Making a towable backhoe truly towable.

[Imold]

I will be using the one I get much like you are using yours Ken, I will see how it does hooked up to just the scut and then with the down riggers on, I am also adding two wheels and axels so I can move it easier by hand when not using it.

I will wait to order mine till spring so I can at least get to use the 30 day return policy and the warranty, no reason to have it in my garage for 4-5 months not being used.

 

[California]

I have been thinking about getting a Jansen towable backhoe.
Rather than getting a trailer it could fit on I was looking at a different way to make it roadworthy.
think that the only restriction on towing is the wheels and tires and the fact that it has no suspension.
But.....
I see that Northern Tool sells a torsion type axle that I believe could be used in place of the solid axles that come with the machine.
With the addition of hubs, you could mount regular trailer tires and wheels and the unit should be good to go.

I'm always thinking cheap and simple as the basis for a new project. How's this to upgrade it for highway towing: Buy HF's little 4x4 trailer and adapt that as an undercarriage for the Jansen. Wheels, tires, spindles, axle, suspension, lighting and wiring, are already included in the minimal price. A Certificate of Origin too, if you need to apply for a license plate. This might avoid the need to tow it to DMV, if a safety inspection is required for home-built.

I have two of the little trailers. One I built as a 'jeep trailer' for offroad camping, the second one I bought used and already 20 years old, and put a watering tank on it to tow around the orchard. Two things I've learned: 1) Put a 2 inch ball hitch on it so it matches your other utility trailer. 2) for road use run about 24 ~ 28 psi in the tires to stop the leaping and hopping. Per a tire inflation chart 24 psi is the right pressure for the little weight I carry in the camping trailer. I also suggest the 8 inch tire version so your rig isn't as tall. And the longer tongue Imold suggested is a good idea so its not like backing a cement mixer.

 

[Ken M]

As far as moving by hand, say for storage... If you leave the boom extended just a little bit it will almost balance (or over-balance) the machine over the wheels. It's reasonably easy to manuver it into a corner of my pole building or to just get it onto the trailer ball. And I am on hard dirt or grass but faily level. I bet if you made a clamp-on bracket for the hitch end and mounted say an 8" castered wheel it would roll well. This would be very easy for me to add because I have that extended hitch on the machine. If you have not actually seen one of these HF machines you might be surprised at how heavy they are.

Waiting til spring to buy sounds like a smart move. If you are lucky they do go on sale occasionally.

I would suggest taking a hard look at the wheels and weight capacity of those cheap HF trailers. Running gear may not be rated for more than 50 mph or more than a couple hundred pounds. They might be ok for really light use.

KenM Louisville, Oh 11-12-19

 

[Imold]

Every once in a while I see HF puts them in their add for around 2699.00-2799.00, it has been awhile since I have seen them on sale but I am watching and and anything I can save on the price helps pay the tax.
If it does go on sale before spring I might just have to chance it and buy it early, hate to lose the 30 day return or the warranty, I should see if they offer a extended warranty on it and if they do for a reasonable price maybe that would be the way to go for me.

As I watch the adds week by week month by month. The only thing better would be if the Fargo store had one in their back room for some reason, wishful thinking.

 

[California]

...I would suggest taking a hard look at the wheels and weight capacity of those cheap HF trailers. Running gear may not be rated for more than 50 mph or more than a couple hundred pounds. They might be ok for really light use.

The little 4'x4' trailer is rated 1,000 lbs. It is HF after all so I wouldn't load it above 3/4 of that for highway use. The frame is flimsy and light but the backhoe would provide the needed stiffness, same as the plywood deck usually applied.

As for the suspension that's much stronger than I expected. My watering tank on that now 30 year old 1,000 lb rated 4'x4' trailer weighs 2,600 lbs starting out loaded, and I'm dragging it over disced ground so climbing over continual big dirt clods. I expected the 1988 8 inch tires would burst immediately but they are still good. After two years of that abuse I replaced them with 12" automotive tires only because pulling those tiny tires in the plowed ground was like towing a sled.

Maybe this backhoe is too heavy for the tiny HF trailer. But in my two applications, the jeep trailer and the watering trailer, they work ok.

 

[PILOON]

OK, I owned one so I can supply input.

Towable is for a short distance, not highway distances.
For stability you don't want any suspension, just stability when digging.
Mine did it's job, paid for itself a many times over and I sold it for my original cost later on.
My buyer also made great profits and got a great return (envious) when he sold it but then he was in a better position to sell.
They do have there place but won't replace a backhoe.
OK for a DIY with some time on hand,
Don't expect to load a 10 wheeler or expect to excavate a foundation.
Handy, but not a tracked excavator.
Great to prepare hedges, make ditches

 

[California]

OK, I owned one so I can supply input.

Jansen or HF?

Did you use it attached to a tow vehicle to anchor it, or standalone? Did it need any major repairs?

It's good to read you made some money with it!

 

[PILOON]

Jansen or HF?

Did you use it attached to a tow vehicle to anchor it, or standalone? Did it need any major repairs?

It's good to read you made some money with it!

Mine was called a "ToeHoe" and we used it standalone.
And it had been very abused but still worked.
Motor was a simple 5 hp 4 stroke but power was awesome as hydraulics did the work.
4 valve controls were somewhat jerky to operate but U soon learned.
Main downside was that due to stability the boom lift height was restricted so you could barely fill the lowest trailer, about 3 ft as I recall.
We once dug a 3 ft deep trench for close to 400 ft on the most treacherous rocky terrain downhill to a lake waterfront for a water intake.
No wheeled backhoe could have done that and probably not even a tracked digger either, and I was a frequent user of that sort of equipment.
The wide stance of the 'legs' is what made it stable as well as the low center of gravity.
One other restriction was the swing angle as it was not as wide an angle as a normal backhoe but still adequate.

Note my comments are for the specific model that I had and might not apply to other brands.

 

[MoArk Willy]

An update of sorts.
Jansen did respond to me regarding towing on / at highway speeds.
"We have customers towing the machine on the highway. They bought 55 mph wheels.
We stay away from the liability and think it is not safe to tow the machine at highway speeds and encourage customers to load them
on a trailer. Some states require lights, in some states you don't need lights as long as the lights of the towing vehicle are visible."

I think for the limited times I would be moving the machine, upgrading to larger DOT approved wheels may be the way to go.
At least until I bite the bullet and get a larger trailer.
Thanks to everyone for their input.

 

[Imold]

I ordered my HF Trencher today with a extra pair of axle/ hub assemblies, was close to getting a Jansen even emailed them back and forth yesterday and this morning but at a 1100.00 difference being HF has the 15% off everything sale I saved 450.00 on the HF trencher which covers tax and delivery, it came to 2849.99 total plus the extra axles at 140.00 for the pair delivered.