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If you’re observing a construction site from the outside, you’re sure to see a wide variety of heavy-duty work equipment. In particular, when it comes to job sites that require digging, you’re sure to see an excavator or a backhoe rolling around the work area.
On the surface, both of these two pieces of machinery appear similar due to their comparable functions. But the fact of the matter is that excavators and backhoes are different, even if they are often confused for one another.
This guide will help you understand their essential differences, including differences when it comes to size and versatility. This guide will also help you better understand the practical situations in which either a backhoe or an excavator could be utilized successfully.
In turn, you’ll be able to use what you learn in this guide to better communicate while on a job site, should your line of work ever lead you there.
Excavators and Backhoes: The Basics
Let’s start by defining what each of the two machines is.
What Is an Excavator?
An excavator is easy to spot in a construction zone, not the least because it is typically one of the largest machines in use at any one time. It consists of a boom, a stick or dipper, a bucket, and a cab – all of which are mounted together and attached to a rotating platform known as the “house.” Through the utilization of hydraulic force, an excavator is able to dig up materials with ease. It is also able to apply force when cutting through dense materials (such as a concrete wall or underbrush.)
Excavators can be distinguished based upon their method of movement from place to place. Specifically, many excavators are built such that their “house” is mounted on caterpillar tracks or a set of wheels. This allows them to be repositioned with relative ease. Most are also capable of rotating 360°, thus allowing them to easily access multiple dig sites without needing to move at all.
Due to their broad use in a variety of construction projects, excavators also come in a variety of forms for special use. Several examples include the compact and walking excavator, the latter of which includes adjustable feet or mounting plates that allow the unit to work safely on an incline.
What Is a Backhoe?
In terms of appearance, a backhoe (also known as a “rear actor” or “back actor”) is usually fairly easy to differentiate from an excavator. This is because they are notably smaller and are always mounted onto another vehicle (such as a tractor).
In fact, this attachment-style form factor is the backhoe’s most distinguishing aspect overall. This form factor also limits how much a backhoe can rotate, with many models limited to a 200° range in the primary mounting direction.
In terms of its actual function, though, a backhoe resembles an excavator on most fronts. To that end, a typical backhoe consists of a digging bucket at the end of a two-part articulated arm. This arm operates through hydraulic power, allowing it to dig down with ease or apply outward force when using a non-digging attachment.
However, due to their tendency to throw off the balance of the vehicle they are attached to, many backhoes include support arms that balance out the machine when in use.
Excavator vs. Backhoe: What Are the Differences?
While the above should give you a rough idea of how the two machines differ, let’s take an even closer look at a number of factors.
Weight
Excavators and backhoes differ noticeably when it comes to weight.
This is particularly true because excavators come in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from around 3,000 pounds to up to 200,000 pounds (or more when utilized for mining).
Meanwhile, most backhoes are usually only a few thousand pounds at their largest, making them more comparable to a compact excavator when it comes to weight.
Mobility
Excavators are considered more mobile in general terms, not the least because they are mounted on either caterpillar tracks or wheels that allow for independent movement. This is compared to a backhoe, which cannot move on its own unless it is attached to another implement such as a tractor. Even when this is done, a backhoe is limited to the mobility provided by the machine to which it is attached.
Also, excavators are more mobile when it comes to rotation. To that end, almost all excavators can rotate a full 360° around, thus allowing them to operate within a wider area without needing to move about much.
Meanwhile, a backhoe is usually only able to rotate 200° at most.
Versatility
Both the excavator and the backhoe are considered fairly versatile.
This is because both pieces of construction equipment can be equipped with different specialist tools, such as breakers, augers, and more. That being said, excavators still edge out backhoes on this front because of the sheer volume of options available to them.
This allows a construction team to adapt their machinery to their needs, rather than relying on a limited set of tools.
Applications
When it comes to applications, the excavator and backhoe differ once again.
To be specific, excavators almost exclusively see use in industrial or large-scale settings. Backhoes, meanwhile, are better suited to commercial uses. While neither of these applications is inherently better than the other, the backhoe’s reduced size (and price) makes them more accessible to farmers and smaller companies.
Excavator vs. Backhoe: Practical Situations
When it comes to using them in the field, excavators and backhoes are optimized for different tasks.
At the simplest level, these can relate to their overall size. To that end, excavators are better suited to digging large holes, including trenches and foundations. Meanwhile, a backhoe can dig most small holes, including drainage ditches, with ease.
Also, each piece of machinery is better suited to accomplishing certain special-use tasks more efficiently.
For that reason, excavators are more often used in mining operations, as well as performing demolitions and river dredges. A backhoe, meanwhile, will be better able to handle snow removal and forestry mulching when working within a confined environment.
Summary
All in all, excavators and backhoes are not the same at all.
While they may share some basic functions and a similar outward appearance, everything from their size and weight to their capabilities and implementations differ.
With that in mind, you should now be prepared to choose which option best suits your worksite needs. Better yet, this knowledge will help prevent you from ever confusing the names of these machines ever again.
