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Backhoe Loader or a digger for the layman’s ease and often times colloquially shortened to backhoe in the industry, is one of the commonly spotted and widely used heavy machinery within the construction equipment segment. Designed in such a fashion that renders it as a user’s delight; effectively efficient from both the ends, consists of a tractor-like unit fitted with a loader-style shovel/bucket on the front and a backhoe on the back.

A backhoe loader combines two common heavy equipment functions: moving and excavating. A loader bucket on front end for pushing, lifting, and hauling goods, while a backhoe on the rear end for excavating. Stabilizer legs, which reach out onto the ground and offer support for the machine during shaky digging jobs, are located between the two. A swivelling seat that faces the loader but can rotate around to handle the backhoe is typical of this equipment. A backhoe loader's capacity to combine so many diverse functions into one piece of machinery is one of its most significant features.

Its multi-utility feature and mobility have made the machine the preferred choice of construction equipment in small and medium projects. They have proved their ability to work in a wide range of applications and in different terrains and types of projects. Due to its vast range of applications in numerous tasks, a backhoe loader is considered to be the first equipment to arrive on a project site and the last to leave.  Backhoe loaders are popular because of their versatility, mobility, low ownership and running expenses, ease of financing, high resale prices, and widespread availability of after-sales assistance. And these factors make backhoe loaders the preferred choice among contractors and first time buyers.

Many manufacturers around the globe produce many models of backhoe loaders these days. Most vary in size, operating weight, capacity, engine power and attachments, with other basic features remaining the same.

Multitasking and Versatility

Backhoe loader is multipurpose equipment which is utilized for a wide range of earthworks, which includes removing dirt and rocks, dozing, loading, back filling, excavating, scrapping, grabbing, digging trenches and grading a site effectively. The backhoe loader can be also be employed for different tasks such as transportation of building materials, digging holes/excavation, small-scale destructions or constructions, transporting powering building equipment, breaking asphalt, landscaping, and paving roads.

A backhoe loader has the capability of handling and executing multiple tasks at a construction site unlike any other equipment in the industry. A backhoe loader is one such heavy equipment that can do two things at a time. It can use the backhoe to dig the dirt from the ground and with the help of the loader it can gather all the dirt and load them on the truck. So this means that the construction house doesn’t need to deploy two different machines to do this activity.

Apart from just loading and excavating today’s backhoe loaders are capable of multitasking through various worktools like hammer, auger, pallet forks, compactor, range of excavator buckets, ripper etc. These worktools augment the work envelope of backhoe loaders multifold making them truly indispensable equipment for construction work.

The backhoe loader's versatility comes from essentially being two tools: a wheel loader and an excavator. But when you can add other types of attachments to either of those couplers, you introduce even more versatility. OEMs now offer several hydraulics advancements to address the need to use more attachments. Many backhoes feature quick coupler mounting systems. It generally comes with auxiliary hydraulic circuits. This results in simplified attachment mounting and increases the machine’s utilization on the job site.

Attachments for a backhoe loader are the answer to the multi-function machine dilemma. There are more than 25 attachments available which can prove to be a boon to any backhoe loader owner. There are some loader buckets that offer a retractable bottom or “clamshell”. This clever feature enables it to empty its load more quickly and efficiently. Retractable-bottom loader buckets can also be used for grading and scraping purposes.

Besides buckets, backhoe loaders can be equipped with various types of forks for pallet loading. By adding one of several blades, the machines can perform dozing and snow clearing operations. They can even be equipped with grapples used to clean up construction sites. Other attachments include shears, pulverizers, jaws, or hammers, which transform the backhoe into a demolition machine. Every attachment, especially when combined with a loader attachment and a backhoe attachment, make the backhoe loader the most versatile machine in construction.

Backhoe loaders equipped with side shift add even more versatility, especially in tight spaces such as along walls or roadsides. Side shift allows an operator to deploy vertical stabilizers straight down just behind the rear tires. They do not extend like outriggers. This allows for a much smaller footprint when the machine is set up to dig with the backhoe.

Backhoe Loaders are widely used for their versatility. Instead of buying multiple machines, owners can purchase a backhoe loader and still complete their projects with ease.

Mobility

The high mobility of backhoe loaders adds to their quick deployment at any job site and hence finds favour with most contractors and rental companies. This aspect makes it viable to deploy the backhoe loader for short term jobs at reasonable cost and hence increases its desirability unlike loaders where usually long term deployment is required to justify the investment.

Backhoe loaders can also be dubbed 'city equipment', ideal for municipal corporations to keep handy for multiple jobs. Tyre-mounted backhoe loaders can easily move in and around a city for various construction and maintenance-related jobs. However, it has the potential to work on rough terrains too.

Technology and Automation

Most recently, automation is the most predominant innovation that has transformed the functionality of the backhoe. Automated features mechanize previously manual tasks, ultimately making the backhoe more productive. For example, an automated idle feature helps reduce fuel consumption, and an automated drive function allows the operator to drive at a constant engine revolution that determines the speed when traveling the machine.

Hydraulic system components have improved as well, many of which are monitored by onboard computers and sensors positioned around the machine. This provides enhanced settings control for further cost and time savings. Advanced operator controls have made it easier and more comfortable for operators to run the machines in a multitude of operations.

Technological advancements have also ushered in telematic features, which allow for planned maintenance schedules and instant notifications when a service is due, including critical alerts if there are any serious mechanical or electrical problems with the machine. This timesaving innovation means issues are quickly resolved and machines are fully operational and back on-site with little downtime. Not only do telematics keep loaders working, but they also keep them safe.

Machine location tracking acts as a deterrent against theft and allows stolen machines to be recovered. Real-time geofencing notifies construction managers when their machine moves outside of permitted zones, while curfew alerts inform them of unauthorized usage.

With technology improving and the “internet of things” connecting more devices than ever, telematics is likely to be used for even further advancements, such as flashing software, diagnosing machines, changing machine settings or even to operate the loader remotely.