Examples of Kubota Backhoe Skills

[pokey1416]

Agree with everyone’s comments. I spend a good portion of my day at a local hydro dam demolition site. I am totally in awe at the skill of these union operators. Several of us are looking at uncovered relics and earlier this week I spotted a 12oz can in the mud at bottom of an excavation. I asked “Jerry” if I could climb down to look at can and he said he would bring it up to me. Wish I would have videotaped it. Using the bucket teeth on his CAT 345C he picked up that can and delivered it to my feet!

My BIL is an operating engineer and when I watch him operate equipment it’s like a smooth “dance”. I think I’ve learned lots from just watching these guys and gals.

Here’s a photo of “Jerry” working in the river.

 

[bird dogger]

This operator got in a little too deep!

He was cleaning out a county road drainage ditch and slid in before he could back out. Had to swim to find a spot to climb out. We never did hear how they retrieved the track hoe or its final outcome. This happened in the spring of 2020.

 

[Joisey]

I bought my 680CK from my neighbor 26 years ago. I had never used or had been on a backhoe of any description before. I asked my neighbor (who operates heavy equipment) to teach me how to use the backhoe and the rest.

His recommendation was to find an open piece of level ground. Mark out a 4x12 foot rectangle with markout paint. Now use the backhoe to dig all that dirt out to a depth of one foot and pile it where I thought was a good place.

Repeat to a two foot depth, then three, then four feet, piling the dirt where I thought was best.

When I was done, I should use the bucket to fill the hole in.

What I found:

1. NEVER pile dirt right up your butt, or you'll be sorry. Pile dirt within your normal swing zone so that you don't have to retract or extend your dipper to pile the dirt. Saves time.

2. Don't crowd your bucket. Spills dirt and makes a mess.

3. Angle your machine for a straight dig against the walls.

4. Don't rush, don't get upset.

5. Don't park your loader too close to the edge of the hole you are digging, lest you end up in the hole.

6. In a short time, your hands will operate the correct lever while you look where your next bucket will fill from or dump to.

7. EVERYONE LEARNS THIS WAY, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

 

[ctfjr]

A quote from a guy who knows a little about 'practice'

Geno Auriemma quote "Some people practice until they get it right. We practice till we can't get it wrong."

 

[skeets]

I learned long ago that equipment operation and gun fighting have a lot in common,,, by that I mean slow is smooth,,,,,, smooth is fast

 

[PoTreeBoy]

i read somewhere to first learn to extend the boom and stick and lower the bucket with the bottom level at 6 - 8" above the ground. Then, keeping the bottom of the bucket level and the same distance off the ground, pull it in to the tractor. Repeat.
I think of it like 'flying' the bucket. If you're cutting the bottom of a trench, keep the bottom of the bucket level. If you need to cut deeper, let the nose of the bucket down to get to the depth you want, then level it. Of course, you have to manipulate the boom and stick at the same time.

 

[D2Cat]

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

86Hokie, I do this quite frequently, but are you suggesting doing this the the hoe?

 

[D2Cat]

Many males learn the process of operating a backhoe at a very young age. Remember playing the the sand? You reach your arm out, open and extend your hand (with fingers close together) and rotate your wrist back towards your forearm and pull your arm towards you. Probably have done that a few thousand times befor you knew what a backhoe was!!

Just visualize the process when playing with the levers.

 

[fried1765]

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...

There is an alternative!
Keep the tractor BH, and buy a separate older tractor for other uses.
It is always handy to have two or more tractors.
I have owned two TLBs over 36 years, and have never removed their BHs.
I do have another tractor though.

 

[Lil Foot]

i read somewhere to first learn to extend the boom and stick and lower the bucket with the bottom level at 6 - 8" above the ground. Then, keeping the bottom of the bucket level and the same distance off the ground, pull it in to the tractor. Repeat.
I think of it like 'flying' the bucket. If you're cutting the bottom of a trench, keep the bottom of the bucket level. If you need to cut deeper, let the nose of the bucket down to get to the depth you want, then level it. Of course, you have to manipulate the boom and stick at the same time.

This is the training technique recommended by two different pros I have talked with.

But in the case of my small, antique B670, it does not have enough flow to do two moves at once, requiring a dithering technique, momentarily one move, then then other, then the first, etc, adding another complication to my technique. (but it is still WAY better than a shovel)

My mini ex, on the other hand, does multiple moves very nicely- looking forward to lots of digging with it.
Of course, I have the same problem That Nicfin36 mentioned- sometimes I go months without even seeing my tractor, let alone getting to practice my backhoe "skills".
But I feel slightly less like a nugget each time I finish a dig.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

I liked the tip about the bucket 85Hokie. as best I can tell the first time running the joystick it’s probably how the grandparents felt in 70s/80s trying to play pac man or frogger with the Atari. Pros do it for a living and can probably do it with their eyes closed and leave the proper grade…that’s why a pro is worth their price.

when I got mine, before I destroyed anything, I relocated a small pile of split wood with the BH and thumb. That repetition and practice seemed to help and humble me. The thumb is absolutely awesome.

 

[85Hokie]

I liked the tip about the bucket 85Hokie. as best I can tell the first time running the joystick it’s probably how the grandparents felt in 70s/80s trying to play pac man or frogger with the Atari. Pros do it for a living and can probably do it with their eyes closed and leave the proper grade…that’s why a pro is worth their price.

when I got mine, before I destroyed anything, I relocated a small pile of split wood with the BH and thumb. That repetition and practice seemed to help and humble me. The thumb is absolutely awesome.

I had never been close to backhoe until about 23 years ago - was working for a large commercial contractor between teaching stints, this guy on a large track-hoe could open a pepsi bottle IF you held onto the glass without spilling or breaking the bottle! That opened my eyes a wee bit! My first attempt would be to crush the bottle and the guy holding it! The BX took a good deal to get the "feel"

 

[G.rid]

Another trick to become smooth, I found by accident. Digging sloppy mud or water from a hole....... without getting yourself wet!
The more I concentrated on the levers, the more jerky I was. If I just trusted my hands things got a lot smoother. Like everyone else has said, start slow. It'll come.
Another thought, if you have the option. Try a machine with the excavator pattern. I couldn't get the hang of back hoe, so I swapped my hoses to excavator. For me, it took me from a 2 or 3 up to 6 or 7. It just feels better, but that's just me.

 

[G.rid]

Tractor Chunk,
It took a little searching but I new I saw someone with a smaller backhoe. He's since grown in to commercial equipment, so I had to search his videos older than a year old.
Hopefully this is close to what you were looking for. He's done some pretty big projects with a small tractor.

 

[Lil Foot]

Thanks for posting. That ripper tooth is awesome.

 

[WT-MNT-L2501]

I would go for precision over speed. The BH77 is just not ever going to be fast.

1. You have a lower flow.
2. You also have to constantly stop and reposition the tractor.

The slower line speed means that loaded, you are limited to less concurrent functions operating. Even when all functions are operating, they are not moving fast.

In the excavator, all the controls are right there to reposition the excavator. In the tractor, you have to swing/change seats, raise and lower stabilizers, raise and lower the FEL... release and reset the brake and gear, etc. It is more involved and it will be slower.

I bet that an experienced excavator operator would be very frustrated with the speed of a utility tractor backhoe.

Regardless of all that, I have about 25 hours in on my BH77 on the L2501 and I am astounded with the amount of dirt I have moved considering I have no prior experience. I have cleared around 1/3 acre of overgrown juniper-- I cut it with the chainsaw and dug out the roots with the backhoe and cleared all the cut off with the grapple. I have re-sculpted the grade/drainage to a significant amount of yard-- partially using the backhoe to remove material and then the bucket and box blade to finish contouring . On top of that, I have dug out a foundation for a 8x12 woodshed/pole barn and buried the poles to it. I would have never got all that done in the amount of time without the tractor.

One thing I can say-- if you need to remove the material you are digging up instead of backfilling-- get/rent some type of a dump trailer. Having to haul the loose material in a bucket really stinks and it won't be long before your backhoe has made lots of mounds of loose material.

 

[Lil Foot]

I would go for precision over speed. The BH77 is just not ever going to be fast.

1. You have a lower flow.
2. You also have to constantly stop and reposition the tractor.

The slower line speed means that loaded, you are limited to less concurrent functions operating. Even when all functions are operating, they are not moving fast.

In the excavator, all the controls are right there to reposition the excavator. In the tractor, you have to swing/change seats, raise and lower stabilizers, raise and lower the FEL... release and reset the brake and gear, etc. It is more involved and it will be slower.

I bet that an experienced excavator operator would be very frustrated with the speed of a utility tractor backhoe.

Regardless of all that, I have about 25 hours in on my BH77 on the L2501 and I am astounded with the amount of dirt I have moved considering I have no prior experience. I have cleared around 1/3 acre of overgrown juniper-- I cut it with the chainsaw and dug out the roots with the backhoe and cleared all the cut off with the grapple. I have re-sculpted the grade/drainage to a significant amount of yard-- partially using the backhoe to remove material and then the bucket and box blade to finish contouring . On top of that, I have dug out a foundation for a 8x12 woodshed/pole bard and buried the poles to it. I would have never got all that done in the amount of time without the tractor.

One thing I can say-- if you need to remove the material you are digging up instead of backfilling-- get/rent some type of a dump trailer. Having to haul the loose material in a bucket really stinks and it won't be long before your backhoe has made lots of mounds of loose material.

Well stated.

 

[dirtydeed]

If you're interested in seeing a pro digging with a full size TLB, you can't beat the content and expertise of Cunningham Backhoe Service . His first name escapes me at the moment. He has some great tips/tricks and is just fun to watch in that old backhoe.

see youtube channel here - https://www.youtube.com/c/Digginok/videos

 

[fried1765]

This is the training technique recommended by two different pros I have talked with.

But in the case of my small, antique B670, it does not have enough flow to do two moves at once, requiring a dithering technique, momentarily one move, then then other, then the first, etc, adding another complication to my technique. (but it is still WAY better than a shovel)

My mini ex, on the other hand, does multiple moves very nicely- looking forward to lots of digging with it.
Of course, I have the same problem That Nicfin36 mentioned- sometimes I go months without even seeing my tractor, let alone getting to practice my backhoe "skills".
But I feel slightly less like a nugget each time I finish a dig.

I have a somewhat different BH competency level issue.

1st.....I had a 4 lever Ford 3400 TLB for 33 years, that I was reasonably good with.
Now I have a Kubota 2 stick L48TLB that I am terrible with.

Two other considerations also:
#1, I am 81 years old.
#2, I spend 6 months each year away from my BH.

 

[Juiced06GTO]

In hindsight, I should have forgone the backhoe attachment and purchased a used mini ex to dig with. I am spoiled in that I work for a const equip rental company and can usually bring one home when needed.

I learned on Cat controls, so I switched the hoses around on my kubota to make it operate that way. The original controls took to long for me to get proficient with trying to unlearn everything I knew!