Go BottomBACK HOE QUESTION
 | lbrown59
Join Date: Posts: 1 
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2004-09-13 96340
Had any of you had any experience operating a back hoe before you got your tractor and hoe?
For you green horns like myself how long did it take you to get the hang of it?
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 | DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada 
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2004-09-13 96350
In 3 or 4 hours you will be running it like a pro.
I wouldn't operate too close to the house or other breakable things until it becomes second nature. ....
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| Oliver
Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 210 Massachusetts
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2004-09-13 96354
I don't own a hoe, but have borrowed one three times. Yhe first day, I could dig relatively easily, but had a hard time getting the job I was trying to do done right -- in other words, I made a big mess that the owner of the hoe came and fixed in no time at all. By my third time, yesterday, I felt comfortable digging a 2'x3', 3 feet deep, pit in a barn I am renovating. I was working inside, in a tight space; moving slowly and carefully, I got the job done without hitting a wall or post. I ended up having to shovel the pile I created by hand because I did not dump it in an accesible spot. Should have planned ahead...
My take is that it is easy to learn how to do basic stuff. Practice and experience go a long way in terms of using a backhoe to its full capability. ....
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| cthonestguy
Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 267 northeast
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2004-09-13 96372
Just like DRankin says, 3-4 hours and you'll be a-ok. One thing you can do once you get"decent" is to go to a jobsite where they have a big backhoe and watch for a few minutes. You can see some pretty good first hand tips by watching someone who gets paid to run one 8 hours a day. If there is a new house ready to go up, just park across the street and watch a few minutes.
The most important thing is to know what is under you when you dig BEFORE you dig. Even old pros will once in a while dig up a pipe or worse yet a wire that they knew was there but became too second nature and forgot about it.
Practice, practice, practice and stay away from loading dirt in the new Silverado for a while! ....
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2004-09-14 96394
Keep the engine rpm down a bit until you get some experience. The hoe won't move as fast. Get a feel for what a good digging angle is for the bucket and dig more by pulling the stick back than with the bucket. Take it easy on the tractor. Move the tractor frequently to avoid digging with the hoe stretched out and avoid banging it around. Plan where the spoilings will be dumped.
When doing trenching, and level bottoms are required, know that everything on a hoe moves in arcs so pulling the stick back changes the bucket angle and also digs deeper until the stick is vertical and then it gets shallower. Adjustment of both the bucket and the boom often are needed, and well, changing the bucket angle also changes the depth. I think trenching to any kind of specs takes more than a bit of practice but you'll get the hang of it. ....
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| hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2004-09-14 96398
All the above advice is good, so I won't add much. It's kinda like riding a bicycle, all of a sudden you just figure it out. Tell all the Johhny Dogooders who are watching over your shoulder giving you a constant banter of advice to go have a couple beers and leave you alone, they'll just make a nervous wreck out of you. As said above just go slow and easy, and don't worry about not doing a pro job right away. Have a good time with your new hoe. Frank. ....
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| lbrown59
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2004-09-14 96421
Thanks guys for all the tips. ....
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 | lucerne
Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 192 Lucerne Maine
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2004-09-14 96469
I think I can help you picture a backhoe in a different way and will make it easy to run. Picture your backhoe in three parts,parts of yourself not the machine. Your left upper arm where your bicept is, to reach out with it, will reach out with the same part of the machine, the boom. To reach out you would be pushing to bring it in you would be pulling your arm in,to move the upper part of your arm to the left you move it to the left to the right, the right. Now your right fore arm. To pull you move it in to push you move it out. To curl your right wrist and hand you would curl it to the left, to curl your right wrist and hand out you would move it right. Now just hold the sticks while your arms do the digging and you got it. ....
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 | bobodude
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 32 Oakley, Calif and Garnerville, Nv
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2004-09-16 96608
lbrown59, I only have about 5 hrs on my new BX23 bh and I can definetly identify with your situation. What I found to be a bit perplexing is co-ordinating the dipstick and boom when digging a trench. To keep the trench flat you have to move both at the same time as you pull the bucket back to the tractor. I also made the early mistake of extending out too far and ending up pulling the tractor towards the trench. I underestimated the power of the bh. I had to start in ground that is abouut 50% rock. If you can find soft dirt it would help. Rocks take some experience to remove. You just never know how big they are and can waste a lot of time digging around a 3 ft round boulder. Some have said it is good practice, if you can get close to a pond or stream, to practice dipping and trying to move a bucket full of water without spilling it. This improves your smoothness and effeciency. I can clearly see it takes practice, practice, practice...
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| TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2004-09-17 96662
Normally all hoe equipped tractors have a loader. The bucket should be on the ground to prevent the tractor from pivoting around its front axle. Many hoes are capable of lifting the rear and unloading the stabilizers. The bucket is usually dug in to keep a hoe from dragging the tractor into the hole (or sliding into it if an excavation wall collapses).
I tend to adjust the bucket angle more than the boom when pulling back the stick but normally use both. It all becomes clear with a bit of practice. The hoe probably has a float position on the boom valve. Float can be useful in smoothing trench bottoms. ....
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