YouTube Was Right About My Harbor Freight Backhoe!

[davidt]

I have absolutely zero use for one of these. So, how do I convince my wife that I need one? lol

[redeyetrucker]

Common sense says it's not as good as a full-size backhoe or excavator, but it's better than doing it by hand with a shovel

[larrysherman]

I've had mine for about 6 years now. I've dug water lines, removed overgrown fence rows and tree stumps. I did break a tooth off while trying to leverage out a stump. Do yourself a favor and replace those Bent Pins that go to the outriggers and axels. They tend to wallow out the holes from the motion. I went to our local Tractor Supply and got swivel handle hitch pins with a definite shoulder that sit level above the holes. I also got tired of getting stabbed and snagged on the ends of all the cotter pins and replaced all those with linchpins. A grease gun is your friend too. Great work!

[Captain-Max]

The beauty of the situation is that you came in without unreasonable expectations and the patience to let the machine show you what it is capable of. Win win all around.

[ThomasLeonard]

May not be faster but 2 grand and you own it.
Win win.

[wilburfinnigan]

It beats the hell out of a pick/shovel and wheelbarrel !!!

[edyagger]

I have one and it is like having 3 -4 young Amish man digging for you. Definitely a huge helper.

[prairiefork]

Impressed you read the owner's manual and followed the suggested break-in. 👍

[whitewolf]

one thing to know about the first oil change is that its not going to look used but it might have some metal shaving from the manufacturer.

[nomusicrc]

Great video Thank you for not adding music while you were talking or using the equipment

[viokosovan]

I have owned one of these for about 4 years. I have done an INSANE amount of work on it. I have replaced so much stuff on it. It’s still running. I’m still digging on my 5+ acre property. Still taking down trees, digging up roots, moving stuff. It’s actually incredible the amount of work this thing has done. Only down said is that its a little slow and maneuvering is not the easiest either. But like you said there are some places where it works even better than traditional excavator.

[JustSomeJoe-dprp]

I recently redid a septic field by hand, partly because I'm cheap and partly because I find manual labor cathartic (I don't do much of it in my day-to-day work). But no question, if I had to do it again I would be using one of those! For the price, it doesn't seem like there's a valid criticism to be made.

[htownblue]

That machine punches above its weight class for sure.

[toobad]

This first oil change is important but not because of the oil. The purpose is to dispose of all of the tiny loose metal particles that remained after the machining and assembly processes. The theory is that these particles will be flushed into the filter by the new oil and disposed of during that first oil /filter change. There are also solvents and lubricants that are incompatible with the oil.

These metal shavings and chemicals will cause accelerated wear if allowed to stay inside the engine!

[markfrye]

Harbor Freight has impressed me the last few years. There really are some tools with quality and value. I also like the changes you've made to your video production. You'e getting it down.

[GP-urif]

I bought an old towable backhoe (a Badger, seems to be made by Honda but so old can't get a lot of info). I replaced the leaky Hydraulics/some old lines, put on Predator engine, replaced pump... and so so so worth having. I almost bought the HF one but covid hit and it went on backorder. I am certain I'd be happy with the HF, the overhauled old digger is heavier (can use bigger buckets on it) and overall with repairs cost a little more but these towable diggers work and for ditch digging (what I mainly use it for, have dug over 700 feet of ditches) it is great. Has saved me many thousands at this point.

[howlandexcavating]

I’m an excavation contractor, I really would never have a need for that. But we actually have a septic pumper locally that tows one behind his pumper truck. Seems like an awesome setup to me.

[johngentil]

WOW! Looks like fun. I'm in a nursing home and I want one too!

[DanielDeLoach]

I love mine. I have had comments about it's speed but my reply is always "It is mine, and it is a lot better than a shovel" lol

[bluecollardadventures]

Love the video and the info. 💯 👍👍👍 For wearing a hoodie in the sun, people think I am an idiot for covering up in the summer. I wear hoodies and long sleeves and hoods/hats non stop. I don't mind the sweat and it actually cools you as you sweat into layers. And since I work outside EVERY DAY I think its a good thing to be careful about sun exposure