gunmonkeyintl
Silver Member
I removed my FEL (KL401) and Backhoe (KB2485) from my DK40 for the first time this weekend, and I thought I would describe the experience for anyone considering purchasing a similary outfitted tractor. After reading through several buying-advice threads, including my own that led to this purchase, I was a little nervous about being able to quickly and easily remove the attachments for other tasks. While I did not anticipate having to remove the FEL often, the backhoe obviously occupies the space of the 3ph so it would need to be removed more often. In fact, one of the more common votes against adding a backhoe is that you have to reliquish access to your 3ph and, despite being marketed as a quick-detach item, it is not so quick in practice.
My Bush Hog has not been delivered yet, so my only 3ph attachment right now is a post hole digger. I wanted to try it out, and make sure that it works before the dealer comes back out to deliver the Bush Hog, and my weekend was pretty open, so I figured that it was as good a time as any to try removing and installing the FEL and BH.
KL401 Front End Loader
Not going to try that again unless absolutely necessary. I really thought that it would be the easier of the two, but getting the retaining pins sufficiently aligned for reinstall was quite difficult. Removal was easy. But, thankfully, the bucket is easy enough to remove that I don't think I will run into many situations where I want the FEL off altogether.
KB2485 Backhoe
The first time through removal and install took me about 45 minutes. Most of that was, I think, because I didn't turn off the tractor when I unhooked the hydro lines, so getting them reconnected was difficult. After I reinstalled it, I wanted to remove it again so I could mount my PHD, test it out, and build a rack for it. I figured it would be off overnight, so I backed it in to one of the unused car ports I have. I checked the time on my phone for removal the second time, and it only registered two minutes. It could have been 1:10, or it could have been 2:50. Either way, removal was stupid easy. From lessons learned the first time, I set the dipper stick just shy of 90° from the boom before I set the bucket down.
The next day after I removed the PHD (the hanging rack works great, BTW), I went to reinstall the backhoe. I did not block up the subframe, so the front of the subframe was directly on the ground. My re-install process went as follows:
1 - Back up to the BH. The front and rear subframe receivers are about 8-10 deep, so you want to be about 12" short of where the BH sits on the tractor when mounted. You have about 1" margin of error side-to-side. All in all, not too difficult to get the tractor backed up to where it needs to be if you take it slow and pay attention.
2 - Turn off the tractor, hop off, confirm the subframe placement, reconnect the hoses, and turn the tractor back on.
3 - Use the BH controls to lift the subframe up to the main frame. With the boom and dipperstick just shy of 90°, I found that lifting the boom would lift the front of the subframe. Pushing both stabilizers out lift the back of the subframe. All told, 30-45 seconds of adjusting the boom and stabilizers put the subframe level and in contact with the main frame.
4 - Visually confirm that the subframe cross-members are aligned so that they would enter the front and rear receivers if the tractor was backed straight back. Hop back on the tractor and back up, feel the subframe enter the receivers, and keep backing up until the tractor just starts to push the backhoe rearward.
5 - Hop down, confirm proper alignment, and drop the two retaining pins through the rear of the subframe and its receiver. Lift the bucket and stabilizers and drive away.
This second time through, and it was only my second, took 8 minutes from starting to back up, to driving away with the BH installed. I wasted at least 2 minutes trying to get the second pin in, since I was slightly out of parallel, before I realized that I could use the boom. The pins have a generous taper on them, so I was able to set the mis-fitting pin in its hole and, with the bucket still on the ground, move the boom slightly to the right until the pin dropped in the hole on its own. I really think that, once I have done this a few times, it will become a 5 minute operation.
At any rate, I was a little intimidated by having to remove and install the BH, and figure that a lot of buyers considering the quick-detach BH in their package-deal may feel the same way. At the end of the day, it is barely more difficult and time-consuming than installing a 3ph implement. In fact, installing the PHD the first time, with it laying on the ground, took longer than installing the BH the second time. There are plenty of pros/cons to consider in deciding to get the BH or not, but difficulty to remove/install should not be one of them.
My Bush Hog has not been delivered yet, so my only 3ph attachment right now is a post hole digger. I wanted to try it out, and make sure that it works before the dealer comes back out to deliver the Bush Hog, and my weekend was pretty open, so I figured that it was as good a time as any to try removing and installing the FEL and BH.
KL401 Front End Loader
Not going to try that again unless absolutely necessary. I really thought that it would be the easier of the two, but getting the retaining pins sufficiently aligned for reinstall was quite difficult. Removal was easy. But, thankfully, the bucket is easy enough to remove that I don't think I will run into many situations where I want the FEL off altogether.
KB2485 Backhoe
The first time through removal and install took me about 45 minutes. Most of that was, I think, because I didn't turn off the tractor when I unhooked the hydro lines, so getting them reconnected was difficult. After I reinstalled it, I wanted to remove it again so I could mount my PHD, test it out, and build a rack for it. I figured it would be off overnight, so I backed it in to one of the unused car ports I have. I checked the time on my phone for removal the second time, and it only registered two minutes. It could have been 1:10, or it could have been 2:50. Either way, removal was stupid easy. From lessons learned the first time, I set the dipper stick just shy of 90° from the boom before I set the bucket down.
The next day after I removed the PHD (the hanging rack works great, BTW), I went to reinstall the backhoe. I did not block up the subframe, so the front of the subframe was directly on the ground. My re-install process went as follows:
1 - Back up to the BH. The front and rear subframe receivers are about 8-10 deep, so you want to be about 12" short of where the BH sits on the tractor when mounted. You have about 1" margin of error side-to-side. All in all, not too difficult to get the tractor backed up to where it needs to be if you take it slow and pay attention.
2 - Turn off the tractor, hop off, confirm the subframe placement, reconnect the hoses, and turn the tractor back on.
3 - Use the BH controls to lift the subframe up to the main frame. With the boom and dipperstick just shy of 90°, I found that lifting the boom would lift the front of the subframe. Pushing both stabilizers out lift the back of the subframe. All told, 30-45 seconds of adjusting the boom and stabilizers put the subframe level and in contact with the main frame.
4 - Visually confirm that the subframe cross-members are aligned so that they would enter the front and rear receivers if the tractor was backed straight back. Hop back on the tractor and back up, feel the subframe enter the receivers, and keep backing up until the tractor just starts to push the backhoe rearward.
5 - Hop down, confirm proper alignment, and drop the two retaining pins through the rear of the subframe and its receiver. Lift the bucket and stabilizers and drive away.
This second time through, and it was only my second, took 8 minutes from starting to back up, to driving away with the BH installed. I wasted at least 2 minutes trying to get the second pin in, since I was slightly out of parallel, before I realized that I could use the boom. The pins have a generous taper on them, so I was able to set the mis-fitting pin in its hole and, with the bucket still on the ground, move the boom slightly to the right until the pin dropped in the hole on its own. I really think that, once I have done this a few times, it will become a 5 minute operation.
At any rate, I was a little intimidated by having to remove and install the BH, and figure that a lot of buyers considering the quick-detach BH in their package-deal may feel the same way. At the end of the day, it is barely more difficult and time-consuming than installing a 3ph implement. In fact, installing the PHD the first time, with it laying on the ground, took longer than installing the BH the second time. There are plenty of pros/cons to consider in deciding to get the BH or not, but difficulty to remove/install should not be one of them.
