Flat Tow Backhoe -- no trailer

[Duffster]

My concern driving it isn't just the time, but it is not very safe to drive 15mph when everyone else is going 55mpg behind you,.

It isn't as unsafe as you make it sound.

I have spent the majority of the last month in tractors on the road doing 20mph.

 

[two_bit_score]

I recently purchased an old Case 310B backhoe, it is basically a tractor with a loader and backhoe, it weighs in about 9000 lbs. It has the big 24" tractor tires. I'm wondering if I can flat-tow it, i.e. let it roll on its wheels when I tow it. I'd go slow. It is a bit far to drive it, about 75 miles, at 10mph that would take 7.5 hours. I'm thinking 30-40mph, so only 2-3 hours..

Can the tractor tires/wheels/transmission handle going that fast?

Alternatively, can it be towed by a wrecker tow-truck, i.e. with the big rear wheels on the ground, same kind of issue if it can handle the speed.

Thanks, Jack

About 90% of the repiles on here advise against it. That would be enough for me. But go ahead, since it sounds like that is really what you have already decided to do.

Please update us after you do and we'll have good evidence to relate the next time this comes up.
.

 

[chopped]

Fact is the gears and being geared so low, they just werent designed to by cranking so fast like that..

 

[whodat526]

either drive it or haul it because if it a shuttle shift tractor u will burn the pump the torque converter and the clutch packs in the tractor if you drag it very far

 

[nimblemotors]

A rental yard rents a 10k equipment trailer for $75/day,
and I can rent a 3/4 ton truck for $100/day, so at that price it isn't a problem to just trailer it, and I have acquired a F350.

Just my opinion, but it is a manual shift tractor, when its in neutral the gears don't matter, and I think it could flat-tow with the front wheels up no problem at least going slow. 30mph or so. So lack of rear brakes would be the only issue, which if limited to 30mph wouldn't be that big a problem. I did figure a route through the country which we scouted out recently and only required about 10 miles on the 55mph no-shoulder 2-lane road, so driving it wouldn't be so bad as originally thought in terms of safety.

 

[JB4310]

I recently purchased an old Case 310B backhoe, it weighs in about 9000 lbs. It has the big 24" tractor tires. I'm wondering if I can flat-tow it, i.e. let it roll on its wheels when I tow it. I'd go slow. It is a bit far to drive it, about 75 miles, at 10mph that would take 7.5 hours. I'm thinking 30-40mph, so only 2-3 hours..

Thanks, Jack

It is hard to even imagine this for such a long trip :confused2:

There are so many things wrong with this idea, how would you even begin to get it to track behind the tow vehicle?? I would think it would be all over the road at 10 mph, never mind 40 mph.

Nothing wrong with thinking up the idea, but I don't think you should try it.

Find an equipment trailer, as hard as that may be, you will be saving yourself some serious time, effort, money, liability, future driving privileges etc etc in the long run.

JB.

 

[JB4310]

A rental yard rents a 10k equipment trailer for $75/day,
and I can rent a 3/4 ton truck for $100/day, so at that price it isn't a problem to just trailer it, and I have acquired a F350.

I think it could flat-tow with the front wheels up no problem

How would you do this? with a HD wrecker? can't be cheaper than the trailer rental.

JB

 

[Whatswrong]

ahh thanks. i checked u tibe and thought that was it.Ive heard of people who set the front bucket in the truck bed and use down pressure to lift it off the ground and then tow it like that. short distances..

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.

 

[Whatswrong]

I would be most concerned if this is old and may be lacking on maintenance what will be wrong inside all ready ,and the old rubber may last years doing a bit of personal work but you could blow a less than premium tire and that will make the $400 look quite cheap.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've driven my backhoe 30 miles and it was misserable. Something that I didn't expect was all the dust thrown up by passing vehicles. You need gloves, a face mask and saftey glasses if you are driving where other cars will be going past you!!!!!!! I pulled into a gas station and bought some cheap gloves, a bandana and sunglasses when it got so bad that I couldn't take it anymore.

As for flat towing it, I think the risks far outweigh what savings you might get by trying to do this. Can your truck handle the weight? Stoping? Will the bearings hold up to any amount of speed? There isn't a suspension on them, and what happens if you hit a rough spot or a pot hole? I'd hate to find out!!!! How are the axles lubricated? On my backhoe, they are lubricated by the hydraulic pump, which means that the engine has to be running to power the hydraulic pump. I don't have gear oil in my axles. If you pull it and the axles are not lubricated, what kind of damage will you cause? How do the front wheels turn? Mine are on hydraulic cylinders. Again, the engine has to be running to power the hydraulic pump, so the steering wheel can turn the wheels. What happens when you try to turn and the front wheels stay in the straight ahead position? My tires are big and heavy. They are not balanced. At what speed does this affect the drive, ride and towability of it? I don't know and I don't want to find out what happens when that speed is exceeded.

I've paid $500 to have my 40,000 pound dozer towed by a low boy an hour each way, or two hours total on two trips. I know rates are different all over, but I'm thinking that you should be able to find sombody who will tow it for you for half of that amount. Have you tried contacting the different dealers in the area to see who they hire to haul equipment? Some do it themselves and might do this for you, others hire it out and will tell you who they use.

If you do this and something goes wrong, do you have insurance that will cover the damage to other vehicles or buildings?

Good luck,
Eddie