What are the differences between Excavators and Backhoes

In the construction industry there is a variety of equipment for earth moving, among the most representative is the excavator and the backhoe.

Backhoe vs Excavator

Due to the similarity of their names since both vehicles are used in similar tasks, one team is often confused about the other, this happens in those people who are not familiar with heavy-duty machinery.

The excavator can be defined as a self-propelled machine on a structure of chains or tires whose functions can include the loading, unloading, lifting and turning of the materials by means of the action of a service ladle or other tool through an arm and boom, the design of the vehicle has the ability to perform a 360 degree turn in any direction while maintaining the fixed chassis.

It may also interest you to read: What is excavation?

Strictly speaking, a backhoe consists of an articulated arm provided with a service ladle used to excavate material in such a way that the bucket is placed downwards; however, some models allow the frontal reconfiguration that is upwards generating even more confusion.

To make a noticeable difference, the vehicles popularly known as backhoe loaders consist of the union of two main components, a front loader or a tractor to which an excavation bucket fixed by means of an articulated arm has been added on the back. A formal definition to refer to this class of vehicles is "backhoe loader" or mixed blade.

Unlike the excavator that allows a movement of 360 degrees while maintaining its chassis, the mixed blade allows to perform excavation work with a range of action of the articulated arm less than 200 degrees in a fixed position.

Other significantly smaller differences in design can be found in the components of each of the vehicles. Excavators generally move on a running gear formed by chains or tracks while in "backhoe loaders" this mechanism usually consists of tires.

The design of the excavators can vary according to the requirements of the client, you can find vehicles destined to small spaces or be of large size to carry out tasks in the open field.

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