boom/extension for backhoe bucket

[BruceWard]

How much do the pots weigh? I think you can do it. I would drill holes in the backhoe bucket and bolt it on.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

They are about 500 lbs for a stack of 5 which is really convent to move in and out of the boat as well as stack there. I was playing around with some wood scraps today trying to figure out some hook system for the bucket but nothing seemed too secure so I think your right Bruce I will be better off bolting them.

 

[jimmyj]

Very interesting post. I don't see why you can't try it in a safe place. I am no expert but the idea is very interesting and I'd be pleased to copy it if you come up with an idea. Are those pots for catching crabs?

Note: I made a boom pole for the FEL to lift and move hay feeders and it works great because they are light weight. I think it's all in finding out how much weight you can safely move.

Good luck!

 

[JoeL4330]

I see you have forks...check out: AMH Fork Spreaders for Wide Load Applications which should allow you to pick up and carry two stacks, halving your trip count ...mission accomplished?

 

[tungularafishcamp]

thanks Joel, my forks are rated at 3000 so I spread them and tried one lift, it lifted them fine but because it has to be so high that much weight, that high up made me uncomfortable even with the backhoe on plus it was a hassle hooking/unhooking 2 stacks next to each other like that. As everything here is on a slope and the close proximity of salt water and working with a incoming tide, I decided to wimp out on the double stack up front.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Rick

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

What if you changed your plan a little. Use the FEL to unload the pots and put them on a rack or pallet designed to carry 2 or 4 stacks and pick that up with the forks .you would be keeping every thing close to the ground and would be a lot safer.
Bill

 

[JoeL4330]

good point about stability...hadn't considered sloping terrain...pallet suggestion would improve things ...but why not a one-trip trailer?

 

[tungularafishcamp]

My trip is 50-150 yards depending on the tide so not sure if the time lost loading/ unloading the pallet and then changing the forks to take the pallet and then the hooks would save me anything. I did use a pallet for the first couple of loads when I first got the tractor but besides having to double handle the pots the uneven ground wanted to tip the stack off the pallet unless u moved really slow or tied it down.
Not sure what you mean by a one trip trailer Joel but if you mean one big enough for all the pots it would probably take a d8 cat to get it up the beach. Had a hard time justifing the little tractor for a fishing operation don't think I could do a big cat but might be fun to drive around.
Thanks for the imput tho.
Rick

 

[JoeL4330]

sounds like you've got it as good as it gets ...just for the record, how many pots are we talking about?

 

[tungularafishcamp]

have 400 pots and am happy with the front end setup, just wanted the ability to add another stack on the back end, guess the best way is to build it and see if I break something
Rick

 

[jinman]

Call me crazy (and join the masses), but I don't understand why you are lifting those pots in the first place. Why don't you build something like a stone boat and just lay the stack of pots on the boat and skid them up the beach? Your forks out front are the obvious choice for one stack, but if you had a hook welded to the back of your backhoe bucket, you could just drop in a tow chain and go. I'm afraid you'll end up looking like a fish out of water and wagging your tractor back and forth with oddly swinging pot stacks.

Also, when you get your pots unloaded, use the forks to carry the skid back down to the pots for the next round.

 

[pat32rf]

A local contractor has a bracket that he chains to his hoe bucket using a normal "bear-trap" chain tightener. I have a 2" receiver welded to mine. His is on a full sized Case industrial, mine is on a 35 hp CUT. While he can pick up and run with a full length hydro pole, I am reduced to a VERY slow crawl just lifting two bundles of shingles up to a single story roof. The thought of a SWINGING load really makes me nervous.
I'd go with a skid that will hold two piles of pots on my front forks, but use the hoe with an extension to set them onto the skid. That way you can do your long reach lifting with the landing gear down, (maybe even load two skids from the same spot, one on each side) then run them up the hill on the forks and slide them off at your storage area.

 

[JoeL4330]

I'm not good at math, but 400 pots at 100 pounds per pot is a lot to drag...in tractor-sled-drags, 65000 pounds is competitive but on the level with bigggg tractors and trick sleds.

I'm unsure of the overall "workflow": boat approaches/beaches(?) and offloads 400 pots ...or is a boatload fewer than 400?...offloaded with jib crane? or, how? unloading a boatload takes how long? ...is that when they get stacked five high? I'm sure my mental picture is wrong, but just curious

 

[tungularafishcamp]

First

I'm afraid you'll end up looking like a fish out of water and wagging your tractor back and forth with oddly swinging pot stacks.
I gotta say jinman, that brings up a pretty good visual, might have to find someone with a video camera.

A local contractor has a bracket that he chains to his hoe bucket using a normal "bear-trap" chain tightener.
Not familiar with that type. How is it different from a truckers "boomer" or a racheting binder?


I'm unsure of the overall "workflow": boat approaches/beaches(?) and offloads 400 pots ...or is a boatload fewer than 400?...offloaded with jib crane? or, how? unloading a boatload takes how long? ...is that when they get stacked five high? I'm sure my mental picture is wrong, but just curious

I developed an allergy to what I call "real"boats quite a few years ago, now I just fish in open skiffs from a cabin on the beach. The one I use for crabbin is 30' and just an open skiff, I just put it sideways to the shoreline to load/unload it reaching in with the loader. If I don't do it at the top half of the tide then I have to travel 1/2 a mile one way so I need to do it relatively quickly. A full load is 75 pots and I only do that many on a nice weather day. I just reach over the rail with my forks and put off/on a stack that's y if I could just reach in with the bh(not long enough by itself) for another stack it would speed things up considerably but with a rapidly incoming tide loading/unloading stoneboats/trailers would take up a bit of time. About half of the time I am fishing alone and have to get off/on the tractor to put the hooks in each load.
I was mostly just worried that a 5' extension attached to the bucket with 500 lbs would stress the bh. With it on the bucket for transportation I would be able to lower the dipper with the bucket boom raised keeping the pots lower and not swinging as they would be resting against the bucket boom just like they do against the forks.
I appreciate all the input from you guys! Except for a few months in the summer there is noone else in the bays to bounce things off of don't know how I got by without a tractor or tbn:thumbsup:.
Rick

 

[8404]

tungalurafishcamp, can you post some pictures of your double tire set up on your tractor? that looks interesting.

 

[JoeL4330]

Let's say you have fair weather and 40 pots on the boat as you approach the beach...they are stacked? 8 stacks of 5 pots...is each stack "rigged" and ready to be hooked? or, only one? That is, is there only one set of "rigging" or 8?

If you were able to use the backhoe as you had hoped, you would have two stacks rigged to pick up? That is 2 sets of rigging (or 8...all stack rigged)...

But, (again, if the backhoe worked as you had hoped) wouldn't you stillhave to get on/off the tractor twice at the beach and maybe only once on the high ground ... so with 8 stacks and 4 runs using loader & BH you are on and off 12 or 16 times. Using just the loader, you are on and off 16 times (and probably can drive a trifle faster, no? Where am I going with this? I bet the lion's share of the time (and certainly the effort) is getting on and off, not the driving. So, that's where I might focus my efforts...what's the minimum number of times you need get on and off? Once on at the beginning of the process and once when you are done. ...suppose we could save 15 on/offs?

If all 8 of our stacks were rigged at the start, ready to be hooked ...and if you could hook on and disgorge without leaving the seat...

Perhaps 8 sets of rigging something like the attached pix ...you are a fisherman, right? So, pre-rig each stack with the gizmo on top...beach and get on the tractor, snag-carry-disgorge ...snag-carry-disgorge ...etc.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I wish I knew how to make a diagram on the computer and put it on here, that would make things easier. I just use 2 gaffs with a line to them running thru the eye on the fel to pick them up and it stays with the tractor. If I have crew they do the boat end and I just jump off on the beach end to unhook. If I am solo I have a small hook on a rubber attached to each gaff so when I attach it, it stays attached. I could just take a piece of hard lay line and attach it to each stack when I put the fifth pot on. It might be a little hard getting the line tied on one side on some of the stacks as the stacks are stacked (things are stacking up) against each other to hold them in place. Would only want to try this in good weather as you don't want the pots tied down so if the boat takes a bad one you can get rid of the pots in a hurry. If you tried to tie the bridles after the stack was already on the first few would be a bugger but then you could do it easy enuff. Maybe time for a big electromagnet or 2.
Rick

 

[tungularafishcamp]

sorry 8404,must be too may people on hughesnet today it won't let me upload pics?? I will try to put some on later tonite.
Rick

 

[JoeL4330]

saw the (two) gaff hooks ...my gizmo would use 3 which, if uniformly spaced, makes it stable and holds the stack captive (which 2 does not)....but, something in your post leads me to think you feel you can't always conveniently attach three because of the way the stacks are packed on the boat...

understand that you want to do the rigging when beached rather than on the open water ...still, when you have a crew they can be rigging the next while you are delivering one... if you have enough sets of rigging... and the open-hook scheme means you can disengage w.o. getting off on the high ground...just drop the load turn around and hook next. ...

I am assuming the goal is to minimize the total offload time without increasing the effort, so it seems reasonable to understand where the time really goes. It may be, however, that you've got it as good as it's going to get (short of pulling the whole loaded boat up a set of ways with your D-8)

 

[tungularafishcamp]

Your right Joel, 3 is a lot more stable but even 2 is hard to get in sometimes the 3 would be a bugger. as long as you hook them 180 from each other the line pinches the pots fine and losing a stack hasn't been a problem.
When I have crew I like the idea of rigging up a couple of extra bridles, that would keep things moving.
Your suggestion about the weighs got me thinking what if I put my bow door down, wound up the 300 all the way and ran it up on the beach full tilt buggie, that would unload the pots in a hurry

Seriously though any thoughts on if a 5' extension with 500 lbs would hurt the backhoe??
Rick