What's your hoe doing?

[aighead]

Please esplain to me how you get to drive an 8+ ton beast across the lawn without leaving ruts

It's easy... you don't!

About a year after we moved in I found the need for a backhoe, so I rented one for a rainier than desired/intended week. I absolutely destroyed the yard with ruts. Then, after I found out how useful the backhoe was, I bought one and continued destroying the yard with ruts. I pick and choose my days a little better now, and I know where the wet spots are much better but sometimes there's not much avoiding it. My wife and I value progress over an unrutted yard, usually. I have covered most of probably 2.5 or so acres of the "yard" parts of the property and it's not terrible.

My lawn mowing experience is less than desirable with lots and lots of bumping around but over time it has gotten much better. I've also tried dragging a roller around a time or two and that helps some.

Oh yeah, not really the right thread but I put in my plants last night! Then I worried about critters, we didn't have any issue with that last year so we'll see how it goes this year.

 

[rumblecloud]

Thanks for the explanation. My wife would shoot me. She doesn't want me running over the tree roots for fear they will all die.

I hope you used something a little lighter to pull that roller around

 

[NH575E]

If you want to tear up a yard run a tracked machine through it a couple of times. Even a mini ex with rubber tracks will do 10 times the damage a backhoe does.

 

[aighead]

I worry some about the trees but not a lot, for better or worse. We have lots of dead ash and a lot of junk trees. If I had a yard full of Sugar Maple and Walnut and Oak I may feel a little different, though we do have one volunteer oak that popped up that I drive past frequently and it's thriving.

I used my mower to pull the roller but felt very quickly that it was much too light for the job. It did ok but certainly felt it struggle and it felt like I was just stretching the crap out of the drive belt. I'll put it behind the tractor in the future.

 

[lobo]

It's easy... you don't!

About a year after we moved in I found the need for a backhoe, so I rented one for a rainier than desired/intended week. I absolutely destroyed the yard with ruts. Then, after I found out how useful the backhoe was, I bought one and continued destroying the yard with ruts. I pick and choose my days a little better now, and I know where the wet spots are much better but sometimes there's not much avoiding it. My wife and I value progress over an unrutted yard, usually. I have covered most of probably 2.5 or so acres of the "yard" parts of the property and it's not terrible.

My lawn mowing experience is less than desirable with lots and lots of bumping around but over time it has gotten much better. I've also tried dragging a roller around a time or two and that helps some.

Oh yeah, not really the right thread but I put in my plants last night! Then I worried about critters, we didn't have any issue with that last year so we'll see how it goes this year.

View attachment 340617

I like pick your days. I was on a budget when my I bought my 1994 JD 310D. Everyone said you need 4 wheel drive but at the time that was an additional 4000 dollars. For guys like us for personal use or bury a pony for my neighbors little girl we work on dry or frozen ground. You get nothing accomplished in wet weather. I much rather have extendahoe than 4 wh. dr. My neighbor asked what do I owe you for burying the pony? I told him there is no price in the book for burying a little girls pony. He brought me fresh eggs for over a year.

 

[Willie B]

If you want to tear up a yard run a tracked machine through it a couple of times. Even a mini ex with rubber tracks will do 10 times the damage a backhoe does.

Or a rubber tired skid steer.
I guess my van puts more pressure on each square inch of ground than the backhoe. I did buy new R4 tires for it a few years back, wish I had chosen the more expensive traction tread.

 

[HarleyHappy]

Yeah, new tires with the deep R4 tread and I just wobble like a bobble head down the driveway. lol

 

[aighead]

My neighbor dug a trench for some power to the pool we had with a rubber tired skid steer and jimoney, yes it did tear up the yard way worse than the backhoe.

 

[T-town]

We are 'just' getting to the point of having lawn to tear up.. but I am working my way from top down putting it in. Needed to 'finish' the top layer of rock on the retaining wall and backfill with some 'good' dirt for a planting bed along the wall.


I used the day before the wetness to add the 'finish' coat of material for the parking area.... a tri-axle load doesn't look like much when spread.... which was done by back-dragging piles.... with some hand raking.


I am a bit shy of material needed.... but then I have something to do another day.

 

[Swetz]

Lookin good T-town!

Thanks for the update!!

 

[T-town]

Thanks for the update!!

...speaking of..?? That shop goin up??

 

[aighead]

Yeah, looks real nice T-town!

 

[Swetz]

Well, rite now it is a bit damp, LOL!

I did sign a contract for the pole barn, and have a tentative timeframe of last week of July, or 1st week of August.

The problem is, I am not finished with the pad. I was ready to start moving dirt about a month ago, then someone turned on the spigot. Since then we have gotten at least 6" of rain, and climbing as it is currently raining. At this point, I need a lot of hot, sunny, breezy days in the near future, or I will have to push it back.

So to answer your question....I hope so...LOL

 

[NH575E]

Well, rite now it is a bit damp, LOL!

I did sign a contract for the pole barn, and have a tentative timeframe of last week of July, or 1st week of August.

The problem is, I am not finished with the pad. I was ready to start moving dirt about a month ago, then someone turned on the spigot. Since then we have gotten at least 6" of rain, and climbing as it is currently raining. At this point, I need a lot of hot, sunny, breezy days in the near future, or I will have to push it back.

So to answer your question....I hope so...LOL

Waiting to see your new barn.

I could use some of that rain down here if you want to send it my way. Been watering every day and about to run lines out to water my zinnia patch. I said I was going to let nature take it's course out there but I hate to spend the time and money just to watch my flowers die as they are about to bloom.

 

[MG84]

Used the 480E on a large culvert job recently:

 

[eKretz]

555D on the job to help take out a problem maple. Old Betsy blew the lower bucket curl line right as I was about to start, so had to replace that first thing. She still has some "legacy" lines on her from the previous owner that are inside sheathing, so they're hard to inspect. I've been just replacing those as they blow. About 3/4 of the lines are updated now. This one looked like it might have been an original!

Had my dad come over and give some help too. We had pretty high winds recently and it took out the top part of a maple tree near my house. Broke it off about 15 feet up and dropped it right into the top of another maple tree that was... of course... also near my house. It had already previously dropped a huge branch on the neighbors' back deck stairs and damaged them. Time for it to go for good. Started by clearing a bunch of branches, then chopping the base of the still attached bit of the top of the tree and letting it fall to the ground. Then lifted that with a chain and the backhoe loader and tugged it out of the top of the other tree and dragged it out where we could easily cut it up. Then came the tough part. Taking the rest of the tree down in a super narrow window between the corner of my house and the other maple tree. It was either that or pay somebody, and well, figured we could get it, and we did. About 26" trunk, so not *too* big, but decent sized. It brushed the hose lightly with the wispy branches in the left and brushed the other maple tree with the same in the right, so it fell *just about* as close as we could get to where I wanted it. Upcoming project: get rid of the other maple too.

Here's what it looked like the morning I found it:



After clearing branches and removing the top section:



The tree where it fell:



And why I hate Maple trees growing by the house.

 

[NH575E]

@eKretz so it started the day with a busted curl hose and you still trusted it for a man lift?

Sorry but I have seen the bucket sag and fall on both my backhoe and my John Deere tractor before without warning. NO WAY would I use either to put a person in.

 

[HarleyHappy]

It never occurred to me that a bucket would be dangerous for a man lift, as I have done it a hundred times.
Guess now I will keep that in mind but to me it’s much safer than a scetchy step ladder and a chainsaw, as I have done that, more than a few times.
Hardest part, is explaining to the wife, I want the bucket tilted back just a bit.

 

[highwayghost]

We all used the loader bucket as a man lift on a job I had years ago. It was an accepted practice. I admit it’s not the safest. I nearly fell out from full height, saving myself at the last second, but the chainsaw didn’t fair so well. Can’t say I’ll never do it again but I’ll take a few more precautions. I plan to build a cage/railing that hooks to the bucket like the pallet forks and use a harness. And always a well experienced operator!

 

[eKretz]

@eKretz so it started the day with a busted curl hose and you still trusted it for a man lift?

Sorry but I have seen the bucket sag and fall on both my backhoe and my John Deere tractor before without warning. NO WAY would I use either to put a person in.

I know it's not OSHA acceptable. And I know that there will be guys on both sides of that question. The front loader hoses are *all* brand new. The remaining old ones are on the backhoe, and that was the bucket curl line that blew, not the front loader bucket. The hose that blew was probably from 1994, when the machine was born. So yeah, I trust those new ones. I have never had any front loader drop on any of the machines I've owned, been using personal machines with loaders for 30 years without a single one dropping. I am pretty careful with keeping front bucket hoses in good shape, and I'm extremely easy on the hydraulics, and smooth with feathering. Sometimes, ya' do what ya gotta do. I asked if he wanted to wear a harness and attach to the bucket too, didn't wanna do it. If the bucket *were* to fall, it wouldn't do much good anyway.