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

[NormL]

Looking great. I'm waiting to see it in action. Can't quite remember how many times I've had to take my backhoe apart. But I'm guessing I said somewhere around 100 times.

Before I got it back together for what I thought was gonna be the last time for awhile. I was digging in the yard and the tubing where I had the stick cylinder mounted snapped off and how weird it didn't break while digging but just while raising and lowering the stick up in the air. :confused2:

So I pulled the stick off and loaded it into the back of my pickup and headed to the shop where I have my welder at. Then I used a piece of 2 inch thick steel from an old hitch that had just the right size of hole in it for the cylinder pin and welded that down into the tube. I'll have to get a picture of how I made the repair. It actually made it better and stronger.

Chad

100 times?!?:laughing: WOW!! You can have that statistic all to yourself, young man! I hope to keep it limited to a couple dozen times, MAX.

"Better and stronger" ; the ONLY way to go.:thumbsup:

In the most recent posts here, the discussion has been about my outriggers. I took a hard look at the way I had them and what others with wisdom and experience had to offer in the way of advice and decided they were right. So now I am working at getting them set up so they are at right angles to the pivot and will still fold up close enough to pass through garden gates as well as deploy with enough downward thrust to raise the rear wheels of my tractor. With my record as an engineer to date, none of these objectives are a "given".:confused2:

 

[Short Game]

My trailer mount backhoe setup got sidetracked a couple of months ago by my mushroom log project. Both are now sidetracked by the three inches of snow that fell in the night. I guess I will just have to sit inside and stuff wood into the stove while I test various alcohol delivery systems and watch the playoffs.

 

[Aging TOO Fast]

Any updates on 3ph to towable projects? Or any New one being started?

 

[NormL]

Any updates on 3ph to towable projects? Or any New one being started?

No, I've not seen any. Every time I try to sneak past my build when I go to my "cave" for tools or parts, I feel guilty for having too many other things going on get back to work on it.:irked:

 

[Aging TOO Fast]

I feel guilty for having too many other things going on get back to work on it.:irked:

I know the feeling.... Mine been laying in wait forever, No shop to stay dry and warm over the wet season in the NW USA.

 

[Aging TOO Fast]

.
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.

Your project is looking real good. If you think the outriggers are possibly to the rear too much??
< musing-crazy idea> The thought of making the outriggers with adjustable lockpin locations (to) rotate (swing) forward or back (like fighter jet wings)to gain best leverage in different soil conditions.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I think you should just go with fighter jet wings.

 

[chad22]

I think you should just go with fighter jet wings.

I agree. That's a great idea.

Chad

 

[Aging TOO Fast]

Hey chad ,......

Can you post pictures of your excavator backhoe.
Would luv to see what you did to it.

thanks

 

[NormL]

Hey chad ,......

Can you post pictures of your excavator backhoe.
Would luv to see what you did to it.

thanks

x2 :thumbsup:

 

[NormL]

Your project is looking real good. If you think the outriggers are possibly to the rear too much??
< musing-crazy idea> The thought of making the outriggers with adjustable lockpin locations (to) rotate (swing) forward or back (like fighter jet wings)to gain best leverage in different soil conditions.

I decided to reposition them to deploy at right angles with the pivot. I'm hoping the dozer blade and oil reservoir and other gear will provide ballast. We'll see.

 

[RobertBrown]

x2 :thumbsup:

My home made towable backhoe in action digging - YouTube

 

[chad22]

Hey chad ,......

Can you post pictures of your excavator backhoe.
Would luv to see what you did to it.

thanks

Sure thing. I'll get you guys some updated pics of excavator. It's looks a bit different now. I got my first smartphone so will try the pic with it. And see if I can get short vid of it in operation too.

Chad

 

[chad22]

Heres a few pics I took today with my smart phone.

On the fifth pic you can see my new stronger stick cylinder mount. It has worked flawlessly. I used an old hitch and size of the hole was just perfect. I cut the hitch off ad stuck it down that tube and welded her up. The backhoe has stayed together and has done what I wanted/needed it to do. I laid phone line, the water line to my house, dug up old fence post and set new ones. Dug up old stumps and she is still working great. Hasn't fallen apart. I do think my welding has improved too.

Next I need to fix my bent bucket. It pulled apart in a spot I had forgot to weld when I grabbed ahold of an old steel drain pipe.

This excavator was dragging my pickup along the ground when I had it hitched to it to keep from pulling itself around while digging out a stump. xd.

Chad

 

[Aging TOO Fast]

Chad,
great to see your backhoe up and going again. the second picture of the 4 wheels
and the seat make me think of the Moon Rovers. It's great to see what you and everyone
else are building and playing with.
thanks for the picts, have fun.............

 

[swick1]

Chad, I love your hoe. Don't take this the wrong way but I'm tired of looking at pretty machines. Yours has character and it's unique. I like that a lot. It's like looking at wood grain, beautiful in its own way!

 

[Aging TOO Fast]

I had a couple of pieces custom cut for my pivot box recently and today I started assembling it. I have not seen any pivots built this way so I don't have any pattern to go by. However I like the concept of a thrust bearing to hold the weight of boom dipper and bucket as it swings. In the attached photos I show the tacked together assembly as far as I have it done. I have it held in place temporarily to show where it will be fastened.

1+2): Shows stub axles (2) for the pivot and the pieces I had custom cut. They are tacked to the 4x6" channel shown in an earlier post. 3+4): That is the extent of the swing of the pivot. On the back of that 4x6" channel I have tacked 3" channel which will act as supports for 1/2"x4" flats. Those will be pre-drilled for cylinder and boom attachments. I have cross tubing to go on the end of the boom and I will cut some up to use for reinforcement for the pin holes through the the 1/2"x4" flats. Maybe with 1/2" thickness there I won't need to reinforce the holes? What do you folks think?

NormL
Never had a chance to say " I dig the use of the wheel hubs" ( if you figure they hold up a car, should be REAL stout.) I have pondered using hubs and spindles for
some of my projects over the years. Makes for easy bearing use.. you could put on bearing buddies
(for boat trailer hubs) or drill the hub between the two bearings and tap it for a zirk fitting, to keep them greased.
If someone did not have any hubs and spindles and needed / wanted them, they could go to a trailer parts supply (AXLE Parts) and get weld-in spindle stub and matching hubs and even get them with same sized inner/ outer bearings, to minimize spare parts.

 

[NormL]

NormL
Never had a chance to say " I dig the use of the wheel hubs" ( if you figure they hold up a car, should be REAL stout.) I have pondered using hubs and spindles for
some of my projects over the years. Makes for easy bearing use.. you could put on bearing buddies
(for boat trailer hubs) or drill the hub between the two bearings and tap it for a zirk fitting, to keep them greased.
If someone did not have any hubs and spindles and needed / wanted them, they could go to a trailer parts supply (AXLE Parts) and get weld-in spindle stub and matching hubs and even get them with same sized inner/ outer bearings, to minimize spare parts.

That was my rationale for wanting to use axle hubs. The ones I have were given to me. All I did was mention I was looking for some one morning at the local coffee shop and the next day one of the guys told me he had them in his truck and I could have them! Gotta love them prices!:cool2:

I don't anticipate needing to grease the pivot too often. I will pack the bearings before I put it to work and check under the covers from time to time but when you consider the mileage you typically put on an automobile between packings, I doubt I'll need to grease them oftener than once per season.

 

[Aging TOO Fast]

Gotta love them prices!:cool2:

I don't anticipate needing to grease the pivot too often. I will pack the bearings before I put it to work and check under the covers from time to time but when you consider the mileage you typically put on an automobile between packings, I doubt I'll need to grease them oftener than once per season.

BESTEST PRICE POSSIBLE <grin>

Agreed, You should be set for grease pretty well, just thinking if someone had hostile or HEAVY USE or used hubs in a more rigorous application or hard to access location.
A friend drilled and tapped his Trailer hubs, Made it simple and SWEET to ad a zip of grease between both bearings just in case.....or to freshen up what's in the hubs.

 

[chad22]

Chad, I love your hoe. Don't take this the wrong way but I'm tired of looking at pretty machines. Yours has character and it's unique. I like that a lot. It's like looking at wood grain, beautiful in its own way!

Glad you like it. I originally had those wheels on the ground. But when I added the rear axle from my old Buick Regal. It brought the front end to low to the ground. So I had the idea of welding some old drain pipe to some old car rims to raise it up to get the height I needed. It worked out swell.

I was gonna cut and lower those front tires to the ground. But for now, I like it like it is. (Up in the air)

If I need to move it I just stick the bucket in the back of my truck and away we go. It works great that way.

Chad

Ps. Hope to get a new video of it in action soon. I was gonna do it sooner but my internet went out. They just got it fixed today. As soon as I get some more gasoline for my excavator. I'll post a video with my smart phone.

I'm surprised how good the pictures came out on the Huawei Ascend II smartphone.