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Mower Converted Into Mini Backhoe
A retired British Columbia welder-fabricator and his friend turned a Jacobsen riding mower into a nimble, self-propelled backhoe.
"It's a strong little machine that can fit into areas where bigger commercial machines can't go. It's also economical to operate," says Ross Deal of Grand Forks, B.C.
The rid
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Mower Converted Into Mini Backhoe FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 26-1-8 A retired British Columbia welder-fabricator and his friend turned a Jacobsen riding mower into a nimble, self-propelled backhoe.
"It's a strong little machine that can fit into areas where bigger commercial machines can't go. It's also economical to operate," says Ross Deal of Grand Forks, B.C.
The riding mower was originally equipped with a single castor wheel on back and a hydraulic-driven, detachable 72-in. wide deck on front. The two men replaced the single wheel with a pair of Chevy Chevette car wheels, which are steered by the Chevette's steering system, which is chain-driven off a hydraulic cylinder. The cylinder is controlled by the machine's original side-mounted steering wheel.
Deal used salvaged steel to make the backhoe, which is equipped with a 14-in. wide, 22-in. long bucket. It attaches to the front of the mower.
The backhoe has a reach of just over 10 ft. and can dig up to 8 ft. deep.
"It works as well as any commercial backhoe. The only difference is that it's smaller," says Deal. "My friend's name is Ivan, so we named it the ĉIvanhoe'. We spent less than $1,000 to build it. It works so well we started a business digging pipelines and septic systems for neighbors and people in town. Ivan used it to put in an underground sprinkling system on his four acres.
"The body of the machine is only 40 in. wide, and it stands only 5 ft. 6 in. high so it'll fit in under the branches of big trees and between houses in town that are spaced close together. The machine turns within its own length. We mounted 180 lbs. of weights on back to compensate for the backhoe's reach and to keep the rig from tipping forward. We left the mower deck attachment arms in place so we can still use the machine to mow lawns. It takes only about 20 minutes to switch attachments.
"The machine is powered by the original Kubota 3-cyl liquid-cooled diesel engine, which is very fuel efficient. We can run the machine all day long on one tank of fuel."
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ross L. Deal, 4755 Canning Rd., Grand Forks, B.C., Canada V0H1H5 (ph 250 442-2884)
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