Using a backhoe for small jobs

Tommilton08 · Mar 4, 2012

Just mounted a JD260 backhoe on my 2305 any suggestions on how to use it properly to trench etc. ?

thatguy · Mar 4, 2012

Not to be a smart @$$ - but practice, practice, practice LOL

hopefully you have some land you can go and practice on a) dig hole, b) cover hole, c) lather, rinse, repeat

Brian

jmbrowning · Mar 5, 2012

The biggest thing that was hard for me was figuring out how to take all the different arcs of the boom, dipper, and bucket to make a straight scraping motion parallel to the surface of the ground. Making long even trenches was harder than making deep perpendicular walls. The key for me was getting the ratio of boom lift and dipper drop to keep the bucket scraping evenly. I still haven't figured out how to do it well yet with the extendahoe other than reaching out with the boom flat down. Good luck!

moored4 · Mar 5, 2012

As in everthing practice, practice, practice makes perfect!

:welcome: to TBN! :thumbsup:

Happy :tractor: ing!

Tommilton08 · Mar 5, 2012

Thanks will take your advice

Tommilton08 · Mar 5, 2012

Thanks for the advice. I have a 300 foot trench to practice on . I felt the same way when I started to Mig Weld...

billb3 · Mar 6, 2012

Practice.

Careful arm wrestling with tree roots. The tractor can get tossed around a bit.

tractchores · Mar 6, 2012

A few hours of practice and you'll start to get the hang of it. I would recommend planning your trench so that you start and finish in areas where the tractor can get in an out of. For example if one end is at a wall then start at that end so you don't have to try to cross the trench after its dug. I would also think about where the dirt is placed, if the trench is just back filled it is easier, but if you're filling with gravel or something you want to set it up so you have to move the dirt as few times as possible. I would also get the hang of it for the first few minutes in an open area, its easy to hit the wrong lever and swing the boom into something causing damage when you're feeling out the controls.

Reg · Mar 6, 2012

jmbrowning said:
The biggest thing that was hard for me was figuring out how to take all the different arcs of the boom, dipper, and bucket to make a straight scraping motion parallel to the surface of the ground. Making long even trenches was harder than making deep perpendicular walls. The key for me was getting the ratio of boom lift and dipper drop to keep the bucket scraping evenly. I still haven't figured out how to do it well yet with the extendahoe other than reaching out with the boom flat down. Good luck!

I'll second all that (-:
As a tip I would suggest beginners watch the dipper stick as a rough guide to how far down the bucket is in the hole.
For shallow trenches, the bucket pins can give a rough depth guide.
My initial problems were mostly with trying to take out too much at once.
Take it slow, less is more, etc. (-:

powerpace · Mar 6, 2012

Practice, Practice, Practice.
I use Spray paint or duct tape to mark the depth needed. I measure from the teeth.
Be careful swinging the boom side to side. Some backhoe models allow the boom to hit the outriggers, or step.
On some models bending the boom in a hard swing by hitting the trench side or stump is not unheard of.

Reg · Mar 7, 2012

powerpace said:
Practice, Practice, Practice.
I use Spray paint or duct tape to mark the depth needed. I measure from the teeth.
Be careful swinging the boom side to side. Some backhoe models allow the boom to hit the outriggers, or step.
On some models bending the boom in a hard swing by hitting the trench side or stump is not unheard of.

Something else you may not notice right away; the swing control is ALSO proportional/progressive, i.e. you don't have to idle the tractor right down to avoid violent swings that are so uncomfortable when the boom and dipper are extended.
Just develop the feather touch to accelerate and slow the swing gradually.
It barely costs you a few minutes on a day's work to swing gentle, but it is so much less tiring.

s78wingrider · Mar 7, 2012

One thing I found out when learning, was just walk away for awhile sometimes. Always seemed a little easier when I started back each time. And the less you think about it, the easier it is. :thumbsup:

:confused2:

Martian · Mar 7, 2012

To say something besides practice, you may want to check out Youtube. Sometimes going out there blindfolded isn't the best idea. Go out to youtube, find some good trenching videos and watch the operator as he uses the controls and not so much the trench itself. I can't tell you how many times I've learned stuff from just watching videos like that. But, after you know how to do it, the only way to be good, is to . . . wait for it . . . practice:thumbsup:

AndyMA · Mar 7, 2012

I've been on a backhoe for many years. I just think of it as an extension of my arm. I give absolutely no thought to the controls. If I pay attention to the controls, it makes my work jerky. By thinking of it as an extension of your arm you will be able to put the bucket with in fractions of an inch of a wall (or whatever) And remember Practice

Andy

EddieWalker · Mar 8, 2012

There is a right way to dig, and a wrong way.

NEVER dig by curling the bucket!!!!

Use the power of the boom stick to pull the bucket back and the dipper stick to pull the bucket up. The curl is used to get the angle of cut you want.

If you ever find that you are lifting the back tires off of the ground while digging, you are doing it wrong.

GREASE! GREASE! and GREASE!!!!!!

Go slow and don't get frustrated. In time, you wont even think about your hands, you'll just look where you want the bucket to be and your hands will make it happen.

Eddie

AKfish · Mar 8, 2012

Thanks, Eddie! I'll work harder this next digging season thinkin' about what you said...

Even after several hundred hours of hoe work - I'm a long ways from being an adequate backhoe operator!

Still got wavy bottoms...

AKfish

TRR · Mar 8, 2012

Like powerpace says, use duct tape for a depth gauge. Also, once you "finish" a section of trench and before you move to the next section. Put your bucket down in the bottom of the trench at a reach and flat. Then drive forward - it will help keep the bottom flat and smooth. Makes working in the trench a lot easier. And BTW, working in trenches is very dangerous due to collapse and resultant suffocation. I stay out of any thing deeper than 2' anymore.

EddieWalker · Mar 8, 2012

Did you say to drive the tractor with the bucket dragging on the bottom of the trench?

It's real easy to keep a flat bottom when digging a trench if you don't dig by curling the bucket. This means you don't dig as much from each position, but what you do dig, you get nice and smooth. The wave and uneven bottom is from curling the bucket instead of pulling it towards you and then lifting.

I'm very **** about this because its what my Dad has been doing and after awhile, be busted the boom in half. He is never allowed to dig a trench because he can't go straight, or keep the bottom flat, but he's very good at getting out trees. Unfortunately, I can't watch him all the time and he goes back to old habbits. I never expected the boom to break. I was more worried about excessive wear on the pins. Now that it's repaired, he now understands why I've been trying so hard to get him to stop digging by curling the bucket.

Eddie