On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 15:05:53 -0800, Eric R Snow wrote:
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.

Easy way there - tip it down until the back of the bucket lifts off the
ground; that tells you you just went past flat.

How far can
the tractor tilt before it rolls? I need a tilt meter.

Keep the center of gravity as low as you can. Avoid driving
around with the loader up, especially if it's full. Put the outriggers
down close to the ground if you're in a tippy situation. And if it
doesn't have a ROPS (rollover protection system), get one or you will
die when it rolls.

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.

After a while, you get so you just think about how you want the backhoe
to move and your hands run the levers for you. Takes a while, and every
spring it takes a while again. I finally sold mine after about 7 years;
I'm going to miss the machine but wasn't using it enough to justify
keeping it.