Backhoe Can you do some ditching side on to the ditch

[Green Acres Homestead]

A lot of my work will be done on atv trails so there is road then ditch then bog or wood so I cannot stratal it. There seems to be concerns about the power or a lack thereof with the BH92.

How wide is the ditch? Could you just straddle it?

Doug

 

[MidTn Mark]

I too wish I had not bought mine. Expensive lesson. Just not enough hydraulic force. Also, I don't have very much flat land so it is hard for me to move around using the backhoe. First day I used it I about broke my knees getting on and off the tractor. I also find it easier to run it with 2 people.

If I ever trip over a big pile of money I'm going to give it away and buy a mini-ex...

 

[boggen]

dealing with the "spoils" errr dirt you take out is the issue most of the time. and were to put it.

dump trailer, dump truck, even a flat bed trailer and then scrap it off with tractor.

if dirt road, dump it in the road, just spread it out a couple inches thick. so you can go over it and compact it. getting a bucket full of dirt in FEL and with backhoe on back. go tire track width at a time run over it all from a few directions. not (backwards/forward) but from different angles. and it can help compact the dirt fairly well.

FEL is not the best tool in the world. but if you can dig it up with hoe, then come back and make many runs with FEL it can be done.

box blade perhaps as well.

if you have a rear blade and can straddle the area a little bit. angle that rear blade (via 3pt hitch) to point of possibly getting a couple different linkages (one short and one long) to angle blade even further. and drop it down and let it move the dirt out up onto the road.

recently someone dropped a larger shovel on a box blade scrafficer tooth. and went to at it. to break up the ditches dirt. and moved the dirt away.

backhoes do not make the best of nice smooth ditches. there good at digging. but ya need a way to deal with the dirt.

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various rules and regs. if memory serves OSHO. wants front tires and rear tires off the ground (using FEL to raise front tires, and then using out riggers on rear to lift tractor off grand just a little bit) goal. if something accidently hits a lever or puts it in gear. tractor does not take off.

generally myself. put the out riggers down just enough to begin taking weight off the rear wheels. and then using FEL also barely take weight off front wheels. all wheels still on ground just taking the weight off some. it tends to give me a bit more "traction" from slipping and sliding when using the backhoe. and overall seems more stable.

manuals more likely state it DO NOT DO IT. but putting the bucket down right next to tractor. and then lifting rear of tractor up to scoot the tractor left / right / forwards / backwards. it can be hard on the various pins and linkages and overall framework of the backhoe itself. and you are at higher risk of flipping tractor over. but... *shrugs* depends on operator. i get a little squimmish when i do it. (normally stuck already, and sitting in a rut that could easily tip me over if things begin slipping and sliding)

 

[jenkinsph]

Yes although easier to reposition if you are parallel. You can raise the stabilizers a bit then use the hoe to scoot the tractor along a foot or two. Without getting off the seat.

You can use the hoe to move the tractor along the ditch to reposition as has been the norm for most backhoes. Just recognize that hydrostatic tractors do not roll freely, so if you want to scoot the tractor along it is easier to do if the mfwd is disengaged. On level land you can put the range gear in neutral and move the tractor along the ditch easily with the hoe.

 

[jenkinsph]

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various rules and regs. if memory serves OSHO. wants front tires and rear tires off the ground (using FEL to raise front tires, and then using out riggers on rear to lift tractor off grand just a little bit) goal. if something accidently hits a lever or puts it in gear. tractor does not take off.

generally myself. put the out riggers down just enough to begin taking weight off the rear wheels. and then using FEL also barely take weight off front wheels. all wheels still on ground just taking the weight off some. it tends to give me a bit more "traction" from slipping and sliding when using the backhoe. and overall seems more stable.

manuals more likely state it DO NOT DO IT. but putting the bucket down right next to tractor. and then lifting rear of tractor up to scoot the tractor left / right / forwards / backwards. it can be hard on the various pins and linkages and overall framework of the backhoe itself. and you are at higher risk of flipping tractor over. but... *shrugs* depends on operator. i get a little squimmish when i do it. (normally stuck already, and sitting in a rut that could easily tip me over if things begin slipping and sliding)

With a frame mounted backhoe you should be able to lift the rear end around to position yourself properly and level the machine front to back and side to side. On steep slopes you may have one rear wheel on the ground with a little pressure off of it while the other rear wheel may be several inches in the air to level the machine. That is what the rear stabilizers are for and why they have such a wide range of travel. Getting off of a ditch crossing over to solid ground can be tricky but is easily accomplished with some practice and experience if the ditch is not too wide.

That said I don't see how a backhoe can be operated if you had to keep all the wheels on the ground all the time. It would severely limit your options imo.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

Thanks everyone for your valued insight.

 

[aeblank]

We use a stick to stab the HST pedal to move. OSHA approved, I'm sure...

You need one of those wheeled excavators. Supposedly they put them in gear and just ditch fast enough to keep up.