Backhoe 448 Backhoe Bucket Size

[swines]

I just got a new to me (used) 448 backhoe with a 12-inch bucket. I have some landscape work to do in relatively soft, sandy loam soil, and need a larger bucket. Has anyone used the 448 with either the 24-inch or 36-inch buckets? Is the hoe capable of handling the larger buckets?

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

I have the 448 and it's extremly powerful. I have no doubts it'll handle either bucket in the conditions you described. I use my 18" in the rock laden New England soil and the hoe has never let me down.

Matt T.

 

[gordon21]

The 36" ones are commonly called cemetary buckets. I doubt you will find many used ones. You will probably have to buy a new one.

 

[dirtworksequip]

Swines, can I ask why you might want a 3 foot bucket? The reason I ask is that a 3 foot bucket would not normally be used on this size machine unless you had somekind of specialty use for it. Common bucket sizes would be 18 or 24 inch. Depending on what you want to do with the machine will determine what size bucket you need. Also remember that a 3 foot bucket full of material is going to weigh a lot. Most 3 foot buckets on the size machine you are looking at are mostly used for ditching work. Thats why I am curious as to what your intended purpose for the 3 footer is. If you are planning to use the machine for just general work task I would suggest going with either the 18 or 24 inch bucket. If you plan to use it for digging footers, pipeline ditches, septic tank runs,stump removal and similar task, go with one of the smaller buckets, you would be moving way to much soil with the 3 footer doing these jobs.

Sincerely,Dirt

 

[DayDreamer]

I have the 24" bucket with my 448. My experience is it will move a lot of dirt fast. The only thing that slows me down is finding a large rock. The 24" is not the right size for digging trenches but it will move dirt.

There was a learning curve for me on how to use a backhoe correctly. It takes time and practice with the main goal of getting the bucket full with every scoop. The controls can be touchy, but, with patience you'll learn how to control it.

I have used it to remove tree stumps. The combination of the backhoe and front end loader worked for me.

 

[swines]

Swines, can I ask why you might want a 3 foot bucket? The reason I ask is that a 3 foot bucket would not normally be used on this size machine unless you had somekind of specialty use for it. Common bucket sizes would be 18 or 24 inch. Depending on what you want to do with the machine will determine what size bucket you need. Also remember that a 3 foot bucket full of material is going to weigh a lot. Most 3 foot buckets on the size machine you are looking at are mostly used for ditching work. Thats why I am curious as to what your intended purpose for the 3 footer is. If you are planning to use the machine for just general work task I would suggest going with either the 18 or 24 inch bucket. If you plan to use it for digging footers, pipeline ditches, septic tank runs,stump removal and similar task, go with one of the smaller buckets, you would be moving way to much soil with the 3 footer doing these jobs.

Sincerely,Dirt

Senor Dirt,

I have a piece of land that has an arroyo on it that needs to be fixed fast. I need to slope the sides, and fill the bottom with the cut material, put geotextile on the slopes and bottom, and then cover everything with about 200 cubic yards of 2 to 6-inch rip rap.

I need to move some large yuccas to get access to the arroyo - I want to transplant them rather than just ripping them out. Yuccas have a shallow root system (about 2-feet deep) with a large radius around the plant. I'd like to try to snatch them with a single bucket pick rather than "digging them up."

After that, I'm not sure I have much use for the 3-foot bucket. I'd like to get this done quickly as it takes me about 5 hours to get to the piece of land. However, spending more time doing the work with a 24-inch bucket would be fine if there is more use for a 24-inch bucket. In the future, I will have to cut down some alligator oaks and remove the stumps. Lastly, I'll have to trench to bring power and telephone onto the property - I'd like to do that with an under ground duct system.

I haven't done any real digging at this site - so I don't know the total soil conditions - only what I see from the side walls of the arroyo cut. However, where I currently live, the ground is so sandy that any excavation requires "over excavation" to account for the side walls falling into the trench. As an example, when the county put in the new sewer system, they excavated a trench about 12-feet wide so they didn't have to shore the entire trench.

What I'm trying to determine is how much faster the 3-foot bucket would be in comparison to the 24-inch bucket - realizing that the 36-inch bucket is right at the edge of being an unwieldy / one use item.

 

[gordon21]

Time is money when you live far away from your work site. I know that so painfully well.

If you bought the 36" bucket for about $900 or so and used it over a year and then resold it, you might get $600 back in quick cash. The question then becomes, am I willing to spend $300 to "rent" the big bucket for a years time so I can work faster?

You hoe is a popular model and there could potentially be hundreds of potential buyers nationwide using craigs list or e-bay. Would it fit any other JD models?? If so, your resale potential just went up.

 

[dirtworksequip]

swines, I take it that an arroyo is a rocky or sandy wash that has no water in it until it rains? What is the reason that you need to rework this wash? What is the approximate size and depth of the arroyo? What slope will you end up from the top to the bottom after you cut and fill?

It seems to me that the main purpose of the 3 foot bucket is to move the Yuccas and maybe place some rip rap. A 3 foot bucket is not always going to be faster. Yes, it will hold more material but it will also lift,swing and dig slower. What you are gaining in volume you may be loosing in speed. Also take into consideration if you are wanting to place rip rap with the hoe.......how will the hoe handle a full bucket of rip rap if you are sitting on a slope. You may only be able to safely load the bucket half way as to not cause a tipping condition. You just lost all what you thought you were gaining with the 3 foot bucket, because now you can only effectively use half its volume. You may actually be able to get more stone in a 2 foot bucket because of difference in the weight of the 2 for verses the 3 foot bucket. A 3 foot bucket is a lot of bucket hanging out on the end of a CUT's backhoe attachment.
Again, just my thoughts on bucket choice. You have to make final choice of what you think will best serve your needs.

Sincerely, Dirt

 

[swines]

swines, I take it that an arroyo is a rocky or sandy wash that has no water in it until it rains? What is the reason that you need to rework this wash? What is the approximate size and depth of the arroyo? What slope will you end up from the top to the bottom after you cut and fill?

It seems to me that the main purpose of the 3 foot bucket is to move the Yuccas and maybe place some rip rap. A 3 foot bucket is not always going to be faster. Yes, it will hold more material but it will also lift,swing and dig slower. What you are gaining in volume you may be loosing in speed. Also take into consideration if you are wanting to place rip rap with the hoe.......how will the hoe handle a full bucket of rip rap if you are sitting on a slope. You may only be able to safely load the bucket half way as to not cause a tipping condition. You just lost all what you thought you were gaining with the 3 foot bucket, because now you can only effectively use half its volume. You may actually be able to get more stone in a 2 foot bucket because of difference in the weight of the 2 for verses the 3 foot bucket. A 3 foot bucket is a lot of bucket hanging out on the end of a CUT's backhoe attachment.
Again, just my thoughts on bucket choice. You have to make final choice of what you think will best serve your needs.

Sincerely, Dirt

The wash is dry until it rains, and pure sandy/loam - no rocks. It's at the bottom of a long hill (800 feet) with about a 70 foot elevation change from the top of the hill to the bottom in a north to south direction. The land contours also feed additional water into the arroyo from east and west - it's basically the low drainage point from a ridge line into a larger wash.

Left in its current condition, the arroyo will continue to cut it's way back up the hill with large rains unless it's contained. It's currently about 120-feet long, by 15-feet wide, by about 5-feet in depth.

I plan on cutting the banks back at about a 4:1 slope and filling the arroyo with the material, ending up with a depth of about 3.5 - 4 feet. The banks will be covered with about 1-foot of rip rap (2x the largest size rock) and the bottom with about 2 feet of rip rap (4x the largest size rock) - making a final depth of about 2-3 feet. The rip rap will be extended past the bank edges by 3-4 feet and tapered from the 1-foot depth to ground level to slow the water as it enters the arroyo.

As you've pointed out (and that's what I'm trying to figure out) is what is the optimum bucket size for the job? Yes, I will have to place the rip rap into the center of the arroyo - but, I will probably have to do that with the loader using a rock bucket as I don't think the backhoe can reach to the center - even working from both sides.

I think in placing the rip rap, the backhoe will be most useful in filling in from the bottom of the slope to the middle of the slope - using the loader/rock bucket to fill the remainder from the middle to the top of the slope. This will negate the need to drive on top of the geotextile material that will be placed on the slopes, as I don't want to damage it.

I also think the backhoe will need to be used to do the preliminary bank profiling before working them with the bucket for the final slope - and, as you've pointed out - "A 3 foot bucket is a lot of bucket hanging out on the end of a CUT's backhoe attachment."

And exactly why I've asked the question - to gain some insight from people who have used the equipment.

 

[dirtworksequip]

Swines, thanks for discribing your project. I'd say that was a pretty ambitious job to ask of a tractor. I'm not saying it can't be done. I think if I were taking on your project I might go with a track skid steer. It can do all the cutting and filling you need plus do a great finish job on the 4:1 slopes. The track skid steer will do everything you need cut,fill,grade, carry rolls of fabric and place your rip rap. It will even dig out those Yuccas you want to move. I think the going will be too slow with the tractor-hoe. The track skid steer will run circles around the tractor on your project. The only thing you won't be able to do is run your electric conduit. You may want to consider renting a machine to do the work.

Sincerely, Dirt