Hello all, I just purchased a 710b Deere for clearing, trenching, digging and general ranch work. I am not an experienced operator and could use some advise. I have selected about 13 acres of the ranch to start clearing for the houses/buildings/etc... My first goal is to clear it and fence out the livestock from this area. This property is in the heart of South Texas Brush Country. After clearing about one acre I have to admit I'm a butcher. I have dug out ripples in the earth and probably have as much dirt in my burn pile as I do brush. Any advice on my technique? Thanks, Taggert
when you push with the bucket, hold it as flat as possible, the steeper the pitch the deeper you dig. You could als try clearing and grubbing with the hoe, working your way through, and then coming back with the bucket to push up piles. It sounds like you have a pretty large area to work with for just one backhoe, but if your patient you can get the results you want.
Thanks, for the help. It all starts when I hit a bush that bends over. I back up and drop the loader down more. That creates a divit and from there forward the Tractor rides up and down those divits causing me to adjust the loader more and making the problem worse. Taggert
Clearing brush with a backhoe is very tedious because of what you have already found out. I would honestly rent a dozer with a brush rake and get your stuff cleared out then use the hoe for other things. It will take a long time to get things cleared cleanly with the backhoe. You'll be amazed at how much topsoil you end up "wasting" by not cleanly clearing brush. That's just my .02.
Or get yourself a grapple rake for the front of the machine. It will do a much better job of grubbing and will be a lot handier for moving the brush when it's loose. You'll need an auxiliary hydraulic line to the front.
So it sounds like I'm not doing something wrong here, I'm just using the wrong tool for the job. I'll look into building a rake for my loader or renting a dozer. Next question. Now that I have an acre that looks like the martian surface anyone have any pointers on smoothing it out with the Backhoe? I don't think my loader has a float position. How would you do it with the tools I have? Thanks for the reply's so far, taggert
Backblade it... easiest way to smooth out a surface with a backhoe. Set your loader bucket level and on the ground then uncurl the bucket just a tad and pull the material back. To grade it smooth you will have to go one way then the other like a grid. Good luck!
Backblade would be the best like Pecord Exc said.