The tough thing for me would be getting the hoe over there. Yes, I have the trailer pictured above, but the vehicle to tow it with the hoe onboard is...well... the term POS comes to mind, and that's being generous. Can't use the F250 for that heavy a load (backhoe and trailer come in at 14K+) so I have to tow it with our dump truck, a '73 Cornbinder cabover with a 345 gas engine. It's supposed to have a 392 but the PO replaced it with the 345 as it only ran on 7 cylinders when he got it. The PO to him had cracked a cylinder, so he pulled the piston, cut off the big end of the rod and clamped it back on the crank, took off the rockers and pushrods for that cylinder and then filled the cylinder with plaster or something to seal it up.

The end result of the 345 transplant is that the thing is totally gutless. With the hoe in place it's pushing 28K GVW and the little engine just can't handle that. Won't maintain 55 (or even 50) on the flat, and as for hills, forgeddaboudit! I can see a trip to your place taking the better part of two days!

It really needs a turbo DT466 but the truck isn't worth spending the time or money on.

 

Will travel anywhere for BBQ and beer!...but in reality, mine will probably never leave the place, unless something happens to it I can't fix.

Heck, I don't even have a trailor to haul it, nor a truck big enough to haul it, even if I had a trailor.

 

Mike, I thought you told your wife the back hoe was so you could make a bit extra replacing trees in the groves. . . . . . . .

I tell Liz the same sort of stories!

 

Well, ya...had to justify it for her I'll dig a few wind blown tree in the orchrads close by...but hey...brings up a point.

"Honey, do you know how much I could make if we bought a truck and trailor to haul this thing?"

Hmmnn...