I have 20 stumps to dig, a pond to clean out, and about 400 ft of french drain to put in. After spending a week digging out the last stump with a shovel, I decided that I would not live long enough to complete my last project if I continued on using a shovel so I began to search for a backhoe. Everything in my price range was in need of a lot of work so I set my sights smaller and bought one of those little trenchers. I was going to build one, but could not buy the parts and materials for what it cost to buy. Dug out my first stump today and I was surprised how well it works. Took about 4 hours and a little over a quart of gas and wound up with a 4 1/2 ft deep x 8 1/2 ft diameter hole and I enjoyed every minute of it as most of the time was spent learning how to dig with it and walk it around. I know many on here have backhoes and will laugh at my trencher, but I see it as a bigger shovel to make my back last longer. We are in a drought where I live and the ground was bone dry and hard as a rock down to about 6 feet. I have never seen it this dry before. :)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34694/IMG_7035.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1468810210)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/34694/IMG_7032.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1468810212)
Very nice! I picked up a Davis Little Monster last year (1965-ish). Best investment ever!
If anybody laughs at your machine it means that they've never had to run a shovel and pick for very long. I'm glad you've got it and that you're happy with it!
Digging stumps with a pick and shovel is miserable work. That is a neat machine, can I borrow it? ;D
Quote from: Ox on July 18, 2016, 08:50:22 AM
If anybody laughs at your machine it means that they've never had to run a shovel and pick for very long. I'm glad you've got it and that you're happy with it!
Thanks, it is turning out to be a great little machine. My pick and shovel are now being retired after over 40 years of use. I am also thinking that once I am finished with all the projects, I can make a claw for it, then mount the boom, valve, and hydraulics on my car trailer to use for a log loader.
Quote from: sawguy21 on July 18, 2016, 12:45:10 PM
Digging stumps with a pick and shovel is miserable work. That is a neat machine, can I borrow it? ;D
With a shovel 1 big rock can ruin your whole day. Any time, but I think the delivery charge would be high. ;D
I love it! What is the model so I can google it?
Quote from: ljohnsaw on July 18, 2016, 12:19:55 AM
Very nice! I picked up a Davis Little Monster last year (1965-ish). Best investment ever!
I looked at one of them and it was a real nice machine, but way out of my price range. This is turning out to be more usefull every day. I had a big old rose bush that I had to fight with every year and get all pricked up to cut it back, well in 5 minutes it became history with no bloodshed. :)
Quote from: Jeff on July 18, 2016, 01:01:00 PM
I love it! What is the model so I can google it?
It is one of the Harbor Freight Trenchers. This is a long boring video that I just made that shows how it goes together and how it is made.
https://youtu.be/MPmDvZn1rAA
It is not a real backhoe so you have to learn how to dig without all the weight and have a limited boom pivot, but it will dig 7 feet deep. :)
Quote from: 21incher on July 18, 2016, 01:06:38 PM
Quote from: ljohnsaw on July 18, 2016, 12:19:55 AM
Very nice! I picked up a Davis Little Monster last year (1965-ish). Best investment ever!
I looked at one of them and it was a real nice machine, but way out of my price range. This is turning out to be more usefull every day. I had a big old rose bush that I had to fight with every year and get all pricked up to cut it back, well in 5 minutes it became history with no bloodshed. :)
I picked up my DLM for $1,500 and spent another $1,000 on all new hoses, brakes and fluid. $2,500 might be a little pricey, but sure is convenient! I added a thumb - best thing to have on a hoe! I'm able to pick up 500 pound rocks and put them where I want them.
I like the idea of making it a log loader on your trailer!
Thank you Ed for such a detailed video. 8)
Thanks, Ed, for posting the video. Can't wait for the next one with you dancing around the yard with it. Looks like something I could use in my very limited space.
Dan
I looked all over when I was thinking about buying the trencher for a video to see how it was made and the assembly required but could not find any, so I decided to make one. Glad you guys enjoyed it.
I started to make a dancing around the yard video, but am embarassed to show what I took before the camera tripod got trashed. I guess I need a rearview mirror to keep a eye behind me when dancing. I will make a video as soon as I pick up another tripod. ;D
Quote from: ljohnsaw on July 18, 2016, 01:21:29 PM
Quote from: 21incher on July 18, 2016, 01:06:38 PM
Quote from: ljohnsaw on July 18, 2016, 12:19:55 AM
Very nice! I picked up a Davis Little Monster last year (1965-ish). Best investment ever!
I looked at one of them and it was a real nice machine, but way out of my price range. This is turning out to be more usefull every day. I had a big old rose bush that I had to fight with every year and get all pricked up to cut it back, well in 5 minutes it became history with no bloodshed. :)
I picked up my DLM for $1,500 and spent another $1,000 on all new hoses, brakes and fluid. $2,500 might be a little pricey, but sure is convenient! I added a thumb - best thing to have on a hoe! I'm able to pick up 500 pound rocks and put them where I want them.
I like the idea of making it a log loader on your trailer!
You got a great price on it. Around here they go for between $6000.00 & $7000.00 . I have to find a way to add a manually operated thumb also for picking up rocks and roots. :)
Quote from: Savannahdan on July 18, 2016, 04:43:30 PM
Thanks, Ed, for posting the video. Can't wait for the next one with you dancing around the yard with it. Looks like something I could use in my very limited space.
Dan
Here is that dancing video. Been digging stumps with it and it works better then I had expected. It is another long boring video that shows what I am able to with my new shovel. 3 stumps down 17 to go. :)
https://youtu.be/4RIZ9Qqzshg
Great video! Pretty handy little guy.
I had to laugh when you said you had 2 weeks of drought... We just finished up 4 years...
You talked about swapping the swing cylinder hoses. On my DLM, there are 6 valves. The middle two are the stabilizers. The swing valve is just to the left of those. In my mind, since it is on the left, you push it to make it go right and pull it to make it go left since it is on the left side. Simplistic, but works in my brain. Same for the others - boom you pull up and push down, crowd arm you pull in and push out as well as the bucket.
You said you had to only use one valve at a time because you thought it was a pump flow issue. Probably not - more likely the way the valves are plumbed. Not sure of the correct wording, but probably "in series". The first valve activated ends up bypassing all the pressure to the return. Mine works the same way. However, I found that if I feather the first valve, it will give me some pressure for the next. I can swing and raise the boom at half speed - makes for smoother moves. Try it and see what happens.
I saw your JD in the background and thought it was bigger and was going to suggest using it to lift the stump. What about chaining it up and dragging (not lifting) it out of the hole with either the backhoe or JD? I can see you could really use a thumb as well. You'd be amazed at what it can do for you.
Sure is fun to dig, isn't it. This thing is going to save you months, if not years, over hand digging.
Quote from: ljohnsaw on July 27, 2016, 01:24:49 PM
Great video! Pretty handy little guy.
I had to laugh when you said you had 2 weeks of drought... We just finished up 4 years...
You talked about swapping the swing cylinder hoses. On my DLM, there are 6 valves. The middle two are the stabilizers. The swing valve is just to the left of those. In my mind, since it is on the left, you push it to make it go right and pull it to make it go left since it is on the left side. Simplistic, but works in my brain. Same for the others - boom you pull up and push down, crowd arm you pull in and push out as well as the bucket.
You said you had to only use one valve at a time because you thought it was a pump flow issue. Probably not - more likely the way the valves are plumbed. Not sure of the correct wording, but probably "in series". The first valve activated ends up bypassing all the pressure to the return. Mine works the same way. However, I found that if I feather the first valve, it will give me some pressure for the next. I can swing and raise the boom at half speed - makes for smoother moves. Try it and see what happens.
I saw your JD in the background and thought it was bigger and was going to suggest using it to lift the stump. What about chaining it up and dragging (not lifting) it out of the hole with either the backhoe or JD? I can see you could really use a thumb as well. You'd be amazed at what it can do for you.
Sure is fun to dig, isn't it. This thing is going to save you month if not years over hand digging.
Been about 6 weeks now since any kind of rainfall and they just officially listed us as being in a drought. With 4 years there would be nothing left in my yard.
The swing valve is on the left and they had it plumbed so I had to push it to make it swing left and pull it to swing right when I hooked it up per the labeling. Switching the hoses fixed it so it works as you described.
There is a 3.2 gpm pump on it and I am only running it at 1/2 throttle to break it in so I bet it is only putting out about 2 gpm.If you operate 2 levers at once it just slows to a crawl. I have seen a you tube video where the pump was upgraded to a 4.2 gpm pump and it ran very smoothly when operating 2 valves at once. The valve body is rated at 10 gpm.
A thumb is in it's future. I just wish it had 12 volts so I could add one of those small mercury outboard tilt hydraulic pumps to operate it. I may just add a small solar panel with a dewalt battery.
If I wanted to get it out of the hole quickly I would have hooked my F350 up to it, but I was trying to show what this thing can do given enough time. This little trencher sure beats digging them by hand. :)
Quote from: 21incher on July 27, 2016, 02:02:14 PM
...
A thumb is in it's future.
Can you add another valve? I added two to my DLM and used one for my thumb. I just used some flex hose I picked up from eBay (or was it Amazon?) to run from the valve all the way to the thumb. My DLM uses some hard line for the bucket cylinder. I was fortunate enough to get a set of valves from a guy that blew out his end blocks when his unit was very cold. In your case, you could just run off the return line or T into the pressure line and mount it wherever. Left-most valve in this picture with the smaller aluminum lever. The right-most is unused at this point.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30640/DLM_Thumb_02.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1431707861)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30640/DLM_Thumb_10.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1431708084)
Handy little bugger, huh? Cool! I noticed the valve for the main boom up/down is backwards. I think if you flipped the hoses on that one as well it would be much more natural to your brain to operate. :)
I wouldn't like the way those valves are set up, because I'm used to the old 4 stick configuration. Looking at the controls, facing the hoe, it goes: left outrigger, scratch, up/down, dig, swing, right outrigger. This is factory from the 60s and was on two machines I remember quite well. Of course you may not be interested in any of this because you're getting used to the way it is now. :D
Quote from: Ox on July 27, 2016, 04:21:20 PM
Handy little bugger, huh? Cool! I noticed the valve for the main boom up/down is backwards. I think if you flipped the hoses on that one as well it would be much more natural to your brain to operate. :)
I wouldn't like the way those valves are set up, because I'm used to the old 4 stick configuration. Looking at the controls, facing the hoe, it goes: left outrigger, scratch, up/down, dig, swing, right outrigger. This is factory from the 60s and was on two machines I remember quite well. Of course you may not be interested in any of this because you're getting used to the way it is now. :D
I was thinking the same thing. Makes me wonder if the fittings were all labeled wrong at the factory. I will try and switch them next. Takes my old brain a long time to learn something new anymore so it is not to late to change it around. Thanks for the info.
John
I don't think it would be easy to add a valve to the block. I think a selector valve would have to be used that is why I am thinking a miniature electric pump. I also see that many small hoes have a manually operated thumb that may be a option. :)
Quote from: 21incher on July 27, 2016, 07:04:43 PM
John
I don't think it would be easy to add a valve to the block. I think a selector valve would have to be used that is why I am thinking a miniature electric pump. I also see that many small hoes have a manually operated thumb that may be a option. :)
If you go the manual route, make the geometry, and holes, so that you can swap out the link with a ram down the road. While a fixed will work, the finesse you have with a hydraulic ram is fantastic.
Are you going to the pig roast? I would give you a nice little hyd cyl, about 2x6.
Quote from: gspren on July 28, 2016, 01:45:40 PM
Are you going to the pig roast? I would give you a nice little hyd cyl, about 2x6.
I wish that I was, but no. I am seriously trying to make plans now to go next year so I can meet some of the great members of the Forestry Forum. Thanks for the offer, but for now I may just make a manual thumb to see how usefull one is on a machine this small. thanks again. :)
7/30/2016 - Happy birthday, 21incher
Quote from: Ox on July 30, 2016, 09:39:31 AM
7/30/2016 - Happy birthday, 21incher
Thank you.
Great Videos!
Lots of great tips in your commentary. Thanks for sharing.