I asked in the track loader forum but didn't get a response so I think here might be more appropriate. I need to fix a loose swing tower bushing. I have to remove the backhoe from the swing post to see what it requires. I'd like to keep the hoe complete with the rotary swing cylinder attached. The pins are above and below and inline with the rotary swing cylinder. I'm wondering the best/easiest way to support the boom, etc. so I can move it away enough to get at the bushings. Backhoe is a Cat 5G2150 on a 931B but is similar to a JD 9300 hoe. I think most hoes would be similar.
A gantry crane would be ideal. I always wanted one. A tractor with a loader. Not quite as stabil tho. My son-in-law has a bucket truck with auger on it. It also has a hoist on it that would easily handle a backhoe boom.
I want to do swing tower bushings too. Best I came up with was: lay out the stick & boom. Block up the swing tower end. Disconnect hoses and pins... move machine away. Use something to hold the boom & stick upright. It would be disaster if the hoe toppled over. I did this to replace the boom bushings. Should have done it all back then. Any other suggestions for the backyard mechanic ?
I had a complete backhoe removed from the tractor and it (the BH) tipped over. I never knew until then how far oil will squirt out of disconnected stabilizer hoses. A lot of the oil found it's way to me ! I up-righted it with an engine hoist. I was working on it (the tractor) alone and was in no danger of getting hurt by the bh. Under the right conditions an engine hoist would probably work for you Welder Dave.
I put the stick all the way out with the bucket fully dumped. Shop has a gravel floor so teeth went in a little. Then I put a couple jack stands on either side of the boom close to the swing post and put a 4x4 beam across them. I read your old thread Tinkerer where you used an engine crane so I did that as well as put a hyd. jack under the swing post. I took one of the pins out of the torque tube on the rotary cylinder and the 2 hoses off it so I could hopefully just slide it over without disconnecting all the hoses. Had to get a little inventive to get the 2-1/2" pins out but got them out. Used a pry bar and the swing post slid over a bit. Tapped the hyd. jack underneath and it slid across the 2x10 it was on. Got everything apart and the hoe seems stable. It is above the bottom swing mount (just moved over from center about 5") if the engine crane or jack creeps down and has the 4x4 post on the jack stands as a backup. I don't think it will fall over but stranger things have happened. Pins had a lot of play and bushings weren't too tight in the housing. Top bushing had slid down about 1/4" is why I took it apart. I had ripped the mount right off and had to weld it back together several years ago. Looking online I found split tension bushings work where the bore may be slightly oversize so am going to get some and see what new pins will cost to have made. Apparently split tension bushings are commonly used on hydraulic cylinder ends. Way cheaper than welding and line boring. Will tolerate up to .006" oversize bore. Vogelsang is another brand. http://www.connexusa.com/HTML/Principle.html