Extra-dig modification on my backhoe, maybe a mad project to far!!!

[Rob]

Hi all,
I'm planning on doing some long overdue land drainage work shortly in an attempt to help our water logged property during the winter period.
I'm going to be using my recently rebuild lewis 200 backhoe fitted to my B8200 for the work.
Working Space andvery limited access is a factor so the above method is prefered over larger equipment, and the loader factor is a key part of the work when combined with the backhoe.
Anyway , my question to you all is this.
I would really like some additional reach on the backhoe for use when clearing debris etc from our lake, i am thinking about fabricating an extending section for the dipper arm , a telescopic section fitted within the dipper.
This would need to be hydraulically operated to provide additional reach when required, many larger excavators have such dippers ( JCB certainly do ).
I will need to fabricate a new main dipper to start with, but what sort of extend/retract system would be best to use for the inner section etc.
I was thinking of using a foot mounted pedal to be able to operate it simutanously when using the other controls.
Any thoughts on this mad idea folks, or is it just that, a mad idea....

cheers
rob

 

[kubotasam]

Sounds like a great idea. I would like a little extra reach om my backhoe at times. Can't wait to see your work!!

 

[chim]

Like this?

http://www.ehow.com/video_5773525_use-extendahoe-backhoe.html

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Me personally I've seen wayyy to many broken dipper sticks from the extend-a-hoe where people over load them and snap them in half. I say this because I used to drive trucks for a local New Hollan dealer and I carried in to many backhoes with busted booms.

 

[Wildfire]

I have to agree with Eric on this one. Just to risky. They can crack. I welded up a Cat excavator just a few weeks ago becuase of a crack in it's boom.

The other thing is when you extend it you'll loose lift capacity and I doubt it would even lift the dipper stick.
I remember years ago, the company I worked for had a little John Deere back hoe. I think it was a 310A. Anyway it had the extend a boom and it was a great feature but once you extended to boom and filled the hoes bucket you'd have to retract the boom to lift the bucket out of the hole. It was a great little machine and fun to operate though.

 

[gpreuss]

Years ago I put another arm in my K650 backhoe to give me extended reach. If I remember correctly, it was about 30", extended out straight from the boom arm, with about 90 degree rotation. It looked just like the dipperstick arm. I bolted a valve on the side of the control console to operate it.
The arm worked Great! I used it while digging foundations for my house, ditching water, phone and electric lines, and landscaping. The extra reach was terrific. I don't recall any particular negatives to it.
One day I left the bucket down on something and drove the tractor away, and bent the cylinder rod into a lazy J. I took the extension back off, as I was finished with most of the backhoe work. Then, after years of being a wall decoration in my barn, I used it as part of the weight and 3 point structure in my ballast box.