LS backhoe questions. please post pics of subframe mount.

[Threepoint]

Great thread, Hutch. I see that you started it in Nov. last year! Your skills, and patience, are impressive! :thumbsup:

So you're in Central Virginia, eh? Do you moonlight doing custom fabrication? Just kidding (sort of). I suppose your wife might draw the line at that. :laughing:

 

[hutchman]

Great thread, Hutch. I see that you started it in Nov. last year! Your skills, and patience, are impressive! :thumbsup:

So you're in Central Virginia, eh? Do you moonlight doing custom fabrication? Just kidding (sort of). I suppose your wife might draw the line at that. :laughing:

Shes not happy with me and I'm sure our neighbors aren't either. I've been doing this in my back yard. We're selling our house and going to live in apartment while new house and pole barn are built. I told her I don't have much of an option ... I can't really do this kind of work in parking lot of an apartment complex

This is my first project like this. Taking longer than I thought!

 

[Threepoint]

Shes ñot happy with me and I'm sure our neighbors aren't either. I've been doing this in my back yard. We're selling our house and going to live in apartment while new house and pole barn are build. I told her I don't have much of an option ... I can't really do this kind of work in parking lot of an apartment complex

This is my first project like this. Taking longer than I thought!

Now that you've set such a high bar with this thread, we'll be expecting step-by-step progress reports, with pics, of the house and barn construction as well.

 

[dfkrug]

Re: Factory Backhoe height?

Could someone with the factory R3039 backhoe comment on the height off the ground
at the two points I marked in red?

Like most Woods factory subframes, that unit you show mounts the hoe really far out back. Departure angle
will be quite an issue there.

Just for reference, my custom subframes (incl the one on my CK30) shoot for about 12" for your first red
line. I still scrape ground at the lowest point on one of the dips I have to traverse regularly. As for
your second red line, you can ignore that since you just extend the dipper when needed.

 

[hutchman]

Re: Factory Backhoe height?

Like most Woods factory subframes, that unit you show mounts the hoe really far out back. Departure angle
will be quite an issue there.

Just for reference, my custom subframes (incl the one on my CK30) shoot for about 12" for your first red
line. I still scrape ground at the lowest point on one of the dips I have to traverse regularly. As for
your second red line, you can ignore that since you just extend the dipper when needed.

I struggled with how to make the thing not extend very far. I could raise it high enough that the seat would clear the fuel tank and push it until it's seat and the tractor are almost back to back but then the ROPS is wacking me in the head. Looks like the common recommendation is a 40" bubble around the backhoe seat for that reason. So I spent a bunch of time positioning the backhoe behind the tractor and getting on it and seeing how much room I had and making sure I didn't wack my head on the ROPS to come up with a compromise.

I "think" once I get the pins welded into position, I'll have about 14"-15" around that first mark under the boom.

Since this thing is sold as a 3 point backhoe, it has two clevis style brackets way down low to be connected to the tractor lift arms. I have half a mind to cut those off as I won't need them but I think I will leave them for now. If they don't get in the way or cause clearance problems I'll leave them because if I ever sell it it could be used as a 3pt. backhoe. If I do cut them off I guess I could just save them so I could weld them back on later if I ever needed to.

 

[hutchman]

Re: Factory Backhoe height?

I struggled with how to make the thing not extend very far. I could raise it high enough that the seat would clear the fuel tank and push it until it's seat and the tractor are almost back to back but then the ROPS is wacking me in the head. Looks like the common recommendation is a 40" bubble around the backhoe seat for that reason. So I spent a bunch of time positioning the backhoe behind the tractor and getting on it and seeing how much room I had and making sure I didn't wack my head on the ROPS to come up with a compromise.

I "think" once I get the pins welded into position, I'll have about 14"-15" around that first mark under the boom.

Since this thing is sold as a 3 point backhoe, it has two clevis style brackets way down low to be connected to the tractor lift arms. I have half a mind to cut those off as I won't need them but I think I will leave them for now. If they don't get in the way or cause clearance problems I'll leave them because if I ever sell it it could be used as a 3pt. backhoe. If I do cut them off I guess I could just save them so I could weld them back on later if I ever needed to.

... having said all that ... I "think" it will be about the same overhang as the factory backhoe.

 

[dfkrug]

Re: Factory Backhoe height?

Looks like the common recommendation is a 40" bubble around the backhoe
seat for that reason.

Some tractors have very short ROPS; some don't. Case in point: my old JD 955s had very short ROPS,
so JD actually sells a taller ROPS if you want to use a hoe.

BTW, none of my other tractors had this problem. I even shortened my Kioti ROPS by 8".

 

[hutchman]

Backhoe sides

Update of progress ... focused on backhoe sides.

Was able to mount the sides I cut out to the backhoe:


View from rear:


This allowed me to then back up the tractor and position the backhoe where I wanted it to be then mark where the pin holes needed to be cut out. I ran out of material and had to add a small part on top to be able to reinforce the top pin. Here's a view of things just tack welded in place:


Another view of pins from the rear:


And I was able to make the brackets to reinforce the other end of the pins. Didn't get a chance to tack them on but here is a shot before they got cleaned up (just brushed off the slag):

 

[hutchman]

Pin brackets on

Test fit of sides to make sure they fit in cradle OK before I started welding on the pin brackets (my stuff got rained on so now I have some surface rust ):


Next, did the root weld on the pin brackets:


Stuck the sides back on again for another test fit:

 

[hutchman]

Major Fab Complete! Praise the Lord!

Well, today I finished making the final mounts. I could not figure out a way to make a mount that went over the top of the axle and connected to the front to back supports that run up to the FEL cross member. The R3039 is just too compact to do it the way it is done on the TC-45 and others. So I made a mount that attaches to the top of where the ROPS mount to the top of the axle and will connect to the top of my 4 point cradle with a 10.9 grade bolt.

Here it is after completing the root welds:


Now I need to take the subframe off the tractor and do the final welding then clean it up and paint it. It's taken me 3 months but I think I'm close to finally trying it out.

Oh, I also made another mount that I didn't get a picture of yet ... it connects the two cradle upright mounts together and helps prevent them from being pulled in towards each other. I'll post a pic of that next time I get a chance.