3-pnt backhoe opinions

JDEM

Well-known Member
I've worked around heavy equipment most of my life but can't say I ever even looked close at a three-point hitch backhoe.
I just got some remote land in the Michigan UP and will have reasons, now and then, to dig a few holes and trenches. I already own two real backhoes but live 2 1/2 hours away. I have no interest in trucking a 11,000 lb. backhoe across the Mac Bridge to the UP, nor do I want to leave one there. I already have a Ford 641 farm tractor with a loader there. I kind of hate the tractor, but it IS in good shape. So now I am having weak moments and considering the idea of having a Cat. 1, three-point backhoe with maybe a PTO pump. Note that where my land is - all is sand. No rocks or hardpan. Since the digging is not exactly hard digging, I'm thinking maybe this idea is worth exploring. Anybody ever used one they can comment on?
 
I have a Rancho 950 by Wallenstein. Good little hoe, but mine is Cat 2 with no pump. Run it on a 2755, tractor just idles The size of hoe you need should be determined by the depth of holes you are digging. I would think that with the Ford, you are better with the pto driven hydraulics. Ben
 
Thanks for the reply. My Ford has an added front crank-driven pump for the loader. I know that would run a small hoe fine, but a PTO pump makes things a lot simpler. If you have a Deere 2755, then you've got a big pump and closed-center hydraulics that makes plugging in extra stuff a lot easier then on this Ford.
 
i have a medium size one for occasional farm use, like you i ran real backhoes and excavators for years , the 3 point backhoe's usability depends on weather it has the ability to prevent the 3 point from floating upward via a brace of some kind, mine doesnt ]mounted to a jd 850] and while it beats a shovel, i cant crowd it when digging and i cant really use the outriggers to securely lock the back of the tractor in place, making digging a chore, also the bucket doesnt seem to have the right position when digging in a ditch its not open enough to get a good bite once its in the ground a couple of feet, and its in its widest setting, now my friend down the road, bought a new kubots pretty good size unit probably 50 horse or better with a 3 point backhoe too , he's richer than me, his machine digs circles around mine and apparently has none of the issues mine does, ive only run that one once but was impressed, now i just need to figure a way to lock mine in position
 
should have added in order to get a reasonable responce from the backhoe's hydraulics i had to add a 600 dollar pot mounted pump, the tractors hydraulics unit wouldnt run it in a acceptable speed range
 
I have had a Woods 7500 for 16 years, had no trouble with it. You might want to think about Fords model X81X(??). A little bigger with the bent boom.. My 7500 runs off the tractor's internal pump which keeps things simple. Much depends on what you want to do.
 
Probably about 1970 Dad bought a new Howard "Power Arm" (remember the Howard "Rotavator" company?-British) One foot trenching bucket, and three foot ditch cleaning bucket. Never having more than a shovel prior to that, we were happy. Now I'd hate to go back to it. We ran it mostly on a JD 2510 gas. It had its own pump. The outriggers were fixed/adjustable, and had heavy cast feet. On hard going, we could just drag it ahead. On soft going, we would raise the three point a little and drive ahead. I think something like that is just what you are thinking about.
 
3 point back hoes are very hard on the 3 point system and can cause thing to break. Had a neighbor that had one on his Jubilee and broke the rear end housing on it doing some digging then the last time he used it he broke the left rear axle on it
 
Friend broke the upper part of his Massey, yes very ruff, not to mention you have to get off the tractor and walk behind tractor to climb in hoe. geo
 
Could you sell the 641 and hire someone to do the digging? If you figure $2,500 for the tractor & loader plus $5,000+ for a 3 pt back hoe, plus the additional hours it will take to do the job with a small machine, your sunk costs of a 3 pt backhoe could be high. Can you rent a machine up there or buy one there and resell it there when you are done? If you need a lot of work done it might pay-off to just haul one of your current backhoes to the site.
 
They beat a pick and shovel, but if you are used to a real backhoe they will just frustrate the devil out of you with their limitations.
 
If I was in the Catskills, I'd never consider a three-point hoe. Too much rock and hardpan in most of the area. Only considering it because here - it is all sand. I think I could dig down to China and not hit a single rock.
 
My hoe has an adjustable link that secures the hoe frame to the drawbar. Just like a 3 pth top link, tighten it up so it's under compression, lock it and the backhoe will not move relative to the tractor. Ben
 
This is in a very remote area of the Michigan upper peninsula. If there is anyone to hire with a hoe, it is going to be at least a 70 mile round trip for them. I have always hated this Ford 641 (long story), but it does run good. I am going to leave it at the camp with a 5 foot brush-hog on the back. So, it will be there anyway. Thus the reason why I am considering a three-point hoe that won't be used an awful lot. Right now I have a situation where I cannot get the well working. It's a point with 1 1/4" pipe and driven 12 feet into the ground. Pipe is full of water but I cannot get any water out of it with a pitcher-pump. Water level is only 24" down. I pulled it and found the old point plugged with fine sand. I put in a new point and still the same problem. If I had a hoe, I'd just dig a hole as deep as I could go and then stick in a 12-14" vertical culvert pipe with holes in it, and put gravel around it - and make that my well. I am too worn out to start doing this sort of digging by hand. I also have a mile of trail to build going through a lot of wet-holes. It would be nice to be able to scoop up fill on the sides of the new road, and throw it into the middle for fill.
 
Does that 641 have a loader on it?? If not then you will have trouble with a 3 point back hoe because you will not be able to keep the front tires on the ground. If it has a loader you might want to have a set up like I have on an 8N. The back hoe on my 8N is bolted on with if I remember right 4 large bolts and you hook it up to the loader hyds. Pretty easy to remove and also pretty easy to put back on. This set up will dig almost 18 foot down. It is slow but it does get the job done
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thanks centash, im going to have to fab up something to lock it, in place, the backhoe i got has bigger cylinders than usual for its size and i thought i was getting lucky but if i cant keep it in place it cant use the extra power
 
JDEM

One of the reasons I bought a terramite was at the time I only had a 7k 16 ft trailer and had rental properties I need it at. It only weighs 3100 #. It works great for what I use it for, mostly landscaping. I have dug water lines and footers. Leveled dirt before I built a pole barn. Cleared brush, moved dirt, even dug out a few small trees. they are not cheap, but built for DIY rental places for people with little if any experience. dYou could buy a 580 case cheaper. Pound for pound and HP for HP, I haven't seen anything come close to the lifting and breaking force the terremite has. The hydraulics are so fast, I run mine at half throttle. Used about 1 gallon of gas/hr or less. There is an Almond unit made that may be very similar, but not very common in Indiana.

You could always trailer it with no problems.

Have you ever rented one or used one? geo.
 
sounds like for what you need, the three point hoe will work. it may not dig like a track hoe excavator, but it will throw dirt quicker than a shovel. i have a dedicated loader/backhoe combination, and at times i wish i could drop the hoe off. its terrible in the woods, the hoe is forever knocking limbs off on my head. two of my neighbors have 3 pt hoes, and they are happy with them. nice for fixing tile or digging an occasional stump out. take your time with it and dont beat it to death, you should be fine. yes to the pto pump!!
 
My neighbor has a Woods hoe on a Ford 1900. I have used it a little and it's not bad. Sure beats a pick and shovel. It has extra bracing to keep the 3 point rigid and PTO pump.
 
blackhole49,
I didn't realize it was against the law for me to post here about my terramite? JDEM mentioned he didn't want to tow a 11000# hoe, I gave him an option, 3100# is easier to pull.

I've bought a lot of junk tools in my lifetime, the terramite isn't one of them. I would definitely put it at the top of the list for best buy. I put more hours on it than all my lawn mowers, and tractors combined. Do you own a Hoe? What kind?

geo
 
I think your 641 is too small for a 3 point backhoe, there is a lot of stress on the tractor from them, but take it real easy if this is your only option.
 
My neighbor has a 430 Case and has what I think is a Long 3 point hoe for it. Has used it for years doing odd digging jobs around our neighborhood. Never broke anything. Used his head and works slowly. It has outriggers to support the hoe when working. I believe your ford is about the same size/hp. I always wanted a 3 point hoe but found the approx. $4,000 price for used a little steep.
 
I bought a Long 1199A 3pt backhoe and put on my Super 55 Oliver at an auction for $1500. It had the PTO pump. It dug pretty good and was light enough for the tractor to carry. John
Long 1199A
 
Gee, and I thought he said he wanted a 3 point backhoe, not a toy. Answer to your question, yes. A worn out 3400 ford that will bury your Tonka-Mite. And yes, I have had the misfortune of using a Terramite. They work but are nothing but a toy.
 
Sounds like you have issues about me posting an alternative for someone who mentioned he didn't want to tow a 11000# hoe.

So you hoe can bury mine, big deal. Mine is only 20 hp and 3100#. Might be a toy, but pound for pound and hp for hp nothing can keep up with it.

Good chance you could buy two fords for the price of one of my toys.

Learn to respect others posts. Nothing you say will change my mind. What I have works best for me. I like mine so much I have two toys, one for each property.

Have a nice father's day.
geo.
 
there was an additional brace you could buy from WOODS to mount a 3pt hoe on a Ford 4000
curved around the rear end housing, both sides with bracket on top for top link to attach to
this spread the force out on the rear end instead of the top link tearing/breaking the factory casting
 
(quoted from post at 09:28:24 06/18/16) I think your 641 is too small for a 3 point backhoe, there is a lot of stress on the tractor from them, but take it real easy if this is your only option.

A sub-frame hoe like the American Trencher (Formerly BRADLEY) is VERY EASY to hook up and removes the strain from the tractor's castings. I believe that they are easier to mount and dismount than the 3-point models. Take a look at one; they have a website. :)
 
[/quote]

Be careful these sub-frames help but do not remove all the stress from the tractor. A friend and I were using his 80's Frod 2110 with a Kelly backhoe that had sub-frame and rigid mounted where the top link goes. Even using the pads with the FEL bucket on the ground for stability after a while it did strip a bolt (better than the housing) where the trans mates up the hyd res pump cavity. We were able to re-tap the housing straightening the threads and use a new bolt to fix it.

My point is that the sub-frames are better than actual 3 point attached but do not remove all the stress from the frame.
 
(quoted from post at 14:28:14 06/23/16)
sub-frame hoe like the American Trencher (Formerly BRADLEY) is VERY EASY to hook up and removes the strain from the tractor's castings. I believe that they are easier to mount and dismount than the 3-point models. Take a look at one; they have a website. :)[/quote]

The BRADLEY (BRADCO) is not like the sub-frames that you normally see. I'm not going to try to put into words how they are set up; maybe you can Google it or go find one to look at. I had one mounted on a Case VAC which was way too light for a hoe that would dig 14' deep and used it quite a lot and never broke anything! But I am pretty easy on equipment; no 'ramming and jamming'. 8)
 
I have an old [early 70's] JD 3 pt backhoe, made by Bradco. It's a heavy one, I use it on my IH 574, it's dug down to 5 ft to bury a 200' water line, buried 500 ft of perf.. pipe to drain a lot, buried a few road killed deer, and several other jobs over the years. No ball of fire, but beats hiring someone and sure beats a shovel & pick. It uses the tractor hyd pump, and I have some front end weights too. It's all I need.
 
I recently purchased a 3 pt backhoe that I run a Massey 50 or 65 which ever one is available at the time. I bought it for fixing field tile and some drainage work I have to do. I gave $3800.00 for it and it seems to fine so far. I do not think I would like to dig foundations for houses with it but if you are not in a big hurry it will get the job done. I am going to make brackets to mount it to the loader frame on the 50 when I get the engine fixed in it I think that will make it better. For small jobs this little hoe will pay for itself very soon.
 

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