Backhoe L3130 HST Backhoe Questions

[Jibber]

I have an L3130HST and am looking to add a backhoe. I've been looking at the BL4690 because it has on-board hydraulics and would not require me to add remotes on the back. I understand about the power and reach differences with the BL90.

My questions..

I'm looking for user reviews on the backhoe itself.. it is up to snuff for moving rocks and the like.. I live in a very rocky area and am looking to clear land..

also..

My dealer seems to have little experience dealing with the backhoes.. at least when it comes to my tractor.. Are there any changes that I need to make to the tractor itself to accomodate the 4690.. bracket strengthening? I have the folding ROPS.. so that's not a problem.

also.. attaching and detaching the backhoe.. what's involved.. does anything have to be removed or added on the 3ph or do you just back up the tractor.. put in a few pins and away you go.

also.. storage ideas? Can this thing just sit outside or is that a bad idea? I have enough room in the garage for the tractor.. but probably not both it/loader/ and backhoe..

THANX for any help..

 

[Tractorman13]

Jibber I have a 4690 backhoe also so I can answer some of your questions,I love my backhoe but there are limits also,real rocky conditions is won of the limits,its not so much the backhoe but a combination that your tractor doseent have the weight along with the hoe really is not for that pownding work.For a back hoe that size I would put it up against any though.For mounting on your tractor all you have to do is remove the top link and practice taking it on and off.

 

[Jibber]

I have the 723 loader on there.. that should help with counterweight.. and my tires are filled with liquid Calcium.. but I understand what you're saying. I'll be happy if it can handle some moderate sized rocks.. I have them in all sizes.. watermelon to greyhound bus.

I haven't seen one of these PTO units mounted or in use.. how does it connect to the tractor.. does it have it's own framework that attaches to the top link bracket and the three point arms? Or, is there more to it than that?

Did you get your top bracket reinforced or replaced?

thanx!

 

[Henro]

Jibber,

The backhoe hangs on the 3ph pretty much like any other implement. Except it has its own link that reaches out to the top link connecting point, in place of the adjustable link you would use with something else. This is a heavy metal piece, about an inch thick and 4 or more inches wide.

It is important that the top link pins that the backhoe attaches to are special hardened ones, not standard ones.

On the B2910 a special heavy duty top link bracket is needed. I am not sure about your tractor.

The lower link arms are connected to the bottom of the backhoe with pins that slide through holes in the backhoe frame.

The 3ph is left in the lowered position when the backhoe is attached.

Be sure you have and use the safety bar that goes under the lower link arms as this will save you should the pin that holds the backhoe to the top link bracket break. It is possible to be squeezed between the seat and ROPS in a worst case situation.

The backhoe is not that bad to put on and take off. I have found it best to take it off the top link pins first, when removing, and to put it on the top link pins first, when installing. You move it around a bit with the stabilizer arms and boom/bucket to do this.

Hope this is of some help. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[loughman]

I have a L3130 with 723 loader and 4690B backhoe.

The hoe has plenty of power and to me seems to be a good match to the tractor, i.e. the tractor does not get tossed around by the backhoe. I live in Southeast Ct and have done a fair amount of digging so far, with plenty of rocks. I would say that rocks 2-3 maybe 4 cubic feet in size are not a problem. When you start getting bigger than that you can probably still dig around them and get them out, but you may have to use the front loader to push them around/pick them up, as picking them up with the backhoe becomes difficult.

My backhoe has the 16 inch bucket which is working great for me.

The tractor does not need a reinforced top link bracket, it is already stout enough per the Kubota manual (for the 4690). Bottom line for homeowner use or light commercial, I think the 4690 is great. If I was going to be digging everyday, i.e. landscaper, etc. you might want to go with the BH90.

The additional cost of the BH90 over the 4690B was about $700-$985 for the quotes I got, when purchased as a package, depending on the dealer. At the time (March 03) all dealers told me it was backordered and not available till May the earliest.

If the BH90 was available, I probably would have gotten it, but I can say I am very happy with the 4690.

I orginally thought I would buy a L3010, back about 2 years ago when I started looking. By the time I was ready to buy, I thought the L3130 was too big, compared to the B7800 next to it in the showroom. Well after thinking long and hard I ended up with the 3130. I never inquired about the 3430, but I imagine a few more hp would be nice. You have to draw the line somewhere.

Oh by the way, as you may be able to tell I love my tractor.

I used it to hoist the engine out of my boat to replace a worn out engine coupler.

I installed about 200' of french drain for my brother in law (excavating contractors quoted him $4000) for material cost of about $450, plus maybe $30 of diesel.

I'm also clearing land for my barn. This thing is a tremendous work saver, and I figure between landscaping projects such as retaining walls, land clearing, snow plowing etc. this thing will have paid for itself vs. hiring someone to do this all for me by the time I have it paid off.

 

[GregJ]

Jibber,
I have a B7500 with a 4672 BH. Basically the same thing but just a smaller reach. I love it. You asked about storage, so I thought I could share this. I have found that I can take the BH off and on so easily now, I just leave it on the tractor all the time. When I back the tractor into the garage, I turn the boom all the way to the side. That way it takes up less room than a lot of implements. I just went out and measured, and it only sticks out about 2 feet past the end of my lower links. I am sure the 4690 would be comparable. It would just stick out more to the side because of the boom length. Hope this helps.

Greg

 

[JerryG]

Given the amount of work and the sizes of the rocks that you are wanting to work with, I would suggest a Bradco BH. They are as close to an industrial hoe as you can get for a compact tractor. Bradco

 

[hayden]

I'd suggest you go for the BH90 or bradco. The extra reach is extremely useful, and more power is always better. Both the BH90 and Bradco are a very nice frame mount system.

 

[Jibber]

When you say FRAME MOUNT on the kubota 90 BH.. Does it interfere with the 3pt system at all? Do you have to remove anything before you attach or detach the hoe?

 

[Jibber]

Hey, thanks to all you of you guys.. this is great getting info like this before you buy.. sure helps you decide..

As for parking the tractor with the hoe on it in the garage.. I figured that it would probably be too high to get in under the door.. I have your regular house type garage door.. and have to lower the ROPS each time I put the tractor to bed.

I've been wrestling rocks so long around here.. It will be nice to get the leverage and power of a backhoe

 

[Jibber]

There has been one other bugaboo that I've experienced in dealing for this BH.. The dealer is about 35 miles away.. but charges by-the-hour for delivery.. mostly interstate.. but heavily congested.. through Danbury.. and into New York.. sometimes you can get stuck for an hour in that traffic.. Anyway.. he also says that Kubota requires they install the BH the first time.. says that's the rule for the Warranty.. that means He has to come out.. pickup the tractor.. truck it to Connecticut.. then truck it back to me.. then return.. At his rate of $75 per hour.. We could be talking 200 to 300 bucks. That's got me a little peeved.. but not sure there's anything I can do about it.

If NO modifications are needed on the tractor.. I don't understand why they can't just deliver it and install it on site..

 

[GregJ]

Jibber,
I wouldn't give up on getting your tractor with a BH into your garage yet. I just went out and measured mine and it is 67 inches high. The 4690 has 18" more reach than mine, and I would assume that would be split evenly between the dipper and boom. So that would put it 9 inches higer than mine, or 76 inches. Since the BH is positioned on the 3pt in the lowered position, I can't imagine it would sit too much higher than mine and the standard garage door is around 84 inches, so you still might be able to make it. You should be able to talk to your dealer about that, or somebody with comparable equipment on the forum can probably let you know a little closer to the exact height.

$75 an hour delivery fee???.....

I know that my dealer had to assemble my BH and there were several adjustments that have to be made to fit the tractor exactly. There is also a breakin period where they work the hydraulics for a period of time to make sure all is well. I bought my BH with the tractor, so there was no delivery fee (2 hours each way), so $75/hour sure seems high to me.

Greg

 

[JerryG]

<font color="blue"> If NO modifications are needed on the tractor.. I don't understand why they can't just deliver it and install it on site.. </font>
The main reason is so they can make sure that the hydraulic circuits are installed properly.

 

[Jibber]

But.. this "shop" requirement is with the 4690.. which has on-board hydraulics.. it's basically plug and play as I see it.. they're just going to put it on the tractor the same as they could do if it were sitting in my driveway..

 

[Jibber]

Yeah.. 75 an hour seems high to me too.. I bought the tractor itself from a dealer north of ALBANY! That's about a hundred miles away and he charged me a flat 150 dollar delivery fee. I'll easily pay that much to get the hoe and it's about 30 miles away.

 

[Jibber]

OK.. on the garage storage.. Kubota's site lists the 4690 as having a 75.5 inch "transport" height.. the BH-90.. 95.3 inch.. So the BH-90 definately wouldn't go into the garage on the tractor.. but the 4690 might make it..

 

[lamarbur]

I have a Bradco 11 ft hoe on my machine that stands very near 100 inches. I curl the crowd and dipper down, then back into it's shelter. Yoyu can not do this or have this option?

 

[hayden]

Yes, you do. I've seen a few of them in my local dealer's lot and they all have the draw bars and sway links removed. From looking at it, I think you could detatch the sway links from the draw bars, swing the draw bars inward, and the sway links outward, and successfully mount the hoe. The frame runs right between the draw bar and sway link, so thay at least need to be separated.

Personally I'd trade the inconvenience of removing draw bars etc for the greater reach and power of the BH90.

By the way, I run a 4690 on my B2910 currently so I have experience with that model, but not directly with the BH90 - I've just seen a few of them.

 

[Jibber]

I wish my dealer had one so I could see how it looks installed. When you say the frame runs between the drawbar and sway links.. do you mean the sub-frame that stays attached to the tractor even when the hoe is removed. I guess what I'm getting at is.. when you have the BH90 removed from the tractor, can you use the 3pt normally, or does it require a lot of reassembly work?

Thanks!

 

[9_Mile]

I have the BH 90 on a 4630, bought this summer. Great backhoe, although not as strong as the big pro construction types. Medium size rocks, clay and smallish stumps are no problem. I do have to take my time with larger stumps though...
The BH90 has the subframe that stays on the tractor. (The dealer does have to mount and align this on the initial install - don't try this at home!)

This subframe setup is much stronger and stiffer than a less expensive 3PH mount. It couples the hoe rigidly to the whole tractor frame for more digging strength. Plus you don't strain the 3PH. The 3PH links un-pin when the backhoe is on. I haven't taken the backhoe off since I got it, but it doesn't look to be more than 5 minutes to make the changeover. Which I'll be doing soon for fall brush-hogging.

This backhoe is great. I wouldn't even think of a light duty 3PH backhoe unless I were only doing very light duty home / garden digging such as making holes for planting shrubs.

John