Backhoe ?

[ggg3988]

I have owned a 2601 for about 3 months now. Its great. I have 3.5 acres. I didn***8217;t buy a backhoe but am thinking about getting one. Don***8217;t know if I really need one. Has anyone got one and then regretted it because they don***8217;t use it?
Is it easy to put on and take of?

 

[Redbusdriver]

I'm reclaiming my backyard acre from the black berry vines and neglect of the last few years using a grapple and my backhoe on my BX. With these two tools it makes the work go fast.

For the vines and shallow roots the grapple works wonders, but often there is a bush or tree root that is a bit stubborn. Reverse the tractor, swing the seat and go to town with the BH. Even with the little BX hoe you can get a lot of work done.

Mine came in a package deal, so it's going to be on you to rationalize the high price of adding the hoe to your implement collection. If you are digging deep all the time, yes. If you are clearing vines and shallow roots the grapple is 1/3 the price and more effective.

 

[85Hokie]

I have owned a 2601 for about 3 months now. Its great. I have 3.5 acres. I didn***8217;t buy a backhoe but am thinking about getting one. Don***8217;t know if I really need one. Has anyone got one and then regretted it because they don***8217;t use it?
Is it easy to put on and take of?

Two schools of thought here........

Rent one - get er done........open and shut job.....

Second thought - bite the big one and buy one, yes it will cost upwards of 8k or more...and that is a butt load .........BUT.......there is always a but somewhere.....IT WILL always be there when you need it!!!!!

I got a BH knowing I would use it about 5% of tractor time......if had to do it again.......I would have bought the tractor 10 years prior WITH THE BH

Your money your decision.......can you knock out whatcha need in a week? If so - rent, if it is gonna be dragged out over several months (years) go ahead and buy it! I dont think ANYONE will tell you that they regretting buying one - once they HAVE one!

 

[bearskinner]

I probably use the backhoe three times more than I thought I would. You can use it for small or large projects, once you have it, you will find a lot of new ideas that you would not have tried without it.
If you have tree stumps, even small ones, it makes short work of them

 

[deathtoblackberries]

I'm reclaiming my backyard acre from the black berry vines.

Good man, note my screen name

 

[Lencho]

Hi ggg,
I think these small tractors are like Swiss Army knives. Each attachment you have increases the usefulness of your rig.
You will get arguments on both side of this issue so you really need to just decide the cost/benefit for your situation. If you can spare the cash then I say go for it!
Of course next you will be adding on to your tractor shed, likely need a post hole digger to set the pole barn.
Then you need a chipper to chip the trees you remove to clear the space.
Or is that just me?

 

[deathtoblackberries]

I have owned a 2601 for about 3 months now. Its great. I have 3.5 acres. I didn***8217;t buy a backhoe but am thinking about getting one. Don***8217;t know if I really need one. Has anyone got one and then regretted it because they don***8217;t use it?
Is it easy to put on and take of?

Did I regret it no, but I did sell it after I was finished with it. If you have BH work to do I say go for it. One huge advantage is that I was able to do the BH work on my property gradually over a 2 year period, taking my time on my schedule. Really convenient owning my own BH, if a job took more than a day no biggie I wasn't worried about rental fees. Looking back I can't imaging having had to rent one umpteen times over that 2 years.

But then the BH sat in my garage for a year unused. All the BH work was done. The B2920 was a bit large for my property and with the BH just sitting there taking up space I sold it and downsized to a BX2380.

Install/Remove - I cussed mine for quite a while until I figured out how to jigger it around then it was fairly easy. Its not exactly a precision machined implement. You have to take the pressure off the pins. Mine require a bit of side lift from the stabilizer arms, first one, then the other, if I did that the pins slipped right out. I think the newer BH's are an improved design.

 

[Redbusdriver]

Good man, note my screen name

Noticed your screen name and completely agree. Blackberries are the Kudzu of the PNW, with added thorns.

 

[billrigsby]

Noticed your screen name and completely agree. Blackberries are the Kudzu of the PNW, with added thorns.

Hmmm, I always thought you hated the old smartphone
I like em, but I get em at the store, must be like the thistle out here.

 

[Brick Axelrod]

I bought mine and know I will have no regrets. I’ve only had the tractor for 5 weeks and I have used it more than the FEL so far. If you can afford it I would say go for it.

 

[RWey56]

I've got the little B603 that came with the BX. It's certainly not a power house, but now that summer's here, I'm using it more than I thought I would. Stabilizer pads could be a lot bigger, however.

 

[G.rid]

If you do decide it's worth getting one, spend a little extra and get a thumb. Even if it's only a mechanical one, it opens up a whole lot more possibilities of what it will pick up. This year I finished cutting my firewood by holding it with the thumb at waist hight, it saved a lot of strain on my back! Also great for picking up those rocks that just keep rolling and rolling.

 

[goldenpsp]

I've got the little B603 that came with the BX. It's certainly not a power house, but now that summer's here, I'm using it more than I thought I would. Stabilizer pads could be a lot bigger, however.

I dunno, they seem pretty beefy for their size. BTW that's a root, not a trunk. . The pads are kinda small though.

 

[captmikem]

Noticed your screen name and completely agree. Blackberries are the Kudzu of the PNW, with added thorns.

I thought I had a lot of blackberries in Amboy... Then I got a place in Cathlamet ... I had no idea... but this and my grapple keeps them slightly at bay..

I have to say, I love my backhoe... almost as much as I love my grapple. It goes on and comes off in less than 5 minutes. Thing that takes time (about 10 minutes) is removing or putting on the 3 point hitch. The two bolts for the bottom pins (on the 3 point) and the two bolts for the stabilizer bars slow you up.

M

 

[goldenpsp]

I thought I had a lot of blackberries in Amboy... Then I got a place in Cathlamet ... I had no idea... but this and my grapple keeps them slightly at bay..

I have to say, I love my backhoe... almost as much as I love my grapple. It goes on and comes off in less than 5 minutes. Thing that takes time (about 10 minutes) is removing or putting on the 3 point hitch. The two bolts for the bottom pins (on the 3 point) and the two bolts for the stabilizer bars slow you up.

M

I guess it's different for the BX's because i can easily drop both the FEL and BH in under 3 min.

 

[eng1886trk]

Only regret I have is not buying one. I never realized how much use I would have for one until I started using my tractor without one. Hope to add one to it someday down the road.

 

[deathtoblackberries]

I guess it's different for the BX's because i can easily drop both the FEL and BH in under 3 min.

Like the other guy said, the time consuming annoyance is removing/installing the 3pt arms I HATED doing that on my B2920. Way different/easier design on my BX2380.

Here's the thing, on the B2920 the big steel frame supports for the backhoe run along side of the 3pt lower arms. You have to pry that shaft to one side and then the other to remove the two lower 3pt arms. There is barely enough room between the end of the shaft when pried to one side and the backhoe frame to get the lower 3pt arms off. Also the left lower 3pt arm is what raised and lowered the MMM. If you are frequently switching between mowing and FEL/BH work swapping out all this gear was a pain.

 

[Tractor Dell]

I dunno, they seem pretty beefy for their size. BTW that's a root, not a trunk. . The pads are kinda small though.

I got these and they work great! http://bxpanded.com/BX-fat-pads

 

[RWey56]

Fair enough. I think the problem I'm having is 1) my low experience, 2) the small pad size, and 3) perhaps my pressure is a wee bit too low?

The pads really are undersized. I may try strapping on a couple of 2x6 about 12" long with some nice spikes sticking through and see how that does. BXPanded has a set that are 2x the area, but without some teeth to sink in a good 4", I see them slipping backwards just as easily when I curl the hoe bucket. I have pretty soft soil.

I dunno, they seem pretty beefy for their size. BTW that's a root, not a trunk. . The pads are kinda small though.

 

[85Hokie]

Fair enough. I think the problem I'm having is 1) my low experience, 2) the small pad size, and 3) perhaps my pressure is a wee bit too low?

The pads really are undersized. I may try strapping on a couple of 2x6 about 12" long with some nice spikes sticking through and see how that does. BXPanded has a set that are 2x the area, but without some teeth to sink in a good 4", I see them slipping backwards just as easily when I curl the hoe bucket. I have pretty soft soil.

Be careful and make sure the outriggers can still move a bit - remember, IF they were moving before, they are the place that is the weak link, if you make them NOT move at all, then strain will be placed somewhere along the line. - your rear tires touching the ground?
But I defiantly agree - the pads are undersized, and your idea is a good one, but I might not "spike" them too much.

AND as for the pressure increase - defiantly the way to go, on the high end it will cost you 60 bucks....on the low end, a couple of pennies! One thin washer placed in the rear will change the game for sure.