Thinking of making my backhoe attachment towable and usable OFF the tractor!

dcarman · Jul 4, 2022

boostmg said:
Hey friends I have encountered a situation where i could use a "towable" backhoe. We all know the HF Trenchers and there are other models. The issue for me is that i am not sold on their durability and they are quite pricey! Around $5k if i wanted a "good" one which is subjective.

Anyway I have a backhoe already for my branson, and it has a subframe.

It looks like this

I've been thinking pretty creatively and researching tons. Any amount less than 5k i spend would be a win for me. Also being able to use my own hoe a real hoe would be a win.

What I am thinking is basically a system that would allow me to make my backhoe attachment mobile and usable.

So from what i reckon i would need:
- wheels
- engine
- hydraulic reservoir & filter
- hydro hoses
- hydro pump
- gas tank

I'm not a welder but could get access to someone who can if needed. But what i'm thinking is that i could put wheels up front as close as possible to where the hoe is located, use an engine, reservoir, pump, filter, and hitch from a log splitter.

What i'm unsure about is if the log splitter engine and pump would be enough to power the hoe. I suppose i could "test" it before doing anything.

I thought of the log splitter engine b/c it already powers hydraulics .. if i needed to get like a standalone engine like a predator or something off a lawn mower i am unsure of how i would attach a hydro pump to it.

My goals here are to take the least amount of steps possible and be as economical as possible and also eliminate the need for any super customized parts.

Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions!

That tractor's hydraulics system has 13.7 Gallons/Minute flow.I couldn't find the pressure and flow specs specifically for that backhoe however. It will take a WPA23 pump at 2400 rpm to create that kind of flow and pressure. You are going to need about 28 horsepower to do that. The hydraulic tank would have to be sized accordingly also. This backhoe may require less flow then that however. Find the hydraulics requirements for the Backhoe and look it up in the attached chart to determine horsepower needed.
You are giving up the mass in the tractor that helps the backhoe be more effective at digging by disconnecting it. My experience with backhoes is the heavier the better.

Hotpot · Jul 4, 2022

Man don’t do it! I say this from experience. I know what you’re thinking. “It will be great, I can just crawl myself around and dig whatever I want. But you won’t like it. It will be slow and cumbersome to say the least, maybe a little dangerous. You will need the tractor to get it loaded and unloaded. To get it stored, to get from work area to work area, plus the weight and stability of the tractor are very much needed. Then there are in all the engenering difficulties that will have to be solved or not. But they will affect the satisfaction of use. Power is a problem. I went from a 24 hp v twin (that didn’t work well at all) to a 1964 Ford 200 straight six. (Worked well but was a gas hog). I never dug on one project with it. I spent all my time working out the” Kinks “. I finally got the whole thing running really well and sold it to buy what you have sitting on the ground in your picture. I love my 3 pt backhoe– sub frame attached to my tractor. I finished 3 digging projects, already! My humble advice is to use your effort to go dig rather than building something to go dig.

Vigo327 · Jul 5, 2022

^Interesting project!

I'm 50/50 on the idea. Towable backhoes CAN do things, or there wouldn't be all the threads on the internet of people doing things with their towable backhoes. They HAVE to be cheap to be a good value, that's for damn sure. They can move themselves around when not attached to a tow vehicle, but it is tedious.

The way my brain approaches projects that i'm not sure will work, is to make them out of things i can DEFINITELY reuse if i don't like how my project turns out. You already said:

use an engine, reservoir, pump, filter, and hitch from a log splitter.

And in my mind I'm thinking, why bother nickel and diming most of a log splitter together for most of the cost of a log splitter, when you can just buy a log splitter. Buy a towable log splitter, and find a VERY sturdy, mostly reversible way of making that the 'back half' of your towable contraption. Put a couple of appropriately sized quick disconnects in line with its existing hydraulics, and hook that to your backhoe lines. I think the towable ones probably weigh 600-1000lbs so that's a decent chunk of counterweight. If you don't like how it turns out, put the backhoe back on the tractor, and sell the splitter.. or keep it.

I have a backhoe and love it, but id sure like a small <1.5 ton mini excavator, and i have a tiny 3000lb skid steer. So far my cheap 'in between' idea like what you're trying to do, is get a cheap neglected 3pt backhoe attachment and convert it to a skid steer attachment, or DIY build the entire thing. I'm well aware of 'front hoe' attachments and have almost no interest in that.. I want the swing function and ~8 foot of reach. The worst things about my 6.5' backhoe is running out of or cant reach places to set down the dirt im picking up without having to switch seats and relocate the tractor. In my mind the skid steer attachment would have more reach (the ~8ft) AND be operated from inside the skid steer, allowing me to 'somewhat easily' move/rotate the machine, more like a mini-ex. But this idea revolves around me already having the tiny skid steer. If not i'd be thinking more along your lines here.

bcp · Jul 5, 2022

Some towable backhoe videos of a long ago poster on TBN:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MetsaMan/search?query=Kellfri

Bruce

boostmg · Jul 5, 2022

bcp said:
Some towable backhoe videos of a long ago poster on TBN:

https://www.youtube.com/c/MetsaMan/search?query=Kellfri

Bruce

Yep this guy has the equivalent of the Jansen mb300.

I was actually very ready to get the Jansen then saw this video

Now my OCD is kicking in and I’m worrying about that single steel piece being a poor design.

I’ve seen this guy dig plenty of big rocks with this thing.

My current thoughts are that i think these used to be ~$3k now they are $5k. No matter what machine i buy i like
To spend money for quality.

I have a Chinese tow behind flail mower that for the most part runs great, but there was a few little design flaws that i had to fix.

I would hate to spend $5k on a towable backhoe then have to wait for the flaws to present themselves then pay to fix them. I’d also hate to pay $5k and get into a scenario where i realize it’s not gunna work for me, like digging in hard rocky spots.

crashz · Jul 5, 2022

Is this a single use or purpose rig? Sounds like it will be digging in a wet area of your property, but never off of boostmg property. If that's the case, I say go for the tow behind rig (BTW - these are much easier to find used than reasonably priced mini excavators).

boostmg · Jul 5, 2022

crashz said:
Is this a single use or purpose rig? Sounds like it will be digging in a wet area of your property, but never off of boostmg property. If that's the case, I say go for the tow behind rig (BTW - these are much easier to find used than reasonably priced mini excavators).

It will be for my property only. Yep I’ve been looking for them used. Nothing to close to me

LittleBittyBigJohn · Jul 5, 2022

Do you have access to a wood splitter? How about a trailer that you think you can pull across the area you need to traverse? Since it is staying on your property maybe you can just strap it to the trailer for a test?

4570Man · Jul 5, 2022

Here’s a soft area I was working with my 10k pound mini x. There’s no way my tractor that doesn’t even weigh half as much could drive there without getting stuck.