Tow-Hoe, Muscleman, Digger, Excavator, Backhoe

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.

View original sales brochure for Standard Muscleman Page 1, Page 2

View original sales brochure for 360 Muscleman Page 1, Page 2

More towable digger information

Thanks to the people who have submitted pictures and information for this page. Further Tow-Hoe or Standard Muscleman stuff always appreciated.

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Toe-Hoe, Tow Hoe, towable digger, Standard Muscleman, excavators, backhoes

Toe-Hoe Specifications

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