Skid Steer Backhoe Attachments- Safe?

[jigs_n_fixtures]

The guys want a mini excavator to trench utility lines with. Somehow they got a line on a Skid steer being surpluses on another Forest, which they can get for the asking, and want to get it, then mount a backhoe attachment on the skid steer.

I hven’t looked at the backhoe attachments for skid steers in thirty years. At that point I thought they were unsafe, and overpriced. The overpriced part was that by the time you got a name brand backhoe attachment, you were pretty close to the cost of good mini excavator.

the safety part was that the operator position was out side of the ROPS on the skidsteer, and the outriggers wer too short to actually stabilize things. The combination of those two things lead to tip overs, and injuries, becasue the operator is out in the wind, so to speak.

Anybody running one? Have they improved To the point the Safety Buffaloes won’t just go nuts the first time they see it?

 

[Xfaxman]

There is also a boom mounted backhoe:

And a swing style:

 

[Xfaxman]

The guys want a mini excavator to trench utility lines with. Somehow they got a line on a Skid steer being surpluses on another Forest, which they can get for the asking, and want to get it, then mount a backhoe attachment on the skid steer.

How about a trencher attachment?:

 

[scootr]

I've run both. The backhoe attachment comes with 2 types of stabilizers. There are plungers which go straight down and true outriggers which fold out and down like a backhoe. You want the backhoe type.
There is a learning curve and it's true a guy could tip the machine while not being protected. The trencher is a safer bet if everybody stands clear. Know your ground. There are chains for soft ground and chains for rocky ground.
Also get a long bar. 1/3 of it won't be in the ditch.

 

[TBigLug]

I love my backhoe unit on my skid loader. It is not as strong as a mini-ex for me ot was a no brainer since I got the attachment for about 3k vs 50k+ for a mini. I had to fabricate the attachment for it to tie into the factory BH mounts. Alao, I added a mechanical thumb and built a quick attach and root rake for it. If you have to buy a skid specifically for the BH unit and aren't using it for anything else I would just buy a mini. But if you already have a skid or have use for it beyond the BH I'd do it.