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3-Pt. Mounted Backhoe Powered By Log Splitter
Roger Vatland of Serena, Ill., uses an ordinary log splitter to power his backhoe. He removed the backhoe from an old self-propelled trencher and made 3-pt. brackets to hook up to his Deere 4400 tractor. The log splitter is chained to the tractor’s loader bucket, with quick-connect hydraulic hoses running to the rear-mounted backhoe. He stands on the ground and uses the backhoe’s original controls to operate the rig.
    “It only takes a few minutes to hook up or take off. If I need the loader, I can quickly roll the log splitter out,” says Vatland.
    “The 35hp Deere doesn’t have remote hydraulics. I already had the log splitter so I removed the cylinder and ram and added a pair of hydraulic hoses and quick-connect couplings.”
    He used scrap iron to make the 3-pt. mounting bracket, welding 2 new 2-in. receiver hitches to a crossmember to form the lower lift arms.
    “To operate, I just hook up the quick connect couplers and start the log splitter. I don’t even have to run the tractor so it’s nice and quiet,” says Vatland. “The log splitter hardly uses any gas so it’s economical. I use the backhoe a lot for trenching and burying water lines, and one time I used it to install new piers under an old building.
    “The tractor handles the backhoe well. I was worried about the weight, but it turned out to be a perfect match for the tractor.
    “I already had the log splitter and backhoe. I spent $300 for hydraulic hoses and quick couplings. A new 3-pt. mounted backhoe would cost about $7,000. It might have a little more power and speed, but this is perfect for what I need,” notes Vatland.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Roger Vatland, 3863 E. 20th Rd., Serena, Ill. 60549 (ph 815 792-8492; rogervatland@gmail.com).


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2012 - Volume #36, Issue #4