Tractor backhoe - homemade

[WaxMan]

For some reason I just stumbled across this thread today. I can't believe you designed and made your own backhoe from scratch, and it's done with such quality I can't believe it. Your welds are the best I ever have seen. Look how long they are without any flaws. Look at the edge of the metal left showing, flawlessly the same distance showing.

I can't even imagine telling someone, Yes I made the backhoe. What !!!! Wow, very very nice work Sir. There is absolutely nothing you can't do. A lot of us have ideas but to follow thru with a project of this size as you did, to a finished product of such fine quality is just truly amazing.
I'll bet you could design and build your own tractor from just steel and materials, and it would be better than factory. I'm embarrassed showing the things I have made compared to what you have done here.

 

[BFreaky]

Thanks, I did my best. Regarding the welding; it's all about steady movements. Most of welds were done in one single move, without stoping, thats why they look like this.

 

[ericher69]

Thanks, I did my best. Regarding the welding; it's all about steady movements. Most of welds were done in one single move, without stoping, thats why they look like this.

BFreaky;

Your not telling the whole truth here!

Isn't most of those nice welds made by your misses?

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[Kyle_in_Tex]

BFreaky;

Your not telling the whole truth here!

Isn't most of those nice welds made by your misses?

Sent from my iPhone 5s 64Gb using TractorByNet

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Hey BFreaky, I hope you realize I'm always just kidding about your girlfriend.

My new trainee at work is 22 and so is his girlfriend. They met at high school pole vaulting summer camp. She is petite and shaped like a gymnast. She is in her 4th year of mechanical engineering and is on the formula SAE team. This team designs, makes, and competes a 2/3 version of a formula 1 car, but on a low budget. I told my trainee he found a keeper because he likes high performance cars and such too.

 

[BFreaky]

Don't worry it's cool about my girfriend.

 

[jacek]

:thumbsup:

 

[BFreaky]

Old gravel pit clean up. After that I'll fill it with good soil and plant something on the spot.
Digging depth about 15 ft

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Could you imagine having to dig that with a shovel and bucket on a rope?

Glad it is working out for you. Do you get many jobs for money?

 

[Fawken]

I cannot see all your pics (my computer) but from my experience building my FEL here are the things which are the hardest:
The subframe, which not only should be strong it should actually make the tractor stronger with or without the attachment. It must also clear all drain plugs, adapt to the existing blank, threaded holes, and generally not interfere with clutch, brake or other levers- and not impede any future maintenance tasks such as starter replacement, Hydro filter and pump service, etc. Now all of that is compounded by the small tractor I used (the 1100).
Detachability, meaning I wanted a quick attach bucket, hose fittings and the ability to remove the entire FEL via detaching 2 pins and the hose. In other words I can remove the FEL by myself in less than 3 minutes.
Power, more power than any comparable Woods or Koyker FEL in that class.
Cost, I wanted the cost at less than half of the closest FEL offered that "might" be adaptable to my tractor.

When I considered a DIY backhoe, there simply was no way I could design and build one for less than the $3200 cost of the Liberty. It is the hydraulics that make up 80% of the cost.

 

[BFreaky]

Could you imagine having to dig that with a shovel and bucket on a rope?

Glad it is working out for you. Do you get many jobs for money?

It would be great to dig this with shovel...but it would take a month or so .
For now I'm using it for my purposes and helping friends, later who knows...

 

[JKR]

I see you back hoe is working just fine. I still can't believe you made it. It looks and works more like you bought it and change the decals.
There are craftsman and there are craftsman but you are one **** of a craftsman for sure.

 

[rScotty]

Old gravel pit clean up. After that I'll fill it with good soil and plant something on the spot.
Digging depth about 15 ft

That's some good-looking gravel....wish we had a pit like that here. We do have a pit of mixed hard-washed sand & river rock.
rScotty

 

[scaredychicken]

I'm going to need to look for that brand name "Prototype" ???

great job BFreaky - I remember when this thread started.

ck

 

[BFreaky]

Thanks for the compliments. The gravel is top quality. We are standing on an ancient river bed so the soil levels are thin and after 0.5 meters starts the layer of gravel and goes to more than 50 meters deep. That's verified in the local gravel mine not far from here. The only little problem is the water which shows up at 5 meters, but they have floating excavators so they can do it.
Well maybe this name will be my brand name in the future...who knows

 

[rScotty]

Thanks, I did my best. Regarding the welding; it's all about steady movements. Most of welds were done in one single move, without stoping, thats why they look like this.

OK, but doing such long continuous welds in that kind of material it seems like weld distortion and warping would be a big hassle. I'm curious about your thoughts on how to deal with that warp and distortion. Also, a backhoe has a lot of large diameter pins with close-fitting hardened bushings that need to line up exactly. What's a good way to get them to line up? I tend to weld first and drill afterwards when I can, but your parts are kinda large for that.
thanks,
rScotty

 

[BFreaky]

Line up isn't a problem. You take 2 bushings and a pin, put them in place, tack weld opposite points and then weld all around. Works fine but precision is highly important. If you want to aviod tilting of parts simply make a distance holding assembly and fix it on to something and then weld. There's an example on the page where I was welding the main boom. Dowels always help in this situation

 

[rScotty]

Line up isn't a problem. You take 2 bushings and a pin, put them in place, tack weld opposite points and then weld all around. Works fine but precision is highly important. If you want to aviod tilting of parts simply make a distance holding assembly and fix it on to something and then weld. There's an example on the page where I was welding the main boom. Dowels always help in this situation

I suspect that you are instinctively doing something exactly right - it might even be something that you think is just "common sense" or unimportant. Might be worth looking into. I've not worked specifically as a manufacturing engineer, but friends who do seem to think that the distortion and warpage from heavy welding are a bigger problem than you've had. And if you had controlled those things by clamping, that tends to build up locked-in welding stresses that would have shown up by now as cracking at the root of the weld.

Ever considered writing on welding technique?
rScotty

 

[BFreaky]

I believe there are many books talking about techniques so...no

Did some digging...alot actually. Foundations for my garage and a driveway

 

[BFreaky]

Video clip