Looking to buy a tractor

[xtech]

Thank you! Great info, i didnt know LS before... so it os not a true NH or LS makes all NH tractors? Well, at least i Will bem able to find parts for it!

Ok, i'll take that into account when buying the backhoe, the sideshift thing serms really helpful.

Btw great links, in the impossibility of getting the NH backhoe, these links are handy. Oficinadoroby is actually alocated at my hometown! The owner (Roby) is even a 3rd degree cousin of mine, and one of my friend is his operations responsible. I'll talk to him to see if i can get a decent price!

 

[ptsg]

Thank you! Great info, i didnt know LS before... so it os not a true NH or LS makes all NH tractors? Well, at least i Will bem able to find parts for it!

Ok, i'll take that into account when buying the backhoe, the sideshift thing serms really helpful.

Btw great links, in the impossibility of getting the NH backhoe, these links are handy. Oficinadoroby is actually alocated at my hometown! The owner (Roby) is even a 3rd degree cousin of mine, and one of my friend is his operations responsible. I'll talk to him to see if i can get a decent price!

LS makes compacts and sub compacts (or as we call it here, mini tractors) for NH. Basically the Boomer line of NH.

Wow. That's cool that you know Oficina do Roby. I've never deal with them but I've noticed they deal with a lot of stuff related to small tractors. Maybe he will let you try one to see how you liked and how it feels.

You're located way up there in the border. Very beautiful area of the country. I used to go on vacation towards all those areas back in the day. Such awesome views all around.

 

[Torvy]

Y'all are really making me want to visit Portugal. I probably need to do a 3 month trip to Europe and just see everything I want in one trip. I'm too cheap to make multiple trips. Flights are expensive.

Congrats on the tractor. Keep us posted on your attachments and use!

 

[ptsg]

Y'all are really making me want to visit Portugal. I probably need to do a 3 month trip to Europe and just see everything I want in one trip. I'm too cheap to make multiple trips. Flights are expensive.

Congrats on the tractor. Keep us posted on your attachments and use!

You're more than welcome to come here. It's a small country with loooots to see and some awesome wine, beers and food to taste.

 

[xtech]

LS makes compacts and sub compacts (or as we call it here, mini tractors) for NH. Basically the Boomer line of NH.

Wow. That's cool that you know Oficina do Roby. I've never deal with them but I've noticed they deal with a lot of stuff related to small tractors. Maybe he will let you try one to see how you liked and how it feels.

You're located way up there in the border. Very beautiful area of the country. I used to go on vacation towards all those areas back in the day. Such awesome views all around.

Cool! I didn't know that..

They have hundreds of small tractors for sale... I guess they directly go to Japan and bring them. Most of them do not have a license plate but they have plenty of stuff there. Roby took the small workshop of his father to a new level.

It is a small corner in the "forgotten inland" of Portugal! Beautiful, peaceful, an unfortunately, abandoned by the government which leads young people who go near the shore or abroad for a better life. I was born there, have been living in Porto since 20 years ago. In the beginning of this year I had the opportunity to return, and didn't look back. I don't miss the hours spent in the traffic nor the shopping centers. I have peace here, have more useful time and the kids can play outside without fearing cars.

I highly recommend this little corner of Portugal, well outside the typical tourist routes. Great food, great landscape, history and people. You're all wellcome!!

 

[xtech]

Y'all are really making me want to visit Portugal. I probably need to do a 3 month trip to Europe and just see everything I want in one trip. I'm too cheap to make multiple trips. Flights are expensive.

Congrats on the tractor. Keep us posted on your attachments and use!

If you go outside typical tourist places you can do it on a budget, although 3 months around Europe will require a lot of money, especially in France, Germany and Italy. And as @ptsg said, you are very welcome here!! Especially in this little corner of Portugal

My dream is also to spend a month doing US coast to coast in a 60's convertible stoping along the way to know the places, people, culture... having just bought a house and now paying the mortgage (with a high interest rate these days), unfortunately it won't be that soon..

I will keep you guys posted on the tractor attachments!!

 

[2515R Dude]

I am now searching for a small backhoe. NH has One that i fell on love with it but for some reason i cannot find its price anywhere and i dont know if it fits the Boomer 25:

Looking at the operator no wander you fell in love... looks really tempting, go for it, forget the backhoe

 

[rScotty]

Congrats on the new tractor. It's made by LS but you can get parts both ways, either New Holland or LS if you end up needing.

For the backhoe, you won't be able to find that model "in this side of the pond" and it's only meant for the US market. You'll find something very similar though, just different brand and paint.

If you can, I suggest that you get one with sideshift on the boom if you can find it for that size of tractor. This is a great feature because you can then often the arm one way or the other so you don't have to dig with the arm right in front of you, blocking the view. It also allows you to dig close to a wall. Plus, you can ofset it to one sid and fold the arm all the way, making for very compact setup.

Either way, you'll need counterweights for the front of the tractor.

Some examples for mini tractors:

View attachment 826856View attachment 826857

Some sources:

Retroescavadora

Tractor Backhoe, retrorescavadora para tractor

agrimate.net

Retroescavadora / Pá retro para mini tratores

Mini pá retro para mini tratores nova e com garantia.Acabamentos perfeitos.Possibilidade de arranjar pás retro de vários tamanhos para tratores maiores.Entrega em qualquer parte do continente, ilhas e estrangeiro.

www.oficinadoroby.com

RETROESCAVADORA PARA TRACTOR

retroescavadora, rectroescavadora, retro para tractor, escavadeira, escavadora usada

www.adelinolopes.pt

Those backhoes with side-shifting stabilizer legs look to be even more useful than the type with centered swinging stabilizer legs we usually see here in the USA.
Perhaps sideshifters they are available here as 3pt attachments, but I've not seen an example for sale.
I do see them on commercial hoes and I believe that some hoes can be ordered as side-shifters - but for some reason they just did not catch on.

On our acreage for the past 40 years, we did most of our backhoe work - including putting in a pond, septic, and several foundations - with a 3pt tractor the size of that little Boomer and a 3pt hoe. Eventually we figured out that there were just too many advantages to dedicated backhoes. So after renting for awhile we bought real Tractor/Loader/Backhoes (TLBs) - a JD310 and a Kubota M59.

So.... 3pt hoes are useful, but are more or less defined by their limitations. They dig better than they lift - so are not real good for booming. Depending on the tractor they are mounted one, they can be dangerous And operators need to be conservative with them because a 3pt hitch not really designed for the forces that even a small 3pt hoe develops. Treated gently, a 3pt hoe they will save a lot of work. Treated roughly a 3pt hoe will destroy the 3pt connections to the tractor.

Still, it sounds like the OP is going to go that route, so my advice would be to get the side shifter and also look for a hoe that has a PTO powered hydraulic pump and reservoir of its own that is separate from the tractor's hydraulics. Both of those raise the cost, but are worth it in use and should be in resale too.

Good Luck,
rScotty

 

[Torvy]

If you go outside typical tourist places you can do it on a budget, although 3 months around Europe will require a lot of money, especially in France, Germany and Italy. And as @ptsg said, you are very welcome here!! Especially in this little corner of Portugal

My dream is also to spend a month doing US coast to coast in a 60's convertible stoping along the way to know the places, people, culture... having just bought a house and now paying the mortgage (with a high interest rate these days), unfortunately it won't be that soon..

I will keep you guys posted on the tractor attachments!!

Thanks. We have a few options to stay with friends or family in Germany. Daughter in college plans to spend a semester in Spain in a year or two. (Spanish major) I also have a standing offer for a place in Norway, but I doubt I would do that. Ex-gf's husband offered (she passed a couple of years ago). Hopefully, that would reduce our cost a little. Definitely will take a financial plan to make it happen.

 

[xtech]

Looking at the operator no wander you fell in love... looks really tempting, go for it, forget the backhoe

Yes, the operator definitely gives an extra motivation. I would ask if they can send also the operator to make an in-person demonstration

Still, it sounds like the OP is going to go that route, so my advice would be to get the side shifter and also look for a hoe that has a PTO powered hydraulic pump and reservoir of its own that is separate from the tractor's hydraulics. Both of those raise the cost, but are worth it in use and should be in resale too.

Thank you for the advice!
The use that i intend for it is mostly for digging holes to plant trees, to place kerbs, to do some light construction work (walls and small foundations) and to do some light terrain levelling (the terrain is almost flat but there are some "bumps" around.

Thanks. We have a few options to stay with friends or family in Germany. Daughter in college plans to spend a semester in Spain in a year or two. (Spanish major) I also have a standing offer for a place in Norway, but I doubt I would do that. Ex-gf's husband offered (she passed a couple of years ago). Hopefully, that would reduce our cost a little. Definitely will take a financial plan to make it happen.

Good! Having family and good friends there surely reduces accomodation costs which can really make it easier from a budget perspective.

 

[ning]

You're more than welcome to come here. It's a small country with loooots to see and some awesome wine, beers and food to taste.

I've got a decent bit of "Portugal" in my spare room / "wine cellar"
Apparently I was in Portugal when I was 5, but I don't remember it.

 

[xtech]

I've got a decent bit of "Portugal" in my spare room / "wine cellar"
Apparently I was in Portugal when I was 5, but I don't remember it.

hahah that is great!

There is great pride in the wine made here! People tend to see it as an extension of their ingenuity and skills, and feel very proud when someones compliments their wine. Actually the man who sold me the tractor made a point of showing me his grape mill and its wine barrels. He didn't let me get out before having a taste of the wine he produced. I had to tell him i had to drive more a of a hundred kilometers to get home and i could not drink more than a glass of it!

He was selling the tractor because he has bought two big wineyards and the 25hp were not enough anymore... the power of the tractor should be proportional to the size of the cellar

 

[xtech]

Hi everyone! Sorry not providing more updates, but the winter has been unusually rainy (even in this inner part of Portugal that doesn't get that much rain), so i've ended up not doing much with my tractor. In the meantime i had an oil leak in the steering system, which was found to be the rubber sealants in the near the front wheel knee.caps.

Now going to the news: i've bought a backhoe for my NH Boomer 25!
I've managed to get a "like new" one with about 6 hours of use, at a 40% discount price comparing to a new one.
This how it looks:

It is a chinese "white label" BH M95 model, for 15-25 bhp tractors. Small, but enough for my needs.

I am having a problem though: i cannot get it leveled. As you can see it is tilting towards the tractor:

Having analyzed everything, the culprit is this kind of "y-bar", connected to the 3rd point. It is too small, it should be like 7 or 8 inches longer so it will decrease tilt angle towards zero:

The thing is, i don't know how what is the name of this part and if there are longer bars. Do you know how it is called?

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

We would call that a top link. Did the tractor come with one? It appears what you have now came with the backhoe?
I opted for a hydraulic top link, so I can adjust it from the operator seat. But in your case a manual one would be fine.

 

[rScotty]

Hi everyone! Sorry not providing more updates, but the winter has been unusually rainy (even in this inner part of Portugal that doesn't get that much rain), so i've ended up not doing much with my tractor. In the meantime i had an oil leak in the steering system, which was found to be the rubber sealants in the near the front wheel knee.caps.

Now going to the news: i've bought a backhoe for my NH Boomer 25!
I've managed to get a "like new" one with about 6 hours of use, at a 40% discount price comparing to a new one.
This how it looks:

The thing is, i don't know how what is the name of this part and if there are longer bars. Do you know how it is called?

I had a BH much like that years ago. Very handy. I bet you will like it.

Does your NH Boomer 25 have draft control? If so, don't forget disable it. Very dangerous...I nearly got squashed by mine one day when I put down pressure on the BH bucket and that activated the the tractor's 3pt automatic draft control.

Same problem with the top link. I found there was a longer adjustable top link in the scrap pile. It came off an old JD, I think. Much better part.

 

[ptsg]

Hi everyone! Sorry not providing more updates, but the winter has been unusually rainy (even in this inner part of Portugal that doesn't get that much rain), so i've ended up not doing much with my tractor. In the meantime i had an oil leak in the steering system, which was found to be the rubber sealants in the near the front wheel knee.caps.

Now going to the news: i've bought a backhoe for my NH Boomer 25!
I've managed to get a "like new" one with about 6 hours of use, at a 40% discount price comparing to a new one.
This how it looks:

View attachment 855456

It is a chinese "white label" BH M95 model, for 15-25 bhp tractors. Small, but enough for my needs.

I am having a problem though: i cannot get it leveled. As you can see it is tilting towards the tractor:
View attachment 855457

Having analyzed everything, the culprit is this kind of "y-bar", connected to the 3rd point. It is too small, it should be like 7 or 8 inches longer so it will decrease tilt angle towards zero:

View attachment 855458

The thing is, i don't know how what is the name of this part and if there are longer bars. Do you know how it is called?

That's a nice deal on that backhoe. How does the tractor behave with it attached? Does the front get too light?

As far as the top bar, you kinda need that setup in place, since the two diagonal bars will prevent the backhoe from just pushing the 3 pt up. You may need to find a shop that can make a longer top bar or just extend the current one so the backhoe sits level again.

 

[xtech]

We would call that a top link. Did the tractor come with one? It appears what you have now came with the backhoe?
I opted for a hydraulic top link, so I can adjust it from the operator seat. But in your case a manual one would be fine.

Yes, mine came with a top link, but it is too long (although adjustable, but still too long). It is clearly to connect with the plow implements and other "normal" implements. I tried with the backhoe, does not work properly.

I had a BH much like that years ago. Very handy. I bet you will like it.

Does your NH Boomer 25 have draft control? If so, don't forget disable it. Very dangerous...I nearly got squashed by mine one day when I put down pressure on the BH bucket and that activated the the tractor's 3pt automatic draft control.

Same problem with the top link. I found there was a longer adjustable top link in the scrap pile. It came off an old JD, I think. Much better part.

I hope so i will, too . I have lots of things to do with it!
I guess it has draft control, but i'll check it. Thank you for pointing me that about that, definitely i don't want to end up squeezed for sure!

Glad to know that this wasn't "my problem". I was thinking that maybe it was my fault on not getting this right. I guess the chinese were thinking on even smaller tractors when designing this backhoe. I'll try to see i can get an adequate top link!

That's a nice deal on that backhoe. How does the tractor behave with it attached? Does the front get too light?

As far as the top bar, you kinda need that setup in place, since the two diagonal bars will prevent the backhoe from just pushing the 3 pt up. You may need to find a shop that can make a longer top bar or just extend the current one so the backhoe sits level again.

It definitely gets the front much lighter. I have 60KG at the front and i think that may be not enough.

How can i figure out if it is pushing only the 3rd point? I have a quick hitch "ball" system in the lower points, it seems are very tight fit.

 

[xtech]

A short update on my last post about the top link to the backhoe: I've ordered a custom one, longer and a bit stronger: