[AT] 3 pt backhoe

Herb Metz metz-h.b at comcast.net
Mon Mar 4 08:21:44 PST 2013


Charlie,
"Jack of all trades, master of none."   Would that old expression apply 
here?
I would borrow the one that has been offered, and add the reaction bar. 
Ideal, no; but neither is renting or contracting. Typically, the contractor 
is in a hurry to get done, so now what do you do when you need a little bit 
more work done, etc.  Likewise with renting.
Will initial backfill be sand or screened on-site soil?
Herb


-----Original Message----- 
From: charlie hill
Sent: Monday, March 04, 2013 10:06 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] 3 pt backhoe

Don,  I paid $1000.00 for one about 10 years ago, spent some time and money
modifying the hook up so that it would fit my 3pt hitch correctly,
added a "reaction bar" to transfer the load off of the 3rd hitch point on
the 3 pt hitch to the drawbar, hooked it all up, dug one hole with
it, disconnected it and it's been sitting ever since.   It had plenty of
power and my D-14 Allis handled the load ok but it is kind of like what
a farmer friend of mine told another farmer about a Long tractor that the JD
dealer had loaned him while they worked on his JD.
The other farmer (who owned a Long) asked him how he liked it.  He said it
wasn't worth a crap.  The Long owner said "why, It's got plenty of power".
The JD owner said "an elephant's got plenty of power but you can't farm with
him".

That's pretty much the deal with my experience with a 3 pt backhoe
attachment.  It'll dig and it'll work but you can't get anything done with
it.
You'll be better off to put your time and effort into a real backhoe or
excavator, buy it, rent it, borrow it or steal it what ever you have to do
but
don't waste a lot of time with a 3pt hitch rig.  You'll find it very hard to
do accurate work with it.

Charlie

-----Original Message----- 
From: Don Bowen
Sent: Monday, March 04, 2013 9:14 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: [AT] 3 pt backhoe

I need to dig about 600' of 6' trench for a ground source heat pump,
excavate a foundation and maybe dig a drain field.  With two tractors
around here I wonder if a three point backhoe would be worth the
investment.  How much tractor do one of those typically require?  I know
where I can borrow one and have seen a couple of CL but do not know the
power requirements.  Is there any sort of rule of thumb regarding boom
length and bucket size?

This is the Ozarks with lots of rocks.  Bedrock is not very far down but
the area I plan to dig is the bottom of a little valley where there are
fewer rocks and a 6' excavation the PO did for a basement did not hit
bedrock.

-- 
Don Bowen           AD0BR
"A man must keep a little back shop where he can be himself without reserve.
In solitude alone can he know true freedom."
-Michel De Montaigne 1588
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html

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