Can the Harbor Freight Towable Backhoe Dig in Hard Packed Dry Arizona Soil? (Central Machinery)

I use my Harbor Freight (Central Machinery) Stand-Alone Towable Backhoe Trencher to dig post holes nearly 4 feet deep for a railroad tie retaining wall I’m building in my back yard. It’s digging in very hard packed virgin dirt and does an ok job at digging the hole in under 20 minutes. I just want to answer the question as to whether or not the Harbor Freight Backhoe can dig in hard rocky dry dirt as many people question it or believe it doesn’t do well.

#backhoe #harborfreight #excavation #trencher

[LivingtheSmallTownLife]

Who would have thought that my neighbor is a YouTube star! Now I'm going to have to make my yard look nice so it's a good background for you.

[davekolp]

Looks like it is doing better than I thought!

[williamcunningham]

There is a few mods for these that are worth trying for your usage. Swap your long and short links for the bucket around that makes the bucket teeth out further for deeper digging easier, then there is a post here about making a set of tires and wheels for the digging end that fold up, makes towing better and dont have to keep moving the wheels front to back. I just made a tube that fits over the center tooth of the bucket and at the right angle fits around a 1-7/8 ball to tow it from the bucket end with my zero turn mower ball just move the outriggers all the way in and a good thumb is indespensible but beware of the Mytee one it is not designed very well at all.

[beardedprepper]

The HF Trencher is definitely worth it! You can do almost any kind of job one needs to do. It can't compare to an actual backhoe or excavator. It may work slow, but it WILL get the job done!

[USMC-Sniper-]

What is this, the battle of the fences???

[GeoBurdo]

Algorithm!

This thing is pretty cool. I don't really have a use for it but I could see landscapers using it for garden beds and things

[stevedaff]

I have owned one of these for the last three years and I have gotten a ton of work done with it. For a machine that costs around $3500, it's amazing. It's not fast, and crab walking/towing it are a bit tedious, but it can get the job done. It doesn't have the breakout force (ability to dig through harder surfaces) of a Kubota U17 or Bobcat E20, both of which costs 10 times more. I find that wetting the harder pack dirt the night before, makes it easier to break through the surface with the HF trencher.

[birchfieldfarming]

…watching this wondering if keeping it hit hitched to a truck would mitigate the unit moving around while digging. Plus couldn’t I in theory have another person driving the truck while I trenched? Then what about filling in? Almost need a blade on a tractor. (Looking to do a bit of field tile). Thanks for this video!🤠

[matthewmcmahon]

Would a Bucket attachment with very sharp digging edge instead of teeth work for troublesome roots?

[beardedprepper]

Is your bucket curl to break up and dig through the hard stuff! The bucket curl cylinder is stronger than the arm cylinder.

[BartzAJohnsonJr]

I know about that bucking ride when you hit the hard stuff. I’m enjoying mine, but it’s a project I hate. Things might get expensive. The light overall weight is one of the few detriments to this model.

[sidrojoe]

Adding a pressure side dampener would help eliminate jerking movements, that would increase the life of the cyl. and boom joint pins.

[FourthWayRanch]

We have cement like caliche as soon as you get 2 feet down

[playbacktri]

Had no clue harbor freight made a little backhoe like this!

[oisiaa]

Way better than a shovel if you have a medium sized job....more fun too!

[Mr_T]

Caliche Soil? If in Arizona like digging in concrete

[jacklabloom]

How deep will these backhoes dig. I have 24 trees blown down from a tornado I want to dig the holes deep enough so when I cut the tree trunks at the brook ball end, the remaining root ball and stump fall back into the holes deep enough so the top of the stump is below ground level. Probably going to need a minimum of 5 feet depth.

[Laserguy]

$2999 right now!! Heck of a deal, just take it easy and it will get er done.

[MysticSpank]

good video. not sped up footage or a bunch of fluff, straightforward narration

[reedsilvesan]

People that think sand is always easy digging have never dug much.