Eric R Snow wrote in
:

Well, I've been making a real mess of things. It takes lots of
practice to use one of these things! I can't see where the front of
the bucket is. I can't tell what angle the bucket is at. How far can
the tractor tilt before it rolls? I need a tilt meter. And all those
levers! I have always had plenty of respect for folks who operate
heavy equipment and make it look effortless. But now I REALLY respect
'em.
ERS

It's a practiced art I used to run one for a living. The other poster
is spot on about practicing by running the teeth along the ground. Try
to maintain the same depth of the teeth the entire travel path. It takes
both hands on the levers, and you must have dexterity of the fingers to
operate two levers at the same time (sometimes in opposite directions).
One thing you SHOULD NOT DO until you are quite practiced, is attempt to
move the tractor with the hoe. You can easily turn the thing over if you
do not know what you are doing. However, once that is eventually learned,
you will rarely move it via the steering wheel while actually digging
anything. The hoe can put the tractor in precisely the right spot more
easily.
More advice. Turn the front bucket down and sink it in the ground enough
to take the weight off of the front wheels while digging. This adds
considerably to the stability of the tractor while digging.

NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER dig or even move the boom around a whole lot
without the anchors in the ground. That is a lot of mass swinging there.
On hilly ground..a backhoe is dangerous, period. They are top heavy, and
ass heavy. Back up a hill (Straight up) do not drive forwards. If you are
more than just a few degrees sideways tilted, swing the boom (while
stopped) to the uphill side of the tractor to offset the center of
gravity. Extend the boom low to the ground to help if needed. Remember
that the boom can move the tractor, so if the hill is too steep for the
tires to bite backwards, you can always pull yourself up, provided the
soil lets you get a bite with the hoe.

As for the front bucket, without indictors, you can watch the lower,
backside edge of the bucket. The gap between the bottom of the bucket and
the ground when you first lower it is the angle indicator. Float helps
for leveling things.




--
Anthony

You can't 'idiot proof' anything....every time you try, they just make
better idiots.

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