What is the Difference Between Backhoe and Loader

The backhoe loader is one of the most popular heavy earth moving equipments in the market today From the huge commercial sites to the smaller ones, you are bound to find a backhoe on every job site across the world. What a most people dont know are that the backhoe and the loader are two very different equipment on their own. While some of the functions like moving dirt may be similar, the method and speed of time taken vary by a sizeable margin.

A loader is a heavy equipment used in construction. A loader is also called a bucket loader, front loader/front end loader, shovel loader wheel loader etc. A loader is attached to the front end of the machine on which it is mounted. A loader is used for various moving and loading materials like asphalt, dirt,snow, demolition debris, gravel, logs raw minerals, rock salt, sand wood chips etc.

A loader is a type of tractor usually wheeled and at times tracked. The loader has a square bucket attached to the front at two booms to collect the loose material from the ground and move it from one place to another. A loader is usually used to collect piled material to an awaiting dumbstruck for transportation.

The assembly of the loader may be removable or attached permanently. The bucket can be replaced with other attachments like clamshell buckets, bale grapplers, forklifts etc. Large loaders with only a front bucket are called front loaders while the smaller machines with a small backhoe are called backhoe loaders. A loader is not the best machine for digging since it can not dig very deep below the level of its wheel.

A backhoe loader is also known as a rear or back actor. The backhoe is an excavating equipment digger that has a bucket at the end of a two part articulated arm. The backhoe is usually mounted on the back end of the tractor. It is called backhoe due to its digging motion which is in the backward direction towards the machine unlike the way humans shovel things straight outwards. The backhoe is capable of digging much deeper compared to the loader. It is primarily use for excavations and material handling.

The bucket of the backhoe can be replaced with hydraulic power attachments like the tilt rotator, auger, grapple, breaker etc. The bucket of a backhoe is much smaller compared to that of a loader. While both the backhoe and the loader both move dirt, loaders are usually articulated while the backhoe is one articulated unit. The boom stick and dipper arrangement make it easier for the backhoe to gig deep and with much faster cycles due to its hydraulic power.

While both the machines have their differences, it is when both these machines come together that the much loved backhoe loader takes shape to become one of the most versatile heavy equipment available in the market today.