Welcome to www.diggers-dumpers-plant.co.uk
Also known as www.oilyhands.co.uk and www.flamingskoda.com
Towable digger, excavator and backhoe
website. Features Fleming Micron, Powerfab, Mantis, Benford, Roughneck, Gopher, Smalley, Tow-hoe, Standard
Muscleman, Termite, Mitchell Cotts, Mini Gigant, Baromix, Euromach, Bronco, homemade and other small diggers. Links to current manufacturers such
as Groupe-FCM and suppliers of plans for the Ground Hawg
Homebuilt Backhoe and CDP Excavator. Includes other plant
and mechanical information, Digger
Bucket Page, Plant Photo Gallery,
Dumper Restoration Project and
useful links for Digger Spares and Repairs. Extra information and pictures to add to
the site always appreciated. Also includes a section dedicated to
preserving information about
Johnson Machinery Limited.
By browsing the site you agree to the terms of use
- Home
- Site Overview
- Contact the webmaster
- Latest additions
- Plant Discussion Group
- Plant photo gallery
- Fleming Micron digger restoration
- Powerfab digger page
- Roughneck diggers
- Gopher micro excavator
- Smalley diggers
- Benford ME130 and Mantis digger
- Toe-Hoe and Standard Muscleman
- Mitchell Cotts digger
- Termite Micro Excavator
- Baromix Major
- Mini Gigant
- Euromach Jolly and Bronco Micro Excavator
- Topi Motorshovel
- Robinson Rouse CR840
- FCM Diggers and Backhoes
- Homemade backhoes and new towable diggers
- List of known towable diggers
- Digger buckets
- Digger spares and repairs
- Towable digger V. Mini Digger?
- Frequently asked questions
- Fleming Micron engine change
- Dumper Restoration
- Dumper Restoration p. 2
- Johnson Machinery Section
- Steelfab
- Ditch clearing
- Older projects
Toe-Hoe, Tow Hoe, towable digger, Standard Muscleman, excavators, backhoes
The Toe-Hoe or Tow-Hoe digger was made by Team Services in the UK. Some places it is referred to as Toe and some Tow, a bit confusing really, but that doesn't actually matter. There was another identical machine called a Standard Muscleman excavator built by the Westwood garden tractor people in Plymouth. They also built a 360 degree version which was known rather unimaginatively as the 360 Muscleman.
The pictures below were emailed to me by Nigel. I note his Toe Hoe has an improvised hydraulic reservoir, the sort of thing I have been known to lash up to keep something working.
The Toe-Hoe has an excellent simple design. It lacks any sort of hydraulic leg to raise the digger while digging and relies on the large spade type anchors at the front and careful weight distribution behind the front legs to hold it steady while digging.
Toe-Hoe digger owned by Nigel. Nice improvised hydraulic reservoir!
Front view of Nigel's Tow-Hoe
Despite its simplicity, the Tow-Hoe is a fully fledged machine and was aimed at the usual small builder market like the Powerfab, Fleming etc.
It's a pity that some parts of the digger were painted with that paint that just flakes off in great chunks. Same stuff that Belle Cement Mixers were painted with for a while and which caused them to deteriorate rapidly.
The yellow Tow Hoe is owned by Clive. He is in the process of modifying the front legs as he doesn't like the original ones.
Note how Clive's digger has 4 lever controls and Nigel's 2 lever.
Toe-Hoe Specifications
Standard Bucket width - 300mm. Extra buckets offered as option - 200mm, 330mm, 460mm and 910mm grading blade.
Normal Engine - Honda GX140QH 5 h.p. Other engines offered as option - Robin, Briggs and Stratton, Villiers, Diesel and also Electric motor.
Hydraulic Pump - gear type rated at 2.72 litre per 1000 rpm. Controls 4 spool valve bank. Hydraulic Rams - 50mm bore, 280/330 mm stroke, working pressure 172.4 bar, Rods EN8 Chromed steel
Digging Specifictations - Depth 2.21 metres, Reach 1.55 metres, Load height 1.42 metres, Break out force 1.9 tonnes, Slew 130 degrees, minimum width for taking through a doorway 0.76 metres
This is a Standard Muscleman digger owned by Paul. The Standard Muscleman was made by Westwood for a while after the Tow-Hoe went out of production.
Picture of Paul's Standard Muscleman digger controls and hydraulic fluid reservoir. .
Paul says his machine is in good condition which it does look in the picture. He's not altogether happy with the way it tows on the road so is planning to make a different axle for it.
Pat who owns a Standard Muscleman says, "my unit is fitted with Parker hydraulic pump and return filter (10 micron) I managed to identify the element for this as Parker R8-PG01993.The hydraulic fluid recommended in the manual is Filtrate Achilles EP32 light hydraulic oil. Hope this information is useful". Pat has also very kindly provided the Operators Manual and some interesting literature about the Westwood machine.
View
original sales brochure for Standard Muscleman
Page 1,
Page 2
View
original sales brochure for 360 Muscleman
Page 1,
Page 2
View the operators manual,
parts list and exploded diagram for the Standard Muscleman
View the sales literature for the
Standard Muscleman and Westwood Muck Truk
View the sales literature for the Tow Hoe Cricket
This Tow Hoe belongs to Ed from Logansport Indiana USA. He says, "I bought this tow hoe about a month ago. Dug a few holes, planning on digging a water line trench for my dad later in the year. I love the easy to operate controls and simple to make repairs. I painted it Caterpillar old yellow and put cat decals". The digger is seen here ready for towing.
More towable digger information
- Contact other Toe-Hoe and Standard Muscleman owners and share information through the Digger Discussion Group
- Digger spares and repairs
- Homemade Diggers and Current Manufacturers
- List of known towable diggers from the 1980's and 1990's
- Towable digger v. Mini digger with tracks? Advantages & Disadvantages
Thanks to the people who have submitted pictures and information for this page. Further Tow-Hoe or Standard Muscleman stuff always appreciated.