It's time; either get started or....

[NormL]

I put in some shop time the last few days and hung some of the parts on the tractor. As I feared, the front of the tractor will be off the ground without significant ballast in the form of a dozer blade plus weights. Of course, while digging, the outriggers - which I have yet to build - will shift the balance somewhere between the pivot and the bucket.

The photos show the boom and dipper attached to the pivot to determine the amount of swing. I think it might be a bit limited but I will go with it for now. I have a way to increase it if needed. BTW, that pivot swings smoothly and I'm hoping it's as strong as it looks.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I put in some shop time the last few days and hung some of the parts on the tractor. As I feared, the front of the tractor will be off the ground without significant ballast in the form of a dozer blade plus weights. Of course, while digging, the outriggers - which I have yet to build - will shift the balance somewhere between the pivot and the bucket.

The photos show the boom and dipper attached to the pivot to determine the amount of swing. I think it might be a bit limited but I will go with it for now. I have a way to increase it if needed. BTW, that pivot swings smoothly and I'm hoping it's as strong as it looks.

That looks Great!! You've made some good progress. The outriggers will make a huge difference in the balance, but I still think you'll want a blade with down pressure or some other way of stabilizing the front. Keep in mind that when you dig with the hoe the forces all reverse and you're putting pressure down on the front rather than lifting it up.

 

[NormL]

That looks Great!! You've made some good progress. The outriggers will make a huge difference in the balance, but I still think you'll want a blade with down pressure or some other way of stabilizing the front. Keep in mind that when you dig with the hoe the forces all reverse and you're putting pressure down on the front rather than lifting it up.

That's what I keep telling myself, Iplayfarmer! I'm just hoping that the gear I'm placing forward of the front wheels will supply the needed weight for when I'm moving it around. In addition to the dozer blade, I will mount the hydraulic fluid reservoir and filter out front between the dozer and the grill of the tractor. The tank is quite large and will hold more reserve oil than the system normally would need but the extra weight it provides will justify it, I believe. Any additional weight will have to be in the form of "suitcase weights" which I can fashion from just about anything I have lying around. Most likely a couple of stout boxes filled with rocks.:laughing::laughing:

 

[NormL]

I'm under the gun now if I'm to get 'er done this summer. It's not unheard of to have a snowfall that stays for the winter in two months time!

It's been over two months since I said that!:laughing: So far the dry conditions we experienced most of last summer persist along with unseasonably fair temperatures. All the same, work on the BH has been on "pause". for a while as getting things ready for the inevitable winter weather take precedence.

One of those projects has been converting a workshop previously used mainly in the summer months to a year - round facility. Because of the above mentioned fair weather, I have been able to work on something I thought was going to be for next year. That has involved removing installations on the two outside walls of the Quonset in order to insulate them. After that I can turn the power back on and put the other two walls and ceiling in place. With a small construction heater to help keep the temperature more civilized, maybe I can finish that BH before next spring after all!:thumbsup:

 

[Short Game]

And yesterday I finally got back to my project of trailer mounting that old Kubota backhoe! Made some more progress today after the rain stopped. Having to dig up my water pipe and fix it the other day using the FEL and a shovel was world-class motivation to have a backhoe.

 

[NormL]

And yesterday I finally got back to my project of trailer mounting that old Kubota backhoe! Made some more progress today after the rain stopped. Having to dig up my water pipe and fix it the other day using the FEL and a shovel was world-class motivation to have a backhoe.

Agreed!:thumbsup: That is the kind of abuse our old bodies can do without! Especially the shovel part. I had a similar motivator last spring when I had to dig up the inlet pipe to the holding tank to replace the gasket. That was a spade it out job and smelly and backbreaking and worst of all; unnecessary due to sloppy installation. Oh, did I mention backbreaking?:mur: That's when I needed the BH yesterday.

 

[Short Game]

It came down to it. I had to somehow bring the backhoe from the field to within reach of the welder. I can't mount it on my 3PH, so I had to hoist it with the loader. I needed to have it backed into the shop area and this was a real challenge from the start. I picked it up with my log forks but that could only get it set down at the wrong angle. Then I hoisted it with a chain, turned it straight, and put it up on jack stands. Not long after I put the tractor away, it fell over and one of the tipped over stands pushed nice dent into the bottom of the hydraulic oil tank, but didn't punch any holes. After about another hour if messing about, I got it up on concrete blocks.

Shot the whole day, but now I can get back to fitting stuff and get some tack welds done.

 

[NormL]

It came down to it. I had to somehow bring the backhoe from the field to within reach of the welder. I can't mount it on my 3PH, so I had to hoist it with the loader. I needed to have it backed into the shop area and this was a real challenge from the start. I picked it up with my log forks but that could only get it set down at the wrong angle. Then I hoisted it with a chain, turned it straight, and put it up on jack stands. Not long after I put the tractor away, it fell over and one of the tipped over stands pushed nice dent into the bottom of the hydraulic oil tank, but didn't punch any holes. After about another hour if messing about, I got it up on concrete blocks.

Shot the whole day, but now I can get back to fitting stuff and get some tack welds done.

WOW! The joys (risks) of working alone!:smiley_aafz: I sure hope it goes better from here on. Is the dented tank going to be a problem? Can you straighten it? I have an idea what the guy who welded my Oliver's axle would do. He would open up the tank along the seam and hammer it all back. Then weld it back together good as new. He did something like that with the fuel tank of a Pup starter in a D2 orD4 Cat he's restoring. It had gone all rusty and flaky inside over the years of being stored in a barn. Once he got it back together he started that old crawler, drove it onto his trailer and hauled it home.:thumbsup: Amazing!

Good luck and stay safe!:thumbsup:

 

[Short Game]

Is the dented tank going to be a problem?

Not for me. It's on the bottom and out of sight. Maybe lost a few tablespoons of capacity. Just glad it didn't punch a hole.

I really paid too much for what is a pretty used up backhoe. After I got it delivered from a Craigslist sale, I began to see it's had a hard life. The pins are worn and the rods are pitted. I should be able to get some use out of it, though. That old boat trailer was just sitting there needed a job. So, I can't complain too much. I probably couldn't have gotten a backhoe any other way, short of hitting the lotto.

 

[NormL]

Not for me. It's on the bottom and out of sight. Maybe lost a few tablespoons of capacity. Just glad it didn't punch a hole.

I really paid too much for what is a pretty used up backhoe. After I got it delivered from a Craigslist sale, I began to see it's had a hard life. The pins are worn and the rods are pitted. I should be able to get some use out of it, though. That old boat trailer was just sitting there needed a job. So, I can't complain too much. I probably couldn't have gotten a backhoe any other way, short of hitting the lotto.

Oh good! And yes it would be a bummer if it had made a hole. Those are hard to ignore.

Bingo on the lottery. Building my own is the only option I have. Being on "guvamint" payroll (pension) severely limits one's options, no?