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Backhoes
If you are on the market for a piece of construction equipment, it may be a bit overwhelming. This can be especially so if you are trying to purchase your first piece of equipment and you are not fully educated on all of the equipment out there and how it all works. Three of the most popular pieces of equipment are a backhoe loader, a mini excavator, and a skid steer loader. There are a lot of people who either purchase a backhoe or a mini excavator and skid steer combo and there is a lot of debate in the industry which selection is better. If you are trying to decide which route to go with your next equipment purchase, there are a few things listed below to help get you thinking about which option may be better for you.
Sizing of the two machines is really the major concern that needs to be at the top of your mind. There is a big size difference between a backhoe loader and the other two machines. If you think that a skid steer will be able to move as much or lift as much as a backhoe loader you will be sorely disappointed. But if you aren’t ever using the max capacity of your backhoe loader then you may be able to get by with a skid steer. The same goes for the back end of your machine. A mini excavator will not under any circumstances be able to move as much material or be as productive as a backhoe loader so it is extremely important to truly understand what your business is and how you will be most utilizing machines you are about to purchase.
Another part of size that doesn’t have to do with productivity is the transportability. Backhoes can be hauled behind dump trucks in most states and if you don’t want to have to change trailers it’s a good idea to look at the total weight of the mini and skid loader to ensure you can transport those machines in a similar fashion. Also remember that when you are operating a backhoe versus the other two machines, you are much higher in the air as an operator which gives you a much different perspective to be able to do your work. In a skid loader and min you will be much lower while you are operating the machines.
One of the final considerations is the size of jobs you will be working on. If you are on a large job where you need to road your equipment, a backhoe can actually be equipped to take on the road system and travel legally from job site to job site. This is something you would never be able to do with a skid loader or smaller excavator. However, if you are talking about the ability to move quickly around a large job sites, there is no doubt that a skid steer is the superior machine.
