true joystick backhoe controls

[daugen]

Within the next year I hope to buy my retirement home with plenty of room for additional implements.
One I have never used is a backhoe and I have my eye on a used TLB. The controls seem pretty straightforward; I zoomed in on a factory pic of a Kubota M59
control set up and it was very similar to the aftermarket smaller example below.

Does anyone make a true joystick controller for a small or medium backhoe? I'm sure you can get anything you like on a large excavator, but
I would like to be able to rest my arms on the arm rests and operate the backhoe with my wrists. (very bad arthritis...)

this would truly make my day...I'll use the conventional ones, but having just had carpal tunnel and ulnar(elbow) surgery, the idea of rowing all those levers
for hours on end frankly looks pretty daunting.

I should probably go sit on a new Kubota at my local dealer and see how much force it takes to operate those hydraulic levers. Probably not much and I'm probably worried about nothing, though I doubt it.

Does a true joystick controller exist?

6 SPOOL 16 GPM WALVOIL JOYSTICK BACKHOE HYD VALVE

http://www.ctielectronics.com/OEM-A...cks/?wtx=GAW&gclid=CIL94bHR37wCFaVQOgodlmsAgQ

http://www.ctielectronics.com/Potentiometer-Hall-Effect-Inductive-Joystick-Background.php

 

[leonz]

About your wish list,


The issue is cost and what you want to spend.

What you are referring to as far as controls are
concerned is a "Gimballed spool control valve".

They require very little pressure to operate and will leak over time with wear.

Pilot operated valves cost more leak much less and are easier to repair.


NOW what you need to know is that the larger pilot operated valves are
generally used in very large expensive excavators and other mining machinery
not the backhoe you are looking at.


If all your doing is small jobs the kubota 1850 with a backhoe is all you need.
The gimballed valves will cause you little trouble and the backhoe will work well
and move snow providing you remove it.

You do not need a $40,000 back hoe unless you actually
want to buy and own one that will sit around most of the time.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Within the next year I hope to buy my retirement home with plenty of room for additional implements.
One I have never used is a backhoe and I have my eye on a used TLB. The controls seem pretty straightforward; I zoomed in on a factory pic of a Kubota M59
control set up and it was very similar to the aftermarket smaller example below.

Does anyone make a true joystick controller for a small or medium backhoe? I'm sure you can get anything you like on a large excavator, but
I would like to be able to rest my arms on the arm rests and operate the backhoe with my wrists. (very bad arthritis...)

this would truly make my day...I'll use the conventional ones, but having just had carpal tunnel and ulnar(elbow) surgery, the idea of rowing all those levers
for hours on end frankly looks pretty daunting.

I should probably go sit on a new Kubota at my local dealer and see how much force it takes to operate those hydraulic levers. Probably not much and I'm probably worried about nothing, though I doubt it.

Does a true joystick controller exist?

6 SPOOL 16 GPM WALVOIL JOYSTICK BACKHOE HYD VALVE

Industrial Joystick | OEM Precision Control Industrial Joystick from CTI Electronics

Potentiometer Joystick, Hall Effect Joystick, Inductive Joystick & Optical Joystick from CTI Electronics

You wont find the "armchair controls" on any tractor type backhoes, they all have the control like your photo. They aren't hard to move and can be moved with one finger but you do have to have your arms extended to reach them. It isn't as tiring as you might think as you just rest your hand on the ball and with hardly any effort you can move the joysticks in 4 directions. I think you are needlessly worrying about a non-existent problem

 

[daugen]

Gary, I have some increasing physical limitations I wish I didn't have to needlessly worry about...
it is difficult, for example, for me to run a zero turn mower. So light effort controls really help me.
Was just trying to focus my search for a more ergonomic solution for me, and yes, bottom line, for the few projects a year I'd use it on,
unlikely this is a big issue. I owned a retail electronics business for five years and follow this stuff still, a little..., and of course I'd like to have those gloves
one could wear and with the wiggle of a pinky, the bucket would dump. :dance1:

Leonz, yeah, I'd like a nice reclining Recaro seat with soft arm rests, stereo in the headrest, and...
you know, this isn't so far fetched, wait until Google Glass comes up with a tractor operation app.

 

[gwdixon]

You already have recognized an excellent idea given your physical limitations. Go to a dealer and get on a backhoe to try it out. Then come back here and start another thread with your experiences detailed. Your questions and concerns may have already been answered by then.

Not sure about your uses but a M59 is pretty substantial. A used L48 or a L45 might be what you are looking for. At least give them a try. They are a little smaller than your L5740.

If you are looking small then a B model would fit the bill. They are "cute" and can do a lot of work over time.

 

[kennyd]

Find a used mini-excavator for your hoe needs, most have exactly what your looking for.

 

[ttriff]

Why don't you just rent a mini-excavator for the times you need it?
Around here they're ~$200/day and can do roughly double the work of a backhoe in a given time period.

 

[grsthegreat]

i give a 1+ on mini excavators. Besides the larger JD's and Cat backhoes, there the only ones ive seen on jobsites with the single lever controls your looking at. And mini excavators (and full sized excavators) can dig circle's around any style of backhoe.

 

[downsizingnow48]

As a longtime B21 owner my recommendation would be for a mini excavator. It will do more work faster in far greater physical comfort. The TLB makes sense if you need one machine that can sort of do a little of everything. But you have other machines and needn't make that compromise.

 

[daugen]

bingo, thanks guys. Mini excavator, and yes, it only makes sense to rent.
Since I have zero seat time on regular hydraulic controls, learning the different feel of
a joystick would not be an issue.

I have to confess...I keep seeing these spotless TLB's on craigslist locally and keep thinking about all the
landscaping projects I could do with a backhoe. But you are right, I have two tractors, duplicating the tractor function with a TLB
seems wasteful. Better to have a higher performing single purpose machine. Even if I rent the thing for a month at a time, it has to be a
smarter move. But then, and again...in Craigslist, there is this cute little Kubota mini excavator...