Hitch on your backhoe

[fiddler kelly]

Has anyone ever placed a hitch onto their backhoe so that they are able to haul a trailor behind the backhoe and use this trailor for carrying stuff that the backhoe has dropped into it.Either a ball hitch or a pintel hitch.

 

[joes_427_vette]

No... but the idea has potential.

 

[escavader]

No... but the idea has potential.

YES,
I built this one out of a chunk of Ibeam and made it so i can attach my reese hitches to it.When im ready to move,i reach down and pick up the i beam with my thumb and away i go.Works slick
ALAN

 

[fiddler kelly]

I was thinking more from the bottom of the backhoe or bottom of the first arm. That way you can be driving along in the tractor to a site lets say where you want to get some gravel or rock,etc and hauling the trailor behind you and when you get to where you are going can then get in the seat of the backhoe and start digging and loading whatever it was you were looking for into the trailor without disconnecting the trailor from the back of the tractor. I think this would be easier if you had a pintel hitch on the backhoe instead of a ball.

Are you getting the picture now.

 

[Kays Supply]

I am still working on a desighn to put one on my trackhoe. I have put one on the front of my Truckster. It is really handy. I have a Reese type on my ZTR also. It is the first machine I can actually back a 4 wheel wagon with.

 

[dillo99]

escavader,

Do you worry about damage to the hoe? I have thought about something similar but wondered if dragging something like that without the stabilizers down would put stress on the hoe or back of the tractor - stress that was not intended. I don't think it would be problem to move a trailer or 2 around, but pulling a load of dirt or rocks might be different. Maybe it isn't a problem but it made me wonder!

I explored the idea of a special draw bar - that fit in the drawbar hole on the tractor, dropped lower (to miss the hoe) and then extended out under the hoe. I built a prototype but abandoned the idea - just too much distance and therefore very difficult to make something that is strong enough. I was going to use it with a 4 wheel wagon so I didn't need weight on the hitch but it had to be able to handle pressure and pull from side to side.

 

[GuglioLS]

Has anyone ever placed a hitch onto their backhoe so that they are able to haul a trailor behind the backhoe and use this trailor for carrying stuff that the backhoe has dropped into it.Either a ball hitch or a pintel hitch.

Yes, here is a link to one I built a little over 3 years ago:

CLICK HERE Not sure what size hoe you have. Moving small trailers around is one thing, hauling a loaded trailer may be another. I suppose it would depend on the size of the trailer, load weight and how big the hoe is.

Here are some random pictures




If this could somehow be constructed so the bucket would not have to be removed, it would be much more useful.

Larry

 

[escavader]

escavader,

Do you worry about damage to the hoe? I have thought about something similar but wondered if dragging something like that without the stabilizers down would put stress on the hoe or back of the tractor - stress that was not intended. I don't think it would be problem to move a trailer or 2 around, but pulling a load of dirt or rocks might be different. Maybe it isn't a problem but it made me wonder!
The trailer i tow is a 4 by 5 homemade dump trailer,there isnt alot of tounge weight,it tows easy even loaded with rocks ive used it for a few years with no issues,great for final project cleanups so far so good besides i carry 2 or 300 lb rocks around cant be any harder on it then that
ALAN

 

[Dyer retired]

Yes, here is a link to one I built a little over 3 years ago:

/GuglioLS/BH%20Thumb/th_BoomPolePaintBrush.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Larry

You know you're good when you can paint the house with the backhoe!

 

[JerryG]

If a problem shows up it will be a bent cylinder rod. They are the weakest link on the hoe and will bend first. I personally would never consider pulling a trailer from my hoe for that very reason.

 

[workinallthetime]

with the stress involved with moving a loaded trailer I would think you would want to reconsider your trailer, get a wagon style trailer so all you are doing is pulling the weight of the load. then you could pull the weight fromt the draw bar and not your hoe. design build a modified draw bar that is longer and possibly has a sleve to achieve your goal. I am about to do 100's of foot of french drain and none of the dirt is going back in the hole so this topic is on my mind right now also

 

[Runner]

I think I'd just mount a hitch on either the front loader bucket, or some other carrier on the loader end. Then, just drive backwards while pulling the trailer.

 

[joes_427_vette]

Kays Supply ; What is that called.... a tracked dump box ? Sure looks neat. How much does it haul and is it fairly fast ? Who builds them ?

GuglioLS ; I knew there was a reason I bought a Bradco Back hoe....... but it didn't come with the paint brush.

 

[fiddler kelly]

Well my thought was that when you are using the back hoe for what it is intended that you are putting a stress on the back of the tractor and if it can handle that then pulling a trailor load of rock and gravel short distances like 1000 feet should not matter but I suppose the stabilizers when in use reduce some of the stress as they are intended to.

I suppose I can still make one for handling the trailor empty and when it is loaded then use a hitch on the front end loader for moving it when it is loaded as the front end is meant for handling loads and moving them .This way I could still use the loader for dumping the load. All I have to do is make up a hitch to mount to the bucket in front for when hooking the trailor onto the tractor. This would also make it easier for me when directly the load of gravel into a certain place rather than backing into the site I can drive front on into the site.


Same principle as a forklift but with the ball mounted onto the lip of the loader in the center. My intentions was that I could hall the trailor behind the tractor and leave it connected but at an angle to the back hoe so when I was digging I could dump in to the trailor without letting the trailor go from the hitch and when filled just lift the stabilizers and then be on my way but I guess thia wasn't such a great idea after all.

 

[workinallthetime]

it is a good idea,someone just needs to figure out how to do it w/o damage to the tractor. keep thinking!!

 

[fiddler kelly]

Well my thought was that when you are using the back hoe for what it is intended that you are putting a stress on the back of the tractor and if it can handle that then pulling a trailor load of rock and gravel short distances like 1000 feet should not matter but I suppose the stabilizers when in use reduce some of the stress as they are intended to.

I suppose I can still make one for handling the trailor empty and when it is loaded then use a hitch on the front end loader for moving it when it is loaded as the front end is meant for handling loads and moving them .This way I could still use the loader for dumping the load. All I have to do is make up a hitch to mount to the bucket in front for when hooking the trailor onto the tractor. This would also make it easier for me when directly the load of gravel into a certain place rather than backing into the site I can drive front on into the site.


Same principle as a forklift but with the ball mounted onto the lip of the loader in the center. My intentions was that I could hall the trailor behind the tractor and leave it connected but at an angle to the back hoe so when I was digging I could dump in to the trailor without letting the trailor go from the hitch and when filled just lift the stabilizers and then be on my way but I guess thia wasn't such a great idea after all.

 

[Kays Supply]

That is a Yanmar C-10 Dumpster. It is the smallest one they make. It isn't the fastest. I use it to haul dirt out of slabs when I dig in the plumbing. It has worked very well for me. It is slow enough that my hired help don't do much damage to the property. I wish I had a dozen. I have people ask about it almost every time I hit the road. It is also very handy around the house. I keep it here to do yard work.

 

[workinallthetime]

[


This is about the same situation I am in all the time. i am considering a 4 wheel wagon style trailer, with this set up you will only be pulling the weight with the tractor. the bad side of that is trying to back up a wagon with a tractor just isnt to much fun. An extended draw bar and a long tongue on the trailer would allow you to acomplish the task i think.

 

[BigEddy]

I once chained my trailer to the backhoe bucket to pull it out to a flat spot to hitch up - When I pulled - the relief valve on the backhoe opened and the cylinders compressed - extending the boom. I figure that if the forces were that high - they were not good for the backhoe - never done it since.

I use the opposite approach - I have a receiver hitch in my bucket- I need to pull the trailer -I go backwards. On my 855, reverse is the same speed as forward when I'm in low range anyway. Wouldn't want to do it too far - but for my needs it works out well. I can even connect to my bucket tilt lines to power my dump trailer's cylinder.

 

[ACHINBAC]

It works well, though when pulling hard with my bx24 the dipper stick will swing out a bit given the play in the whole backhoe assembly - not a big deal. Hitching up is a breeze as you would imagine. It allows me to park the boat in a tough location in our yard - the articulation of the backhoe blows away towing with your fel and towing forward feels more natural (have also made an assembly for the fel which I'll post later). You have to watch the lateral force on the tractor when turning uphill or down though that is remedied by swinging the boom. Hopefully the pictures will attach - I used the two existing 7/16" holes on the sides of the bucket (the port one is used to clamp the lower bucket pin) and the curved blue base plate extends up beyond the bolt keeping the hitch unit clamped against the bucket. The stem is welded to the "c" channel and the ball is interchangable. Very simple design - off and on in a minute - the 6" x 7/16" bolt is reinstalled when the unit is removed, and the unit stores under the backhoe platform. Toughest part was bending the 3/8" backing plate.