Harbor freight towable backhoe review.

[Brandy]

I think I'd rig a couple of tires/axles up front that could replace the outriggers and then make it like a small trailer/wagon.

Thought about that. No way to turn it though. Ideal would be an extra set of wheels/axles that could be placed in those tubes after cranking the frame up or down with a trailer hitch wheel/post. That way, after the wheels were on I could fire it up and use the bucket to lift the remaining set of wheels up to replace them with the outriggers.

 

[Xp29h]

To bad you can't figure out how to hook it up to a 4 wheeler to move it around.

Post #2, 2nd pic down.. right behind the engine, is that not a Reese type hitch? If it is.. hooking to an atv should be easy..

I’ve got a Reese hitch on my 2001 Honda 450 es. Works great.. Kolpin makes them and they bolt right on. I use all kinds black boar attachments in the woods, so might be easier than thought? Moving with an atv should be easy... using an atv to get into a remote situation could work...My thought would be would the atv be heavy enough to give support when you need leverage for digging out a stubborn rock or stump? That’s certainly what I would use that back hoe for!! I definitely like the looks of it..

 

[Brandy]

Post #2, 2nd pic down.. right behind the engine, is that not a Reese type hitch? If it is.. hooking to an atv should be easy..

I’ve got a Reese hitch on my 2001 Honda 450 es. Works great.. Kolpin makes them and they bolt right on. I use all kinds black boar attachments in the woods, so might be easier than thought? Moving with an atv should be easy... using an atv to get into a remote situation could work...My thought would be would the atv be heavy enough to give support when you need leverage for digging out a stubborn rock or stump? That’s certainly what I would use that back hoe for!! I definitely like the looks of it..

Yep. Would be great if I owned an ATV...

 

[Xp29h]

Yep. Would be great if I owned an ATV...

Well, that would certainly help!


I looked at that again, for an atv that insert would need to be on the underside as atv hitches are pretty low to the ground.. just in case you ever get one or for those that do..

Have fun with that rig.. I like it.. may have to save some pennies and get one. Would work well for the small stuff I could do.. thanks for review!

 

[Brandy]

Well, that would certainly help!


I looked at that again, for an atv that insert would need to be on the underside as atv hitches are pretty low to the ground.. just in case you ever get one or for those that do..

Have fun with that rig.. I like it.. may have to save some pennies and get one. Would work well for the small stuff I could do.. thanks for review!

You're welcome! I figured it would be a useful item for many of us...I only need it a couple times a year so I'm good with towing it with the truck.

 

[747mopar]

Let us know if you ever try digging some dirt, curious how it does. I'm constantly finding uses for backhoes around and a lot of it is digging ditches for drains or setting stones in place.. something like that would be nice.

 

[Brandy]

Let us know if you ever try digging some dirt, curious how it does. I'm constantly finding uses for backhoes around and a lot of it is digging ditches for drains or setting stones in place.. something like that would be nice.

It's raining here till Monday PM but then will be nice for an extended while. Once it dries up a little i'll be digging out the shelter space and placing some dirt there. I have the dirt in a mound out in the corral that has been there for a year. So i will be digging into that in a bit. Should be a good indication..

 

[68gtxman]

@Ghostrider 67 I bought a subcompact backhoe a few years ago, because I always wanted one. The salesman asked me what I was going to use it for, so he could recommend attachments. I said that it was just a toy for me. He replied that I was the first man to ever admit this. Anyway, I have used it for three years now and I never thought it would be as handy a tool as it has been. I only have a 2.5 acre yard in the woods, but I find that there are many uses of it. Clearing cut branches off to the sides of the yard has never been easier. I gave a spare key to my neighbor so he could use it too. He put more hours on it than I have (it now has about 60 hours of run time). The older I get, the more handy it has become to me. I know that you’ll love having this unit Decker! Now you can post a sign that says “Protected by Smith and Wesson, funeral arrangements by Harbor Freight”.

 

[toolmanmike]

You're welcome! I figured it would be a useful item for many of us...I only need it a couple times a year so I'm good with towing it with the truck.

It looks good all new and shiny but does it dig?

 

[YY1]

Look at the back of your lawn tractor.

My 2004 Craftsman low line 17 hp has a hole that accepted a 1 7/8 ball.

I tow my 550 pound 5x9 trailer with it frequently.

 

[Brandy]

It looks good all new and shiny but does it dig?

Yes.

 

[Brandy]

Look at the back of your lawn tractor.

My 2004 Craftsman low line 17 hp has a hole that accepted a 1 7/8 ball.

I tow my 550 pound 5x9 trailer with it frequently.

it does have but it's only 8" from the ground and the hoe hitch is more like 18"

 

[Hey-O]

I have always wondered about those, Thanks for sharing!!

 

[toolmanmike]

I would sure dig seeing a video!

 

[Brandy]

I would sure dig seeing a video!

 

[Brandy]

towable backhoe harbor freight - YouTube

 

[Brandy]

Here's what I'm doing with it today. Cleaning out underneath the shelter inside the corral. The hay, manure, urine and rain water combine to make a thick interwoven wet smelly mat that's 4-8" deep. A tractor bucket wont pick it up, or push it. It just rolls up. Pitchforking it by hand is tough because it's both heavy and stuck to the ground.
So the bucket fingers drawn through it breaks it loose and then I can sweep it side to side for pickup outside of the shelter footprint, because inside the shelter the posts are in my way. Once it's broken loose from the ground it's easy to pick up with a pitch fork, plus, I could use the exercise...lol. I'm picking up the wet, mucky sections with the bucket and filling the little trailer. The rest is faster to use the pitchfork to fill the trailer.
At any rate it's doing what I need it do. There have been several instances where I went too deep and the bucket easily dug right into the ground, without any problems. It may not have a high HP engine but the hydraulics are very good. BTW...we have a dirt corral because we have donkeys that are desert animals and are built for dirt/sand hoof wise and aren't supposed to be on green grass all the time, or eating it all of the time. They actually do better eating scrap hay/straw and bark and old used up hay. They are built for digesting those sources much better than green grass. The built up wet muck is bad for their hoof health.
The sheep on the other hand, could care less about anything...lol.

 

[Hey-O]

I always wanted one and there's a thousand times I could have used one. Didn't have the money back then. I told my wife I'd love to have one, she looked at me with that look she gives me when I need to stop.

 

[Retoldpro71]

Since you've had the HF Backhoe for a while now, you probably already know all the stuff I'd recommend, but here it goes anyway:
Watch the video at the noted site, then make the wheel mod. Turns a pain-in-the-behind machine into a viable usable tool for about $300.00 or less.
Take all the bent angle pins and weld a washer with a 3/4" I.D hole to the angle area. Prevents the standard pin from elongating the holes. Another choice would be get some "D" handle pins, 3/4" X 4" long (Tractor Supply ?) and use those instead.
Get a LockNLube Grease Gun Coupler XL, you'll need it to lube the Main Boom Pivot. There are 2 Zerk fittings inside that are very hard to do otherwise, and regular lube at the pivot is crucial ! And go easy on the Zerk fittings on the machine, they are M6 cheap Chinese metal and break-off easy.
On the main boom up/down cylinder, reverse the 2 hoses. Makes it a standard control movement (pull back=boom up, push forward=boom down).
There's a ton of helpful suggestions I could give, but check-out the Facebook Group "Harbor Freight Towable Backhoe Repairs and Testimonials Community", they could do better than I.

 

[Retoldpro71]

Thought about that. No way to turn it though. Ideal would be an extra set of wheels/axles that could be placed in those tubes after cranking the frame up or down with a trailer hitch wheel/post. That way, after the wheels were on I could fire it up and use the bucket to lift the remaining set of wheels up to replace them with the outriggers.

If you watch the linked video and make the mod, it makes the machine into a viable tool: