CDN Farm Boy
Veteran Member
I'm not sure how your 2650 compares in size to my 3300 but I love my BH77. The 2650 is a bit smaller frame no?
I'm lucky to break thru 4" of frost with mine but soil types will have a lot to do with that. The single seat setup is WAY nicer in my mind than the dual setup of some other brands. As Tompet said, you can reach up to the tractor controls (key, throttle, steering, bucket) much easier than on a dual seat. Similarly, from facing forward, you can reach back to the BH controls if you need to.
As far as spinning the seat around or using a stick on the HST pedal to move the machine to continue digging, those are the two WORST ways to do it. Watch a pro for 5 min and you will quickly realize there is a better way to do it:
Put trans in Neutral after initial positioning.
Dig what you can until you need to move.
Crowd both the boom and stick and put the bucket on the ground.
Steer as needed by reaching around behind you to the wheel.
Lift the stabilizers a bit and lift the FEL.
Push away from you with the BH moving the whole machine forward.
Put FEL and stabilizers back down and resume digging.
Repeat.
You should be able to move exactly the right amount to dig as much as you can in every move. You will quickly realize how much more productive it is this way, even when you aren't on the clock for someone. I've done a 150 ft hydro trench and a 100 ft drainage tile around trees & corners and stripped sod off an irregular area of roughly 50x70 with never leaving the BH controls. Forward, backwards, sideways, it's all possible by using the BH
I'm lucky to break thru 4" of frost with mine but soil types will have a lot to do with that. The single seat setup is WAY nicer in my mind than the dual setup of some other brands. As Tompet said, you can reach up to the tractor controls (key, throttle, steering, bucket) much easier than on a dual seat. Similarly, from facing forward, you can reach back to the BH controls if you need to.
As far as spinning the seat around or using a stick on the HST pedal to move the machine to continue digging, those are the two WORST ways to do it. Watch a pro for 5 min and you will quickly realize there is a better way to do it:
Put trans in Neutral after initial positioning.
Dig what you can until you need to move.
Crowd both the boom and stick and put the bucket on the ground.
Steer as needed by reaching around behind you to the wheel.
Lift the stabilizers a bit and lift the FEL.
Push away from you with the BH moving the whole machine forward.
Put FEL and stabilizers back down and resume digging.
Repeat.
You should be able to move exactly the right amount to dig as much as you can in every move. You will quickly realize how much more productive it is this way, even when you aren't on the clock for someone. I've done a 150 ft hydro trench and a 100 ft drainage tile around trees & corners and stripped sod off an irregular area of roughly 50x70 with never leaving the BH controls. Forward, backwards, sideways, it's all possible by using the BH