Thanks for the tips and sympathy. Ive had back problems for a long time and this has to be one of the worst episodes of pain I can remember. But I couldnt hold out any longer and was able to play on it for abour 3 hours last friday and I have to say Im impressed. Ive used machines from bobcat skid steers to large loaders and was quite surprised with its abilities. First time using a backhoe and thats going to take some getting used to though. One thing I was disapointed with is the fact the backhoe hydos allow the bucket to curl up so far to the point it hits and scratches the paint off of the lower arm. I was bummed about that.There are some other things I can see that could use a little modifying like the air filter inlet. It faces forward and is in the engine fan air stream and gets all kinds of debris from it. Of course I have to wait till warranty is up but I would like to change it somehow so it is up above the hood of the tractor out of the debris field. With the cost of filters I wish I could do it sooner. In the meantime I might talk to the dealer and ask about maybe(me) putting some kind of pre filter on the opening of the air inlet behind the grille to help or find a sock for the paper element. I wish someone would come up with aftermarket filters that meet manufacturer requirements. I just think 48 bucks is rediculous for a paper element
Kootch,
Yes Im near Lowell,Ma. One of the main reasons I bought it was for snow work,I live on a dead end at the end and the town peckerheads (sub contractors) stop pushing in front of my driveway and when we have winters like last year I have problems. The town sometimes pushes it back with a machine but most times when I call they send a pick up that cant do anything and then I beat my truck trying to move it. Plus I have a handful of driveways I plow and could have used the loader more times than I count to move piles. One thing I see needing to be adjusted is bucket size for snow removal,one day when I have money again I was thinking of either buying a 5 ft. plow and converting that into a pusher box or just getting another bucket and super sizing that. I also bought it to redo my yard. We added a 2 car garage and lost the backyard. My back yard is a hill and has ledge,Im hoping to be able to pull some of the hill down,pull many stumps and regrade the whole thing. I do not think nor will I attempt to remove ledge with my new toy in case anyone was thinking it(lol). After that I would like to find some kind of work for it to justify keeping it which Im sure I can find thru the person I sub contract to for plowing is also a landscaper and doesnt have any kind of backhoe so we will see. sorry for rambling