I know this is stupid. But I ordered the plans already. To see what I
ordered try this link: http://cdp-backhoe.com/MID/backhoe.htm
The MID600 and thumb plans. Anyway, this is my plan:
First, scrounge for any parts and metal I can find over the next 9
months or so. While scrounging for parts disassemble the subaru
station wagon my son left here for the drive train components except
for the engine. Then, using the plans and any advice build the thing
onto some kind of frame that uses the subaru parts for mobility. The
power will come from an 18 hp wisconsin engine. The idea is to spin a
hydraulic pump with the engine and use the pump to power a hydraulic
motor connected to the drive train and to power the cylinders on the
backhoe. So, if ANYBODY has any ideas please feel free to post them.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

I've seen things like that (auto or truck chassis with hydraulic attachment
added) in Mother Earth News. When I was shopping for my little loader /
backhoe (finally wound up with an Allmand TLB 325) I noticed a number of
folks offering used backhoe attachments on eBay. Probably quite a bit
cheaper and easier to fix up one of those than to build one from scratch.
Don't know where you are but in North Carolina we have a paper called the
Agricultural Review that is put out by the state Ag Dept and has free ads
for farmers who also list stuff like that. Your state might have a similar
publication.

Steve.


"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
...
I know this is stupid. But I ordered the plans already. To see what I
ordered try this link: http://cdp-backhoe.com/MID/backhoe.htm
The MID600 and thumb plans. Anyway, this is my plan:
First, scrounge for any parts and metal I can find over the next 9
months or so. While scrounging for parts disassemble the subaru
station wagon my son left here for the drive train components except
for the engine. Then, using the plans and any advice build the thing
onto some kind of frame that uses the subaru parts for mobility. The
power will come from an 18 hp wisconsin engine. The idea is to spin a
hydraulic pump with the engine and use the pump to power a hydraulic
motor connected to the drive train and to power the cylinders on the
backhoe. So, if ANYBODY has any ideas please feel free to post them.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

SteveF wrote:

snip .. Probably quite a bit
cheaper and easier to fix up one of those than to build one from scratch.
Don't know where you are but in North Carolina we have a paper called the
Agricultural Review that is put out by the state Ag Dept and has free ads
for farmers who also list stuff like that. Your state might have a similar
publication.

that would be Capital Press out of Salem, OR -- http://tinyurl.com/6tmky - GWE

"Eric R Snow" wrote: (clip) disassemble the subaru station wagon my son left
here for the drive train components (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Do you plan to have all-wheel drive on the backhoe? BTW, I think you ought
to post this to alt.autos.subaru I expect you will get some "interesting"
responses.

In article ,
Eric R Snow wrote:

I know this is stupid.

A much better use of your time and money would be fixing up an older
backhoe, trackhoe or excavator. You know this is stupid, so act on that
knowledge, put the plans up for sale, recoup what you can, and count
your losses before you waste more money and time making an undersized,
underpowered, undercapable machine. If you "only have a little digging
to do" you'll be far better off (money and timewise) to hire it done, or
get out a shovel and start digging. If you have enough digging to do
that you need a backhoe of your own to do it, this isn't it.

I'd guess that if you advertised in a local paper that you could
probably find two or three similar things (caddigger is another name of
a similar thing) which dissapointed users have given up hope of selling,
that you could get cheap. Or you might find some by calling junkyards,
where I suspect they end up with some regularity.

If you just want a project, there are more useful (or fun) projects.

I own a 50HP 13-foot hoe. Most days it's just barely big enough, and
some days it's too small. I give thanks daily that I never found a
"small" backhoe at a remotely affordable price when I went looking for
one. I've also wished that I had found a 15 foot hoe instead of this
one, but I generally find a way to get the job done with it.

--
Cats, Coffee, Chocolate...vices to live by

I would get a older used one as well.

I think you are ****ing in the snow on this one. Any contraption you make
will likely disappoint you with its lack of performance. Much better to buy
a fixer backhoe and spend your time on something that will provide adequate
service when done.

As for the Subaru. Why not prep it to hornet specs and race it at the Monroe
fairgrounds. It's relatively cheap and a good way to release the built up
aggressions of the work week.
Rules are he
http://www.evergreenspeedway.com/04hrules.htm

Wayne
"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
...
I know this is stupid. But I ordered the plans already. To see what I
ordered try this link: http://cdp-backhoe.com/MID/backhoe.htm
The MID600 and thumb plans. Anyway, this is my plan:
First, scrounge for any parts and metal I can find over the next 9
months or so. While scrounging for parts disassemble the subaru
station wagon my son left here for the drive train components except
for the engine.

In article ,
Ecnerwal wrote:

In article ,
Eric R Snow wrote:

I know this is stupid.

A much better use of your time and money would be fixing up an older
backhoe, trackhoe or excavator. You know this is stupid, so act on that
knowledge, put the plans up for sale, recoup what you can, and count
your losses before you waste more money and time making an undersized,
underpowered, undercapable machine. If you "only have a little digging
to do" you'll be far better off (money and timewise) to hire it done, or
get out a shovel and start digging. If you have enough digging to do
that you need a backhoe of your own to do it, this isn't it.

Good advise. I needed a backhoe but there was no way I could afford
one, so I bought a case of 60% and find it can do some jobs a backhoe
can't.

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

Builder to builder I say go for it... Good learning experence... You
gotta start somewhere... I built hundreds of things that never worked
as good as I would have liked... But some of my stuff I would not trade
for store bought... Let us see pictures when your done... I have a ford
and a Kubota hoe and I would still like to build one... I've made my
own articulating tractor and I also made dozers... You can see some of
my stuff at...
WWW.Beitz.net

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 20:24:46 -0500, Nick Hull
wrote:

to do" you'll be far better off (money and timewise) to hire it done, or
get out a shovel and start digging. If you have enough digging to do
that you need a backhoe of your own to do it, this isn't it.

Good advise. I needed a backhoe but there was no way I could afford
one, so I bought a case of 60% and find it can do some jobs a backhoe
can't.

"there is no problem that cannot be solved with the suitable
application of high explosive"



Gunner

"To be civilized is to restrain the ability to commit mayhem.
To be incapable of committing mayhem is not the mark of the civilized,
merely the domesticated." - Trefor Thomas

Hi Eric,
I'm from Australia, I've got one of these little diggers in
my shed, made here by by a company called Cranes and Shovels ( Cranvel).
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI....e=STRK:MEWA:IT

It's probably 40 years old, and was a very popular design with plumbers
because it was cheap and could get into smaller spaces. I've rebushed all
the pins, and rebuilt one of the rams, and it owes me probably $1600 Oz.
Have you seen anything like this from a manufacturer in the US. Looking at
how mine is built, I would think it would be much easier to refurbish than
build it from scratch, and you still get the fun of bringing an old beast
back to life.

regards,

John


"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
...
I know this is stupid. But I ordered the plans already. To see what I
ordered try this link: http://cdp-backhoe.com/MID/backhoe.htm
The MID600 and thumb plans. Anyway, this is my plan:
First, scrounge for any parts and metal I can find over the next 9
months or so. While scrounging for parts disassemble the subaru
station wagon my son left here for the drive train components except
for the engine. Then, using the plans and any advice build the thing
onto some kind of frame that uses the subaru parts for mobility. The
power will come from an 18 hp wisconsin engine. The idea is to spin a
hydraulic pump with the engine and use the pump to power a hydraulic
motor connected to the drive train and to power the cylinders on the
backhoe. So, if ANYBODY has any ideas please feel free to post them.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 18:54:14 GMT, Ecnerwal
wrote:

In article ,
Eric R Snow wrote:

I know this is stupid.

A much better use of your time and money would be fixing up an older
backhoe, trackhoe or excavator. You know this is stupid, so act on that
knowledge, put the plans up for sale, recoup what you can, and count
your losses before you waste more money and time making an undersized,
underpowered, undercapable machine. If you "only have a little digging
to do" you'll be far better off (money and timewise) to hire it done, or
get out a shovel and start digging. If you have enough digging to do
that you need a backhoe of your own to do it, this isn't it.

I'd guess that if you advertised in a local paper that you could
probably find two or three similar things (caddigger is another name of
a similar thing) which dissapointed users have given up hope of selling,
that you could get cheap. Or you might find some by calling junkyards,
where I suspect they end up with some regularity.

If you just want a project, there are more useful (or fun) projects.

I own a 50HP 13-foot hoe. Most days it's just barely big enough, and
some days it's too small. I give thanks daily that I never found a
"small" backhoe at a remotely affordable price when I went looking for
one. I've also wished that I had found a 15 foot hoe instead of this
one, but I generally find a way to get the job done with it.
Thanks to everyone so far for the replies. All the opinions are
valuable and what I was looking for. I have spent a lot of time
looking for a backhoe to fit on the 9N but all have been so overpriced
that it was laughable. I have also looked at buying a small hoe.
Haven't found one yet that I liked for the price. I could buy a big
machine but I don't want one. I guess it all depends on the final use.
And, I like to build things. No matter what I build it seems like
there is always a used one that I could buy cheaper and fix than to
spend time making my own.
ERS

I actually built a machine very similar to this one a few years back
and had a terrific time. It ended up being one of the most fun things
I've ever done, and I still use it quite often for digging around our
yard. Some points to consider:

1) Generally the hydraulic pumps and engines are matched to the design.
This design looks quite similar to my www.cadplans.com 628 backhoe, and
the 18 horsepower Wisconsin may be a bit much for it though I don't
know. My machine is powered by a five HP Tecumseh and looks almost
exactly like this one. I'm pretty sure that if I put 18 HP on my
machine, I'd bend the boom like a pretzle.

2) Check out the cadplans site. I think Jim Mikulous (sp? I think that
's his name) has been designing these machines for a very long time,
and I found his directions superior.

3) My sense after building the smaller 628 was that if you get much
larger, you really should look at rebuilding a used machine, but that
at the smaller end it actually does make some economic sense.

4) Use high strength welding rod. I used 7018 electrodes. I would not
mig weld this together with a small light duty box from Walmart/sams
club/kmart/whatever.

5) I would build a narrower bucket. I still might for my machine, which
has one around a foot wide. For this tough Virginia clay it does o.k.,
but I know that the 5 inch bucket would really be the cat's meow for
trenching and planting stuff.

6) It really does work. I dug the foundation for our house addition
with it and saved a bundle of money, so it actually did pay for itself
when all was said and done. Makes a hell of a conversation piece too.

Good luck, Charles Morrill

On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 17:24:23 GMT, Charles Morrill
wrote:

I actually built a machine very similar to this one a few years back
and had a terrific time. It ended up being one of the most fun things
I've ever done, and I still use it quite often for digging around our
yard. Some points to consider:

1) Generally the hydraulic pumps and engines are matched to the design.
This design looks quite similar to my www.cadplans.com 628 backhoe, and
the 18 horsepower Wisconsin may be a bit much for it though I don't
know. My machine is powered by a five HP Tecumseh and looks almost
exactly like this one. I'm pretty sure that if I put 18 HP on my
machine, I'd bend the boom like a pretzle.

2) Check out the cadplans site. I think Jim Mikulous (sp? I think that
's his name) has been designing these machines for a very long time,
and I found his directions superior.

3) My sense after building the smaller 628 was that if you get much
larger, you really should look at rebuilding a used machine, but that
at the smaller end it actually does make some economic sense.

4) Use high strength welding rod. I used 7018 electrodes. I would not
mig weld this together with a small light duty box from Walmart/sams
club/kmart/whatever.

5) I would build a narrower bucket. I still might for my machine, which
has one around a foot wide. For this tough Virginia clay it does o.k.,
but I know that the 5 inch bucket would really be the cat's meow for
trenching and planting stuff.

6) It really does work. I dug the foundation for our house addition
with it and saved a bundle of money, so it actually did pay for itself
when all was said and done. Makes a hell of a conversation piece too.

Good luck, Charles Morrill
Greetings Charles,
Your input was just what I was looking for. The reason I want to use
the larger engine is because I have it and because I want to be able
to drive this thing around. However, I also have a 7 hp Kohler that is
just sitting aroound waiting for that nice project. I bought it from a
friend years ago because he needed money and offered it to me for 15
bucks.
ERS

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 09:37:50 -0800, Eric R Snow
wrote:

I know this is stupid. But I ordered the plans already. To see what I
ordered try this link: http://cdp-backhoe.com/MID/backhoe.htm
The MID600 and thumb plans. Anyway, this is my plan:
First, scrounge for any parts and metal I can find over the next 9
months or so. While scrounging for parts disassemble the subaru
station wagon my son left here for the drive train components except
for the engine. Then, using the plans and any advice build the thing
onto some kind of frame that uses the subaru parts for mobility. The
power will come from an 18 hp wisconsin engine. The idea is to spin a
hydraulic pump with the engine and use the pump to power a hydraulic
motor connected to the drive train and to power the cylinders on the
backhoe. So, if ANYBODY has any ideas please feel free to post them.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

You might go to a rental yard and look at a T5C Terramite. A 20 HP
backhoe/loader; all hydraulic. Maybe they will let you take some
measurements. Perhaps you should rent one for a day and see if it will
do the job you have in mind. Mostly made of standard dimension tubing.

I rented one once to dig a shallow trench. I got it because a trencher
would not dig a wide enough trench. Trust me, it is not much of a
backhoe.

On Thu, 09 Dec 2004 20:25:42 GMT, Andy Asberry
wrote:

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 09:37:50 -0800, Eric R Snow
wrote:

I know this is stupid. But I ordered the plans already. To see what I
ordered try this link: http://cdp-backhoe.com/MID/backhoe.htm
The MID600 and thumb plans. Anyway, this is my plan:
First, scrounge for any parts and metal I can find over the next 9
months or so. While scrounging for parts disassemble the subaru
station wagon my son left here for the drive train components except
for the engine. Then, using the plans and any advice build the thing
onto some kind of frame that uses the subaru parts for mobility. The
power will come from an 18 hp wisconsin engine. The idea is to spin a
hydraulic pump with the engine and use the pump to power a hydraulic
motor connected to the drive train and to power the cylinders on the
backhoe. So, if ANYBODY has any ideas please feel free to post them.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

You might go to a rental yard and look at a T5C Terramite. A 20 HP
backhoe/loader; all hydraulic. Maybe they will let you take some
measurements. Perhaps you should rent one for a day and see if it will
do the job you have in mind. Mostly made of standard dimension tubing.

I rented one once to dig a shallow trench. I got it because a trencher
would not dig a wide enough trench. Trust me, it is not much of a
backhoe.
What got me going on this was using a small excavotor recently. This
is one of those real small jobs. 4 feet wide. And it did a surprising
amount of work. Lots of fun too. Which is the only reason to build or
have one.
ERS

"Andy Asberry" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 09:37:50 -0800, Eric R Snow
wrote:

I know this is stupid. But I ordered the plans already. To see what I
ordered try this link: http://cdp-backhoe.com/MID/backhoe.htm
The MID600 and thumb plans. Anyway, this is my plan:
First, scrounge for any parts and metal I can find over the next 9
months or so. While scrounging for parts disassemble the subaru
station wagon my son left here for the drive train components except
for the engine. Then, using the plans and any advice build the thing
onto some kind of frame that uses the subaru parts for mobility. The
power will come from an 18 hp wisconsin engine. The idea is to spin a
hydraulic pump with the engine and use the pump to power a hydraulic
motor connected to the drive train and to power the cylinders on the
backhoe. So, if ANYBODY has any ideas please feel free to post them.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

You might go to a rental yard and look at a T5C Terramite. A 20 HP
backhoe/loader; all hydraulic. Maybe they will let you take some
measurements. Perhaps you should rent one for a day and see if it will
do the job you have in mind. Mostly made of standard dimension tubing.

I rented one once to dig a shallow trench. I got it because a trencher
would not dig a wide enough trench. Trust me, it is not much of a
backhoe.


Second that on "not much of a backhoe". I rented a T5C on a couple of
occasions to do some work around my place and it takes some skill with the
controls to keep the front end on the ground and to not drag the whole thing
backwards when trying to take a scoop. The Allmand 325 I bought is only 5
HP more but is almost twice as heavy. And as soon as my wife wins the
lottery the 325 is getting sold for a nice shiny new Kubota L48!

Steve.

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 09:37:50 -0800, Eric R Snow
wrote:

I know this is stupid. But I ordered the plans already. To see what I
ordered try this link: http://cdp-backhoe.com/MID/backhoe.htm
The MID600 and thumb plans. Anyway, this is my plan


Eric,

I put one together similar to the plans that you have, although I got
mine from www.cadplans.com. I built the 821 and have never regretted
it. I didn't need a large or even a medium sized backhoe and this has
worked very well for me. The 821 uses a 11 hp motor and 6gph pump and
for what I do with it around my place it is just fine. The 821 is the
largest backhoe that cadplans has plans for. If you want to convert it
to a 3 pont hitch there is also plans for that to as well as smaller
sized backhoes, front end loaders, log splitters and such. I also
built their 3 pt hitch log splitter and it also works just fine. I do
have their plans for a front end loader to fit my tractor and one day
I will get around to building that too. I say go for it.

Richard

In article ,
Eric R Snow wrote:

I know this is stupid. But I ordered the plans already. To see what I
ordered try this link: http://cdp-backhoe.com/MID/backhoe.htm
The MID600 and thumb plans. Anyway, this is my plan:
First, scrounge for any parts and metal I can find over the next 9
months or so. While scrounging for parts disassemble the subaru
station wagon my son left here for the drive train components except
for the engine. Then, using the plans and any advice build the thing
onto some kind of frame that uses the subaru parts for mobility. The
power will come from an 18 hp wisconsin engine. The idea is to spin a
hydraulic pump with the engine and use the pump to power a hydraulic
motor connected to the drive train and to power the cylinders on the
backhoe. So, if ANYBODY has any ideas please feel free to post them.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

I've seen one of those. Well, the one I saw was a tad bit heavier.
I don't believe the fellow used any plans. Anyway, to stabilize it he
had three outriggers he could fold out, pin in place, and hammer spikes
through if the thing kept trying to move around.
He used an old John Deere radial piston pump and closed center
controls. That's probably serious overkill, but the pump's standby
pressure was settable and parts are available everywhere. Probably has
enough flow to run a traction motor to get you around if that's what you
want.
His boom was much thicker in relation to the rest of the machine than
what I see on the website. You might want to mount a pressure gauge
where you can watch it while operating so you know when you're about to
bend something.
Have fun. Take pictures.

--
B.B. --I am not a goat! thegoat4 at airmail dot net
http://web2.airmail.net/thegoat4/

I built a front end loader for my little Yanmar 15hp tractor from
Cadplans, and I am quite happy with it- probably cost me a grand to buy
all the parts brand new, as opposed to a minimum of $3500 for a store
bought loader. The engineering is done right, the parts are well
thought out, and the thing works, as long as you are realistic about
what it will do. I think the backhoe plans from Cadplans are probably
similar. No way will it do the work of a real industrial machine, but
if you work within its limitations, for little jobs around the home
front, it will probably be fine.