Great video. Just ordered mine from HF and before it arrives I wanted to find someone who has owned one for more than a year like yourself who could shed some light on important mods that may need doing from the get go. Really appreciate the feedback.
Double M, Ty for responding to my request for help. [ I think possibly the third issue was reliability? If there's a weak part in the design, we'd like to replace it up front, beef it up. ] We are looking at features we could add (the toolbox is brilliant, as is your jig for holding the stabilizers when not in use) but also, parts of the trencher design like the grease fittings that are not up to par. Loved the idea of swapping the hydraulic lines so it's more intuitive to operate, too. (Already done.) We really appreciate the tips all in one place. Now, we will set our priorities. And it's Labor Day, Harbor Freight has a 25% coupon, maybe we can take advantage as we plan our mods!
I'd recommend replacing every grease fitting even the pressed in ones in the pins with the thread in ball style so that you don't need a special tool to grease it and grease it every time you use it... it only takes a few minutes and make the machine last, that said get extra pivot pins for the arm as they are designed to fail before the cylinders do, and the boom pivot pin is the main failure point as the design just doesn't grease very well nor hold its grease well and as a result wears out I made a new pin for mine instead of buying one the top of my pin has a flanged end but is drilled straight through with a 1/16 inch bore I then drilled and tapped the bottom for the retaining bolt and utilized a full length center pivot sleeve (spool) bushing with a lower pin sleeve welded to the pin like the original keeping the center spool bushing contained and I was able to tighten the swing considerably reducing the machines jerkiness, this new pin made the original grease fitting for the swing pin unnecessary as it is now pin end greased.
My crate just arrived. I have watched a few dozen videos about this machine before buying it and all your pond build videos, but this is the first I've heard about the zerk fittings. Going to order some replacements right now as well as getting those pins that several folks have mentioned. Really enjoy your videos on this machine. In fact your pond build series helped to convince my wife that we should get this machine instead of spending over $7K for the backhoe that would mount on my T25 (I was not looking forward to swapping the rear implements on the tractor, so this is good). Hope you keep producing these videos for a long time to come.
Thank you for all the kind words. Congratulations on getting yours. I agree about the tractor mount backhoe. Not only is it a pain to put on and off but it also puts a lot of stress on the tractor. Take your time and learn it's limits. With care it will last a long time. Mine is going on 7 years now and still as strong as the day I got it. Keep me posted on your progress.
@@DoubleMFarmHomestead You could get one of those little pipsqueak grease guns that has just a push tip and not a grab onto but swapping the fittings out is a lot the best. GOT to have that grease!
Well Henry this is the second video I watched on your channel and you just sold me on buying a HF trencher. Oh and I simply love your idea of the grease pit you built. I just subscribed and look forward to future ideas/videos. I have several projects I need to do around my homestead and because of my health and age I just can't do by hand anymore. So the trencher will come in handy.
Thank you for all the kind words. You sound like me, I'm 70 and just can't run a shovel like I use to. LOL Getting this trencher was the best money I've spent on our place. Just remember, most breaks are "operator error". 😄 These things are as strong as a "big" excavator but in a smaller body so you have to learn to go slow and listen to the machine. Once you've got the hang of that it will last a long time. I'm in year 7 and haven't broken anything. YET!😂
I found adding a ripper tooth and thumb were the only mods I needed. Modifications for the ripper let me use the 9, 12, and 18 inch DR buckets. They are tough little diggers.
I purchased a northern tools trenches, it has electric engine start, it has a hydraulic pump that allows two functions at once. Dug footers , trenches, tree holes, purchased root cutter, have removed tree stumps, a stump grinder would be faster, I'm never in a hurry
PB is the name of the channel where the lady changed the pump. I checked the link for the pump she used and the lead time for the pump is now 256 days. The grease zerks should have been my first mod, but I didn't and ended up breaking the one in the boom up by the bucket. I think we may have an early winter up here in Maine, it's 54 degrees right now.
Green all over here now and I REALLY like what you did to your rig. I started YEARS ago with a 4-lever Ford hoe and I'd just set mine up like it was with from right to left, Swing, Bucket, Main bioom and then the crowd or last boom. Case had their last 2 switched. A little diesel would be nice and you set the system pressure with the breakout valve on the valve body itself. People don't realize that a hydraulic pump will literally explode if the circuit gets stopped up if the pump is new without much wear. That's why you set it with a good gauge and if the pump don't blow, a hose sure will. I'd also rig an E-stop right there next to the valve body and maybe a throttle. IF I had a thumb it'd be live and plumbed right into the bucket lines with maybe a diverter valve and maybe just a 'T' for quick removal. A live thumb can be worked with the bucket at the same time with both opening and closing and by fouling one, the other will come on over. I'd be moving and replacing a lot of riprap and they're very handy for such but a good operator don't really need one. I did tons before I ever messed with one, and we both know it's not really the machine that can get the work done, it's who sits in the SEAT! God Bless Yall, Neighbor!
I learned on a four lever Ford in the sixties, at that time the loader as well hoe was strapped on the farm tractor. A 3200 tractor model. Later I purchased a 580 CK Case, 1969 year. Wobble stick, no pedal swing. Eventually the company acquired 555 Ford hoes with wobble stick control. Quite a transition for our operators that ran the four lever control. I recently purchased a HF hoe. First thing I did was switch boom lift hoses. I want the cylinder to react as my brain does. Bottom line, I want to spread the sticks out as well put 90 degree handles on them, like the old Fords. I can see my hands, fingers are going to have problems with the production set up. Way to close, one finger won't fit between the levers. Looks like I will be fabricating some new levers. Only problem I have with the machine. Would be great if HF sold optional levers as I described. Guess I just wanted to talk some. Got to have a thumb. Manual will do fine for me. You are correct as operators are concerned, 90% is what is between the ears of the ass sitting on the tractor.
@@RobertGee-oi9ww I go with ISO pattern as well and I STILL like the old 4-lever controls as much now as the wobble sticks. i could go back in a second. Those dinky valve bodies remind me of Ditch Witch hoes with the little dinky 'L' on top. NO room. I found that JCB was about the smoothest machine fior me. If I wanted a jerk out of it, had to do it intentionally. I guess it was the lever length, valve springs or whatever but that one was smooth as water pouring and the 4 ton hoes were amazing in what power they had. And the 3-banger Perkins were tough as woodpecker lips. But I did get to rin a later model Bobcat trackhoe and it would swing so fast, you'd get dizzy. No waiting on that rig and I never run one hammered except a 320 Cat that's connected for speed with the throttle. Can't keep up with a crushing plant with the machine oozing along. All the best on the levers and let me know how it goes. I'm resigned to mowing grass when I'm not laid up from by sordid past (Army). Happy Dad's Day too!
@@lewiemcneely9143 Ditch Witch rang a bell. Are they still in business? Seemed to be big in vibratory plows back when. Laid pipe for a living, we had two Cleveland J 26 iron wheel trenchers, possibly made before I was born. Company decided to purchase a new trencher. The Cleavlands were all chain and gear operated friction clutches, cables, with exception to the conveyor belt handling the dirt. Six cylinder Cummins in line diesel. Ditch Witch salesman brings his product to a job crew is doing bragging about how many feet at what depth his machine could do. Let us test them. He puts his machine in the trench. I got on the Clevland and blew his product away. The Clevland had two or three transmissions and how many gear ratios? We never ran it at full potential, a crew can only pick and place a pipe at a certain pace. I have no idea how many miles of trench those mules dug. The salesman was upset. Ditch Whitch was a shoddy machine. Not a fan of JCB. Hard to get parts.
@@RobertGee-oi9ww Hi, Robert and don't have a clue about the Ditch Witches. The one I was around was old and had a Ford diesel in it. Been repaired and was able to get a ditch with the vibrator. I'm a fan of straight manual over about anything else and the Cleveland's were IT! And it's true that you can't get pipe fitted and in the ground but so fast. The witch worked but the owner/wrench man was right there too. And both JCB's were from auctions. I like to run them but wouldn't buy one for myself. All I ever did was drive and run stuff for other folks. Paid the light bill. Blessings!
@@lewiemcneely9143 Light bill is what it is all about. Exited military 1970, Gave education another try, by '71 was swinging a hammer. 3 months later went back in the ditch. Nasty work, not glamorous or sophisticated at all. Did not realize at the time I was doing better than my peers walking around with brief cases and clean cloths. Retired age 50, year 2000, 23 years so far. Love it.
The digger is designed for the motor and pump. When you add a bigger pump and motor is not going to do damage. When you start turning up the hydraulic pressure. It will start putting more pressure on what you are doing and you are going to damage thing. To me the thum is one of the best mods when you need it.
the higher flow won't affect it as long as you stay under an 8cc or 0.5 cubic inch pump the only major differences are the machine will move faster and will better tolerate the operation of 2 valves at the same time, however the ideal pump size for this machine is between 0.3 - 0.45 cubic inches in displacement, the pump replacement should be an sae aa flanged pump with 1/2inch dia. 1/8 inch keyed shaft gear pump. the ideal engine size for this machine with those pumps would be around a 13 hp engine. With the 13hp engine you can get a charging circuit, electric start, and add low draw lighting to the machine allowing for operation even after dark (although I'd recommend using a better muffler during those hours as another mod).
Thanks for this video. Assembling this machine was pretty straightforward. A Few Questions: 1) When ordering the axle assembly 29340 AXEL AND HUB ASSEMBLY 1 PC 50 $63.76 What parts does this assembly include? 2) Does it include the axle, hub with bearings, washer, lug nuts and castle nut? The parts list refers to this as a "Lug nut" ref #53, but lug nuts and the axle castle nut are two different things. 3) What was the approximate price of the WalMart wheels and tires you bought? Harbor Freight wants a lot ($111.48 ea) for theirs. 4) Does the machine have a serial number on it anywhere? I haven't been able to find one. I assume that the Zerk (grease) fittings for the boom pivot have standard thread. For the boom shoulder hydraulic, I swapped the hoses on the valve body instead of the hydraulic cylinder.
Hi DK, when I got mine I called the HF number on the web page of the trencher. Told the lady I wanted a second set of axel and hubs. It came with everything except the tires and rims. I don't remember the walmart price for the tires but it was 5 years ago so I'm sure it would be different now. I do remember it was cheaper than the HF price. I've never found a serial number. The zerks are metric thread. I bought a box assortment of zerks in metric sizes.
When I get mine, I am thinking of welding a chain hook on the bucket so I can move things with it as well BTW there is NO us manfacturer of these any more, so they do come from china [sadly]
Hey Huilian, I am going to be away for a few days. Will get those for you when I return. If you don't want to wait, check the Harbor Freight web site. You may get them there. Thanks for watching.
