I have a friend of a friend willing to transport a hoe i bought. It's a 40k trailer so it's well big enough, but with ramps and not being a low boy, the previous owner is concerned about the weight on the rear. All the hoe weight is behind the rear axle by a foot or so and he's nervous about driving up a ramp 2' and not tilting back with no weight in the bucket. I was thinking about loading the bucket with rocks or something as a ballast, but I'm just not sure. The hauler says he can load it no problem, the PO is concerned about someone dying from a flipped hoe. I've never been involved in moving anything this heavy.
Yes, the front on a typical backhoe can lift up pretty easily in that position. If it will go up backwards (enough traction, hoe clears the ramps) that might be safer. Obviously I'd trust the hauler more than the previous owner, but it wouldn't take long at all to load and unload 1,000lbs of rocks from the bucket either.
That sounds like the best bet to me. It might go up backwards but i'm not sure, depends on how steep the ramps are. I'll look for something heavy to put in the bucket.
Or help yourself up with the rear hoe it shouldnt be to difficult
The hoe can be helpful, either to push, or just as a wheelie bar to keep you from going over any farther. But without brakes I'd want to be in low gear and not stop. Makes a little difference if it has a reverser that you can shift to reverse to go back down slow instead of freewheeling backwards. Another option to consider is pulling backwards with the hoe and a chain if you want absolute control.
Point the trailer slightly uphill when loading. Don't worry about the backhoe tipping unless you have ridiculously steep ramps. Go slow and take your time, keep the front bucket low and curl the hoe in as tight as possible.
Ended up backing on. Going on forward the backhoe bottomed out. It's a farm tractor with backhoe attachment. Glad it happened that way, because coming off the trailer iwth no brakes, i'd have been terrified going backwards rolling. Now I know, if I EVER move a machine without brakes again, back it up, because rolling off forward is much better than rolling off backwards.