Do you have a 400 and need a backhoe? If you don't it isn't worth much. 400s are kind of hard to find and were last build 30 plus years ago so they are not common. Attachments for 400s do not fit any other JDs if you are planning on flipping it. Roger

 

I picked up a "project" 400 today. Needs alot of work, its a 1980 model. In the future i will have a need for a backhoe. looks like a deal can be made for $650.
I suppose this is a " whats it worth to you" kinda thing.
I don't think this is a JD400 specific backhoe.

 

The aftermarket back hoes required specific mounts for the various brands of tractors to install. Keeping in mind that the forces acting on the tractors when using a hoe are quite large, mounts can be fabricated to install them on most heavy GTs, even the JD 400.

The outer covering of hydraulic hoses is an abrasion protection. It's appearance has nothing to do with the hose's ability to function hydraulically. The wire braiding under that rubber coating is another story. If it is badly rusted or showing broken wires, replace it.

Unless you can find a direct replacement for a badly rusted rod, it's usually cheaper to replace the cylinder. The bucket cylinder looks like a candidate for replacement. The rod is scrap.

Just the valve set for a small hoe is worth $400-700. if you only paid $650 for the whole thing, you got a bargain.

 

Tudor, thanks for the info and expertise on the hoses and hydraulics and issues with mounting. I bought a front loader from this same individual. He aquired both the loader and 'hoe from the same seller who had both mounted on a jd400 so i'm hoping that mounting will be a little easier than starting from complete scratch.
I'm going to probably pick this up next weekend, what the hay...

 

I will be watching and cheering you on from abroad

 

Nt2 :woohoo1:

 

Just noticed you are in CA, what part?

 

I'd go for it for $500, but even $650 isn't too bad. Looking forward to a full pictorial restoration thread on the tractor and hoe!!!

Mike

 

Well considering a John Deere 400 with a loader and backhoe sells for around $6,000 you did good. Very very rare piece that is worth a ton of money to collectors. I know one member in Utah that would be chomping at the bit to get that thing.

 

Deere332, thats kinda what I figure. The backhoe needs some work but this may be the only realistic opportunity to aquire one. N2Tractors, I'm on the Central Coast, Atascadero,CA to be exact. Where are you?
$650 was all the barganing i could do. I started at $400 and he started at 1K. The good thing about this is that it was never advertised on Craigslist or anything. I just new the guy had it and probably wasn't ever going to do anything with it!

 

Great score! You started lower than I would have dared!

Mike

 

I am in Stockton.

 

It sure looks like a Brantly, and the one rear frame section I can see looks right for a 400. There should be two mount rails that go under the tractor. As Tudor said, the valve set for a hoe is quite expensive. Hopefully it is in decent condition.

 

1969140, thanks for that info. I am hoping that there are mount rails with it. The loader I bought didn't come with the subframe that extended to the rear (axle?). I can only hope this comes with complete mounting steel. Does it attach to the 3pt on the 400 too?

Just did a search and found some pictures of a brantly backhoe that was being restored and mounted to a 400. Looks like this one does have the mounting "stingers" that i need!

 

That is a Brantly for sure. As Deere332 said it is a pretty rare and sought after piece, they just didnt sell a ton of them due to the cost. They are capable of serious work though. That does appear to be Deere mounts as well. That backhoe was offered for a lot of different manufactures back in the day, including Kubota, Simplicity and Bolens as well as Deere. Brantly was known for building very good equipment. Out of all the various loader manufacturers (for garden tractors), the Brantly was the most expensive and considered the nicest to have.

Brantly built two sizes for the Deere side (probably the same for other brands as well), the LD6, which was for the early 300 series, and the LD8 which was for the 400. Yours could be an LD6, but I would imagine its the LD8 (8 foot reach) if it was for a 400.

If it happened to be an LD6, and you dont want it, you have no idea how bad I am dying for one of those.... Utah isnt that far away...

 

Those Brantlys are pretty neat units. They even work well.... Hopefully you can get it home and get it mounted up to the 400.

Here is some encouragement from a show I was at last Fall.

 

Dont encourage him! I want him to sell it to me!!!

 

mrbeef, dang look at those! I do know that this unit has a smaller 2 tooth bucket. Nick4030, thanks for the bit on Brantly, i do agree that it looks to be for a jd400. In the pic mrbeef posted you can see under the first tractor the stingers coming all the way up forward to under the slanted part of the foot well. It looks like there is a large flat plate that they mount to that is connected to the outside of the frame rail?

 

atownbrg,
This brochure may be of interest to you.

 

Cool thanks for posting this.

 

VT JD, very good brochure! I wish they had pictures of the various mount kits mentioned as required. Also would be nice to score one of those swivel seats everyones talking about!

 

I will go ahead and disagree that we are saying different things here......



Sorry... Couldnt resist.

 

I needed that laugh, thanks! And, count me in the jealous non-backhoe-owning club.

Mike

 

Count me in the jealous non-backhoe-owning club.

Mike

Me three.

I was just thinking! I don’t think it would be as difficult to build a backhoe as it would be to build a front loader. You don’t have two arms to duplicate just one that pivots on 3 joints and swings left to right on one big pin. I would tackle a backhoe build before taking on a loader build. Of course I have built neither before so I have no personal building experience to base this from. Just a theory.

 

There are plans available, so you wouldn't have to engineer one. My problem is the lack of equipment and more importantly, the skills/experience to fabricate something of this nature from scratch.

Mike

 

Well, you won't get it done like that.

Start with buying some of the equipment you would need, like a welder, drill press, angle grinder, maybe a plasma cutter or oxy-actelyene setup. And start learning how to do it, read up on how to weld or take an evening course, make smaller stuff that is useful, but not necessarily as strength/design critical as a backhoe.

And it doesn't have to be perfect right away, either. You make it, use it for a bit, and something fails or doesn't work as well as you'd like, you'll have the tools to fix/modify it to work better for you.

Three years ago, I didn't know how to weld, but bought a mid-size MIG welder (Miller 211), and since then I've made things like ramps to load equipment in my truck, fixing the tongue on my trailer, fabricating the mounts for the front axle for my truck (I upgraded it to 4wd), smaller mounts/holders/enhancements for equipment that was designed cheap instead of good, a custom grinder to make it easier to sharpen mower blades, a mount for a snowplow for my walkbehind mower, and now I'm working an building a power vacuum.

The ramps I had to make twice, first ones were too flexible, mount for the diff took some time and thinking, as I'm still not very skilled at welding upside down, so it was a lot of measuring/test fitting/back to the workbench to weld/grind/repeat, it's up to 4 or 5 revisions of the plow mount now.

Most of the things I could buy, but for a lot more money, and it wouldn't work as well for me, compared with what I made.

So get cracking!

You just need to start with something, and then it kind of drags you along for the ride...

 

Dave R you started fabricating probably about the same time I did. I was going to get the mm211 but ended up with the Rebel EMP 215ic. Love it. With in the last week I scored an ESAB Mig Master 250 for $75 so that I could start practicing spray transfer ... I have made a few things like you. Nothing major yet.

 

That's excellent advice! I've been planning a slow acquisition of a bigger/better tractor and implements, might be a good idea to nibble away at some of these Fab skills and tools!

Mike

 

The Brantly backhoe would be simple to copy, if someone would take the time to measure and draw up a blueprint for us.