Backhoe BX22 Backhoe question

[Anonymous Poster]

I looked at a BX22 on saturday and got to play around on it for a while. The one thing I question is the strength of the backhoe. While I was digging holes it did not have much force going into the ground, the bucket curl was good. Another thing, after I had the holes dug I went to push the dirt back into the hole with the side of the bucket and it would not budge, even about 1" of dirt. Is this normal? Other than that, boy was it fun.

 

[chrisjbell]

<font color="blue"> push the dirt back into the hole with the side of the bucket and it would not budge </font>

That doesn't sound right to me. I have a Woods backhoe and I can pick the tractor up with the bucket and move it around (the tractor, that is - the bucket stays on the ground if I have that much downforce going). But without putting a lot of force down the bucket will move loose dirt side to side with ease.

They sure are fun, eh? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[techman]

scottb:

As to your first question, most backhoes do not have a great deal of force for plunging straight down. To break up a hard bit of dirt, either pulling towards you or curling the bucket gives you a much greater force. I have found the BX22 has more than enough power for its size. One thing is that you need to do is set the throttle to 1/3 to 1/2 to get speed and full power. I have not yet had a job I couldn't do with the BH.

Your second comment raises even more concern. I have many times swung the bucket along the ground to fill holes, etc. There is a lot of force there. I can easily push a pile of dirt that is higher than the bucket. I also use this method to dig "sideways" to level out ground. I did a walkway for the wife. We had large slate stones as treads. To prepare the ground, I used the side of the bucket to scrape a level area. No problem cutting through the sod and dirt going sideways.

Sounds like something was not quite right on the unit you tried. I would go back to the dealer and ask what gives, of find another dealer for a test drive.

paul

 

[Anonymous Poster]

How high was or should I say, how low was your throttle at?

Blake
WA

 

[Anonymous Poster]

As far as moving material with the side of the backhoe bucket, the owners manual for the 4690 backhoe is explicit, and says not to do this. Also, a friend who was a heavy equipment operator for about 15 years, and who now makes a good supplemental income weld repairing big excating machinery told me backfilling with the side of a backhoe is a no no. You will prematurely wear and/or break the machine. Excavators can get away with it, but not the baby backhoes made by Kubota.

Just my $0.02. I'd rather scoop with the backhoe to backfill or use the FEL and save the wear and tear on the machine. I plan to have it for the next 50 years or so till I'm a grumpy old man.

 

[techman]

accipiter12:

I usually set the throttle to between 1/3 and 1/2 open when using the BH.

paul

 

[Steven]

there is a little bit of a learning curve with a backhoe. it will not just plunge the bucket into the ground and then you curl bucket and scoop the dirt out, you will find with practice that this is a combination of both bucket curl and down pressure at the same time with a little bit of pulling the dipperstick in toward the back of tractor. it is not done with single motions of the joysticks but with multiple simultaneous movements.

I do not use back hoe bucket to push dirt back in unless there is no other way. and I usually will dig the piles and dump it into the holes and then push whats left into hole with bucket.

I have no problems with side motions of hoe, the rpms must have been set low by dealer for you to try backhoe. higher rpms means faster movements and they probably run lower rpms for demo for safety reasons.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks everyone, I'll go back and try again.

 

[Rick Jay]

loughman,

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( As far as moving material with the side of the backhoe bucket, the owners manual for the 4690 backhoe is explicit, and says not to do this )</font>

I'm looking through my manual for my Woods B7500, and I don't see where it says not to do this. Perhaps with the sub-frame mounting, it isn't a problem. It does say not to use the backhoe as a crane.

I also quickly scanned through my "Operating Techniques for the Tractor-Loader-Backhoe" by Gary J. Ober (it's a great book by the way!) and didn't see where it addresses this issue at all.

I've done it for most holes I've dug and can't see why it would harm the backhoe, as long as it's moving loose fill and done carefully.

~Rick

 

[kcook]

Even in larger case models, they can only lift 3 to 6 thousand pounds.

KC