Power-Tracs are not cheaper in my opinion

[MossRoad]

Actually Moss I believe I see TWO quick attach implements behind you

Jack

Yep! Those are our girls. This was pumpin harvest back in 2003.

Whacha got growing in back of you there? a Garden? Cool picture, looks like the kiddies are having fun.... I can relate...

I see you have an almost identical picture and one more attachment.
That's our garden. We usually have raspberries, tomatoes, peppers and pumpkins, along with some salad fixins every year. The last two years have been rough due to weird weather and no time due to kids' interest extra curriclular activities. They are both into everything.

 

[MossRoad]

I think they sell minihoes for each size PT. Look at the PT price sheets, they are usually in the second column of implements. They are not cheap and the one for the bigger machines costs about $2K but they are available from the factory.

I like the idea of the minihoe but it is hard to make a comparison to a real BH. The minihoe is definitely better for doing small chores in a garden or trenching etc but way less efficient for serious hole digging and of course they can realistically not dig beyond a few feet down.

The question someone has to ask themselves is how can they justify $6000.00 for a "real" backhoe when you can rent a small excavator for under $300 for an entire weekend. That's 200 eight hour days of rental for the same price, and you don't have to maintain it. How many times does the average home owner need a "real" backhoe in their entire life? A few, at best. I rented a small excavator for a day to dig the foundation for my future garage on our property. It was 24' x 32' x 4' deep. I had no idea how long it would take, so I rented it for the day. It only took two hours. I popped stumps for another two hours, called the rental company and they took it back and only charged me for half a day rental.

The PT minihoe is about a third the price of a real backhoe because it is about a third of the material of a real backhoe. It is a great tool for popping bushes, digging small holes, and the occasional long trench that most homeowners will only dig one time in their life. And when you are done just disconnect two hydraulic hoses, hop back on the tractor, flip the lever by your knee, tilt the joystick and it is off the tractor. You don't need to haul all that weight around with you all the time. The mini hoe is a great, affordable tool for the average homeowner, while a full backhoe is a luxury most cannot afford nor justify owning, in my opinion, of course, as I am still buidling my custom backhoe

 

[RegL]

Boy, I saw your bush hog video and that looked kinda scrary. Lifting the cutter up to eye level with nothing between you and the blades while pushing over trees/bushes seems kinda dangerous. Don't you get hit by chunks of debris? Seems there should be a heavy mesh screen of some sort between the operator and the bush hog if it is to be used in that fashion. Besides eye protection I think I'd want a solid cup protector!

Despite the disadvantage of needing to back into heavy brush with a CUT, the way the bush hog pivots on the raised 3PT it clearly serves to block any debris from coming up to the operator station.

The PT brush hog can be locked with the rear swivel limit bolts and can than be curled back to almost vertical, facing away from the tractor. That's how I usually cut brush and it's also helpful when changing blades, etc..

 

[MossRoad]

I just hope he has some money in his wallet so I can pay for some fuel.

Carl

YIKES!!!

 

[IslandTractor]

The mini hoe is a great, affordable tool for the average homeowner, while a full backhoe is a luxury most cannot afford nor justify owning, in my opinion, of course, as I am still buidling my custom backhoe

I agree the minihoe is a great tool. Not cheap given it's limited capabilities but still very useful and almost a must have tool for any PT owner I'd think. It must be missing something though for you to have put all the effort into building your "real" backhoe.

 

[MossRoad]

I agree the minihoe is a great tool. Not cheap given it's limited capabilities but still very useful and almost a must have tool for any PT owner I'd think. It must be missing something though for you to have put all the effort into building your "real" backhoe.

It does not have limited capabilities. It works exactly as it should.

As for why I need a real backhoe VS the mini hoe...

I would really like to have a mini hoe. I came into enough money to afford one after I sold my old IH tractor. However, I came across all of the steel that I need to build a full sized backhoe for free. I will have about $2000 into in when it is completed.

The tasks that I need to do with it are not typical home owner tasks.

I have several thousand stumps that will have to be removed one at a time as I clear my woodlot of small trees to allow for the desirable ones to fill in over the next 30 years.

I also have some deep ponds in my plans and I need the digging depth.

And then there are several thousand feet of trenches that will need to be dug for power, water, drainage, etc...

Not typical homeowner stuff.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Boy, I saw your bush hog video and that looked kinda scrary. Lifting the cutter up to eye level with nothing between you and the blades while pushing over trees/bushes seems kinda dangerous. Don't you get hit by chunks of debris? Seems there should be a heavy mesh screen of some sort between the operator and the bush hog if it is to be used in that fashion. Besides eye protection I think I'd want a solid cup protector!

Despite the disadvantage of needing to back into heavy brush with a CUT, the way the bush hog pivots on the raised 3PT it clearly serves to block any debris from coming up to the operator station.

Yes and no. I modded the PT Brush hog and stopped it from swinging. So in a way it is a boom mower with the head of the mower locked into whatever position I put it in. In the video it looks more scary than it does to me on the tractor. All I see is black of the top of the mower pan. I tilt the mower to kep it aligned away from me before I make contact with the brush. Debris is flying toward the tires or toward the sky.

But it makes it no less stupid or dangerous I admit. One careless moment and I am playing pirate. I do think of putting up some protection before I go at this method again. But now I am doing things a bit different, pulling blackberries out, then mowing over them after they are flattened.

 

[SnowRidge]

Yes and no. I modded the PT Brush hog and stopped it from swinging.

How in the world do you mow without the cutter being able to pivot? It would seem that you would have unequal pressure on the front and rear wheels except for a certain sweet spot, and I can't see how it could possibly follow undulations in the terrain, unless you have a float position on your curl circuit.

 

[ponytug]

It's a MINI-hoe. I watched a PT expert use one at the factory, and it can do 10' long ditch six inches deep in about three minutes. In contrast, the trencher did a 10' long 3' deep trench in the same time.

I'd love to have both, but if you have a bunch of trenches to dig, the trencher is faster, and more cost effective. As always, YMMV...

By the way, out here, $300 would get you a back hoe for a couple of hours, making PT accessories cheap in comparison...

I agree the minihoe is a great tool. Not cheap given it's limited capabilities but still very useful and almost a must have tool for any PT owner I'd think. It must be missing something though for you to have put all the effort into building your "real" backhoe.

 

[woodlandfarms]

How in the world do you mow without the cutter being able to pivot? It would seem that you would have unequal pressure on the front and rear wheels except for a certain sweet spot, and I can't see how it could possibly follow undulations in the terrain, unless you have a float position on your curl circuit.

It is a simple mod and undoable in under a minute.. RegL has a much better and quicker system than me, and I swear PT designed there brush mowers to do this as the holes seem to line up magically. Here is a link to RegL mod in the unhooked mode

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...le-more-video-clips-rod-locking-brush-hog.jpg

Because I am way more abusive on my equipment, I just used two bolts to hold it in place. The rod proved a little bendy by my standards of abuse.

Is it safe, not completely, but safer than the way the boom mower seems to work.