laser on backhoe

[Hooked_on_HP]

I have a lot of drain tile I am going to be installing if it ever dries up. I am a 1 man operation. I am buying a rotary laser level with detector so I can check grade by myself. I was wondering if I could mount the detector to the dipper stick on my backhoe. Then I wouldn't have to get off the tractor. Will the detector hold up. Has anyone tried this?
Bill

 

[kennyd]

I have a lot of drain tile I am going to be installing if it ever dries up. I am a 1 man operation. I am buying a rotary laser level with detector so I can check grade by myself. I was wondering if I could mount the detector to the dipper stick on my backhoe. Then I wouldn't have to get off the tractor. Will the detector hold up. Has anyone tried this?
Bill

Use cable ties/zip ties and strap it up high on the boom and out of harms way-the set your laser up high on the tripod. You may have a hard time hearing though over the machine?

 

[dcyrilc]

I have a lot of drain tile I am going to be installing if it ever dries up. I am a 1 man operation. I am buying a rotary laser level with detector so I can check grade by myself. I was wondering if I could mount the detector to the dipper stick on my backhoe. Then I wouldn't have to get off the tractor. Will the detector hold up. Has anyone tried this?
Bill

I think a better was to do it would to be one of the pipe grade lasers. They shoot a beam down a trench line to follow. The same could be done with a laser level using the beam. Keep a coffee can of talculm powder on the hoe with you and throw it out across the ditch from time to time to make the beam visable. It should help judge both depth and direction for digging.

 

[powerstroke444e]

For tile in yard I usually use a trencher(less mess better grade control) but mark out the whole job with white paint and have to only use a rule every now and then to keep it flowing. How deep are you digin????

 

[CurlyDave]

I have a lot of drain tile I am going to be installing if it ever dries up. I am a 1 man operation. I am buying a rotary laser level with detector so I can check grade by myself. I was wondering if I could mount the detector to the dipper stick on my backhoe. Then I wouldn't have to get off the tractor. Will the detector hold up. Has anyone tried this?
Bill

I have no idea about the detector holding up, but they are the lower cost component and you can get another one if it fails.

Look for one of the new green lasers which has more power and visibility than the red ones.

I have a self-leveling Johnson which I got from Lowes for about $500 a couple of years ago, the new green ones are about $600. Other brands go up from there for self leveling, and can easily exceed any normal pocketbook's capabilities.

 

[Taylortractornut]

I used to have Top con that we wore out at work. I forgotthe name of laser we have have now but it has a similar reciver to the TC. its arrows are hard to see from the seat and it has to be linded upwith a line of sidte set up. The one reciver thant can be put on a stick on the blade or boom has the reciver lens thatgoes most of the way around unit. Im gonna buy one for personal use. They have magnetic mountings but what usually do is tap 2 holes for studs into a keystock. then tack them on the boom or make a clamp. The machine mount recivers have large colored arrows you can see from the seat.

Just mark your bucket for for a flat cut and and rember its position. I have used a Backhoe with GPS that even knew the grdae realative to the buckets curl.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

I am going to be digging from 1' to 2.5' deep. The ground is uneven. I have a 10" bucket for the hoe so it shouldn't mess things up to bad. The detector I am looking at has audible tones for above,below or on grade. If I can hear it over the noise of the tractor it should work. I hope.
Bill

 

[littlejohn2009]

As long as you are laying the pipe level, you should be fine. Some rotaries will allow you to dial in a grade, if you need that.

Let us know how it works..