My backhoe arrives today!

[LKasdorf]

I made a deal on a used Case 580B backhoe this week, and it will show up this afternoon!

It has the 4in1 bucket and extendahoe, and has a rebuilt engine and drivetrain, and has been frame-up restored. Looks like a new tractor.

I'm hoping thta 4in1 will prove useful for picking up small logs, but I think the real solutiuon is going to be making some forks for the front bucket.

I have access to a great deal of scrap steel and I'm a pretty good welder. Are there some plans/ideas for making detachable forks? I'd like to be able to pick up pallets as well as logs.

[Bibbyman]

I'd think there should be plenty of used fork sets for this model of Case.  Maybe worth looking for a pair before making a pair.  

Maybe even a used fork frame and forks of'n something else (if bought reasonable) could be adapted? I've seen whole industraial forklifts go for as low as $150 at auctions. I should have bought them all for the forks and mounting frames.

A little side story.  A friend of mine bought a new Case skidsteer.  He was looking around for a set of forks and got a lead on a pair.  The guy that had the forks had adapted them to use on his farm tractor to load big bails but they didn't work to good so he found/bought/made a stinger.  

They negotiated the price of the forks and he bought them.  In a remark,  my friend said he'd have to make the mounting plate to adapt them to his skidsteer.  The farmer said he had the original mounting plat some place and he could have it - if he thought he could use it.  And so he took it home also.  

Turned out,  the mounting plate was just what he needed.  He only had to remove a couple of "adapters" the farmer had welled onto the forks and re-assemble.

[MrMoo]

LK,
You're going to love having the backhoe. Its amazing what you end up doing with one of those machines when you have it around all the time.
I have never regretted getting my JD. Funny I don't dig with it much but it moves all kinds of things.
Mike

[Tom]

LKasdorf
You will or have already read of some the ways I've used my hoe.  Mostly for booming and I use skid hooks a lot.   I have an Idea though and you might want to play with it.  I've been thinking about making some "forks" for the hoe bucket.  I got the idea from watching a boom operator on a semi unload concrete blocks on pallets.  

Short forks, used as kind of an extension of the teeth on the bucket,  Would be helpful in picking up small logs or maybe small stacks of boards.  I haven't given much thought to th forks facing away from the operator but that might work too.  If they faced away then you  wouldn't have to reach over something to pick it up.  It might be handy.

[dail_h]

   You'l love it and never regret buying it. The only thing, you'l wonder how you got along withoutb it

[LKasdorf]

Yeah, around here, I now see all problems as backhoe problems...

So far, in my first few hours of oepration, the big problem I've had is getting it stuck in soft ground. This one has fairly worn tires, so gets little traction.

I was digging out a stump, and it went well until I was finished and tried to move away. The left rear tire was pretty far down into the soft soil and the tractor was tilting a bit.

Not panicking, I used the hoe to lift the rear of the tractor, then swung the hoe to the right, thus moving the tractor to the left, and out of the rut. I know this is old hand to most of you, but I felt good that I was able to do that without killing mysef in the process.

I recently came across this series of photos:

http://www.trainorders.com/stories/2002/10/24/455.php

..that guy is nuts!

Regarding hoe forks- that is a great idea. And as a matter of fact, this machine came with two spare 24" buckets, which are in pretty rough shape. It wouldn't break my heart to weld some forks onto one of these as an experiment.

Regarding front bucket forks, I'd like to see a picture of some to see how they are built and mounted. I may be able to find some localy for a good price, but if not, they woudl be a fun project.

I sure wish I could have afforded a 4wd hoe- I have some pretty soft low ground- we had a flood a month ago.

I actually made a deal on 2 of these- the one I got today has the plain bucket and hoe. Tomrrow, the 4in1 and extenda-hoe version arrives. My brother will buy one of them. Fortunatley, the 4in1 has new rear tires, so maybe it will grab the ground a littel better!

[AtLast]

HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    
I wanna see the pics of him gettin it back onto the ground!!!!

[Furby]

 Didn't you see this on the side of the hoe?
                  (Close up)
              
 Getting back on the ground will be the fast part, ;D I bet it took him ATLEAST a 1/2 hour to get up there. I wonder how long or how many beers, it took him to come up with that? I want to see him get back out after he empties the car, and THEN back down.