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Jeff, I rigged up a backhoe on my Oliver OC-46 crawler loader and I use it quite often. It is a very handy tool to have around. I agree with gatractorman, you would want it to be easily removable. Most backhoe attachments are heavy and bulky, and you probably would want to take it off if it wasn't needed. I set mine up with a 2 position selector valve and quick-disconnects on the hoses to divert flow to the hoe when needed. It has a 2 point hitch arrangement that enables me to put the hoe on in less than a minute. A couple of considerations: Confirm pump capacity. Most loaders have enough flow to supply a backhoe, but you may still want to check it. My hoe is fairly small, and it works OK with the 15 GPM the pump puts out. If the hoe was any larger, it would need a 20-plus GPM pump. Be sure the hydraulic systems on the tractor and hoe are compatable. If you have an open-center system on the tractor, you should have open-center valving on the hoe. If you install a selector valve in your existing system, be sure the main relief valve is located where it will protect the system in all conditions. My tractor has an open-center system. Since the selector valve is between the pump and the main valve bank for the loader (where the main relief valve is located), the potential is there to dead-head (and explode) the pump in the event that the selector valve is set to flow oil to the backhoe and the hoses to the hoe are disconnected. To correct this, I installed an inexpensive adjustable relief valve at the selector valve and set this relief valve to open at about 300 psi over the main system pressure. If you end up fabricating mounting brackets, be sure to make them beefy. A backhoe can put tremendous strains on the brackets and for that matter, the whole tractor. Good luck! Scott
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