Examples of Kubota Backhoe Skills

[Tractor_Chunks]

I can go on Youtube and watch videos of extremely skilled excavator operators all day long.
Almost all videos I see of backhoe operation on compact tractors are of unskilled operators trying things out. It's always kind of clunky and I wonder how much is operator and how much is machine limitation.

One exception I can think of is Mike Morgan ("Outdoors with the Morgans" Youtube channel) running his new BS23s - he's pretty smooth with it.

Any other good videos out there of people operating BH70's or BH77's with a lot of speed and precision? I just kinda want to see what they're fully capable of in the right hands.

 

[dirtydeed]

excavators have much higher flow, so they are a bit easier to get to work smoothly, same goes for large, commercial TLB's.

tractor mounted backhoes take a bit more finesse, but can be run smoothly with experience. If you have one, smoothness will come over time. I had an older BX23 that I learned on initially. none of these will run as fast as an excavator.

One thing to keep in mind is if you're new to these things, throttle down a bit to learn how to be smooth. Yes, it will run slower but will be easier to control smoothly. Once you get the hang of it, increase throttle speed. If you find that the hoe movements are jerky, throttle down a bit more.

One youtube channel that I can think of is "Dave Knows How". type in "dave knows how backhoe" and several will pop up. I think he had an L series with the BH77 or BH 92. He seems like a great guy.

 

[85Hokie]

I agree with DD -

the smoothness is NOT going to be the same with a trackhoe or minihoe or other excavators.

I have been using mine *BX25d) for 7 years - am I smooth with it? yeah - most of the time. The one exception is the pivot - pivoting from side to side can be rough, gotta feather the stick.
AS for finding the sweet spot on dipper and bucket - that too will take a little time, same as dipper and boom.

He is something you can try - take a 5 gallon bucket - flip it over, place a can on it - then knock it off.....
to left then to the right..... and even better - flip it away from you.

then see if you can crush the can without knocking it over.

YOU will find the speed in the rpms of the engine - the smoothness also - sometime a low RPM is smoother, sometime the speed is better at a higher rpm.

Practice - practice and do it more and more

 

[Nicfin36]

I don't know if I will ever be that great with my backhoe. I do OK with it, but I am far from a professional operator. The main reason I will never become proficient with it is that I simply don't use it that often, and I think that will be the problem for many of us. The one time I used it for 3 days straight, I was doing very well with it by the third day. It may be months between uses for me. If you use one all the time, it will certainly become second nature, like anything else.

 

[Tractor_Chunks]

I don't know if I will ever be that great with my backhoe. I do OK with it, but I am far from a professional operator. The main reason I will never become proficient with it is that I simply don't use it that often, and I think that will be the problem for many of us. The one time I used it for 3 days straight, I was doing very well with it by the third day. It may be months between uses for me. If you use one all the time, it will certainly become second nature, like anything else.

That kind of makes a lot of sense. Someone who spends the hours to get really good at it would probably own an excavator. Backhoes for compact tractors are bought with the expectation of infrequent use.

I'm learning. I just kinda like to see what "good" can look like, and look at technique.

I'll checkout the "Dave Knows How" channel.

 

[NHSleddog]

Youtube and compact tractors.....

With few exceptions, is an invaluable source for the wrong way to do things.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

One reason you won't see lots of videos of talented guys running BX23s sized units it they're NOT working in the real commercial construction World. While I use mine often, I've got just less than 600hrs on it in 3 years. A friend in the 'heavy equipment industry' has worked 60-80hr weeks since he was 16(he's 45 now) That's a LOT of hours running one piece of equipment ! Skilled ? darn right, he's done all the Vegas 'tricks'. Point is, YOU spend 1,000s of hours doing 'something' you HAVE to be good at it. Can you run a BX23s smoooothly, yes. Step one. Buy 100ac property,Step two, dig a trench, Step 3. repeat step 2 until the ENTIRE 100 ac parcel has been dug.step 4., do it all over again. You should be real good at digging after that !

 

[D2Cat]

Youtube and compact tractors.....

With few exceptions, is an invaluable source for the wrong way to do things.

You're right on!

We've heard since we were young, "Practice makes perfect." Not necessarily true. "Perfect practice makes perfect" You practice doing something wrong, and you get REAL good at doing it wrong!

 

[Henro]

I think after 18 years I am pretty smooth with my tractor backhoe. BUT I do not run at full speed, more like 3/4 speed of the engine.

Interesting thing for me is that I just bought an old mini excavator, and have not used it at all really since it is winter and I do not have any real need at the moment. Just bought it to replace my 3PH backhoe...decided getting older that a stand alone unit would be better than having to put the backhoe on an off the tractor, which being a 3PH backhoe is a pain sometimes, painless other times.

Anyway, as stated by others it takes practice to become smooth at operating anything. What I have found interesting is that playing with the mini ex a little has shown me that I need to re calibrate myself. Being used to operating control valves directly is quite different that working a system that uses hydraulic pressure between the control levers and the control valves. I end up pushing the control levers like I would on the tractor backhoe and get pretty jumpy operation. Hopefully, I will adapt to the mini ex relatively quickly.

Practice makes perfect, as I thinks someone said above...

 

[NHSleddog]

There is good on the controls and then there is a good operator/job manager.

I have 2 BIL's both run excavator for a living on pipe crews. Watch each of them for a minute and you would say the older brother was slightly faster and you would say they were both good operators.

At the end of the day, they will both have the same 200' of pipe in the ground.

The older brother will leave a job that looks like a bomb went off, materials will be mixed and left randomly all over the place. He will also break or hit something once a month or so.

The younger brother will leave a clean job with a couple of (material sorted) piles. He also doesn't break the machine or anything around the machine.

There is more to it than pushing the sticks.

 

[dirtydeed]

There is good on the controls and then there is a good operator/job manager.

There is more to it than pushing the sticks.

For sure....that takes experience.

 

[Freeheeler]

The great thing about having a backhoe on your tractor is that you don't have to be smooth or fast. Take as long as you want to do the job. If it takes an extra hour to complete the job, hey, that's one less hour you are sitting inside watching youtube videos ; )

 

[NHSleddog]

A good channel with a lot of different job types. I would call him an artist. He has a Kubota KX057 and a larger CAT. They both have the articulating QA.

 

[Nicfin36]

The great thing about having a backhoe on your tractor is that you don't have to be smooth or fast. Take as long as you want to do the job. If it takes an extra hour to complete the job, hey, that's one less hour you are sitting inside watching youtube videos ; )

Yes, exactly. You can take days, weeks or however long to do your job. That was a benefit of having one rather than renting as you can take your time. Plus, I have no way to haul anything big as I just have a 97 Tacoma 4 cylinder.

 

[93543]

Yes, exactly. You can take days, weeks or however long to do your job. That was a benefit of having one rather than renting as you can take your time. Plus, I have no way to haul anything big as I just have a 97 Tacoma 4 cylinder.

Yup. It will still be faster than using the dang shovel to break up the dirt I've been cussing at for 20+ years.
Agree with 'Dave Knows How' channel - I think he was the one with a practice exercise I'm looking forward to doing.

 

[Fordtech86]

It won’t let me post the video, but even a 5 yr old can do it. He may have more time in that seat then me

 

[JimmyJazz]

That kind of makes a lot of sense. Someone who spends the hours to get really good at it would probably own an excavator. Backhoes for compact tractors are bought with the expectation of infrequent use.

I'm learning. I just kinda like to see what "good" can look like, and look at technique.

I'll checkout the "Dave Knows How" channel.

"Someone who spends the hours....." Some men spend their whole working lives , 40-50 years operating that equipment. I know plasterers and masons who think it takes 20 years of experience to get good and probably not great. I have tried doing that stuff and it looks real easy but its not. Read the Malcolm Gladwell book Outliers. A really great book in my opinion. He talks about how long it takes to gain technical proficiency. It takes a long time in just about everything.

 

[random]

I think after 18 years I am pretty smooth with my tractor backhoe. BUT I do not run at full speed, more like 3/4 speed of the engine.

I haven't really noticed, given the uses I've had so far, but does engine speed affect the power available to the backhoe?

 

[Henro]

I haven't really noticed, given the uses I've had so far, but does engine speed affect the power available to the backhoe?

I think engine speed does affect the power of the backhoe.

Perhaps that is why I have not had an issue with damage to the tractor using the Kubota factory 3PH backhoe on my B2910.

I have either learned to live with reduced power or the difference is not that great. Do not know. Mine is powered by a PTO pump.

Now that I bought an old mini ex, I guess my tractor backhoe will be sold to someone. Be interesting to see the difference in capability. The mini ex has about the same reach and digging depth as the BL4690 backhoe...I just bought it as I was tired of installing/removing the 3PH backhoe. Required removing my T and T cylinders, and horsing the backhoe around a bit to hook up. Not a big deal, but better to have a stand alone unit as you get older...I think...

 

[Irrigation Guy]

I have a JD mini ex that I use for work regularly and b2601 with backhoe at my cabin property that I use once in a blue moon. The mini can be run in backhoe pattern or excavator pattern. I learned on excavator so that’s what I am comfortable with. Every time I use the backhoe it looks like I have never run a piece of equipment before. Usually takes me 10 min or so to get used to it. Also excavators use pilot controls so you can really finesse the controls smoothly. I find the backhoe to be very jumpy.