Very nice job. Added just the hoe to my 73 MTD FarmKing, took about 3 months. Pump is about .5 with roller bearings vs a sleeve bushing. With rebuilding the engine have around $2000 including the $400 purchase (8 yrs ago) of the tractor in mine.
That's a fantastic job on that!! one thing I can see is your hydraulic cylinders are to small in piston diameter I'm referring to.. with all that volume coming from your pump it makes it really jumpy if you had bigger cylinders it would tame it down a bit.. But what a fantastic job you've done on it!! :)
+BILLSTMAXX :) . Thanks man ! You are absolutely correct , recently installed a pump with the same pressure and less than half the volume .. operates much smoother !
Hey Bill . Put a smaller hydraulic pump on last weekend and this machine is operating as smooth as glass. I used the hydraulic calculators on the surplus centers website. I had a .83 pump on the machine , replaced it with a .24 pump . cylinders are a little slow on the FEL but the backhoe is so much more tame. Thanks for the input . it got me thinking .
Hey bILLSTMAXX, you are absolutely correct. The pump in the video was a .85 and very touchy to say the least. I have since used the hydraulic calculator on surplus centers website and replaced it with the proper pump a .27. Much smoother reaction, I can use the entire motion of the controls. I can tell your very educated about hydraulics from your comment. Thanks for the input and the compliment. This machine has been a great tool. Well worth the time and money I invested.
I have a 430 with. 44 loader. Would love to get your estimate on what just the backhoe costs. I would think I could tie into my loader tank/reservoir if I used small cylinders.
Joseph, that has been in the works for a longtime actually . I have 3 420's but all are in to good of shape to steal the rear out of. I've been looking for a good parts tractor , or just a 420/430 rear but no luck as of yet . I may not even do the rear conversion honestly. I have my eye on a JD 790 4x4 , I just might buy it and just keep the custom 322 for smaller jobs. The real beauty of this machine is that I can fit it into small places , but most importantly , it does not destroy my customers lawns like the larger [790] tractors tend to do. I own a contracting company and this little backhoe has been a valuable little machine . I can put turf tires on it and dig footers for decks , patio rooms , even large additions and never really destroy the lawn . The 420 rear is a great addition with the hydro lockup and the low range though for sure .
Thanks man, it was a fun build.. That was literally the 1st time I had ever used a front end loader or a backhoe for that matter. Hope that clears up any confusion.. One thing I have learned is that people who know how to operate these machines, be it large ones, or small like this one, act like operating one is brain surgery. The truth is that it takes a few weeks to get the hang of it, then it's ridiculously simple. The real issue here with the front end loader isn't really not knowing how to operate it, the biggest issue is that the machine wasn't heavy enough.
you need to turn the RPM down on the engine when it's jerky like that since you don't have limiters in line on the backhoe to reduce the hydraulic flow.
Hey Kerry. When I 1st built this machine I had a pump installed that was way to big in terms of volume. I have since replaced the pump twice actually. The first pump I believe was in the range of about .68, that was way to much. Replaced with a .35 which was much better but still a little to much for what I was looking for. I then installed a .24 pump. The .24 was the one I was looking for. Smooth controls, no jerky motion on the backhoe, I must say though, the front end loader is a bit slower than I'd like, but I expected that with the low volume trying to operate 2 cylinders at once. I just idle up when I'm running the FEL and back the rpm down for the backhoe.
+jeremy lee (JohnDeere4960) hey Jeremy , I mounted a small hydraulic pump underneath the front of the tractor that runs off of the electromagnetic pto . Then ran it out of the pump to the backhoe valve equipped with a power beyond port , then into the front end loader valve , then return to the reservoir . Pretty standard hydraulic setup . Anthony
+Rhys Wollam I would guess this machine to be worth about $8500.00. I spent about $4200.00 in parts alone . Very handy machine. Small enought to fit through very narrow gates , fitted with turf tires it's very useful as a small home improvement contractor who needs to dig some footings , or foundation in someone's yard without destroying their lawn . Very powerful for its size and weight .
+Rhys Wollam these machines can be fitted with a catagory 0 3-point hitch that made by John Deere . You can make any attachments imaginable with a little know how and some frabrication skills and tools such as a welder , plasma cutter , metal cutting chop saw , decent drill press etc.
Just saw this.. The geometry is pretty dead on.. If the bucket didn't go that far down then how in the hell can you dump it when the bucket is 6 feet off the ground? You must not have watched the entire video.. Im still using this machine now, February 2020, and its still working as good as the day I built it.. Would like to have 4 wheel drive though..
