Self-Contained Home-Built Backhoe

1993 - Volume #17, Issue #1, Page #10

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"I built it because I had trouble getting anyone to come out to do backhoe work on my place," says John Mikulas, Troutville, Va., about his home-built backhoe which he built from scratch.
The self-contained unit is self-powered - no tractor is needed. It has a pair of wheels in back and two stationary feet in front. It pulls itself forward and back with the bucket and, when needed, can be pulled down the road behind a small car. No need for a trailer.
"No special tools were used. Only a welder, a torch, a band saw, a drill press, and a hand drill. Everything was made by hand, even the 14-in. wide bucket, which I patterned after a John Deere bucket because it has the simplest construction," says Mikulas, noting that to make the bucket he cut out the pieces of steel, then used a chain binder to bend the main piece into shape, tack welding it as he went.
He patterned the boom arm after a Ford backhoe and made a model out of wood 2 by 4's before building the real thing in order to get all the dimensions right. The boom will dig a hole down to 7 ft. deep and swivels 160?. It's controlled by three hydraulic cylinders.
The backhoe is powered by a 7 hp. gas engine that belt-drives a hydraulic pump. A reservoir mounts under the operator seat and a bank of four hydraulic valves control boom operation.
Mikulas says he has use the backhoe for all types of chores around his 12-acre homestead including digging a swimming pool, laying pipe and cable, loading dirt, and even lifting shingles up onto a roof. To transport, he moves the wheels from the back of the backhoe to the front and uses a tow hitch at rear. Takes just minutes to switch the wheels - he uses the boom to raise up each side of the backhoe, slip out the wheel and 2 by 4 axle (they come out in one piece) and slip them into axle holes at the base of the boom on the front of the backhoe.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Mikulas, 8836 Little Catawba Creek Rd., Troutville, Va. 24175 (ph 703 992-4758).

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Self-Contained Home-Built Backhoe MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Earth Movers 17-1-10 "I built it because I had trouble getting anyone to come out to do backhoe work on my place," says John Mikulas, Troutville, Va., about his home-built backhoe which he built from scratch. The self-contained unit is self-powered - no tractor is needed. It has a pair of wheels in back and two stationary feet in front. It pulls itself forward and back with the bucket and, when needed, can be pulled down the road behind a small car. No need for a trailer. "No special tools were used. Only a welder, a torch, a band saw, a drill press, and a hand drill. Everything was made by hand, even the 14-in. wide bucket, which I patterned after a John Deere bucket because it has the simplest construction," says Mikulas, noting that to make the bucket he cut out the pieces of steel, then used a chain binder to bend the main piece into shape, tack welding it as he went. He patterned the boom arm after a Ford backhoe and made a model out of wood 2 by 4's before building the real thing in order to get all the dimensions right. The boom will dig a hole down to 7 ft. deep and swivels 160?. It's controlled by three hydraulic cylinders. The backhoe is powered by a 7 hp. gas engine that belt-drives a hydraulic pump. A reservoir mounts under the operator seat and a bank of four hydraulic valves control boom operation. Mikulas says he has use the backhoe for all types of chores around his 12-acre homestead including digging a swimming pool, laying pipe and cable, loading dirt, and even lifting shingles up onto a roof. To transport, he moves the wheels from the back of the backhoe to the front and uses a tow hitch at rear. Takes just minutes to switch the wheels - he uses the boom to raise up each side of the backhoe, slip out the wheel and 2 by 4 axle (they come out in one piece) and slip them into axle holes at the base of the boom on the front of the backhoe. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Mikulas, 8836 Little Catawba Creek Rd., Troutville, Va. 24175 (ph 703 992-4758).

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