1023 finally getting it's backhoe this week!

You won't need it often, but when you do, you're gonna be glad you got it and your back will thank you! Until you get a feel for it, you'll experience rather jerky operation. Start out at idle and move your way up in RPM as you get used to it. I usually run at about half throttle. Because of the small'ish hydraulic pump on these units, running two backhoe functions at once is really hard until you learn how to "feather" the control levers just so. I plan on updating the pump and diverter valve this fall (hydrosplus.com) for smoother, faster operation. Watch some of their videos and you'll see what I'm talking about. Enjoy your new toy,,, err,,, I mean TOOL!

Thanks for the advice Myasis, I have watched the hydrosplus videos from here on GTT. I also have a fair amount of experience on equipment, I ran a highlift for 5 years processing coal, ran a large Cat backhoe there, and I've been on some other machines over the years, so I have a pretty good feel for the levers =-) I'm sure there will be a learning period for this machine as every machine is a little different, but I feel I should adjust and be alright with it pretty quickly. I'll be spending some time just digging a hole and filling it back up a few times before moving on to the projects I have planned lol.

I think I’m in love! I got it home and caught up on the mowing, then I got to dig out some roots from a cluster of small trees that I cut off a few years ago! Love it, love it, love it!

Just remember, it's a backhoe ATTACHED to a tractor, not a purposed built machine like the Cat you operated. One thing that drives me nuts as a tech at a dealership, is when Joe Homeowner gets a backhoe on his tractor and right away thinks he has a 710D. I have seen some come in treated well, and I have seen others come in as a mess. Learn the limitations of your equipment.

JDJake said:

Just remember, it's a backhoe ATTACHED to a tractor, not a purposed built machine like the Cat you operated. One thing that drives me nuts as a tech at a dealership, is when Joe Homeowner gets a backhoe on his tractor and right away thinks he has a 710D. I have seen some come in treated well, and I have seen others come in as a mess. Learn the limitations of your equipment.

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Appreciate the reality check hehe. I do understand it's not a mini excavator or full sized backhoe, but it's way stronger than a spade shovel and my back! Honestly, even with purposed built equipment there are plenty of people who beat up their machines in order to try to save a couple minutes. I however am the guy that drives 48 in a 55 because after all it's a speed limit not a speed minimum. I'd rather chip away at something than risk a breakdown, and it took 7 years to get the wifey on board with it so I've gotta take care of it!

And the real fun begins !!!!

congrats !!

I also had to wait for the finance dept to get on board....

lucky for me she sprung for the trade-in of our 2014 and a purchase of a new 2021 1025R & backhoe...

ERIC14779 said:

And the real fun begins !!!!

congrats !!

I also had to wait for the finance dept to get on board....

lucky for me she sprung for the trade-in of our 2014 and a purchase of a new 2021 1025R & backhoe...

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a shiny new 2021! congrats!!!

Prospect84 said:

Appreciate the reality check hehe. I do understand it's not a mini excavator or full sized backhoe, but it's way stronger than a spade shovel and my back! Honestly, even with purposed built equipment there are plenty of people who beat up their machines in order to try to save a couple minutes. I however am the guy that drives 48 in a 55 because after all it's a speed limit not a speed minimum. I'd rather chip away at something than risk a breakdown, and it took 7 years to get the wifey on board with it so I've gotta take care of it!

Click to expand...

Another thing, watch your stabilizers, Had three machines come in with the stabilizer cylinders marked up, nicked, or gouged. People throw dirt and/or rocks on them without even thinking twice. Seals and piston shafts add up quick when they need replaced.

So I've dug up 3... I guess I'll call them root "clusters" with the new 260B. Sorry I didn't take pictures... These were like a cluster of 15 or so small 1"-2" trees with a total of about a 16" to 18" diameter base, that I cut them all off about 10" off the ground a couple years ago, then sprayed them with roundup each year to make sure they didn't grow back... I have tried unsuccessfully many times with the front bucket to dig up the roots and level these areas out so I didn't have to mow around them, because that's just a pain in the butt! Well I had a little time this weekend, and I wanted to play with my new toy, I mean tool.... So I went after these first. I was really impressed with how quickly and easily I was able to dig this up with the backhoe. It did require a little "working at it" with starting out away from the main root system and breaking out some of the outstretching roots first, but really within less than 30 minutes each, I was able to dig the entire cluster of roots out, grab a bucket of dirt from my topsoil pile and smooth it up!

So then I decided to tackle two small tree stumps that were about 6" in diameter at the base of the tree. Both took a little more effort but were no match for the 260B! So I have 5 less things to mow around now!

This week, maybe starting on it tonight, I'm going to tackle a larger tree stump, this tree has been dead for many years and I'm pretty sure the above ground stump will bust off and fall apart at this point. It was a pretty good size tree though so I'll be curious to see if the 260B can tackle it! I will definitely update with pictures before, during, and hopefully after I get that big guy out of the ground! Those of you who told me I would love it were not lying! As a 7 year owner of this 1023e it still never fails to amaze me!

Don’t hate me for forgetting the before pictures, but this is a mid project picture of the stump I dug out this evening!

Some updates on the backhoe projects. This one is one of the two projects that helped justify the cost of the 260B backhoe to my CFO aka wife. Putting in a french drain, I know I didn't get it in the picture, but in the picture that's finished clear up to the wall, that wall is where my downspout comes down, and runs down that side of my house. I was starting to get water in the basement and I think the downspout water running right around the corner and down the side of the house is the main culprit. I'm going to run the downspout into it's own solid pipe and Y it into the other pipe a couple feet from the bottom so it's a single discharge. The 1023e made pretty short work of this project. it's total about 60 feet long, and I went about 3 feet deep, I have a nice natural fall in the yard so that part was easy. Took me about 3-4 hours of digging, which would have probably been under 3, but I had a water line near the top of the ditch to find. I found it AND the cable line without damaging either so that was a total win!