Earth Moving Equipment

The backhoe loader is a piece of excavation equipment nearly everyone has seen. Most children have had a Tonka version even. It’s a tractor that has a scoop in the front that can push and life dirt, as well as a more maneuverable scoop and bucket with a near robot arm on the back. Due to their setup and move ability, they are extremely useful on construction sites and other places needing excavation.

The backhoe loader was invented in 1857 in Burlington Iowa. It was designed similar to the classic farm tractor. It was simply a loader in front of it, and a backhoe attachment in the rear.

While some may actually call it a tractor, most always refer to them as a backhoe loader, as they are seldom used for towing, and many don’t even have the usual PTO shaft. There will be a small operator’s seat at the back of the backhoe that swivels with the loader. Even removable backhoes will have these.

These machines are very common, and are useful for many tasks including moving materials, digging holes, and even changing automotive engines. In construction they are often used for breaking pavement, and paving the roads too.

There are often other ends that can be exchanged with the backhoe bucket for things suck as jack hammering rock, pounding holes, and digging wells even. There are also fancier, specialized buckets such as one that has a hatch that can open and drop the contents faster.

Retractable bottom loader buckets offer a lot of benefits in grading and leveling out sand. The forward assembly on a backhoe can be permanently attached, though some are also removable. Again, this bucket may be replaced with other tools as well. Some use couplers that use hydraulics to control them. Often you will also see those mowing roadsides that aren’t level as well, though these are getting replaced with other tractor attachments these days.

A number of backhoe loader manufacturers include: New Holland, Caterpillar, John Deere, Alice Chalmers, and Case. Many modern ones will have cabs as it may be required by OSHA, though not all of them. Also found in most new ones are air conditioning, radio, and many other features you will find in your automobiles.

The backhoe loader can serve many purposes, including excavation, road work, well drilling, driveway clearing and many other utility jobs found anywhere.
Hauling equipment and supplies, moving dirt fill, and digging trenches (then covering them), are just a few more things done with everyday backhoe loaders.

You will find though, that with all this power, and flexibility, they are also easy to operate. Though it is wise to pay attention to all safety instructions, and there may be operator certificates required when doing work for hire with them. Often they do qualify as farm use vehicles to, for those that want to know that.