What a Backhoe Loader Is and Where It Works
A loader at the front, a backhoe at the back, and the jobs this machine does.
8 min
Activities: 0 of 2
A backhoe loader is a wheeled machine with two working ends. At the front is a loader: two arms and a wide bucket for loading, carrying and levelling material. At the back is a backhoe: a small digging arm with a narrow bucket, like the arm of an excavator. The operator works both ends from one cab, by turning the seat round.
Because it has rubber tyres and can travel at road speed, a backhoe loader can drive from job to job on public roads where the law allows. This makes it popular with utilities, councils, builders, farms and small contractors, who need one machine that can dig a trench, load a truck and backfill the trench afterwards.
Typical jobs
Digging trenches for pipes, cables and drains; digging small foundations and holes; breaking out with a hydraulic breaker where fitted; lifting when the machine is set up and allowed for it.
Two machines, two sets of hazards
A backhoe loader has the hazards of a loader (raised arms, carrying loads, reversing) and the hazards of a digging machine (a swinging arm, trench edges, buried services), plus the hazards of a road vehicle. A common example of the 8-tonne class is the machine in the 3D model of this course. Sizes differ from model to model, so the maker’s manual for your machine always comes first.
What makes a backhoe loader different from a tracked excavator?