Mike C - 1978 Thomas 1200G Wisconsin VH4D

[Mike C]

New to forum from British Columbia , Canada .
Looking for and found a BH attachment BH 108 that looks pretty good in pictures but he want $3000 and my machine is more of a hobby than a working tool so hard for me to justify that price . Comments ?

 

[brdgbldr]

New to forum from British Columbia , Canada .
Looking for and found a BH attachment BH 108 that looks pretty good in pictures but he want $3000 and my machine is more of a hobby than a working tool so hard for me to justify that price . Comments ?

Attachments are expensive pieces of equipment. I would suggest looking online and seeing what they go for.

I, like you, just use my machine for around my property. I buy attachments as I need them and I justify the expense by figuring out how much someone else would charge me to do the job. If it is the same price or higher I buy the attachment and do the work myself. Then I always have the attachment if needed in the future.

Something else to consider is how easy is it to find the specific attachment you are looking for. Some BH attachments are very hard to find let alone locally. Shipping can be very expensive also.

 

[Mike C]

Attachments are expensive pieces of equipment. I would suggest looking online and seeing what they go for.

I, like you, just use my machine for around my property. I buy attachments as I need them and I justify the expense by figuring out how much someone else would charge me to do the job. If it is the same price or higher I buy the attachment and do the work myself. Then I always have the attachment if needed in the future.

Something else to consider is how easy is it to find the specific attachment you are looking for. Some BH attachments are very hard to find let alone locally. Shipping can be very expensive also.

Thanks for comments and I agree with them all . I'm up on the cost of new . In this case shipping isn't an issue as it's sort of local .
My concern is paying a premium price for a used piece and in this case he hasn't even used it and is saying the previous owner said it worked fine .
It would also be very difficult to get my machine to his site so I would be buying it untried and assuming the risk that it will operate with out leaks . It would make a nice addition to the machine for some work that I need to do but also for resale as a more complete package …… I think .
I had to rebuild one cylinder when I bought my Thomas and fortunately I could do
It myself ……trying to convince myself ….

 

[AJ-17]

Mike,
Too bad the attachment was not local to me just north of Seattle, I have been trying to find one for more than a year and a half, I just can not seem to find one close to me. The Bobcat 709 I think is about the same size and weight. I have a 1997 Thomas 133 which I bought from the guy next door 13 years ago and he NEVER did any maintenance on this poor thing. I spend 6 months rebuilding most all pin pivot points, repairing cylinders, fixing the wiring, lots of welding on the main frame when he ran steel tracks without the spacers. Now it still needs a new motor, but I use it to move gravel, and snow. I love this machine.

3000 dollars is a good price only if you can test it before you buy it. Also, can your machine move it safely? The 133 weights in at 4500 pounds without any attachment,( bucket, forks, snow blade).

 

[Mike C]

Howdy , wow you have a new machine compared to mine but too bad the last guy didn't maintain it . I think the 133 is the replacement to my 1200 as the weight is about the same . Mine was refurbished sort of before I bought it , engine rebuilt etc but I am having to do the odd thing now and then . Replace hoses now and then . Funny you mentioned wiring as this machine does not have the charging system wired in so that will be my next project . Fortunately the wiring is exposed at the engine out of the stator but I will still need to do the peripheral wiring . Works fine now as I just keep a solar powered charger on the battery but I'm thinking of installing an electric fan to cool down the air cooled engine and hydraulic oil circuit better . Thomas does not like to work in the hot weather for very long as I think the gas starts to perculate as it will sputter somewhat when it gets hot . I have to let it cool down and then it's fine until it warms up again .
Anyways I am trying to buy this BH from this fellow but he is firm on the price . I won't be able to try it before as it would be a two day effort to get my machine up to where he is and I don't think he has a machine any more .I'm just going to have to do a visual inspection .
Considering the carrying weight which is a good point, the BH108 weight is about 600 lbs and my 1200 lift rating is 1200 lbs so it should be OK .

 

[Mike C]

Well I bit the dust and bought the Thomas BH 108 backhoe attachment for my Thomas 1200G skidsteer .
Will receive it in about a month and am anxious to try it out . My only concern about it is the weight as I couldn't find a spec sheet that told me the weight . Based on what I did find it could be around 600 lbs but not sure and if so that would be fine .
If anyone has any specs on weight , I'd appreciate to hear what you have .
Cheers and wish me luck !

 

[cdmccul]

Nice looking machine!

At least the paint is nice. Hehe.

Looks good!

 

[Mike C]

Nice looking machine!

At least the paint is nice. Hehe.

Looks good!

Let me guess ….. you're a Bobcat guy am I right ? Oh well , I won't hold that against you : )

 

[cdmccul]

Haha, I'm a Bobcat guy, yes...

I mean, I don't know the mechanical condition, but for being middle age, the paint seems really fresh.

Ha!

 

[AJ-17]

Mike, I am sure the attachment you bought weighs a lot more than 600 pounds. Sure it is not 600 kg? Like I stated before, I think it is close to the weight of the 709. (1300-1400lbs.) I really wish I could find one.

Does your 1200 have the 3rd pedal in the center on the floor for the auxiliary hydraulics? If I remember correctly you need about 5 gallons per minute to run the backhoe attachment. Do you have a place to attach the hydraulics lines to? Not seeing any in your picture. Also does the 3rd pedal lock in the on position. Mine did not a year ago, and I had to rebuild the top of the spool valve so it would lock on when I push that 3rd pedal forward. I want to know when you get it how it works. I would really like a picture of that. Please keep me up to date! Looks really good too!

Here are pictures of a few added things I have done over the last few years. The first picture is the axle extensions I built three years ago for added traction for moving snow at my property in the mountains. I do have snow tires for the inside of the duals and the standard chevron tires on the outside. Btw, the snow bucket on the front is 84" wide.
The second one is the "V" plow blade I bought a year ago that was 98" wide and then added 18" to each side, but was not sure if my machine was heavy and/or strong enough to push snow. The wet snow we got in December this thing would push a scary amount of that wet stuff anywhere I wanted it to go.

 

[Mike C]

Mike, I am sure the attachment you bought weighs a lot more than 600 pounds. Sure it is not 600 kg? Like I stated before, I think it is close to the weight of the 709. (1300-1400lbs.) I really wish I could find one.

Does your 1200 have the 3rd pedal in the center on the floor for the auxiliary hydraulics? If I remember correctly you need about 5 gallons per minute to run the backhoe attachment. Do you have a place to attach the hydraulics lines to? Not seeing any in your picture. Also does the 3rd pedal lock in the on position. Mine did not a year ago, and I had to rebuild the top of the spool valve so it would lock on when I push that 3rd pedal forward. I want to know when you get it how it works. I would really like a picture of that. Please keep me up to date! Looks really good too!

Here are pictures of a few added things I have done over the last few years. The first picture is the axle extensions I built three years ago for added traction for moving snow at my property in the mountains. I do have snow tires for the inside of the duals and the standard chevron tires on the outside. Btw, the snow bucket on the front is 84" wide.
The second one is the "V" plow blade I bought a year ago that was 98" wide and then added 18" to each side, but was not sure if my machine was heavy and/or strong enough to push snow. The wet snow we got in December this thing would push a scary amount of that wet stuff anywhere I wanted it to go.

Wow first dually Thomas I've seen and that's a wild plow as well . You must have a lot of snow to clear . Which engine do you have ?
I haven't even used mine for snow as my ATV with plow takes care of all we have .
Yes I have the 3rd pedal and the aux line connection . Not sure about the pedal lock but I'm ready it was a standard function on that pedal when the toe is pushed all the way . Spec sheet I found says a T133 c/w BH108 has an operating weight of 5180 lbs - your T133 bare weight of 4500 lbs leaves 650 lbs for the BH . Well I guess if the BH is too heavy to move with my machine I'll have to flip it .
If I don't find a weight by the time I receive it I can run it over a scale then figure things out from there . I found a spec sheet which talks about flow requirement and I'll compare them to my machine .
Sure I'll be happy to post some pics in a few weeks .

 

[Jyuma1]

Here's a picture of my recently rebuilt BH108.
Let me know if you need more, I have many.

 

[Mike C]

Thanks for the pic . Looks pretty much like the one I just bought but I only have a picture of it . Do you know what the weight is ? Which machine are you running it with ? Here's mine

 

[Jyuma1]

If I remember correctly, the weight is 667 kilos. I don't know if that includes the bucket.
I'm running it on a Thomas T133.

From your picture it looks like your control location is different than mine.
Here's a few pictures of my control setup. See the picture from my previous post for a view of the general location.

There are two versions of the control placement. One is operated from inside the cab and the other is operated from a seat outside the cab.
Mine is the seat outside the cab type.

I've never used the inside the cab style, but I would think you get a much better view of the hole you're digging when sitting on top of the backhoe rather than sitting inside the cab.

I'll see if I can find a picture of my seat location.

 

[Jyuma1]

A word of caution about the curl pins on the bucket. One of the curl pins has no grease zerk for applying grease (at least it didn't on mine). The pin runs dry and unless you remove it to apply grease by hand it may seize.

Also, the extreme pressure exerted by the curl cylinder tends to bend one or both of the pins that are welded to a plate that forms them into a "C" (you can see it in the picture as a steel plate located just above the leftmost red arrow). The far side plate has the pins welded to it, the nearside plate is removable and held on the pins via a nuts and bolts.

Bottom line... it ain't easy changing buckets but even if you don't ever need to change buckets, it's best to take all the curl pins out periodically for cleaning and a good lube job.

In the picture below, the red arrows are pointing to the pivot point that has no way of getting lube (pin is removed). Look closely and you'll see there is a steel bushing in the end of the dipper that should be changed as needed. How long between changes depends on how much use the backhoe gets.

 

[Mike C]

A word of caution about the curl pins on the bucket. One of the curl pins has no grease zerk for applying grease (at least it didn't on mine). The pin runs dry and unless you remove it to apply grease by hand it may seize.

Also, the extreme pressure exerted by the curl cylinder tends to bend one or both of the pins that are welded to a plate that forms them into a "C" (you can see it in the picture as a steel plate located just above the leftmost red arrow). The far side plate has the pins welded to it, the nearside plate is removable and held on the pins via a nuts and bolts.

Bottom line... it ain't easy changing buckets but even if you don't ever need to change buckets, it's best to take all the curl pins out periodically for cleaning and a good lube job.

In the picture below, the red arrows are pointing to the pivot point that has no way of getting lube (pin is removed). Look closely and you'll see there is a steel bushing in the end of the dipper that should be changed as needed. How long between changes depends on how much use the backhoe gets.

View attachment 3288

Excellent advice ! Maybe one should drill in grease nipples to those dry spots . Thanks for the warning !

 

[AJ-17]

Just throwing this out. Could you drill the pins for grease/zerk fittings and the places that need grease at the pivot points.

I wonder how many of the Thomas BH108 were ever made and what years? It looks very close to the Bobcat 709 backhoe attachment I use to rent in the late 1980's when renting a 753's

If anyone has BH108 for sale, I would really like one.

Pictured below is the axle extensions that took about a month to build.

Be safe!
AJ

 

[Jyuma1]

In case you need to change any of the self-adjusting split bushings, you can get them here. https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/129/1303/58365K43

They are only 1" long but you can put in multiples to make up the difference. They press in really easy, but an official press would help. I used a big "C" clamp to press mine in.

 

[Mike C]

Just throwing this out. Could you drill the pins for grease/zerk fittings and the places that need grease at the pivot points.

I wonder how many of the Thomas BH108 were ever made and what years? It looks very close to the Bobcat 709 backhoe attachment I use to rent in the late 1980's when renting a 753's

If anyone has BH108 for sale, I would really like one.

Pictured below is the axle extensions that took about a month to build.

Be safe!
AJ

Howdy , well it looks like the BH108 will be too heavy for me to move around . I found out it weighs 1400 lbs with bucket and my 1200G is rated for 1200 lbs . Plus mine is an older machine that I don't want to push too hard . I think I'll look at one of those smaller front hoe options .
I thought I'd let you know as you appeared to be looking for a BH108 . If you'd like to discuss it more let me know and we can communicate out of the forum . Thanks Mike

 

[Jyuma1]

Mike, the lift capacity of your loader is all but irrelevant. You don't need the loader to lift the backhoe, in fact you'd be better off if you didn't lift the backhoe. The backhoe itself will do all the heavy lifting, the lift arms on the loader will remain stationary. In fact, Thomas supplies steel plates to be placed over the lift arm cylinders to prevent the lift arms from "lifting" the backhoe.

In addition... my T133 has a lift capacity of 1200 lbs. and it runs my BH108 perfectly fine.