Used Backhoe

DanMc77 · May 18, 2015

I picked up a used model 48 backhoe to go with my JD4600. The dealer sold this "as-is" no warranty. I asked him if he could at least connect the hydraulics to a tractor to check for leaks. He made an odd comment that even if he had a tractor that it fit with, he wouldn't hook it up because he would be afraid of contaminating the hydraulic system in the tractor.

That leads me to start thinking - should I drain the hydraulic fluid in the backhoe and check for contamination (like water) before I connect it to my machine? Is it even possible to drain the hydraulic system in the backhoe?

dfkrug · May 18, 2015

Sure, you can drain it, but it is not easy.

I do exactly that with new hoes (9 of them) so I don't mix the cheapo hyd oil
in there with my tractor's THF.

To drain the fluid, remove the return hose QD fitting and place it in a bkt. Then
you need to move all 7 cyls thru their full motion. That requires external
force. I use a tractor's loader and my ceiling shop crane. Of course, you will
need to hold the correct joystick lever in the correct position first.

If you do not have access to external force, you may want to just remove pins
so you can extend/retract each cylinder. This is a lot harder.

BTW, you are much more likely to have clean water-free oil in the hoe if
it has QDs and uses tractor hydraulics, vs. hoes that use PTO pump systems.

beenthere · May 18, 2015

You could take a sample of the oil, and let it sit for a spell to see if there was good color (not milky) and possibly if there was water settling if you take the sample from a low spot.

Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about the bit of contamination that could be in the hoe... you have a filter on your tractor and it will catch what there is.

That or hook the hoe up and run it through its cycles, then drain your hyd. oil and replace the filters, clean the screen.

But major contamination likely doesn't exist. Can see that it is a good and safe practice for the dealer to follow, as no one wants to buy a new tractor knowing that old equipment was attached. As well, the dealer may have some "Deere" rules about such things possibly due to warranty issues.

What would worry me more, is the "as-is" no warranty. To me, that is a signal that the dealer isn't going to help you one bit if the hoe for some reason doesn't work.

GPintheMitten · May 18, 2015

I think contamination is more likely if there are no quick disconnects on it.

DanMc77 · Jun 2, 2015

Hi Guys,
Thanks for all the nice replies. Before putting it on the tractor, I pressed the little nub on one of the quick disconnects and got some very nice clear fluid out of it. Given that I have no ability to put it through the motions to drain, etc, I installed it and it runs great. The backhoe, though it was sold as-is with no warranty, is perfect.

My tractor, on the other hand is another story. The mounting plates on it (the machine formerly had a model 48 on it) are a mess, with several bolts that are sheared off. I have a guy who is removing the plates and bringing everything up to par.

Thanks again!
Dan