Buy or build, back hoe attachment

[Oil pan 4]

I couldn't help but notice back hoe attachments for a 3 point compact tractor run $3,600 to $4,500.

I was wondering if anyone thinks it could be worth it to buy the harbor freight towable back hoe and adapt it to a 3 point.
The biggest thing lacking is out riggers and a PTO driven hydraulic pump. I dont know if I have to have a bigger pump and outriggers are easy enough to build. Most of the non kubota specific compact tractor back hoes out there look too big for my old L185DT. The harbor freight one looks appropriate.

I figure if I did this I could resell the 9hp hydraulic power unit and recover a nice little portion of that $2,800.

If I tie into the kubota hydraulics would they be enough?
That should be easy enough, just 2 lines and some forklift powered load handler attachment quick disconnects.
Or would I be disappointed with the speed and strength of these hydraulic actuators being powered with the kubota pump?
Or, should I insist on a PTO powered pump or keep the original 9hp HPU?
The factory HPU is 2.7gpm at I'm guessing some where around 2,000 to 2,500psi.
Is the kubota engine PTO driven pump anywhere near that?

I could rent a towable back hoe for around $300 per day and a 30 mile round trip, when it's available and the weather is good, I would be renting this thing so much it would easily be worth it to have my own little digger.

The things I had in mind:
Remove two 4 foot diameter rotted tree stumps from next to the house
Dig some dranage around the house so the driveway doesn't turn into a pond for a week every single time it rains.
Dig a really long trench for a ground loop geo thermal heat exchange.
Dig a swimming pool size hole, which will be a cistern.
Dig a trench for a well water line, which is probably 400+ feet.
Plant some fruit and nut trees.
Plant two 7 to 8 year old shade trees next to where I cut down the dead 4 foot diameter trees
Dig a root cellar storm shelter type thing, which will be like another swimming pool size hole.
Dig out foundation footings for a pier and beam house.
Probably some more stuff.

 

[D2Cat]

I'd suggest you look for something like this. Plenty of power, good hyd system in place. Will dig all your trenches easily and quickly.

You keep an eye open and you can find a backhoe that bolts right on with 4 bolts, and hook up 2 hyd lines.

This has a 40 HP engine, 4 wheel drive machine. Older machine that will last a long time. When you're done you can always get your money back!

https://odessa.craigslist.org/hvo/d/r40-ditch-witch/6297438536.html

I've got one just like it. Had it for 20 years. Still use it. Dug this last week.

 

[BravoXray]

A three point backhoe is a compromise, and a small one is even more so. Besides beating up your tractor, your going to spend a lot of time trying to dig for the projects that you mentioned. You can buy a decent mini excavator for ten or twelve grand, do everything that you want easily, and sell it for close to the same money down the line. With interest rates as low as they are your payment would be the same or less than renting the tow behind for a day a month. You could always buy a new Kubota with a backhoe, and sell your current machine, and enjoy some seat time. I just think spending 2800 plus whatever it costs you in time and material to have a poor excuse for a backhoe is going to leave you disappointed. I tried a number of things before I bought my BX-25, and learned the hard way!

Jerry

 

[Bill7676]

I checked into the harbor freight Back hoe there is a pin that allows the trencher to swing side to side and kind of holds the unit together that goes bad on them and they don’t sell replacement you’d have to find a machine shop to actually build you one and the unit is very slow very slow I thought about buying one too don’t know if I will they say the DR Trencher is a better unit cost around $6000 people that buy the Harbor Freight Trencher usually end up modifying it to except the DR 9 inch trencher bucket they say it digs better I’m not sure which one I’ll do yet all I have is a Kubota B 6000 and a John Deere 212 I don’t have a whole lot I would use a trencher for so maybe the Harbor Freight Trencher would be the right choice for me possibly Although the DR trencher would probably be a lot easier to service as parts would be a lot more readily available

 

[Oil pan 4]

I have thought about renting the ditch witch from the local rental place to do the well pipe line.
Since it could probably do that in a day easy seeing how it digs a much narrower trench and that's all it does is dig a narrow trench, I'm assuming it's pretty efficient.

If I do get the harbor freight one I will be sure to get the dimensions off that pin and maybe get a new one cut by the machine shop, no rush (which makes it a lot cheaper).

I will keep looking around and see what there is.

 

[Missouribound]

I too have been thinking about a 3 point hoe. And looking at the towable machines as well. Take a look at the Jenson MB300. It's a compact how with very good reviews but it's a bit costlier than the HFT. You can probably get a 3 point for about the same price with the pro pump and all you have to do is hook it up. There are a lot of warnings here about a 3 point damaging your upper link attachment so keep that in mind. But there are also users with the 3 point that have had no issues whatsoever. It's all about how you use it and the strength of your machine. If you have the use for it I believe the towable models will do what you want. Check out a "booneyliving" site about their experience with the Jensen machine. Between that and some of the youtube videos those little machines will do everything on your list.....and you won't have to alter your tractor or fabricate anything.

 

[100 td]

If you are thinking you can fabricate or modify, I'd say go for it, you will obviously enjoy doing it!
Check your flow specs, my B21 factory TLB specs are listed in another thread here somewhere, where someone is adding a hoe IIRC. So for a factory dedicated machine, the flow isn't too big so you may be able to run direct.
http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showpost.php?p=248752&postcount=7

 

[Tooljunkie]

I have considered the same thing. But my l1501 is too small to accomplish tasks that require a larger machine. So, i did find a backhoe from a clark industrial tractor and will make either a tow behind or fit it on the back of my 40 hp cockshutt.

I can tell you from experience a 4 foot stump will take some work.

 

[Oil pan 4]

This stump is half rotted already. If it proves too much I will see about having a stump grinding outfit take care of if. It should be pretty easy for them if I dig all around the stump and cut it off at dirt level.

If it were away from the house if would be gone in a flash.

7gpm is a pretty is a beast hydraulic pump. So if the L tractor is half that I'm doing pretty good.

 

[lordulrich]

This summer I've been borrowing a friends tow-able "backhoe". I don't think I'd buy one for more than a few hundred. They don't come close to a real backhoe or excavator. The arms are just not big enough to dig a pool sized hole effectively. A few issues I've run across are it is too light a big scoop will pickup the back end (making it 3 point would help), the hydraulics are slow making dumping wet clay hard, it moves around unless working in turf the "outriggers" slide around (also might be better with 3 point).

The projects you listed it might be worth renting something a bit bigger and getting setup to do all the excavation in a few days, or even hiring someone with a real excavator to dig the big holes in a few hours.
The trenching is best done with a trencher or vibratory plow. You should be able to get all the trenching you described in a day with a decent sided plow or trencher.

 

[Oil pan 4]

I could easily cut down the factory 13 inch wide bucket to as little as 6 or 7 inches if I wanted to, down to the width of the attaching points.

I have been digging around a lot lately by hand and it sucks, but the soil is very sandy. So a 13 bucket would probably work well until I run into rocks or clay. Which I have yet to encounter.

 

[OrangeColoredTractor]

This stump is half rotted already. If it proves too much I will see about having a stump grinding outfit take care of if. It should be pretty easy for them if I dig all around the stump and cut it off at dirt level.

If it were away from the house if would be gone in a flash.

7gpm is a pretty is a beast hydraulic pump. So if the L tractor is half that I'm doing pretty good.

At that point, fill the area around it after its dug up with charcoal briquettes. Soak with lighter fluid, light it off. It will burn that stump out of there. Old trick my dad showed me years ago.

I know a guy who built one of these.
http://www.cdp-backhoe.com/tmid60k.htm

 

[Oil pan 4]

Both stumps near the house are rotted and the rotted wood easily burns.
I was thinking about burning them the other day. By the time they are burned out there shouldn't be much left.

 

[Oil pan 4]

I went by the kubota dealer and they said the correct back hoe attachment is L-4520

 

[Oil pan 4]

I got another one to add to the list.
Dig up a thousand feet or so of abandoned 6 inch irrigation pipe.