Removing BH from CK20

[chelydra]

After three years, I'm finally thinking of removing the KB2365 from my CK20HST to speed up moving a large pile of wood chips. I'd appreciate advice on three points:

1. If I remove the BH, can I back the tractor right into it but offset by a few inches w/o re-inserting the sliders? It's in a garage with little spare length.

2. I've got plenty of Bobcat seat time, but have never used a tractor-loader without anything on the back. Can I safely pick up full buckets of wood chips and drive around w/o a counterweight? Partial buckets of dirt?

3. For plowing this winter, I'd like to leave the BH off for maneuverability. How much of a counterweight would I need for plowing and lifting snow with the KL-120? If I could just hang a few cinderblocks off a bar across the TPH that would be a lot easier than fabricating a concrete weight, and cheaper than a ballast box. Any other easy solutions?

Thanks in advance-

Chelydra

 

[wallace]

After you remove the subframe from the tractor before disconnecting the hydraulics raise the out riggers backup so the frame sets on the floor, with the out rigger up at least you won't have to keep steping over them.
With the subframe on the floor you can back the tractor over until the back of the tractor comes close to the backhoe seat. It will give you lots of room.

Your lifting without ballest should be done with caution and you should never have the bucket above your hood with an unballest tractor be carefull and pay attention, I have operated several tractors without ballest but seat time = saftey
If you feel uncomfortable doing it don't!
As far as snow it semi light but use your best judgment.

This is a touch and go question you will get so many different opinions.

 

[Sandlot]

I have used my CK20 to move full buckets of gravel around the house without the hoe on the back. Now just to qualify this, I weigh in at 260 pounds, ok, ok, 305 so I guess I am running with ballast.

 

[wallace]

Hmmmmm maybe that's why it feels okay to me, my 235 lbs is acting as ballest also.












okay okay it was a typo i ment 325!

 

[rimshot]

After three years, I'm finally thinking of removing the KB2365 from my CK20HST to speed up moving a large pile of wood chips.


Chelydra

How about this question while on this subject. I went to Home Depot and purchased four of those furniture dollies for $20.00 bucks each. I did so on the assumption that I could drop the backhoe on top of four of them and be able to manuever the backhoe (rolling it) around the concrete garage floor if I need to get at something. I store it for the Winter using a storage garage i built but as you know it takes up a pretty large footprint. In other words, the bucket, both outriggers and front cross over of subframe extension are all resting on the furniture dollies.

Has anybody tried something like this. My backhoe is for a ck20 and is a model KB2465 weighing in at 1100 lbs.

rimshot

 

[IslandTractor]

How about this question while on this subject. I went to Home Depot and purchased four of those furniture dollies for $20.00 bucks each. I did so on the assumption that I could drop the backhoe on top of four of them and be able to manuever the backhoe (rolling it) around the concrete garage floor if I need to get at something. I store it for the Winter using a storage garage i built but as you know it takes up a pretty large footprint. In other words, the bucket, both outriggers and front cross over of subframe extension are all resting on the furniture dollies.

Has anybody tried something like this. My backhoe is for a ck20 and is a model KB2465 weighing in at 1100 lbs.

rimshot

The issue I would anticipate is that the outriggers will leak down and splay out. You could probably prevent that by blocking them and linking the two mover's trolleys. Alternatively you could lower them intentionally to the "deflated" stable position right after removing the BH but then you'd have a seven or eight foot width to deal with.

 

[rimshot]

The issue I would anticipate is that the outriggers will leak down and splay out. You could probably prevent that by blocking them and linking the two mover's trolleys. Alternatively you could lower them intentionally to the "deflated" stable position right after removing the BH but then you'd have a seven or eight foot width to deal with.

==========================

It looks like it's going to work IslandTractor. As you say the outriggers have leaked down. I should have elaborated earlier about the outriggers. I block or place the furniture dolly at the inner outrigger arm pin. In other words, blocking or dollys are not at the pads but at the inboard end of the outrigger arm. When I lift the unit back up I'm thinking if I tightly wood block beneath the pads the stress of lifting the frame with outriggers gets transferred directly to the outside or pad on outrigger arm. This should transfer the stress away from any individual dolly and to the floor.

I have placed dollys at each inboard outrigger pin and front crossover of frame. I need to get tractor to the hoses so I can r[un hydraulics and see about placing some weight from boom and bucket. At that point, I will have four points with dollys.

rimshot

experimenting

 

[chelydra]

Well, that was fun - and as easy as I'd hoped. Not sure putting it back on will be quite as quick!

For the benefit of any other relative newbies...

- I dropped the BH onto a chunk of wood. With it lowered by about four inches, I could then back the tractor right into original position. So it doesn't take any more garage space disconnected. Good news there.

- The legs take up too much room sideways. Next time I do this, I'll use a higher block and pull the legs in as close as possible.

- Tractor handles a lot better w/o that half-ton swinging in back. Less metal bouncing around and creaking when driving on rough ground. Boost in effective power, e.g. when driving on wood chips, or uphill, is helpful. Can do almost everything in high gear now.

- With back unloaded, tractor has not been too tippy. With a full bucket of wet wood chips, rear wheels spun a bit, so I just switched to 4WD. I could only tip forward by digging loader with teeth deep into a compacted chip pile and lifting. For light digging and and plowing, I'll probably just sling a chunk of oak log in the 3PH. To move dirt or rocks, I can see that at least 400 lbs of ballast would be needed for safety.

Thanks for all the good advice here. One more question: I covered all four hydraulic ends with twist-tied baggies. Any slicker ways? The rubber plugs that came with the machine don't provide as much dust protection as I'd like.

-Chelydra

 

[IslandTractor]

One more question: I covered all four hydraulic ends with twist-tied baggies. Any slicker ways? The rubber plugs that came with the machine don't provide as much dust protection as I'd like.

-Chelydra

That is exactly what I do, gotta love baggies. I store mine outside over the winter so I also cover the whole thing with a tarp.

 

[dfkrug]

One more question: I covered all four hydraulic ends with twist-tied baggies. Any slicker ways? The rubber plugs that came with the machine don't provide as much dust protection as I'd like.

For $2-3 you can get an adapter at your hyd hose supplier that you can
use to seal both hose ends to each other. Most likely it will have a 3/8"
male JIC37 on each side of the adapter. Very secure.

Don't you have a box scraper? That kind of ballast is all you need for
secure loader work, and its weight is farther out back so you don't
overload your front tires.