Flat Tow Backhoe -- no trailer

[MarkV]

I've got to go with the crowd and hope not to see the results on U-tube if you flat tow it. The tractor just isn't designed for that.

Your rental yard 10k trailer will not haul a 9k machine legally. You have to take the trailer weight into account. At least you would have brakes though, if you have a brake controller.

Good luck,
MarkV

 

[nimblemotors]

I worked in the oil patch in the 60's we moved the backhoe that way all the time,we had a big ball and coupler we attached to bucket .Farthest we ever went was about 30 miles usually only about 15 ,daily.

thanks for providing real information on how to flat-tow a backhoe,
this is what I was considering doing, and clearly it works.
the big rear tires on this old backhoe are brand new.

 

[JB4310]

Regardless if it could be done or not. It can't possibly be legal, that should concern you. I'm not the safety police and I do things others might be afraid to do. But I would not do something that is illegal or puts others at risk.

I still can't even picture it. A wobbly old TLB going down the road at 30 MPH Hitched to the back of a truck!

I would do it from here to my brother in laws, 2 miles away, around the corner, but not 70 miles holding up traffic.

JB

 

[DavesTractor]

thanks for providing real information on how to flat-tow a backhoe,
this is what I was considering doing, and clearly it works.
the big rear tires on this old backhoe are brand new.

How many ways can this go wrong? It might be illegal. It might damage the tractor as it may not oil correctly. It might be dangerous as they aren't designed for this. I like a guy that is gutsy and will try something, but I think this may go from gutsy to dumb. It's a fine line, I've been on both sides of it before!

There are many ways to safely haul a 9000 lb tractor. Our rollback is good for 14k, as are many of the equipment haulers. Lot's of goosenecks are rated at 14k-20k, leaving 9k of capacity or more. And there are 14k bumper pulls. So you are trying to come up with a creative solution for a problem that has many safe solutions already.

We had a 35k load we needed to haul that was bigger then we go do and we did not want to pay the $175/hour for a lowboy. So we called a local contractor who hauls his own big stuff. He was slow, so he did it for $100/hour. Worked great. You might try somethying similar.

Best of luck, be safe. Or if you decide to push on, please take good video.