Build Your Own Mini Backhoe

Build Your Own Mini Backhoe MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Earth Movers If you have $1 800 and about 45 hours you can build your own mini backhoe with Lonnie Green s Cad plans Green used his engineering background to design and build his first backhoe when he and his wife purchased some fixer upper homes The 6-in wide bucket takes about three shovelfuls of dirt at a time and works well for digging water septic and power lines as well as foundation trenches An optional 12-in bucket is available      I dug a 500-ft waterline laid the pipe and buried it in 8 hours Green says     With a 4-point stabilized design and 360-degree swing the 480-lb backhoe will do the same work as a 2 000-lb towable backhoe Green s design has three valves boom crowd and curl and the operator uses his feet or legs to swing the backhoe The bucket reaches 6 ft and digs up to 4 1/2 ft deep      Most important the modular power plant design allows the machine to run on a gas engine battery or household electricity Green says     The machine can be towed by hand into place then the bucket is used to move backward as the trench is being dug Besides digging lines customers have other uses such as a miner who plans to use it to dig for gold      The only thing it can t do is dig when dirt is so hard you can t pick it with a pick Green says He s used one machine on digging projects for three houses without any problems He built two more machines to test the accuracy of his 45-page plans which he sells for $80 and includes Cad plans visuals and materials lists      My goal is to help the builder create an efficient trouble-free excavating machine with easily accessible parts The machine is extremely economical to build and operate Green says     No special tools are required Just a welder and something to cut steel Green uses a chop saw     Green notes that his $1 800 cost is based on purchasing all new material but resourceful farmers may have many of the parts on hand For example the bucket is made out of a 20-lb propane tank     A video on Green s website shows the backhoe in action     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup The Greens Machines and Cycles P O Box 441 Cedar Ridge Calif 95924 www thegreens machines com

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