Chris, Not practical to put a backhoe on an Elec-Trak… weight, mobility, power, etc…. I always wanted a small backhoe and ended up building a Cad Digger 728 from plans that can be found at www.cadplans.com . It is a towable, light, small (fits thru a 36” door) and does a great job with footers and trenches. It won’t rip out trees like a big machine but for what it is I use it a lot. No driving ahead to move along – you just “crab” and I can dig a trench a lot faster than a larger machines. The thumb is a good idea and on my list. I’ll send you a pic off list. …Walt From: William Martin [mailto:martinsprinklerdesign yahoo com] Chris, A backhoe on a garden tractor is good for VERY light work only. If your backhoe has enough power to actually dig, you will end up dragging the tractor around if you hit dirt that is hard at all. I've ran compact tractors with backhoes and haven't been impressed. You need to get into a utility tractor size to do some damage. A friend of mine has a JD 4410 with a loader & backhoe and it does a great job. Even with the utility tractor, if you hit a good sized rock with the backhoe...you and the tractor are moving. All of this is based on my experience. There may be other opinions. Also...I've seen loaders bend frames pretty easily on the front of the ET's. I would assume a backhoe could bend the back of the frame just as easily.?? It does sound like a fun project though. I personally wouldn't go through the trouble to make a backhoe for a garden tractor. If you end up doing it...send pics. I would like to see it. :) Good luck. Billy From: Chris Zach <cz alembic crystel com> |