What do I need to know for carrying attachments on the 3 point to avoid breaking?

   / What do I need to know for carrying attachments on the 3 point to avoid breaking? #1  

BadDecisions

Silver Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2019
Messages
106
Location
Wittmann, AZ
Tractor
Ford 8N
Neighbor has a relatively new Yanmar 20-something tractor that he purchased new from a local dealer as tractor-loader-backhoe package deal. Shortly after purchase, one of the 3 point lift arm mounts snapped off the tractor, requiring replacement of the rear transaxle housing. Dealers explanation was that the tractor was not designed to carry the 3 point backhoe that they sold him with the tractor, and installed a subframe on the tractor that ran the length of the tractor, greatly reducing ground clearance and making hookup of the backhoe a rather involved, frustrating experience. According to his dealer, the 3 point on a tractor is not intended to be used to transport implements, only to pull them. Which left us both with the same question - how in the world are you supposed to get the implement from the shop to where you want to use it?!?!? Carrying a backhoe in the loader bucket seems awfully odd...

I suspect that it's due to a very poor design of 3 point mount on that tractor, perhaps indicative of modern "cheap" Asian imports attempting to reach a particular price point...I recently purchased a Ford 8N tractor, and while I have zero intentions of purchasing a 3 point backhoe for mine as they are insanely expensive for the very little use I would expect to get out of one, it does make me wonder if there are things I need to be aware of when transporting implements myself as there isn't a local dealer for antique tractor parts for immediate replacement in the event I do something stupid :laughing:

I plan to get a rear blade, box blade, and landscape rake in the future. None of which I would think have anywhere near the weight or leverage of a backhoe, but I still would rather learn what not to do, as opposed to what I shouldn't have done :laughing:
 
   / What do I need to know for carrying attachments on the 3 point to avoid breaking? #2  
I never looked at an 8N - no reason to, they go forever. Many of the Asian tractors have the 3 point stabilizer bars attached to the casting for the rear axle. I don't know if the problem is the grade of metal used or the brittleness of the casting itself but sometimes they break - even just USING them with an implement. Using a rototiller took one out for me. I "reverse engineered" it so the stabilizer no longer attached to the fragile axle housing.
 
   / What do I need to know for carrying attachments on the 3 point to avoid breaking? #3  
WOW! I am guessing the linkage broke when he was using the backhoe? 3 points mounted back hoes are simply not a good idea. Thats why they make sub-frame mounts. You can typically "carry" any implement with the proper category and weight for the tractor.
 
   / What do I need to know for carrying attachments on the 3 point to avoid breaking? #4  
No doubt the 3pt backhoe was not recommended by Yanmar. First off, they have their own subframe mounted units, and second, it was probably too heavy. If it was very heavy and bouncing around, I can see something breaking.

My L2501 is rated to lift ~1980 lbs at the rear links. But typical implements that are allowed are only 700- 800 lbs. That accounts for a lot of leverage, but the important thing is that the max lifting capacity is greater than the max implement weight. I'm very careful when transporting my 1400lb power rake, because a hard jolt could potentially damage the tractor. Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but its something to consider.
 
   / What do I need to know for carrying attachments on the 3 point to avoid breaking? #5  
An 8N is about 70+yrs old..you will be fine. 3pt backhoes are known to be very rough on 3pt hitches.
 
   / What do I need to know for carrying attachments on the 3 point to avoid breaking?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
I never looked at an 8N - no reason to, they go forever. Many of the Asian tractors have the 3 point stabilizer bars attached to the casting for the rear axle. I don't know if the problem is the grade of metal used or the brittleness of the casting itself but sometimes they break - even just USING them with an implement. Using a rototiller took one out for me. I "reverse engineered" it so the stabilizer no longer attached to the fragile axle housing.

WOW! I am guessing the linkage broke when he was using the backhoe? 3 points mounted back hoes are simply not a good idea. Thats why they make sub-frame mounts. You can typically "carry" any implement with the proper category and weight for the tractor.

No doubt the 3pt backhoe was not recommended by Yanmar. First off, they have their own subframe mounted units, and second, it was probably too heavy. If it was very heavy and bouncing around, I can see something breaking.

I'm honestly not sure of all the specifics surrounding it, but I do feel safe assuming he wasn't being stupid with it. He's a fairly intelligent guy, and not at all a stereotypical "country bumpkin Bubba" that would attempt things that are clearly well beyond the capabilities of the the tractor with some "backyard engineering". The backhoe isn't a Yanmar branded one though, and in reading the ads that this dealer has plastered all over CL and Facebook, I don't get the impression that it's a Yanmar engineered package either.

When he showed me the carnage after it happened, my first thought was "wow...that seems like a horribly engineered design, as if it was ripped off of a garden tractor, up sized a small bit, and meant to carry a 50lb blade". But then, I'm far from a tractor expert, and I've seen plenty of stuff that looks beefy but still easily falls apart due to poor design in other areas.

So, while the 3 point on my 8N looks beefy enough for anything I'd be using it for, I still felt it prudent to learn a bit more before merely attaching stuff to it and going. But basically, it sounds like that as long as I'm not exceeding the 800lb lift it's rated for, there's not much to worry about? The only things I'm planning on using is a rear blade, box blade, and maybe a boom pole later. But with the boom pole, I was planning on adding some kind of wheeled support so the weight is going into the ground for anything heavier, a winch at the end of the pole, and only using the tractor to keep the pole upright and pulling power for transport. Kind of like putting a coupler on a hydraulic engine hoist, then just using the tractor to pull it rather than lift it.
 
   / What do I need to know for carrying attachments on the 3 point to avoid breaking? #7  
The neighbor's dealer is the one that dropped the ball. They should have sold him the frame mount along with the backhoe. Too bad the dealer was merely an order and money taker. I expect a selling dealer to sell a properly specified and matched machine in most cases.

I doubt the weight of the backhoe broke the 3 point arms. More likely, the backhoe's side force did the deed.
 
   / What do I need to know for carrying attachments on the 3 point to avoid breaking? #8  
That's exactly why I added a mini-excavator to the barn. Read too many guys breaking axle housings on newer tractors.
 
   / What do I need to know for carrying attachments on the 3 point to avoid breaking? #9  
This is how you avoid breaking your 3pt with a backhoe:
SEcornerStump.jpg

The right tool for the job (excavator for digging). I compile a list of digging projects and then go rent an excavator. I feel that it's more cost-effective (for me) as I don't have to worry about maintaining or breaking my own equipment. I deal with stuff that NO CUT backhoe is going to touch: I'd also even say that NO industrial tractor with backhoe could touch.
 
   / What do I need to know for carrying attachments on the 3 point to avoid breaking? #10  
Or you can get one like I have ;).
 

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