Backhoe There has to be a better seat

[Tractor Seabee]

I love mu BX25 except for the poorly engineered seat arrangement for the BH use. It is a real PITA to reset the seat around. Must be a better way. Has anyone seen or used an aftermarket product that is on a swivel that you do not have to fight with every time you want to move a little?

Ron

 

[Deano]

Mine (BX24) kicked my butt when I first got it. Then I realized that a couple of slides and the balls that lock seat in were missing. May not be your problem, but worth checking out. Once that was fixed, the seat took a certain "pattern to get it around easy. Now, I don't even give it a second thought.

Check this thread just in case:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...g/238704-bx24-swivel-seat-mechanism-came.html

Deano

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Ooooohhh Noooooo! Another Kubota seat thread!:laughing::laughing:
First, I also own personally a BX25 which is my first tractor with a BH. I love this tractor and wish I'd gotten it years before I did. I to struggled with the seat turning "issue" for a few months when I first got the BX25. It isn't actually difficult or wasn't back when I used to do it in the beginning. It was just different. I had to learn to sort of pull up on seat as I turned it and it wasn't to bad after that. What became an "issue" was the having to turn it period every time I wanted to use the BH. Now I'm not a dig for hours with my BH user and if I was I'd turn that sucker around and go to work but I dig a small tree or move plants or rocks and dig a bit and then move kind of user.
One day a BX23/24/25 owner told how they don't turn their seat, they turn their body in the seat and operate the controls. WOW!!! One of the greatest most helpful revelations for me personally since I've been on this forum. I haven't turned my seat in probably over a year and a half give or take 6 months. It isn't a perfect operating situation but it works for me with the types of digging I'm doing. I sometimes get on my knees in the seat if I'm going to do a bit longer job.
I do know or believe my seat will still turn and I may actually turn it while operating the BH one day. Great to have the option to use or not use if I don't want to.
Wonder if other brand SubCompactUtilityTractors that are dedicated FEL/BH and come that way set up from the factory have a better seat turning design? Not CompactUtilityTractors but SCUTs. Sometimes making stuff really small creates different ways of stuffing all the stuff in.
Actual knowledge/experience and not sales brochure, internet search or heard stories.

 

[KWentling]

A little WD40 does wonders for my BX22.

Kim

 

[ultrarunner]

^^^ Same here... I think I used a graphite lube on all the pivot and slide points... made a world of difference.

 

[ametcalf]

I love mu BX25 except for the poorly engineered seat arrangement for the BH use. It is a real PITA to reset the seat around. Must be a better way. Has anyone seen or used an aftermarket product that is on a swivel that you do not have to fight with every time you want to move a little?

Ron

I don't know if the BX25 seat is like the BX23 seat but when I first got our BX23 it had 285 hours on it. I experienced the same 'seat fight' that you talk about. I decided one day it wasn't worth the fight and I was going to win the battle once and for all. I lubed the daylights out of all the adjoining surfaces that rubbed against another surface underneath the seat and then spent a few minutes practicing until it became second nature to swing the seat around. I was so proud of myself until a couple of months later it started giving me problems again. I found that the flat bar that you lift up on to release the catches had gotten bent up in the middle enough so the catches weren't connecting to the round bar properly causing me more aggravation. I straightened the flat bar and everything works good as long as I keep the mechanism well lubed.
A little off the subject but connected. On full sized backhoes it is common practice when digging ditches to move the machine forward you just raise the loader and stabilizers and push the machine forward with the bucket, restabilize the machine and resume digging. I read someplace in the manual that we shouldn't do this with the BX23. I do it all the time and I can't see how it hurts anything if I do it properly so I just ignore that bit of advice in the manual.
ametcalf

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I don't know if the BX25 seat is like the BX23 seat but when I first got our BX23 it had 285 hours on it. I experienced the same 'seat fight' that you talk about. I decided one day it wasn't worth the fight and I was going to win the battle once and for all. I lubed the daylights out of all the adjoining surfaces that rubbed against another surface underneath the seat and then spent a few minutes practicing until it became second nature to swing the seat around. I was so proud of myself until a couple of months later it started giving me problems again. I found that the flat bar that you lift up on to release the catches had gotten bent up in the middle enough so the catches weren't connecting to the round bar properly causing me more aggravation. I straightened the flat bar and everything works good as long as I keep the mechanism well lubed.
A little off the subject but connected. On full sized backhoes it is common practice when digging ditches to move the machine forward you just raise the loader and stabilizers and push the machine forward with the bucket, restabilize the machine and resume digging. I read someplace in the manual that we shouldn't do this with the BX23. I do it all the time and I can't see how it hurts anything if I do it properly so I just ignore that bit of advice in the manual.
ametcalf

Yeah, I do that also when ditch digging, but kind of cumbersome to move sideways 3-4' when digging out stumps or bigger holes.

Ron

 

[ametcalf]

Yeah, I do that also when ditch digging, but kind of cumbersome to move sideways 3-4' when digging out stumps or bigger holes.

Ron

I know what you mean. Years ago I rented a John Deere because our Case was tied up on another job. Had it about half throttle because I wasn't familiar with the controls. Tried to set myself off a ditch I had dug to the middle from two ends. I almost dumped myself into the ditch until I got the rpm up on the tractor. I wished I had talked my backhoe operator into working on Saturday as I went home to change my pants. Oh well, "All's well that ends well."
ametcalf

 

[Carl_NH]

Ooooohhh Noooooo! Another Kubota seat thread!:laughing::laughing:
First, I also own personally a BX25 which is my first tractor with a BH. I love this tractor and wish I'd gotten it years before I did. I to struggled with the seat turning "issue" for a few months when I first got the BX25. It isn't actually difficult or wasn't back when I used to do it in the beginning. It was just different. I had to learn to sort of pull up on seat as I turned it and it wasn't to bad after that. What became an "issue" was the having to turn it period every time I wanted to use the BH. Now I'm not a dig for hours with my BH user and if I was I'd turn that sucker around and go to work but I dig a small tree or move plants or rocks and dig a bit and then move kind of user.
One day a BX23/24/25 owner told how they don't turn their seat, they turn their body in the seat and operate the controls. WOW!!! One of the greatest most helpful revelations for me personally since I've been on this forum. I haven't turned my seat in probably over a year and a half give or take 6 months. It isn't a perfect operating situation but it works for me with the types of digging I'm doing. I sometimes get on my knees in the seat if I'm going to do a bit longer job.

Been doing the "body turn around" for years with my B21 digging holes while replanting shrubs but if I have any delicate work or rocks I flip the seat - it takes 40 seconds on the b21.
[

 

[Artisan]

I would seriously consider dropping some serious coin for decent seat.
Gawd I loath that seat. It is not so much turning it around but climbing off
and on the tractor just blows. "Someone" needs to design a seat that
simply folds back 90 degrees, so the part of the seat that your back
touches is where you plant your butt when using the BH, and vice versa.
I figured out on the very first day a guy can do short jobs by just turning
your bod w/o turning the seat but when your doing serious trenching
you need to be in the BH seat.

 

[CHDinCT]

I also use the body turn approach for quick, small jobs and sometimes just kneel on the seat so I'm square to the BH controls. My seat swivels fine after I loosened the pivot nut under the seat a little, but what I think might work better is two separate seats - just flip the current seat up and flip the BH seat down. Saw on another forum where a guy made up a BH seat for a BX2350 or BX2360 (or one of the non BH models) after having retrofitted a BX24 BH to his BX. He used the top link bracket to attach a flip up/back type seat for BH work. It flipped toward the control sticks when not in use and back down for BH use. He fabricated the bracket with some square tubing I think. Wish I'd have saved the pic's.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I would seriously consider dropping some serious coin for decent seat.
Gawd I loath that seat. It is not so much turning it around but climbing off
and on the tractor just blows. "Someone" needs to design a seat that
simply folds back 90 degrees, so the part of the seat that your back
touches is where you plant your butt when using the BH, and vice versa.
I figured out on the very first day a guy can do short jobs by just turning
your bod w/o turning the seat but when your doing serious trenching
you need to be in the BH seat.

Artisan,

I am with you, maybe this is a good idea for those third party manufactrers like BXpand. There seems to be a lot of space between the fuel tank and the seat bottom, a good designer should be able to solve this and maintain the balance between driving and BH ops. Listen up inventors, here is a new market opportunity.

Ron

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

The idea someone mentioned of the seat back just being locked in a front or rear position seems simple and workable to me. Works on trains and the electric cable cars in New Orleans.

 

[escavader]

A little off the subject but connected. On full sized backhoes it is common practice when digging ditches to move the machine forward you just raise the loader and stabilizers and push the machine forward with the bucket, restabilize the machine and resume digging. I read someplace in the manual that we shouldn't do this with the BX23. I do it all the time and I can't see how it hurts anything if I do it properly so I just ignore that bit of advice in the manual.
ametcalf[/QUOTE]

Heck,i have a linkage hooked up to my hst petal that travels to the rear of my bx cab.When im in the seat facing the hoe,i can raise my stabilizers,pull the lever and travel forward or backwards.Got tired of turning around on my knees and pushing the petal with a stick:
need to fugure out a way to steer from the rear
I also use my hoe to pick up the rear of the tractor and set it over sideways.This is a trick that more experienced hoe operaters do,wouldnt reccomend it to a novice to do on his own-can give you seat pucker
these little tricks make things go alot faster and easier
ok bring on the safety police
ALAN

 

[Artisan]

ALAN post up some pics! (Please! )

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Ooooohhh Noooooo! Another Kubota seat thread!:laughing::laughing:
First, I also own personally a BX25 which is my first tractor with a BH. I love this tractor and wish I'd gotten it years before I did. I to struggled with the seat turning "issue" for a few months when I first got the BX25. It isn't actually difficult or wasn't back when I used to do it in the beginning. It was just different. I had to learn to sort of pull up on seat as I turned it and it wasn't to bad after that. What became an "issue" was the having to turn it period every time I wanted to use the BH. Now I'm not a dig for hours with my BH user and if I was I'd turn that sucker around and go to work but I dig a small tree or move plants or rocks and dig a bit and then move kind of user.
One day a BX23/24/25 owner told how they don't turn their seat, they turn their body in the seat and operate the controls. WOW!!! One of the greatest most helpful revelations for me personally since I've been on this forum. I haven't turned my seat in probably over a year and a half give or take 6 months. It isn't a perfect operating situation but it works for me with the types of digging I'm doing. I sometimes get on my knees in the seat if I'm going to do a bit longer job.
I do know or believe my seat will still turn and I may actually turn it while operating the BH one day. Great to have the option to use or not use if I don't want to.
Wonder if other brand SubCompactUtilityTractors that are dedicated FEL/BH and come that way set up from the factory have a better seat turning design? Not CompactUtilityTractors but SCUTs. Sometimes making stuff really small creates different ways of stuffing all the stuff in.
Actual knowledge/experience and not sales brochure, internet search or heard stories.

Do these things turn like what I would expect on a full size TLB? If so then I would be impressed that they were able to design that feature into such a small package. I could see turning the seat if your digging a trench where you could use the backhoe to move the machine forward but otherwise I think you have the right idea, just turn your body around for that short amount of time.

 

[Artisan]

...and...

How about fold the seat forward and then flip down your BH seat.
So the BH seat attaches to the rear bar the front seat uses...OH MAN!
I think I see a way to do this!

Dear Kubota Co. Please reengineer your BX25 seat and make it so
we can retrofit the older BX25's with your new design!

 

[pwt]

Yes, BX25 seat turning around engineering sucks. Should be better. I end up operating the BH without turning the seat and just sit on the top part of the back of seat.
I am sure there can be a better design.

 

[GeneV]

I would seriously consider dropping some serious coin for decent seat.
Gawd I loath that seat. It is not so much turning it around but climbing off
and on the tractor just blows. "Someone" needs to design a seat that
simply folds back 90 degrees, so the part of the seat that your back
touches is where you plant your butt when using the BH, and vice versa.
I figured out on the very first day a guy can do short jobs by just turning
your bod w/o turning the seat but when your doing serious trenching
you need to be in the BH seat.

I know this is an old thread, but that "90 degree" seat is exactly what I'm looking for as a solution to my GC1710 seat woes. Has anybody on this forum done this?

 

[maronha]

I know this is an old thread, but that "90 degree" seat is exactly what I'm looking for as a solution to my GC1710 seat woes. Has anybody on this forum done this?

Yea I fought my seat woes for years!! Finally a few years ago i search and found this seat from milsco company Kubota BX Series Series Kit (PN: 6831) .
I love it!! Although when i when to install it i did have to modify ever so slightly in order for it to bolt up right. The cheapest place i found to get it was Rural King. Here is another link to buy it.
Kubota BX Series KM 129 Bucket Seat Kit | Tractorseats.com

In the end i ended up talking to my Kubota dealer about it and he said he could order it for me. I went with the dealer because he matched the price of Rural King.

Maybe later i can snap a few pics and post them here.