Earth Moving Equipment Backhoe V/S Excavator

PM Modi’s “Make in India” has led to the construction industry being flooded with both investments and new players in the industry. In the construction equipment industry new players have found and acted on new and growing opportunities in manufacturing, buying, selling, renting and servicing sectors. Earth Moving equipment owns more than 40% of the market share in the construction equipment industry. Backhoe loaders and excavators being the torch bearers in the earth-moving equipment segment.

Here is a basic comparison between the backhoe loader and the excavator to give you a clearer picture of what will suit your requirements best.

Size matters: A backhoe loader and excavator can both perform similar jobs but the excavator is usually much bulkier than the backhoe loader. If the job site is small or constricted a backhoe is the better option but if you have a larger site an excavator is the better option. Excavators are better suited to job sites where most of the work needs to be done in a smaller area. Backhoe, however, can travel around the job site with ease.

Transportation: Backhoes can independently travel at speeds up to 25kmpl while the excavators need to be transported in larger trucks meant for transporting such heavy equipment. Moving excavators from one place to another is a sizeable expense and should only be incurred if the returns are in proportion. Transportation costs for a backhoe are relatively much smaller and quite easily fit even in the tightest of budgets.

Site management: The tyres on the excavator are such that they cause minimum damage on the top layer of the job site. Backhoe’s however leave a noticeable tyre tracks and can cause much damage to the top layer of the soil. Excavators are better preferred when the work is on delicate soil like those in the forests. Backhoes might do more damage on such jobs.

Availability: Backhoes are more versatile and compact compared to the excavator and are much readily available. Given the popularity of the backhoe loader and its relatively lower costs, it is much easier to invest in them. Backhoe loaders are self-sufficient and cheaper when it comes to transportation too.

Versatility: While both these machines can do pretty much the same kind of work, the backhoe loader is much more versatile and can do the work of 3 machines single handed. Excavators, on the other hand are speciality machines when compared to the backhoe.

While both the machines can do most of the required work, the choice between the two mostly depends on the nature of work, the location of the job site, availability of the equipment, budget constraints, duration of the work etc. Both these machines are undoubtedly good and efficient at what it can do and rightfully so!