My new Branson

   / My new Branson #13  
Be careful around brush and limbs. Don't turn so tight with power that you push the front tire off the rim. Protect it from rats eating hoses, electrical wires, fuel drain cap (cat, rat poison, naphthalene).

Can you tell I have had my own untoward experiences?

Don't worry about small scratches. It's a tool, not something that goes in a curio cabinet. Do keep it clean. Get comfortable but never complacent. It is a powerful piece of machinery: great for increasing your capacity to accomplish work, but easy to do harm if not respected.

Enjoy and be a good steward of God's earth.
 
   / My new Branson #15  
Nice setup. I always thought about getting a backhoe, but never did. Hope you get as much fun out of yours as I have gotten out of mine.
 
   / My new Branson
  • Thread Starter
#16  
I got to play with the backhoe today. Although I’ve operated industrial equipment in a past life, I can see a bit of a learning curve. I’m surprised at the power of the backhoe.

I have a small shed to store the tractor and implements. I’m trying the Fresh Cab. Once the house is ready, we’ll get a barn cat.

Tomorrow I’m trying the brush hog in open areas. I need to get a feel for it before I cut the trails.

I’m not worried if it gets scratched. It means it getting used. My guns are not safe queens either.
 
   / My new Branson #17  
I had to slow down my BHs boom with adjustable restrictors. It was jerking the whole tractor around. Could just be my unit's valves or my inexperience or both.
 
   / My new Branson #18  
I had to slow down my BHs boom with adjustable restrictors. It was jerking the whole tractor around. Could just be my unit's valves or my inexperience or both.

I've had this too - it's quite twitchy.
I'm not experienced messing with hydraulics - can you describe what you put in (links if possible) and where?
When my backhoe's tossing me around I end up using both valves to slow the one down, but that's not always appropriate to the work being done and I shouldn't need to...
 
   / My new Branson #19  
A couple of these: 1/4 NPT 5 GPM Prince WFC-400 In-Line Flow Control | Flow Control Valves | Hydraulic Valves | Hydraulics | www.surpluscenter.com

between the hoses and the cylinder. The hose/cylinder fittings are JIC so if you put the right JIC fittings on it plugs right in. I'll look for the exact parts list when I get some time later, and post a pic.

Using a one way on each end lets me adjust them separately- gravity is pulling the whole thing down and the rod end takes less fluid per inch of motion so the two ends are not equal. I set the valve to restrict flow out of the cylinder so there won't be cavitation. I can reach them from the operator station. With a little tuning the jerkiness goes away but it's not too slow. For me anyhow.

I have one more to add to the BH's curl circuit. When I curl the bucket it seems to speed up near the end of its travel, then slam into the stop and eject much of the material from the bucket. I can get it to work right some of the time, it's not as bad as the boom was.

I added another flow control to the loader to reduce bucket flop. It restricts flow out of the curl cylinders as the bucket is dumping.
 
   / My new Branson #20  
Here's the parts numbers from surpluscenter:

2 9-7960-4 1/4 NPT 5 GPM PRINCE WFC-400 IN-LINE FLOW CONTROL
2 9-2404-6-4 JIC 6M x 1/4 NPTM CONNECTOR
2 9-6505-6-4 JIC 6F TO 1/4 NPTM SWIVEL

And here's a pic:

IMG_0580.JPG
 

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