bradco 88m2ga backhoe on a 440 icd? advice?

[michaelkittrell]

I bought a 440 ICD last week and now I'm looking around for a backhoe attachment. This 440 used to have a backhoe on it for years so it should have the correct setup.

Anyone familiar with the BRADCO 88M2GA? I can't find diddly on the net about it. Its listed for $2,500... I think that's a fantastic price (assuming it works). It looks like this hoe is often attached to the back of a utility truck (has a sliding mechanism like the 51(?) hoe). The guy who is selling it says he sold one couple months ago to a guy who had it hooked up to his 3pt. He must be some sort of used "dealer." He's got 10 or 15 huge pieces of equipment which are undoubtedly worth 30-100k each so he's got a legit business.

I have six concerns so far. Thanks in advance for any advice.

0. I probably don't need a backhoe and can just rent one. I'm in AZ my foundation doesn't have to be deep, could probably just use the loader to dig out the 24" I'm planning then setup forms instead of pouring concrete in a trench. I don't have a lot of work for the hoe after this unless I decide to make my kids a lazy river or dig out a koi pond.

1. the engine on the 440 seems to bog down more than I would expect when operating the loader (bucket empty). Not sure what its going to do under load, haven't gotten to do any work with it yet.

2. One ad I found on the net says the hoe needs 2500 psi, 8-12 gpm. I think the 440 is 1000 psi? I read that somewhere here. I have no idea what kind of pump or reservoir I actually have (but I'd be happy to go find out if anyone has any tips).

3. Couple of the teeth on the bucket look like they're barely attached. Could be corroded and covered up with paint, poorly rewelded, almost ripped off... not sure. The whole thing looks really nice (painted in the last couple years) seat and knobs hoses all look nice. I don't have any way of testing it before buying it (as is where is deal) and honestly after I buy it, it might take me a few weeks to get around to having whatever I need welded up / attached.

4. The drop down stabilizers vs the fold down stabilizers. I don't think I care... should I? I'm planning on working on flat ground, digging out a foundation for 750 feet of a 6' tall block wall along my property line and then a foundation for a shop and house expansion. I think the drop down might actually be more ideal so I don't need the extra width clearance on that fence line.

5. Can someone guess at how hard and expensive this would be to hook up to the 3pt on the 440? I took a picture of the back of the hoe.



http://imgur.com/kb1q7vK (link to a bigger picture)


random data from the net

Here is a site with a lot of pictures of a similar one (note the one I'm looking at doesn't have a plate on the back for attachment)

http://www.bigiron.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.c ... 17/showall


Here is some text from various ads... Could not find any official spec or data anything... nothing at Paladin that I could find (paladin is the new name for bradco?).

Bradco 88M2GA Excavator Attachment, (2) Outriggers, Backhoe Will Slide to Side, Hydraulic Quick Connects, 3' 6" Stick, 4' 5" Main Boom, 11" Backhoe Bucket, 6' Overall Width, 8' Backhoe Digging Depth, 8-12 GPM (Requirmed), 2500 PSI (Required)

BRADCO 88M2GA BACKHOE EXCAVATOR ATTACHMENT WITH SIDE SHIFT , 2 OUTRIGGERS 3'6" STICK , 4'5" MAIN BOOM 6' OVERALL WIDTH 12 GPM REQUIRED ATE 2,500 PSI THERE ARE NO MOUNTING BRACKETS FOR YOUR APPLICATION. SIDE LINKS ARE 25" ON CENTER WITH 2" VERTICAL SLOTS. COMES WITH 12" BUCKET

[Lavoy]

You do not have enough hyd pressure to operate the hoe, so you will need another stand alone hyd system of some sort.
How hard it is to hook up to a 3PT depends on your ability and what you have for tools. Unless you can do every single part of it yourself, it will be very expensive to adapt correctly paying a welding shop to do the work.
I personally would never hook any backhoe unless it only digs 4 feet deep to a crawler 3PT. They were never designed to tolerate that amount of torque, and you are dealing in difficult if not impossible parts to replace if you break them.
For 24" deep, I wouldn't even worry about it. You will have the footings dug with the loader long before you will even begin to get the backhoe hooked up.
OR, the $2500 you will spend on the hoe, plus the extra $1000-$2000 you will spend on hyd system and attaching steel etc, not even including the value of your own time will rent you a good mini excavator for the next 10 years or so. If it won't, then you need to buy a dedicated excavator if you are doing that much backhoe work.
Lavoy

[pop pop]

i think you can easily move them mounts to about 27.5 centers.
that will give you room to bolt/pin straight to the crawler.
given you'll have to get a solid mounting plate made for each side.
heck maybe someone else has a pair for sale.
CAT also makes a quik-attach hoe that is a bit bigger than this bradco and i saw a (barely)used one priced at 3500(asking).
alot of "adaptable" hoes are out there,

as for the bogging engine,,, maybe change the hyd. filter.
also-check intake, might be a screen plugging up?
make sure the reservoir has a well vented cap too, someone might have capped it.
since you have the loader, you already have a high volume pump.
but the pressure will be low. (less breakout power, which might be a good thing)
i hate it when i snag a hidden rock and jerks the whole machine.(on my tractor hoe).

i also agree with Lavoy, the actual 3 point would break with a hoe on it, it would be the weakest "link".
or, at his suggestion, a very small hoe.
i can relate to the need for power equipment, heck in this baked Arizona "dirt" a full grown man can only put a pick into the surface about 3/4". needless to say, thats some hard shtuf.

[michaelkittrell]

Thanks for the advice Lavoy and pop pop.

I probably will skip the hoe. I did keep wondering how that 3pt really could support that extremely heavy looking backhoe and all the digging forces. I can always buy one later if I change my mind.

The original 50 and the 51 backhoe attachments... any idea how much those weigh? Don't they attach to the 3pt too? I want to get an idea of what kind of hoe I could reasonably expect to put on there.

[Lavoy]

Original hoe mounts have nothing to do with 3PT, completely different setup. The J hooks them selves are 1" steel plate give or take. On a loader, the braces under the fenders are 5/8" X 4" X 4" angle give or take. On a dozer, the braces to the dozer mounts from the J hooks are 1" x 2" at least strap.
Everyone always assumes that if they have J hooks, they have a hoe crawler. All loaders had J hooks, very few of them were braced to carry a hoe, in addition to having the larger pump, hoe seat, and diverter valve.
That being said, once you get past a ton or so, the crawler gets real nose light in a hurry.
Lavoy

[mini kahuna]

I agree with Lavoy, you're barking up the wrong tree, between hydraulics, homemade mount, and extra weight hanging off the back, just doesn't make sense.
I don't know what your soil is like out there, but that machine will dig down 24" very easily unless you have boulders were you will be digging.

[Lavoy]

We have a neighbor at the farm that went down 5 feet with a 440, no problem.
Lavoy

[michaelkittrell]

Ok that makes more sense. I'm making an assumption that i need to attach the hoe to the 3pt because I don't really understand what all these things are on the back of my tractor and how they work together. So I guess these heavy duty brackets on the back of the tractor are the jhooks that a backhoe would be attached to.

So this is the actual back of my tractor. I should've posted it yesterday, but I hadn't gotten around to taking any pictures. It's still not quite a fit is it, how would the top of the hoe bracket be secured...and I'd still have the problem of the hydraulics not having enough pressure to run the hoe.

http://i.imgur.com/jfep2GW.jpg

and the full back of that backhoe (repeat)

http://i.imgur.com/kb1q7vK.jpg

[Lavoy]

No, the brackets you have are counter weight brackets, they will tear right off the crawler in the first 10 seconds of backhoe operation and wreck lots of stuff. If they are hoe brackets, under the fenders will be some REALLY heavy angle type braces that will extend all the way to the loader frame and bolt on with 4- 5/8" bolts if I remember correctly.
Lavoy

[mini kahuna]

I have a similar setup on my 1010 loader, I have a scarifier mounted to mine.
my j hooks mount onto the loader frame up top and bolt onto the finals at the bottom.
if mine was setup for a backhoe I am not sure what different type of mount is used.
I have always felt backhoes on anything smaller than a 450 were a waste, to heavy to leave on, pain to take off.
we had a 350 backhoe....after one season we pulled it off and sold it, bought case backhoe and never looked back.
350 graded, removed loom, back filled...case dug foundations and septic tank and trenches.

[michaelkittrell]

Thanks for the clarification Lavoy.

mini kahuna thanks for the thoughts on the heavyness. I was thinking that might be an issue as well.


Dug 3, 16" holes 2' down on Sunday with a dig bar and a shovel. I really wish I had a backhoe or an auger. By the end there I was seriously considering just firing it up and digging a 5' wide hole then back filling lol.

[mini kahuna]

sounds like fun, start digging!!

[Lavoy]

That's what I would do.
Lavoy

[michaelkittrell]

Got the 4th post in and the first platform bolted up. The post happened to be where I dug the stump out and backfilled which was nice since I could dig it out with a shovel.

I'm definitely firing the tractor up for the next 6.