Has anybody ever worked their backhoe on a steep angle with or with out a problem? I'd like to hear what everybody had to deal with at one time... I'd hate to blow up my backhoe as I drive up hill going backward at around a 25º to maybe a 30º slope (guessing) ....I'm building a steep driveway to access the back yard, about 12 feet off the back of the house the ground goes up to a second floor elevation, about a 14 foot jump up, so as I go up I'm pulling up soil that I piled up at the base and leveling it out in front of me, which is the rear end of the backhoe, so far I've had no problem but I'm concerned. I'm worried about things, like if the sump in the engine is sucking in some air and might be starving a little for oil... and same goes for the hydraulics...
Generally, shouldn't the machine be designed to cope with strange working conditions?:my2c
Sort of what I thought. I've been working on very steep lake banks with my backhoe and had no problems whatsoever. I figure thats why it holds 4 gallons of motor oil instead of the 5 quarts like my pickup truck. So it can find enough lube oil in any direction.
It would be a slow task trying to pull dirt uphill . Get behind it and push it uphill and then backdrag back down the hill to spread it . Once you have the desired thickness and fairly level back drag it with the loader in the float position to smooth it out . Leave the hoe bucket off and ad water to the front tyres if it's a little light in the steering .
start on the top and push it down hill, like you would a stock pile! cut you're slope to grade as you fill you're way down the slope. stay out of the same tracks that you went in last. This will help to compact the fill as you work. dump two loads at the top, get a full bucket and spread the first pile with you're full bucket then dump leaving you're self a berm. continue until you are finished. as far as slopes, 15 degrees is you're maximum working angle for long term operation's.
Well, I don't know about your backhoe in particular, but it is normal here for hoe's to dig down 2:1 slopes, which is about 23 degrees. I have a small JD diesel in a pump that can be set as steep as 30 degrees with no problems. Cat specs allow for operation on up to 45 degrees without overfilling the engine on MOST machines, according to the spec books. Not trying to be smart, but your backhoe won't climb a 30 degree slope under its own without using the boom to push or pull it. I have never had an oil problem on anything that did not require a winch cat to hold you up on the slope.
All good input, thanks.... I forgot to say the ground elevation I'm working my way up to is all land locked by stone walls and other property owners with homes and yards, its one big hill my property in back, and all the land in back of my small property lot is one big slope, so no access for any vehicle, all virgin soil to vehicles. I did first try to pile dirt on my way up hill with the loader, that was my 1st plan until I tried it, like back blading and bringing up loads as I needed it, but it never happened because I stayed on my two rear wheels the entirely whole time... Its not really a big project, about a full days work with a loader or dozer..... so I have 1.5 day into it already and its just about done, except for the last 20 feet of this 70 foot long dirt access way .... my JD 310c packed it down very nice, I can be about 1.5 to 2 feet from the edge and its all solid, plus with the prior hard rain it didn't wash away any part of it. Geeeze! I didn't even think of at least trying to take off the rear bucket, its even a Wainroy quick disconnect too! I can have it off in under 30 seconds. But it was really dancing hard on the rear wheels.... I'm talking I was not even able to back blade a pile of Rice...
I;ve done that rear tire dance a few times. It isn't fun. Back to the question though. I haven't had any problems with oil working on steep slopes yet, pretty much if it'll drive up it under its own wheel power I've worked on it.
Try keeping most of a bucket of dirt in the front bucket to keep it down in front as well as taking the rear bucket off. Also, if it does not create side to side issues, swing the boom all the way right or left, as that moves the weight forward. Just watch out for side slopes, and make sure it is swung to the uphill side if there is one. One more thing, if you can get up the hill to backdrag, set your bucket flat down on the ground, and use it to put a little down pressure on the front bucket so it will actually do something. Keep in mind these are advanced tactics, and should not be used unless you have a good feel for your maching, and its balance points, or you could end up starring in someones safety film.
Jerry, what is it you say you have a pump you can set at 30º in your JD diesel? Is that something like a sump pick up you set the angle in the oil pan? Thats interesting to learn about, I'm going to see what I have. I'm noticing as I drive backwards and forward up this hill I'm at the limits of this backhoe, it's getting traction in both directions, I almost have to add weight to the loader when going up hill so not to be so light in front... Like you say Jerry 30º might be a little too much of an angle I was saying I was driving up, but it has to be pretty close to that.... Just a thought came to mind, a good thing to keep in mind is the part of the world your in with the way the soil lets you work and climb and the angle limits... you either slip and slide and spin your wheels going up and down steep hills, or you get traction on steep hills and need to watch you don't tip forward or backward... so with the soil all over the world being composed of different aggregate making up the soils composition as such, like with how soft and hard it can ever get with in it's natural element, and when touched by man, I see them two conditions being the only two limits of most machines.... Like with my top soil in my part of CT. it can get packed down pretty hard when always driven on, pretty close to like trap rock or the process rock thats used for an under layment when paving a roadway because it gets hard like concrete.... or if I stop driving on it its amazing on how fast it can go from a hard non-slip surface to soft dirt in a few years. If I decide to keep this dirt ramp to drive on rather than a walk way access I'll mix process rock in with the soil making it stay so hard I'll pop wheelies before loosing traction...
What machine or machines have you been using a lot on steep slopes and such?
Sorry for the confusion on the pump thing. I am talking about a diesel powered water pump, for filling tankers with. It is a screw pump, with the engine inline, and you tip it into the water, so the engine is running on about a 30 degree angle all the time.
All good stuff.... I am going to try this when I'm done connecting to the flat area I'm working towards, I want to fine tune this "so called" dirt ramp or road way because its going to stay, I might chip away at the width a little so you can't drive a car but still get up there to cut the lawn and use the yard. The way you say to do this sounds perfect.... as far as having a feel for my machine to do this I have a tremendous respect for this backhoe, I find myself always taking a time out to look at this and that so not to have anything go wrong or put my self in danger... especially catching a huge root or rock with the hoe that don't move and the machine jumps to the side, where I don't have no more than a few feet on the one side to jump towards before I roll over, there is a stone wall on the other side so at least I'm safe on the one side.... and I put the seat belt on when I go up there and work at a snails pace, I have a roll bar protection inside the glass cab. I'm in no hurry to do this and enjoy taking my time.... this forum has given me so much good info as a beginner, I must have at least 150 hours in on this machine and feel like I've been doing this for years with everybody's help, but I'm not fooling my self thinking mistakes are far apart...
Ive never heard or seen any problems. A friend gave me an ear full the day I was running their brand new Deere 310SJ. The machine was sitting forward and he claimed with it not being level it would starve the bearings in the rear of the motor from oil?
That's why there is an oil pump isn't it?
Not trying to be smarmy in the previous post just lightly cheeky. and a teeny bit sarcastic. and sounds like someone is thinking of a different kind of engine.
:exactly I was thinking the same thing
We've dug on some pretty steep slopes before with 580 Case hoes (like creek banks for pipeline creek crossing) and have had to hook a dozer or winch truck onto the front bucket numerous time, without ever having oil starvation issues.
No 2 machines are alike so I go by an old adage my Dad used to tell me when I was a mere pup wet behind the ears---basically he said something like this---''the limit of steepness of a slope that a backhoe should be on is dependant not as much as the rig's ability to overcome fluid loss but on the operator's.IOW---you **** your pants--it's too steep!!!!!!