailer.

I would have towed it yesterday...except that I forgot that last time I used it, I chained and locked the trailer in an excess of zeal to prevent theft. And I didn't bring up that key! Grrr....

 

[Branson Bob]

I would have towed it yesterday...except that I forgot that last time I used it, I chained and locked the trailer in an excess of zeal to prevent theft. And I didn't bring up that key! Grrr....

I hate when stuff like that happens. Three weekends ago coming back from the homestead I left my backpack with my work computer in it. On Monday I had to drive 3 hours there and 3 hours back to retrieve it... a 6 hour 300 mile mistake.