[AT] Three Point Backhoe

[Mike Sloane]

The size and weight of those things are all over the place, Don. I have 
seen little ones hooked up to compact diesel tractors and big ones 
mounted on Ford 3550 industrial machines. Figure on at least 2000 lbs 
for a large unit, and you will be safe. As far as power, it doesn't take 
a lot of hp to run a backhoe - I had one on a Stuck Magnatrac that did 
fine with only the 20 hp B&S twin running it. 
<http://public.fotki.com/mikesloane/other_machinery/mtrac4k2a.html>

One point to remember is that a three point mounted backhoe can beat the 
living s**t out of the hitch and tractor, unless it is rigidly mounted 
to the rear end with brackets. The three point hitch isn't really 
designed for that kind of activity. If all you are doing is cleaning a 
ditch, it will probably be fine. But if you are excavating in rocky 
soil, it will be hard on your machine.

Mike

On 7/24/2012 4:35 PM, Don Bowen wrote:
> I am about to borrow one from a friend.  Does anyone know about how much
> they weigh and how much power is needed?
>