Need an All-Purpose Earthmover? Behold the Backhoe!

For a powerful combination of excavating and loading capabilities, you can't beat the versatile backhoe. With a big loading bucket on one end and a long excavator arm on the other, the backhoe is designed to conquer the most challenging earthmoving and excavation tasks.

Ranging in size from full-size models to more compact, highly portable versions, there's a backhoe suited for just about any digging job you can imagine. Most backhoes are built around a tractor-like body and engine assembly, with massive rear wheels generating serious traction and smaller front tires for maneuvering around the worksite. Their hydraulically operated loader and excavator arms can lift massive amounts of loose material at a time, and with specialized attachments can perform other duties such as mowing brush, grinding down stumps, driving posts and piles, or digging trenches.

Top manufacturers of backhoes include such companies as Case, John Deere, Kubota, Terramite, JCB, Ford, Woods, and Caterpillar, and between these brands you're sure to find the backhoe model that's most appropriate for your job, whether you're working in construction, mining, earthmoving, or demolition.

However, the mechanically inclined, cost-conscious consumer may find it more interesting and economical to build their own backhoe. This can be accomplished by starting with a basic farm tractor that can be reconfigured with special utility attachments. By hooking up an excavator attachment and loader bucket attachment to your tractor drive-train, you can make your own homebuilt backhoe for a fraction of the price of the latest backhoe model straight from the factory. So if you're a tinkerer at heart and have a suitable tractor handy, this may be the most fun and affordable route to a new backhoe!