FEL backhoe attachment

[HawkinsHollow]

These backhoe attachments are being sold locally online for $800. I understand one would have to be EXTRA careful using something like this on an FEL. They are being sold as a skidsteer attachment, but would work on a CUT FEL. How useful do you think something like this could be IF ONE WAS EXTREMELY CAREFUL? $800 is pretty reasonable for backhoe like capabilities. My gut tells me it's not a great idea. But I just wanted to see what y'all thought.

 

[4570Man]

Maybe a little better than a shovel for planting a tree or something but not very useful.

 

[jeff9366]

I have been happy with a $400 FEL tractor bucket spade for seven (+) years.

Bucket Spade is best on a tractor weighing 3,000 - 5,000 pounds bare weight.

MORE: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...t-spade-today-fel-bucket.html?highlight=spade

 

[cglaser104]

The problem either way is repositioning the arm to empty the bucket. Excavators and backhoe's articulate from 160° to 360° to help process the work. Every scoop on this would require moving the entire machine which makes it terribly inefficient and potentially could tear up the ground even more due to tire/track traffic

 

[deezler]

^ eh, you wouldn't really need to move the tractor for every scoop. Could work straight backwards until you have a pretty big pile, then turn around and use a box or rear grader blade to shove the pile out of the way.

I dunno, if you had nice sandy soil, with minimal huge tree roots, and no random boulders, this would work very well for trenching (since it goes so much deeper than a bucket spade). Pretty dangerous for stumping or boulder picking though, in terms of loader safety.

 

[Xfaxman]

The Swing Arm Style would be better on a tractor for easy digging: swinging backhoe attachment - Image Search

Some swing to either side. This from CID:

 

[CoyPatton]

If designed and intended for a skid steer, my first question would be the required hydraulic flow requirements.
It is not unusual for a skid steer to push 50 gallons per minute flow rate or greater and our compact tractors to push less than 10 gallons per minute.
If this is the case with this attachment, on a CUT tractor you may not be able to dig in much beyond loose sand.

 

[4570Man]

If designed and intended for a skid steer, my first question would be the required hydraulic flow requirements.
It is not unusual for a skid steer to push 50 gallons per minute flow rate or greater and our compact tractors to push less than 10 gallons per minute.
If this is the case with this attachment, on a CUT tractor you may not be able to dig in much beyond loose sand.

A skid steer isn’t pushing anything close to that much in a hydraulic cylinder implement like a grapple or backhoe attachment. I won’t deny that it probably won’t dig much more than loose sand but lack of hydraulic flow won’t be the problem.