I am purely novice and my uses are mainly private. Are there any larger than compact tractors with removeable hoes? The hoe end is secondary to the loader and I would like to find a used unit of some kind with 3 point and pto too, cab would be nice. I would like a machine that has industrial integrity not just a compact wanna be. Maybe I am dreaming but any suggestions would be appreciated.
Have you looked at the kubota L35, 48 & m59 Only other one might be a jcb 210. None of which will compete evenly against a 580 or 310
:waving:wavingThe answer I gave you at the other site still stands. This is a better site for your answer to this I will tell you.
How about an old one? Old Case "B, C" backhoes have removeable hoes. They also have a type of 3 point made for them but they weren't the standard CAT 1, 2, or 3 size. These are good old backhoes and would be a great tractor with work adapting/making a 3 point. Good luck. Paul
I have an older Case with the removable hoe (580 CK). It is recommended that if you remove the hoe and say you just want to use the loader without the hoe hanging back there, you should hang a counter weight on the back of the machine. There is a huge counter weight on the front of the machine that makes the front end awfully heavy without the hoe hanging back there. Taking the hoe off and trying to use the loader is almost impossible because you don't have traction. Don't know if this is true for the other brands and models mentioned but it is for the 580 CK.
We have an old Ford (now New Holland) 445 commercial loader with a Bradco backhoe attachment. They are still available and have all the compliments of an Ag tractor, 3 point hitch and PTO. I've never taken the hoe off, but I'd imagine it could be done in an hour or so. It comes with a sub frame that attaches to the loader sub frame. As orville mentioned, you need a counterweight if you're going to use the loader without an attachment out back.
Case up to and including the E series, and Deere up to and including the C series are removable I believe. Hydraulic PTO units are available for these older machines, but would be spendy I bet to retrofit.
Yes, they do get light in the tail when the hoe is set off. But the 'mod hitch' to connect any 3 point implements weighs quite a bit, upwards of 800lbs I would guess. I have one for my B and while I have not weighed the hitch, I hauled back from Georgia and they a lot heavier than you think. That together with a 84" (the width you need to cover the tires) box blade and it works well. The mod hitches are kind of hard to find in my experience. It makes for a really nice setup, a regular sized backhoe to get some work done and a box blade or other implement when you need just the tractor and loader. As the prior poster stated, I used to rent a smaller Kubota backhoe-loader, L35 I think, maybe larger. It was a toy compared to a 580. Dave
We used to run Ford 4500's, (same config as a 545) as a backhoe one day and box scraper the next. A couple of hyd lines and some big nuts that tension the latches. The "modern" version is the Ford 765 backhoe attachment...
I just bought a 545D and have a thread on it. Any information on what model backhoe and sub frame will work would be greatly appreciated. I am looking at a hoe off of a 4500 tractor this week.