His "Best Buys" Are Both Home-Built

His Best Buys Are Both Home-Built MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Earth Movers John Cann built his own backhoe out of necessity when he needed to dig a drain for his basement He needed a small rig because there were so many trees around his house so he built a small backhoe to fit on the 3-pt hitch of his 1954 NAA Ford Tractor He built the arms and bucket from scratch and added four pistons to operate it The backhoe has a 12 to 15-ft reach It’s powered by tractor hydraulics “It’s not too big and folds up compactly ” he adds He leaves it on the tractor nearly all the time to use around his Sydney Nova Scotia property “The backhoe really makes the tractor worthwhile ” Cann adds So does the dump box he built for his 1989 Dodge Ram diesel pickup He bolted an angle iron frame to the truck bed and attached hydraulic cylinders to either side that lift and lower the 1/8-in steel plate dump box which he also built He copied the design of a factory-built unit The tailgate opens from the top or bottom Cann uses the truck to haul coal for heating fuel as well as sand and gravel and firewood for his daughter Cann appreciates the truck’s history It made three trips across Canada to Alaska and hauled seafood for years “The backhoe and truck box are the most useful tools on my place ” says Cann Contact: FARM SHOW Followup John Cann 648 Coxheath Rd Sydney N S Canada B1R 1S2 ph 902 567-2034

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