Mistake? Harbor Freight Trencher/Backhoe Problems in the first 6 months…..

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2023 and My Harbor Freight Trencher….. Did I make a mistake with this almost $4k purchase? I’m having 4 issues currently and would love to hear some feed back on how to fix the problems.

#harborfreight #backhoe #trencher
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For the hose rubbing issue, I had the same problem.. they make a protective hose wrap which you could get and put on the houses in all the areas that may be a potential wear spot. Or to save $ you could just get an old piece of water hose, cut it to length, splice it down the middle, slip it over the hose areas needed, and zip tie it in place.
For hydraulic leak at the filter, you may have other leaks to happen also where the Chinese used Teflon tape. That is the wrong kind of seal tape and I don't know why they didn't use the correct tape at the factory. Hydraulic oil will break down the Teflon tape and cause a leak. You need the yellow tape which is made for gas and oils. It won't break down and cause leaks. So, I suggest that you replace ALL the white Teflon tape on the entire trencher with the correct yellow tape.
For the pin holes being egg shaped, replace all those bent pins with straight pins the same size. The bent on allows it to wobble which causes I it to deform the holes. A straight pin prevents that from happening. Many people have had the same issues with the factory bent pins and most all changed over to the straight pins.
The predator engines are very reliable, I suggest that you do at least keep a tarp over the engine when not using it to help keep moisture from getting into the engine.
I saw you other video you posted about your original bucket and even commented on it. You did not abuse the machine, it was/is a factory defect.. the Chinese steel is not as strong as ours plus they do not make the best welds. I've had to grind out and reweld some areas on mine. The Chinese welds have a lot of undercut and lack of penetration.
About hose fittings and bolts not being fully tightened, I had that same issue also. I suggest giving your trencher a thorough going over to make for sure that all of your hose connections and bolts are all tightened down properly. I found many of the pre-assembled bolts and hoses on mine that were NOT fully tightened, including the engine mounting bolts.
So, take preventative measures on your trencher to ensure you have good service out of it! And remember, keep everything lubed. There is no such thing as too much grease!
I love mine! It might work slow, but you can do almost any job with it!

beardedprepper
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To prevent excessive wear to your hydraulic lines have you considered sheathing the bundle of lines with a section of old radiator hose? This trick saved me many line replacements when I had a JD 400 backhoe. I would split the radiator hose once lengthwise for ease of installation and secure the sheathing with duct tape or zip ties outside of the wear/rub area. When the sheath showed considerable wear the replacement was cheap and easy. Individual lines can be sheathed using garden hose sections. I never worried about covering the full diameter of the hydraulic line just used duct tape to retain the hose sections on the wearing side. I have seen units where this was done using only dust tape but in practice, the fix didn't last nearly as long but sufficed as a field expedient. I have also seen hose clamps used to secure the protective sheath, DON'T do this, the hose clamps always cut through at the worst possible times (and being showered with hot hydraulic fluid is no fun).
To address the assembly pins wobble you could use a grade 8 bolt and an aircraft/nylon lock nut. This will slow assembly/disassembly but should end the wobble.
For hydraulic oil leaks, I always wrapped the threads with plumber's tape (PTFE) or used pipe dope. On a couple of trouble spots the addition of an O ring (or thicker O ring where one was already in place) solved my leaks. ( Nitrile O rings will last much longer.)
Last but not least splits and cracks in the buckets (or arms) are very common on all digging units, If you look at any unit used commercially you will find welded reinforcing plates on virtually every unit. It's a sign of working the unit beyond the rated capacity. It's not just a Chinese steel problem, it happens to all of them. The solution is to use less force or buy a welder and keep a stash of scrap steel on hand (sorry but that's just the nature of the beast).
Thanks for your honest review as I am considering the purchase of one of these units.

Dan-hiil
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Good video! Others have already given solutions for the "hose rubbing". So, what I did for the pins wearing out the holes is just replace them with some straight pins. I've been running straight pins in mine for six years and the holes are still good. You're off to a good start, I'll be following along.

DoubleMFarmHomestead
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I switched to straight tractor pins on the outriggers that radius on the bent pins tears the hole open.

unemployedredneckhillbilly
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Stationary brackets that weld to the machine With rubber mounts and bolt on clamps !
Increase the size of your pins on your out riggers Along with thick top and bottom Circle plates for the larger pins..
Install a new oil filter making sure you put a little oil on the rubber seal before installing!
Reinforce your new bucket on the bottom and sides before mounting it back in place..
Just a little tip from Massey Welding and Services in Wilsonville Al.
Keep in mind always work safely!
🇺🇸💯🇺🇸😎

carlmassey
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Hydro hoses: pull slack toward the valve in all of them, cable tie in a bundle at least until it clears that ring guide when swung fully in opposite direction.

rwg
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Tractor supply has pins the have a collar on them that will prevent the oblong wallowing. We just trashed out bucket did the same thing. Unfortunately ours it out of warranty. And the ring on the hoses. That’s a new one. I need to check ours out and see if it’s doing that to ours. They make a sleeve that will go over all the hoses and protect them. You would have to disconnect all the hoses and put the protector sleeve on it I think. All tractors companies have them. May have one at tractor supply.

joeysowell
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You are on the right track with the oblong holes...as for the leak...try some hydraulic pressure rated thread tape...seems to work in many scenarios..
I work for a rental shop that rents everything from a skilsaw all the way to a cat 235b ...lots of hydraulic problems i have to deal with...especially being rental machines..people seem to abuse it more if they dont own it

rickysmith
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Heavy duty Zip ties criss crossed @ supporting ring but not pulled to tight. Great video. 👍

martinadams
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I'd just use a couple of big zip ties and bundle those hoses loosely. You could also wrap some good duct tape around them, like polyken or another quality gaffers tape. I am not sure why they need to be held in place right there. I guess I'd have to see it. If they drooped a bit it shouldn't matter.

danhillman
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You can ask the shop to make a bucket for you using the xingling as a model and make it with stronger steel so you know will fit on your machine.

celmonico
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We have the same one. Cylinders had issues, motor hard to start, and had to reinforce the metal upright that holds the controls and pivot. Good unit. Does do hard work

paintingandlife
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I myself would reinforce the bucket after buying since China steel is softer than the states, renifirce any area needed,

robertduncan
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Find a piece of old fire hose and wrap the hoses in and that should help with the wear on that . The filter may be leaking somewhere else and just heading to the lowest point, maybe check the o ring, my tractor did that and it took forever to find it. Great video, thanks for sharing.

sherwooddunn
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A simple solution for the outrigger pins is to put them in the other way around (with cotter pin on top; bend underneath).

PPW-
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Thanks, I'm haulin' ass to go buy mine

USMC-Sniper-
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For the hose damage issue at that "O" ring, what I would do. is go to your local auto-parts store and buy a straight radiator hose that you can wrap around those hoses and to keep them from wearing away at those screw connections. I would simply cut the hose down its length and drop the hydraulic hoses into the radiator hose. Then put the hose into the O-ring and that should protect them from wearing down so fast. You can put a couple of radiator clamps around the outer hose to keep everything secure, but that should help. If you see it doesn't then remove it and try spread those hoses apart and secure them in some other manner. Hope that helps!

Calixj
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My issues have been a cracked outrigger, (underneath), the center bucket tooth bent down. That Predator engine is a one pull wonder. Good video, thanks.

patrickcreath
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Have a home built backhoe similar to that. I use a lot pool noodles' that are larger so the hoses slight inside of them. where that ring is would bolt a large short piece of pvc pipe and taper the ends.

Jack-gonr
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Your hoses are rubbing because you don't have them routed properly. They all thouldve been routed through the frame as the others under the controls have. You will have less rubbing on the bolts from the ring.

As for the pins ovaling out the holes, that is a well documented problem. Best to not even use them and just replace with T pins from Tractor Supply from the beginning.

nicholasproietto