Anybody using a backhoe attachment on their CUT?

[DUMBnEASY]

I'm afraid I cannot answer your question. However, I DO have a couple of questions for you. I don't know much about heavy equipment, but my cousin gave me a W14B with backhoe that came from the military. I suspect the SeaBees since it has a nameplate that says Dept of the Navy. The backhoe has its own model number which is a 26D - 12 ft. My questions are... 1) I know Case makes several 580's. So I'm wondering if the 580CF you have was actually a loader with the backhoe once attached. Or whether the backhoe may have a separate model number such as MODEL 26D that was attached to it?
Don'cha just hate us newbies?

 

[Jstpssng]

A neighbor had a BH attachment on his Kubota and ended up cracking the aluminum trans case. I think any 'subframe' should be extra beefy to avoid stress on the tractor frame/case. I know it's not what you asked, but how about a used skid steer with a BH attachment? I have and old Arps hoe I adapted to my 1983 Mustang 342 and it works great. Not like a full size BH but, I always compare it to a shovel, and I like it much better! The skid steer arms with the BH outriggers direct the stress into the ground. I doubt I can hurt the skid steer with the BH. Oh, self employed machinist here as well....I like to build things in the shop so I know where you're coming from.

Your neighbor likely had a 3 pth model, which does put a lot of strain on the rear housing. A subframe is bolted to the bottom and distributes the weight to different points on the tractor.

The hoe will pick up the rear wheels so even side to side movements are possible and I have done it often. But more than one person here has said I will need to climb off the hoe and back onto the tractor to move it every three feet. Why would this need to be done?

It's a much lighter weight machine and you would be stressing it beyond the limits. I know what you are talking about with your Case and have seen it before. I've even seen guys load it onto a trailer using the bucket and hoe.

 

[Carl_NH]

I have looked at the linkage for the Power Shift and have determined that I could, without too much trouble, hook up a shifter so I could go forward or backward while sitting in the backhoe seat.

Yes this would work and I do this with my B21 to reposition the machine - it's an HST but would work with shuttle too.

Another member here put a 12V linear actuator on the treadle pedal of an HST and a switch to activate FWD/REV - pretty slick.

I would stay away from repositioning with the BH on the small machine - too much stress as Jstpssing stated.

Sounds like you have a good plan with the subframe - just make a real solid connection BH frame to Subframe - look at the 4 pin approach with a cradle on the bottom subframe the BH locks/latches into, then pin on both sides on the top you tilt into.

 

[California]

... Case 580 it is not very easy to turn the seat around. So when moving the machine short distances I usually use the hoe for this task. The hoe will pick up the rear wheels so even side to side movements are possible and I have done it often. But more than one person here has said I will need to climb off the hoe and back onto the tractor to move it every three feet. Why would this need to be done? ... Since I would be using a sub frame with the little hoe would it still be dangerous to the tractor to lift the rear and shift it sideways like I do with the Case?

I have looked at the linkage for the Power Shift and have determined that I could, without too much trouble, hook up a shifter so I could go forward or backward while sitting in the backhoe seat. Since the Power Shift doesn't require clutching it would be sorta like using the shuttle shift on the Case.

My Yanmar YM240 weighs about the same as your YM2310. I need the front bucket dug in, usually rolled all the way forward, (photo) to anchor the tractor against the backhoe's ability to pull the tractor back toward the excavation. The backhoe's feet plus locking the brakes aren't sufficient. So lifting the back of your tractor might serve for moving it sideways, but trying to move it forward against locked brakes and that front bucket is not going to advance along the line of the trench very well.

Running linkage forward to the PowerShift shift lever may add to the danger of using a backhoe. Things can go wrong unexpectedly on a tractor. For example if the linkage gets stuck in Drive, then leaping off the backhoe seat and running to get up on the (slow) moving tractor as it approaches rollover or something, maybe the front fell in a hole for example, or your subframe broke and jammed the shift linkage to a faster speed, could be dangerous. Let's see if others use a similar linkage.

I do reach forward with a shovel to nudge the throttle lever sometimes. The shovel is in a golf bag strapped to the ROPS. (old photo)

Here's a photo showing how the loader subframe is attached at the rear axle on my YM240. I think this stiffening has prevented the hoe from damaging this tractor.

And not relevant to you, but to someone else with a 3-point backhoe - they aren't designed for down-pressure! I bent a 3-point lower arm dragging the tractor sideways with the hoe. It took a BFH to straighten the arm. Not recommended!

 

[DonaldP]

A neighbor had a BH attachment on his Kubota and ended up cracking the aluminum trans case. I think any 'subframe' should be extra beefy to avoid stress on the tractor frame/case. I know it's not what you asked, but how about a used skid steer with a BH attachment? I have and old Arps hoe I adapted to my 1983 Mustang 342 and it works great. Not like a full size BH but, I always compare it to a shovel, and I like it much better! The skid steer arms with the BH outriggers direct the stress into the ground. I doubt I can hurt the skid steer with the BH. Oh, self employed machinist here as well....I like to build things in the shop so I know where you're coming from.

That is a really awesome setup!!!you have the best of both worlds there for sure!

 

[Jstpssng]

My Yanmar YM240 weighs about the same as your YM2310. I need the front bucket dug in, usually rolled all the way forward, (photo) to anchor the tractor against the backhoe's ability to pull the tractor back toward the excavation. The backhoe's feet plus locking the brakes aren't sufficient. So lifting the back of your tractor might serve for moving it sideways, but trying to move it forward against locked brakes and that front bucket is not going to advance along the line of the trench very well.

Running linkage forward to the PowerShift shift lever may add to the danger of using a backhoe. Things can go wrong unexpectedly on a tractor. For example if the linkage gets stuck in Drive, then leaping off the backhoe seat and running to get up on the (slow) moving tractor as it approaches rollover or something, maybe the front fell in a hole for example, or your subframe broke and jammed the shift linkage to a faster speed, could be dangerous. Let's see if others use a similar linkage.

I do reach forward with a shovel to nudge the throttle lever sometimes. The shovel is in a golf bag strapped to the ROPS. (old photo)

Here's a photo showing how the loader subframe is attached at the rear axle on my YM240. I think this stiffening has prevented the hoe from damaging this tractor.

And not relevant to you, but to someone else with a 3-point backhoe - they aren't designed for down-pressure! I bent a 3-point lower arm dragging the tractor sideways with the hoe. It took a BFH to straighten the arm. Not recommended!

My first backhoe was a little CadDigger 608 which not only rode on the 3pth but also wasn't tied down, so that it would ride up and down if I wasn't careful. I learned to scratch with the bucket to loosen the soil rather than try to force it straight down; and did a lot of work with that little implement. I dug stumps which my loader couldn't lift, by digging around it rather than trying to rip them out like an excavator does.

The last time that I used it I could only get down about 3 feet and couldn't go any deeper. I finally got off and tried to loosen the hard pan with my pick axe... only to find that it was ledge.

 

[Dale Mercer]

Boy oh boy, did my post generate a lot of replies! Thanks Everyone!
I now have at least one more question. And some observations too. When using the Case 580 it is not very easy to turn the seat around. So when moving the machine short distances I usually use the hoe for this task. The hoe will pick up the rear wheels so even side to side movements are possible and I have done it often. But more than one person here has said I will need to climb off the hoe and back onto the tractor to move it every three feet. Why would this need to be done?
I have looked at the linkage for the Power Shift and have determined that I could, without too much trouble, hook up a shifter so I could go forward or backward while sitting in the backhoe seat. Since the Power Shift doesn't require clutching it would be sorta like using the shuttle shift on the Case.
Since I would be using a sub frame with the little hoe would it still be dangerous to the tractor to lift the rear and shift it sideways like I do with the Case? I did crawl under the tractor to see how a sub frame would fit because there is already the FEL frame. Using cardboard and cutting it to fit around stuff I can see that I can make a sub frame that will work and bolt into the existing channel frame at the front of the tractor and clamp around the rear axle housing. There are even a set of grooves on each side of the rear axle housings that appear to be there for just this purpose.
Most of the rocks I will need to pick up weigh less than 200 pounds so as long as the thumb will allow that I would be pretty happy. For heavier rocks I would still use the bucket as I do now.
I do understand that the little hoe will not dig like the Case but I don't expect it to. If the Case wasn't so big I would just use it for everything. And I could just rent a mini excavator except the nearest rental place is about 60 miles from me and I would need it delivered. Living on an island can have its drawbacks.
I'm gonna keep reading this thread before I make a purchase. Like I said I have looked for someone who would want to trade my big Case for a smaller machine. And I'll keep looking for that option too. If I could trade it for a mini excavator with a thumb I would be very happy. But that's not gonna happen.
Thanks,
Eric

 

[Torvy]

If I could find one of these that cheap then I will keep the Case, just in case. Pun intended.

haha...got me to thinking. I drove near Justin, TX this morning. I guess if they had a dealer, it would be Justin Case.

 

[etpm]

I'm afraid I cannot answer your question. However, I DO have a couple of questions for you. I don't know much about heavy equipment, but my cousin gave me a W14B with backhoe that came from the military. I suspect the SeaBees since it has a nameplate that says Dept of the Navy. The backhoe has its own model number which is a 26D - 12 ft. My questions are... 1) I know Case makes several 580's. So I'm wondering if the 580CF you have was actually a loader with the backhoe once attached. Or whether the backhoe may have a separate model number such as MODEL 26D that was attached to it?
Don'cha just hate us newbies?

My backhoe is a 580CK. It is a tractor with a loader and a backhoe. The backhoe can be removed. I have never even attempted this because the hydraulic hoses to the hoe aren't quick disconnect and I have never needed it to come off. I don't know if the hoe has a separate part number. I do know that the ultimate digging depth depth is 16 feet. But you would need to have the hoe dragging the bottom of the ditch while the tractor was driven forward to get a flat bottom at that depth.
Eric

 

[Dale Mercer]

I can use the backhoe and pick up the back of the tractor and walk it to the left or right or forward and back but I'm not doing it for a long distance