Mini-hoe usefullness

[ernemats]

For you pt owners that have a mini hoe is it worth the price for using occasionally and how sturdy is it. At a weight of 93 lbs. it seems that it would not be real sturdy if that is the weight of the bucket, hydraulic cylinder, quick attach plate and the metal arm. Would you buy it again after using it for a while? What is the length and size of metal arm and does it put a lot of strain on the power trac?

 

[Phils]

I'd by mine again in a heartbeat! It's a "power shovel" with the included 9" bucket. I had some broken leach field pipes to replace last week and (having done it with a shovel about 15 years ago) it was a pleasure to spend seat time digging.

On hindsight I'd also order the 12" bucket with it, as has been mentioned by others here.... I didn't even know that getting the 12" bucket was an option but for this forum. Of course, kinda too late now as the shipping on the bucket alone would be more than if it had come along on a pallet of other PT stuff.

I used to own a Case backhoe. The PT has an advantage in that you can dig up a bucketful and then 'scoot' to where you want to dump it. Quick and easy. With a regular backhoe you dump each bucket along where you are digging, then maybe tranfer it with the FEL to somewhere else later. Yes, the Case could dig deeper and wider but the PT is able to do anything I've tried so far, short of digging the big hole that the septic tank goes into. For something that big and deep it would work but take longer and necessitate carving a "ramp" to get down that deep (the top of my tank is 3' below ground level).

Seems very sturdy. I don't get the sense that anything is nearing the "breaking point" at any time I've used it.

Phil

 

[KentT]

IMO, the minihoe is the most bang for the buck of any of the attachments. I'm approaching 100 hours on my PT since I bought it and well over half of those are with the minihoe...

It's sturdy enough that you can either raise the front end off the ground -- in a heartbeat -- or likewise, you can pull the back end off the ground if you bite off something too big to chew.... Like everything else on the PT, the hydraulics are stronger than the PT weighs.

I am planning to have reinforcements welded onto mine when I have the thumb welded on -- hopefully to prevent possibly twisting and breaking the dipper stick by picking up trees, etc...

I also would like to have a 12" bucket for digging bigger holes, but the 9" one works well... While it's not a backhoe, you can also do things with it that you couldn't with a backhoe, as Phil describes.

My friend "raves" about it because he can lower the lift arms, slide the bucket underneath the lowest wire on a barbed wire fence, then curl the bucket and uproot 2" - 3" saplings that have grown up in the fence line.... He's cleaned about 800 yards of overgrown fencerows and two acres of his woods that privet hedge had invaded and taken over...

It digs trenches, it digs up and moves shrubs, it cleans out ditches and regrades the ditch banks... It's simply handier than a pocket on a shirt.... Does that sound like I like it? /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[pajoube]

As mentioned already we who own the mini hoe relly like it.
Like you I bought mine thinking I would use it for a few projects but it has become one of the most used of the 15 attachments tht I own. I also like the 9 inch bucket which is perfect for the types of projects i'm now doing.
You will never regret getting the mini hoe.
PJ

 

[Piedmont3]

I bought the minihoe to be able to plant trees and dig electric line trenches. I have used it for those tasks as well as removing old sign posts, and old fence posts, and anything else I need to dig. I own 3 shovels and have only used one of them twice since I got the mini hoe. that use was to dislodge a chunk of wet red clay from the bucket of the minihoe. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Highridge]

I think it is one of the best attachments I own. I have the 12" and 9", but only use the 9" when digging trenches or in areas that have lots of roots.

 

[Spiffy]

Odd question here, do you guys use the brakes or the treadle to hold the machine (or perhaps backdrag with the treadle) while digging?

I think the 18XX has some pretty serious brakes for hillside work, and I think the smaller units are a "ratchet lock" so maybe would hold, but I know my backhoe pretty much laughs at the brakes on the 2445. Of course, it can throw it around pretty good even with the outriggers and bucket down (working on a few solutions to that, but another thread).

Anyway, just curious. Neating reading all the uses you guys are finding for one attachment! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Highridge]

I just keep my foot on the reverse pedal when digging. It's a lot faster than locking that brake to dig, feathering the treadle to unlock them, turning the machine to dump the load, and then locking them again.

 

[Marks481]

Brakes are useless when using the minihoe on the PT422, ppartly because they are a PIA to engage and disengage, and partly because you need to articulate the machine to dump the bucket, which generally involves some forward or aft motion.

It might be a different story if I had real brakes, but I agree with highridge; I just keep the tractor held in position by constant use of the treadle.

 

[ClintBlake]

The first time I used the mini-hoe, I thought it was a joke. Figured I would just rent a real backhoe if I needed one.

But then.... about 3 months ago BobRip and I spent about 8 hours one day digging trenches for water, sewer, power and phone/cable at a co-workers new house. BobRip did the trencher work with his 422 and I did the mini-hoe work with his mini-hoe and my 422. About a month later I went to Tazewell and bought the mini-hoe with the 9" and 12" buckets.

 

[pajoube]

When curling the bucket towards me I use the reverse at the same time, This really works well and speeds up the digging process.
PJ

 

[Spiffy]

Sure sounds slick, now I see how you can really move some dirt with that thing! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[DHS]

Last fall I purchased a mini-hoe because. Well, it looked like everyone else was having fun with theirs. Last fall I trenched in a culvert and dug a nice mailbox post hole for my son. I need to think off a few projects this spring before my wife becomes suspicious. It is a remarkable attachment that does more than I thought it would. Did I mention it is just plain fun to use?

Dale

 

[ernemats]

Would you use the mini-hoe to dig a ditch several hundred feet long and about 2 foot deep in clay ground or would you hire someone with a regular backhoe to dig it. If you were to dig it yourself with the mini-hoe how long do you think it would take? This is one project I have in mind and there are a lot of other uses I can think of that the mini-hoe could be used for, I'm just not sure about it being practical for diging a ditch that long and how much stress the mini-hoe puts on the machine. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[DHS]

ernemats,

I would not hesitate to dig a 200 foot trench 2 feet deep with my mini-hoe in my soil. I don't have any clay but I would wait until the frost is out. I suspect very sticky clay may not easily dump from the bucket. Perhaps, someone with mini-hoe experience in clay can help.

Dale

 

[Piedmont3]

We have 6" of soil on top of 5 or 6 feet of red clay on top of about 10 feet of rock/shale. the mini hoe will dig the soil and clay out with a little time and work. Most of the work is getting the clay out of the bucket. I came up with a couple of helpful hints after the first time.
It will help if you wait until the moisture content of the clay is reasonably dry, and before you start, coat the inside of the bucket with wd-40 or wesson oil (from the kitchen, I ran out of wd-40, don't tell my wife)

 

[Phils]

I wouldn't hesitate in the least to dig a ditch that long. On my place with very little level and many large rocks/boulders hidden in the clay, I'd reserve a weekend but expect to be done in a day.

If the ditch was 6 feet deep I'd rethink the project so that I didn't have to dig that deep, as the PT wouldn't be able to do it. 4 feet deep would be the max I think and probably take 3 times as long as one 2' deep.

I've had no feeling that I was overstressing anything on the machine at any time I've used the mini-hoe. Of course, I've had no feeling of overstressing the machine with any implement. Anytime there's too much weight or resistance in the front, the rear rises into the air. That isn't even a problem as the pucker-factor lift is calculated and predictible. I've even demonstrated it for others, scooping up a large load of gravel with the FEL then 'turning' the PT to change the COG and making the rear float into the air.

My DW always doubles the time and money that I estimate for a project and more often than not she is closer to the actual time/money spent.

Phil

 

[weaver]

I tried to dig a trench for a well water line 4' deep by 35' long in connecticut with a pt 1430 mini hoe and in 3.5 hours i dug 15'. My brother keep yelling out the window" how long is this going to take" So I called my friend with a komatsu mini excavator and he came over and dug the rest in 45 min. and he cleaned out what I dug. Like Clint Eastwood would say " A man got to know his limitations"

 

[ElBubba]

I've dug a couple of trenches of up to 30 feet and can tell you its not quite as straightforward as you might hope.

First off, you'll probably tear up the ground for several feet on each side of the trench as you maneuver the PT to dump the dirt. This is especially true if you're going down several feet because the pile is going to have to be put several feet to the side.

Another issue is clay soil. I'm blessed with Virginia red and it will easily pack into the bucket. You have to be careful not to close up the bucket too much or you'll get a nice compressed slug to dig out. Basically you end up digging out less than a bucket at a time to avoid this (but keep a nice scraping stick handy).

Last of all, i always seem to need to dig the trench horizontally along a hill. When the slope gets about 10 degrees or better life can get exciting if you're not careful.

Conclusion: sure you can do it but its going to be a mess and take several days but thats what makes it fun.

 

[Beechwood]

Attached are a few pictures of a trenching project I did this past weekend to replace my rotten retaining wall. The excavation is 70' long x 4' deep x 6' wide. I used my minihoe with the 16" bucket to do about 85% of the digging. This was the first project I had to really use the minihoe and it did a great job,