Great day on the BX25D!

dragoneggs · Jul 2, 2013

This almost could be a commercial... but in reality, just a sequel to my recent and now obsolete thread, "First real day on BX25D - need encouragement"

I now have 27hrs on my baby and couldn't be happier. It is a joy to jump on and in a couple of hours, really accomplish something. Today I was working around the back of my detached garage and clearing out a few shrubs and a couple of decent sized (30ft) blue spruce, alpine fir trees that although they are beautiful... they are too close to the building and starting to become issues. I am lowering the grade around the perimeter, putting in drainage pipe, gravel surround, and building an awning and access gate. I realized after starting this project to improve drainage, that this will be an ideal parking spot for my BX and a few implements! :cool2:

Okay now the beauty of the BX! I was able to maneuver in a very tight spot, turning tight 90deg turns, navigating between the garage and the property line fence. Any bigger machine would have been impossible. With the BH I took down the grade, pulled out a couple of trees, and relocated a beautiful cypress bush. I did dent my downspout a couple of times with my stabilizer foot, hit the gutter with my ROPS, and cracked a fence board, but all were minor and only I know about it. oops

Here are a couple of pics of the scene...

Tight fit and trying not to damage the lilac bush.

Lowering the grade and hauling out fill.

Pushing over tree with FEL after uprooting a bit with BH.

Wrestling with it and moving to the lower property. Drove past neighbor and tried to sell it but he wasn't interested.

Deano · Jul 2, 2013

The size of the BX AND the work it will do are an unbeatable package for some places!! I love mine too! 950 hours and going strong!:thumbsup:

JOHNTHOMAS · Jul 2, 2013

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: The front edge of the bucket is 2 to 3"s farther out than it looks when you get close to vinyl siding and I have holes to prove it and the BH bucket is sometimes a foot or 2 further back or to the side, some times but not always but when you hit something then you know that is one of the times. Keep it away from a newer vehicle which I've maybe never hit because I know it can change edge locations.:laughing:

CHDinCT · Jul 2, 2013

Nice pic's. Looks like a lot of fun, I mean work.

Surprised it took that spruce out without cutting it first. If/when you do need to cut a tree before removing it with the backhoe, leave 3' or 4' of trunk sticking up to use as a lever to push/pull on with the FEL or BH with thumb. Really helps to loosen up the roots.

dragoneggs · Jul 2, 2013

CHDinCT said:
Nice pic's. Looks like a lot of fun, I mean work. Surprised it took that spruce out without cutting it first. If/when you do need to cut a tree before removing it with the backhoe, leave 3' or 4' of trunk sticking up to use as a lever to push/pull on with the FEL or BH with thumb. Really helps to loosen up the roots.

Yeah I was surprised too! Boy that was a heck of a lot of fun.

I actually hauled it down the road past the neighbor's. Today he stopped me laughing and said all he could see was the fir tree going down the road above his hedge. Said it was quite a site from his vantage point. I always cut my trees with a 4ft lever. I had the excavator guy tear out several 24in beast stumps easily because I did this.

dragoneggs · Jul 2, 2013

JOHNTHOMAS said:
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: The front edge of the bucket is 2 to 3"s farther out than it looks when you get close to vinyl siding and I have holes to prove it and the BH bucket is sometimes a foot or 2 further back or to the side, some times but not always but when you hit something then you know that is one of the times. Keep it away from a newer vehicle which I've maybe never hit because I know it can change edge locations.:laughing:

Okay JT... your post is timely and you are dead on!!! I was working in tight quarters most of the day but even not so tight corners, I dented the aluminum downspout, cracked a few 1x6 vertical fence boards, and marred a facia board. You are absolutely right. Things stick out further than they appear. It would be great if I had sensors on the BH and FEL that warned me like a fancy car does.

Another mod?

Note the dented downspout

JOHNTHOMAS · Jul 3, 2013

You did good in that tight space.:thumbsup: With your Pirinha now adding a few extra inches and it being a bit sharp you should be able to punch more holes now instead of just denting.:laughing:

dragoneggs · Jul 3, 2013

JOHNTHOMAS said:
You did good in that tight space.:thumbsup: With your Pirinha now adding a few extra inches and it being a bit sharp you should be able to punch more holes now instead of just denting.:laughing:

Oh so you would like to see a pic of the 'cuts' in my fence from the sharp teeth, eh? Here you go...

JOHNTHOMAS · Jul 3, 2013

Are those Western Red Cedar boards? I had a house one time with Western Red Cedar that looked like that. Supposed to be termite resistant but the Woodpeckers liked them.

rbarker · Jul 3, 2013

dragoneggs said:
Okay JT... your post is timely and you are dead on!!! I was working in tight quarters most of the day but even not so tight corners, I dented the aluminum downspout, cracked a few 1x6 vertical fence boards, and marred a facia board. You are absolutely right. Things stick out further than they appear. It would be great if I had sensors on the BH and FEL that warned me like a fancy car does. Another mod?

Note the dented downspout

<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=325686"/>

LOL! My house has a few "bruises" from years of tractor owning as well. This winter I got too close to the garage with the new front mount snowblower and shredded the aluminum trim around the door. I think it adds that lived in look!

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet