New 3203 with loader and hoe

jd4310man · May 3, 2008

As previously posted I recieved my 3203 with a 300cx loader back in late march and last week I finally got my Woods 70X backhoe! I completed the mounting instalation today with the help from my father. Wasnt too bad to put on, just takes some time. Saved about $400 instaling the hoe myself.
I am posting some pics of my new rig to show that a backhoe can and will work with a 3203 John Deere!

kennyd · May 3, 2008

Sharp looking machine you have there

fountain42 · May 3, 2008

Jd how did the Woods compair to the Deere, And is the Woods mounted permanent?

jd4310man · May 3, 2008

The Woods 70X is built very close to the John Deere 447. The main reason I chose Woods is that they designed a mounting kit specificly for the 3203, wich Deere does not offer the 447 for the 3203. As far as a comparison of specs the Woods has 270lbs more bucket digging force,@(2030lbs of psi) and roughly the same dipper force as the 447. Digging depth is about the same for both models. Yes the BH70-X is a solid, permanent mount, but like the 447 it can be removed to use the 3 point hitch when desired.
I got a chance to use the hoe for the first time today and I am pleased with the performance. The hoe taps into the tractors hydraulic system and it has good power and impressive speed. I have the 9''&18'' buckets and it handles the 18'' very well. In the pics I posted is a shot of the sub frame and shows the conection to the sub frame and the hoe.

AKfish · May 5, 2008

That's a great lookin' setup! I'm especially impressed with the length of the rectangular mount that extends along the frame of the tractor.

Appears to be very sound structurally and very similar in design to the JD 8B backhoe that's available on the JD 990.

Does the Wood's run off the tractor's power beyond circuit?

Thanks.

AKfish

jd4310man · May 5, 2008

Yes, the hoe runs off of the tractor hydraulics with a hose kit supplied from Woods. The hose kit simply interupts the flow of oil to the rockshaft valve and it includes quick connect couplers for easy hookup.

jjmarotz · May 5, 2008

Very nice setup. Finally someone with a hoe on the 3203. My ? could you get me some pics of the hyd setup? and any info that you could provide, as in if that setup is available as a seperate kit from Woods, and if it could be used as a power beyond. Thanks for your time.

jd4310man · May 5, 2008

jjmarotz:
I dont know if the hydraulic kit is for sale seperately but woods does have a seperate number for the kit, that # is (1019008). So I would assume that you could order just that kit for the 3203. The kit does the same thing as Deere's power beyond, it allows hydraulic flow to be diverted from the rockshaft valve to supply the backhoe with power.
I will post some pics of the setup as soon as I can, to show you exactly how it is put together.

jjmarotz · May 6, 2008

Thanks for your time and effort. JJ

Whitey · May 6, 2008

I have a question...did you buy the woods backhoe from the JD dealer??? The reason I ask is I looked at the 3203 which is a very nice tractor. JD does not offer a backhoe for this unit. The dealer offered a woods backhoe instead. When I asked about warranty issues on the tractor since JD did not offer one she balked???

Any input?

JD 770 / 70 FEL / 7 BH - 425 AWS / 54" MMM / 54" FMP

jd4310man · May 6, 2008

I did not purchase the hoe at my dealer, they do not sell Woods products.
However, my salesman didnt say that putting a backhoe on the 3203 would affect the waranty or the tractor providing the hoe was attached by a sub frame mount. I made it clear of my intentions of putting on the woods hoe on this machine to my salesman as well.
I also talked with my Woods dealer and he told me they would not sell me a hoe if Woods did not manufacture a proper mounting kit for a particular tractor. That being said, Woods does indeed make a proper mount for the 3203, and if the Woods engineeres approves it for the 3203 that was good enough for me. Because everything these days is a legal issue and im sure Woods doesnt want any legal issues because of poor design!
I would say go for it, I did, and I am quite pleased with my purchase of the 3203 and the Woods hoe, very well built.

Whitey · May 7, 2008

Thanx for the input! I will pursue this. The JD dealer I was speaking of also sells Woods products. You are right everything is a legal issue. I just shudder to think after laying out all this money for a new TLB that if something would happen I would be out of luck. However, if the dealer recommends the hoe and Woods has a specified unit then I should be safe.

JD 770 / 70 FEL / 7 BH - 425 AWS / 54" MMM / 54" FMP

Find a man that loves what he does and he will never work a day in his life!

CinderSchnauzer · May 7, 2008

If interested in 3203 with JD 447 Hoe suggest follow up with member JohnDeereDLR, based this comment in his post 2/24/2007 in thread "John Deere 3120 against Kubota"

Quote"
You can indeed put a 300X or CX on a 3203 tractor. I do it all the time at my dealership. The 3203 and the 3320 have the same pumps in them. You can even put the 447 Hoe on this tractor.

JD DLR
End Quote"

Whitey · May 8, 2008

Update.....I spoke to my JD dealer yesterday about a 3203 with an after market hoe. They do not offer a Woods....but a Bush Hog that is also a frame mount specifically for the 3203. I press them about the warranty and a quote. The quote was reasonable.....but...."John Deere said the warranty is voided if you alter the tractor. They do not recommend adding a backhoe since they do not offer one".

So it is up to me they said. Interesting how these dealers are on different pages.

jd4310man · May 8, 2008

You said that your deere dealer sells Woods, right? If They sell the Woods brand they should sell the mounting kit as well, cause Woods engineeres feel that the 3203 can accept a backhoe or they wouldnt have wasted their time in designing one. Ask your dealer to look up kit # (1021970) as this is the 4 point sub-frame mounting kit.
Also, what do they mean by "altering the tractor''? I instauled this hoe myself and I dont remember having to alter anything. Everything in the kit bolted right up to existing hardware and bolt holes located on the tractor.
Anyway like they said it is up to you, I feel that the 3203 is as well built as any other tractor deere sells and I sertainly do not regret my purchase of this machine!

jd4310man · May 8, 2008

jjmarotz:

Hear are the pics of the hose kit that is instauled on my 3203. Hope this helps you out.
Also notice were the hoe attaches to the sub-frame.

Whitey · May 9, 2008

Believe me I am not trying to find fault with you and your tractor. I wanted to buy a 3203 but it does not come with a JD hoe. All I know is that if I spend $ 23,000.00 + - on a set up and do not get a tractor with a warranty that distresses me. My point is that the dealers are not consistent here! The sad thing is here is wonderful tractor made by JD and there is not a designated backhoe for it in JDs line. Why not? It is a nice tractor. Simple hydro, not a lot of extra crap! Why not a backhoe?

Any dealers want to weigh in?

GreatWhitehunter · May 9, 2008

You guys are missing the big picture. The 3202 uses a different frame than the other 3000 series machines it's a bargain no frills machine. Deere engineers don't approve of a backhoe on that model. When I bought my 3320 my dealer had a 3202 in two pieces due to a hoe being mounted. If deere wanted a hoe on it they'd make one. I'll tell you right now if you damage your tractor becauseof the hoe deere isn't going to warranty it. Same with the loader, the machine calls for a 300 not an x or cx. Why do you think that is? Because the machine wasn't designed for the additional loads and stress put on it. Just because something fits doesn't mean it belongs. If you couldn't afford the 3000 series and bought the 3203 instead then who is to blame but you. If the hoe was that important to you then you should have paid for the machine designed to accept it.
This is fact not opinion. Think about it.

Matt T.

Superduper · May 9, 2008

I'm thinking along the same lines as Matt T. but was hesitant to post anything for fear of stirring something up. The 3203 isn't all that much cheaper than the 3120, the next step up. If you're gonna spend the extra cash for the 300cx over the 300 loader, I take it that it's not all about the cash, but rather about getting the right loader for the job. If that's the case, why not just spend just a little bit more and get the tractor that IS designed to accept the 300cx AND a backhoe? Maybe it's just me but if you're willing to spend the extra to get the beefier (twice the capacity) loader, why skimp on the main dish (tractor)?

MessickFarmEqu · May 9, 2008

GreatWhitehunter said:
I'll tell you right now if you damage your tractor becauseof the hoe deere isn't going to warranty it. Same with the loader, the machine calls for a 300 not an x or cx. Why do you think that is? Because the machine wasn't designed for the additional loads and stress put on it.

I'm more than willing to bet that the lack of backhoe support has more to do with upselling people to the next model than it does the lack of structure. If thats the case, you'd better not use a box blade, weight box, rear blade, or anything else that can torque the back of your tractor.