CADDigger

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Has anyone built a CADDigger.
Reply:Ok I'll bite...W.T.F. Are we typing about?? ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Its a portable backhoe There is a guy that built one for his tractor and wrote a write up on it. http://www.geocities.com/brutusbackhoe/
Reply:Thanks  operdot for your reply, the site was well worth a look.
Reply:yeah the guy even made his own bucket. Which impressed me the most.
Reply:I am in the process of building one of their small front loaders for my 425 John Deere.  The plans seem to be complete and I purchased the materials through Metkit.  They were quick to send it to me and when I inventoried it, everything was there down to the last bolt.
Reply:I built one of their front end loaders for my 13hp diesel Yanmar- ended up costing about a grand, in metal, hydraulics, hoses, and stuff.Cheapest commercial model I could find was 3 grand.The plans are good, the design works well.
Reply:Regarding CAD PLANS and MetKit. Better read this thread on machine builders. These guys are a wealth of information if you want to build something. Someone has already built it. Read on.http://www.machinebuilders.net/forum...?TID=1879&PN=1jcooper
Reply:I built a caddigger 821 about 3 years ago.  It was actually the first welding project I ever tackled.  I bought the plans from cadplans and the kit through Metkit (which are basically the same people) and all the hydraulic stuff was purchased through Surplus Center.  I had a need for a nice digging machine but couldn't afford a full backhoe and wanted something trailerable.I personally think its a great machine.  I have dug numerous ditches for drainage, dug a few small ponds, dug out the side of a foundation, etc. and most of the work was in clay and shale.  The worst damage I did was in breaking a tooth off the bucket.  For a novice like myself, the plans were very easy to follow, yet pretty easy to modify if you know what you're doing.The 821 has quite a reach but would benefit from a bent boom (cadplans calls it the SuperBoom) for digging lower than 8 or 9 feet.  I'd be happy to share any other info about my own experience building it, but to answer the initial question: I have built one and am extremely pleased with it.
Reply:John - thanks for sharing your experience. Do you have any pics of it?John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:I can take some clseup px of certain areas if someone wants them, but right now all I have is this overall shot of me using the machine to cut a drainage ditch.  I had rented a small backhoe unit locally the prior year and it just wasn't powerful enough to dig through the hardpan.  This 821 ended up digging right through it.  I was pretty surprised. Attached Images
Reply:Johnp23,thanks for sharing the photo and experience with you're digger!  That thing is soo cool!  What do you estimate it would cost, not counting labor?Some close up pics would be appreciated.  What type of things did you end up modifying or upgrading yourself?
Reply:That's great, nice to finally see someone who has built one and get to actually see it working! Very cool!John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:I wrote a long reply last night but apparently if you're inactive for too long it automatically logs you out, so my post didn't make it on here.  So below are a few quick px of my digger and I'll try to write some more when I get a chance. Attached Images