Are 3 pt. backhoes OK for occasional farm use?

andy r · Apr 5, 2021

I have been thinking over the purchase of either a 3 pt. backhoe or a self contained backhoe. With a 3 pt. backhoe I wouldn't have another engine/transmission to maintain and storage would be easier. The investment would be less as well. Would use the backhoe to fix tile blowouts, terrace riser pipes, etc. I am sure a regular backhoe would probably dig better and be more stable. Yes, I know there should be some kind of linkage or chain to tie the 3 pt./3rd link down so it doesn't have a chance to raise. Just seeking your opinions before I buy either one.

Case Nutty 1660 · Apr 5, 2021

They work fine, we sold a number of them new,, I sure never recommended them for every day use of course (slower) but for what you are speaking of they are perfect for
cnt

Tony in SD · Apr 5, 2021

Yes. Occasional use they are great. Beats a shovel any day. But would not recommend them for everyday/construction use.

cjunrau · Apr 5, 2021

Yes. They work good. Spent 100,s of hours on mine. Dug my basement with it and no problems.

Pete-IN · Apr 5, 2021

I had one for several years. Really good for light duty jobs. I would not recommend it for tearing down buildings. Only complaint was it is super hard to mount to tractor. Everything has to be lined up just perfect.

Geo-TH,In · Apr 5, 2021

A friend told me they would not work on his 55 hp YTM with a cab.
Dealer told me they would not work on my Kubota with a cab.
I only used one add on hoe. I had to get off tractor and climb on hoe. Then get off hoe and get back on tractor. No rollover protection while on hoe.

Anything is better than a shovel. I think a hoe is as useful as a loader when it comes to removing stumps.

Someone told me they can damage top link. May want to check that out.
George

DavidP,South Wales · Apr 5, 2021

Yes, they are great for light-ish work but not for serious hard digging. Make certain that it is fitted as per manufacturers instructions. A local educational establishment had a new digger fitted to their Iseki 3510 quite a few years ago. The digger pulled the top link assy out of the tractor casing!!!!
DavidP, South Wales

kcm.MN · Apr 5, 2021

I had one on my JD 4010. The main problem with 3-pt backhoes is that they are not affixed to the rest of the machine. Therefore, when you give the bucket down pressure, the rest of the backhoe unit rises up some. That's why many people refer to 3-pt backhoes as if riding a bronc.

Personally, I loved using my hoe. Even the wife liked getting up there and digging. Almost couldn't get her off the thing when we first got it! *lol*

I think more modern units have some sort of straps/bars that prevent so much play in the hoe unit, so that the hoe has the full weight of the machine vs. just the weight of the hoe on the 3-pt arms.

Fawteen · Apr 5, 2021

Mine had a fixed top link triangulated to the lower arms so the hoe was solidly attached to the tractor.

After a couple of years, it had hogged out the holes in the top link attaching bracket on the back of the tractor. I took it off and took it to a machine shop. They bored the holes out round again and over-sized enough that they could weld in some hardened bushings.

No problems at all after that.

centash · Apr 5, 2021

I have one, used for exactly what you intend. Works well, it's tied down to the drawbar on the tractor, so it's actually quite stable. Mine is on a 60 hp tractor and uses the tractor hydraulics. Handy as a pocket in a shirt, about 10 or 15 minutes to mount it.

Ben

Bob Bancroft · Apr 5, 2021

Dad bought a new Howard Power Arm about 1970. A friend has it now. I graduated to an IH 3444, then a Ford 655A. It's a great little machine. Had it's own PTO pump and reservoir. It mounted on the three point easily. One foot trenching bucket and three foot ditch cleaning bucket. I was 15 at the time and my cousin and I ran it. I'd get sick of grinding along laying tile, and we'd trade off. Dad never ran it! It was really impressive cleaning open ditch, with the amount of muck you could move.

moresmoke · Apr 5, 2021

Put many hours on a Long 3 pt backhoe as a kid. It did what it was supposed to and was heaps better than a shovel.

Bought myself a real loader backhoe not long ago. A relatively late model one that has all the bells. Nice machine, but the hoe has enough power to toss the tractor around like nothing. Still challenging to use, just in a different way.

bc · Apr 5, 2021

Probably OK for light digging in the summer. I rented a little hoe one winter 40 years ago during a hard freeze where the line froze and broke at 3 feet deep. That little hoe wouldn't make a dent in frozen clay.

Bot a 2606 with IH 3000 loader and Case CK 33 hoe. It will do the work. Can't wait to get it back together. The loader had heavy mounts that went back to the axle. Then the hoe had heavier mounts that tied into the axle and then underneath to tie into the loader frame further forward.

It has a solid mount. Assuming your 3 point will lift it, I'd be more worried about driving around on rough ground with all that weight moving around working on the top link mount. When digging with the stabilizer arms down then I would worry so much.

What you need to know is if your tractor has enough hydraulic gpm's to dig with those big cylinders. You can be running the swing, boom, and bucket cylinders all at the same time to do any efficient digging. Those little ones can dig around a stump but may not have the power to pull out a stump that doesn't have all the roots cut.

I'm rigging up a knife setup on mine with a couple cutter bars at a V to pull pipe instead of having to dig a 15" hole for water lines. If the kids are over you can always mount a basketball goal on the bucket and park it on the driveway to make it useful.

paul · Apr 5, 2021

It beats using a shovel.

If you have a cab tractor, its a pain moving, as you crawl down, up, move, down, up, dig again.

Some tractors have the right hydraulic flow, some are real slow. You can get pto pump, but extra expense.

A good three point setup has a solid top link that doesnt pivot or move. This locks the backhoe into a stable position and lets it work correctly. Not the bucking bronco as some mention. However, these are much harder to mount as you need to get that stiff top link positioned right. And then so very much pressure is put on the top link, that it becomes hard on the top link bracket of tge tractor, and a smaller tractor it transfers the stress to the middle of the tractor on a weaker central area where the transmission is. Some backhoes need a metal frame to mount safely on some tractors, where the stress gets transferred to the front end by actual frame rails. This adds cost and complexity.

So there are good and bad. But, it beats a shovel!

Paul

rrman61 · Apr 5, 2021

Had a long backhoe mounted to an Oliver 1950 with fwa back in the 70s and 80s .used it extensively in the rice fields and crawfish ponds for exactly what you are describing.worked great because the tractor was over 100 hp so it was big and stout enough and could go pretty much anywhere.unlike a loader backhoe which I now operate every day on the tracks.the only drawback is hooking it directly to your tractor hydraulics for continuous use( more than an hour at a time)its hard on the tractor.a pto mounted pump is best.but dont drag anything behind it the frames are not strong enough!

old · Apr 5, 2021

They can be very hard on the 3 point system. Had a friend who had one and it was on his Ford Jubilee and he broke the center link hook up out of the rear end. Best to have a solid frame mount type

lugnuts2030 · Apr 5, 2021

If u have a late model skidloader with quick attach for the bucket Id recomend the backhoe that goes where the bucket goes with one cylinder hooking up to aux coupler. I have one and have dug hundreds of feet of tile line and footings.

danofarming · Apr 5, 2021

Get a small excavator. I bought a U17 kubota. It is great!!

bc · Apr 5, 2021

As I recall, my 2606 has these heavy torsion bars (couple inches thick that goes back to both sides to help stabilize it along with the heavy underslung frame.

onefarmer · Apr 5, 2021

Here's what I have. It is hard on the top link. Tore up the Massey 85 and 175. Works good on the 4020 or bigger Deere

Carlmac 369 · Apr 5, 2021

I looked at and tried a few used ones before buying. Decided they weren't the answer. Bought an old Work Bull instead with a Davis backhoe. Hoe frame is attached to the loader frame.

Haven't worked it too hard but haven't babied it either. The only thing that has broken are the 60 + year old hoses.

Guy I bought the Work Bull from said those 3 point hoes are like sending a boy to do a man's job. I tend to agree but I expect they have their places.

dbNga · Apr 5, 2021

As others have said they are better than a shovel. I have one on my 8n and it is pto operated. Yes a lot of weight is hanging off the top link. Use common sense and you will be pleased. Don't try to shift tractor around by pushing down on boom/stick like you see the big boys do. Don't forget to raise outriggers when you go to reposition, even an 8n will bend them. I did good spending the $$$ for my Arps 80 backhoe.

Are 3 pt. backhoes OK for occasional farm use?

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