Brief Guide: Excavator Vs Backhoe

When looking for a JCB backhoe loader or the excavator there are a few things you need to know besides looking for a reliable JCB spare parts supplier for future maintenance purposes. These two equipment perform a lot of similar functions though some differences will make it necessary to choose one or the other for some tasks.

If any of the two are on your list besides getting JCB spare parts, this article may be of interest to you as we explore the differences between the backhoe loader and the excavator.

Just by looking at the two, you can guess that there is a significant difference in their weight. The Backhoe is narrow and a bit smaller and weighs under 10 metric tonnes. In contrast, the excavator is a lot wider and bigger and weighs as much as 90 tonnes. There are smaller excavators that will weigh less than a backhoe, but those are for lighter work. And, the good news is when you choose JCB machines, you can buy JCB 3DX parts at an affordable price, so your maintenance costs are kept to a minimum.

They are both able to perform earth movement, but the backhoe is suited for lighter tasks like digging holes and trenches, moving building supplies, demolition, paving roads and easy transportation. The excavator, on the other hand, is suited for excavation, it is a heavy-duty earth mover but can also be fitted with tools to carry out digging and crushing.

The excavator wheels are made of metal or rubber and are more of tracks that are interlinked like chains. If you do not wish to affect the top layer of the soil, these wheels would be more appropriate. The backhoe has tires made from rubber. The tires make the backhoe able to travel on an ordinary asphalt road but these wheels affect the top layer of soil.

If you would want to move an excavator from one site to another, you would need to put it on a carrier and then transport it. The backhoe loader, however, can be driven from one site to another. It has a top speed of 25kmph which is sufficient for safe travel on the road.

The cost of owning and maintaining an excavator is significantly higher than a backhoe. A lot of money goes into keeping it in good shape and that does not account for transporting it on a carrier whenever you need to use it. Backhoes, however, are cheaper to maintain even if you are running on a tight budget.

The excavator has a flexible cabin that can spin 360 degrees which enables the controller to see whatever is going on without having to turn the entire excavator around. The backhoe cabin is stationary, however, the driver’s chair can spin 360 degrees this means the cockpit is designed with two sets of controls.

An excavator is preferred for wider fields and big jobs. Areas like fields that have large open spaces are where excavators are used. Backhoes, on the other hand, are utilized in tighter spaces and for smaller jobs. They can easily maneuver around tight spaces.

Both excavators and backhoes are designed to perform earth movement functions but the type of work they perform is not the same and neither is their size. Their designs determine what they would best be used for. However, there are some tasks that they can both perform even though it may be easier to use one rather than the other.

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