Do-It-Yourself Plans: Backhoes, Loaders & More

DIY Articles

Tutorials

Upgrading front spindles

Upgrading front-end spindles

Learn how to beef up your garden tractor’s front-end spindles, so they can properly bear the weight of a new loader. In our recent DIY Article, The 1000-pound Front Spindle Upgrade, you will find out which parts you’ll need and the steps involved. Read more.

Making replaceable bushings

Making replaceable bushings

Take charge of your DIY project’s motion and maintenance, learn how to make your own bushings. Read about these humble yet crucial components in Build Replaceable Inner Bushings for Hydraulically or Manually Articulated Arms. Read more.

Build Plans

Small image of P.F. Engineering's Scissor-lift Dump Trailer Plans

Scissor-lift Dump Trailer Build Plans

The bed-lift mechanism on this trailer is our unique hybrid design that combines the best aspects of a straight-cylinder lift with the benefits of a scissor lift, giving you more extension with a shorter cylinder, plus increased power during the most difficult part of the lift cycle — the start. Read more about the Scissor-lift Dump Trailer.

Small image of P.F. Engineering's Micro Hoe Plans

Micro Hoe Build Plans

Micro Hoe Build Plans enable you to build and service your own backhoe attachment. Customers using our plans are fabricating Micro Hoes for their garden and compact tractors. Virtually any make or model tractor can be outfitted. Dig trenches for water or electric lines. Excavate a small pond or pull out a tree stump. Whatever the job, do it with your own DIY digger. You’ll save money upfront and keep saving on maintenance for years to come. Read more about Micro Hoe Build Plans from P.F. Engineering.

Small image of P.F. Engineering's Front-end Loader Plans

Front-end Loader Build Plans

Call it a ‘bucket loader,’ call it a ‘wheel loader,’ call it a ‘scoop.’ Whatever you call it, you can build your own and use it to push and lift all sorts of heavy loads. Hundreds of DIY builders with Front-end Loader Plans are fitting boom arms and a bucket to tractors of every kind, even ATVs. And they’re using theirs to quickly move soil, mulch, gravel, and snow. Our plans show you how to construct the perfect loader attachment. With the know-how we provide, you control the budget and schedule. Read more about Front-end Loader Build Plans

Small image of P.F. Engineering's Pin-on Mini Payloader Plans

Pin-on Mini Payloader Build Plans

Our new Pin-on Mini Payloader is designed with a self-leveling bucket, a feature that distinguishes it from our mid-mount front-end loader design. We call this payloader “pin-on” because it’s a cinch to mount or dismount on your John Deere tractor’s front quick-attach implement brackets. We call it a “mini payloader” because it has a single boom lift cylinder and a single bucket cylinder connected to the self-leveling bucket linkage. Read more.

Small image of P.F. Engineering's Log Splitter Plans

Log Splitter Build Plans

Log Splitter Build Plans show you how to make a dual-split model that will half the time you spend preparing firewood. Its durable design is ideal for heavy use, even after lying dormant during the warmer months. Spare yourself the eventual disappointment of buying the cheapest log splitter on the market. Using our plans, you’ll be able to put together a sturdy workhorse of a splitter that you can use and maintain for decades. See how easy this log splitter is to operate in Paul’s prototype video.

What Next?

  • Head over to our picture gallery where we have 1063 images of our customers’ machines on display. Use the search box at the top of that page to locate a particular make or model tractor that you are interested in seeing with a loader or backhoe attachment.

  • View Videos

    On our videos page, see customers operating their DIY loaders, backhoes and log splitters — all built using our plans.

  • Order Plans

    Go to our orders page and find out how to order one or more of our products, such as plans for a front-end loader or a backhoe. There are ordering links for shipping plans within the U.S. and internationally.

  • Contact Us

    Perhaps you have questions about hydraulics, a particular tractor application, or something else. Ask the original designer and builder about your project before you purchase plans. Feel free to contact Paul by email at , or call the office at 413-256-4960. You can also call Paul’s cell at 413-835-5801.

  • Read More

    The FAQ page contains some of the most commonly asked questions we hear about building loaders and backhoes. Your question may be answered there, if not please feel free to contact us by email or phone.

Questions? Contact Paul at , or call the office at 413-256-4960. You can also reach Paul on his cell at 413-835-5801.