Backhoe vs Excavator: What to Know Before Renting or Buying
Written by: Bracing Systems
When you're choosing construction equipment for an upcoming project, it's important to select the right tools for the job. Whether you're laying pavement, demolishing a structure, or digging trenches for pipes, one of the decisions you may need to make is whether to choose a backhoe or an excavator. Knowing the differences between a backhoe and an excavator can help you make the right selection for your upcoming building or construction project.
Backhoes are smaller and more versatile machines, while excavators are large and powerful, perfect for big industrial projects. When you rent construction equipment from a reputable company like Bracing Systems, you can get advice from experts who can help make your decision. We can answer your questions when renting heavy equipment. Below, we've written a quick guide to help you choose the right tools for the job.
What is an Excavator?
An excavator is a digging machine with a dipper, boom, chassis, and digging bucket. Many excavators also have a dozer blade. Excavators look a lot like backhoes, but they can have tracks or wheels. Excavators are also bigger than backhoes - significantly bigger. Whereas backhoes are tractors with a backhoe attachment, excavators are built for the sole purpose of digging and moving large amounts of earth in big construction projects.
What is a Backhoe?
A backhoe is a machine that consists of a tractor, boom, digging bucket, dipper, and a front-loader attachment. Backhoes are smaller than excavators, which enhances their versatility and usefulness for small contractor businesses taking on more modest projects. Backhoes are commonly rented for construction projects in urban areas, where spaces are small and construction projects are often equally small.
Considerations for Choosing Between a Backhoe and Excavator
There are many factors to consider when trying to choose between a backhoe and an excavator. The most important thing to know is what each piece of equipment is typically used for. While excavators are typically used for demolition, drilling shafts, driving piles, mining, and large industrial projects, backhoes are used for loading jobs, farming, snow removal, and medium-scale construction and excavation.
Excavator projects:
- Demolition: Excavators are good at demolishing a range of structures, either alone or in partnership with other pieces of construction equipment.
- Material Handling: Excavators come with various attachments that can lift heavy materials and move objects from one location to another.
- Mining: Excavators can move soil and extract materials from the earth.
- Large-scale construction projects: The same capabilities that make excavators good for mining also make excavators good for large-scale construction.
Backhoe projects:
- Small-scale construction projects: The backhoe is an excellent option for small-scale construction projects that involve digging, moving earth, and demolishing small structures.
- Digging and excavation projects: Backhoes are often used to lay pipes, dig trenches, and install underground cables.
- Landscape work: Backhoes can be used in landscaping projects. They are useful for clearing land, planting trees, and other projects.
- Moving materials: Some construction workers use backhoes to move large quantities of heavy material.
Size & Design
Excavators are much larger than backhoes. This size difference is one of the main considerations when trying to choose the right piece of equipment for you. The overall size of the excavators makes them an excellent choice for large-scale projects. The small size of the backhoes makes this type of equipment much easier and more versatile on small-scale projects.
Versatility
Backhoes are more versatile pieces of equipment, partly because of their adaptable size and partly because of the wide variety of attachments that can be used with backhoes. Backhoes can also be driven on roads, so they can be used on projects that are spread out over a large area.
Task & Attachment Requirements
Each piece of equipment can be used with a range of attachments. Some examples of the type of attachments that can be used with a backhoe include:
- Drills
- Hammers
- Rippers
- Breakers
- Rakes
- Brooms
- Forklifts
- Plows
Although excavators also come with their own attachments, they have fewer attachments. Excavators can be used with attachments that help with heavy-duty drilling and demolition.
Functionality & Operational Control
The backhoe comes with a cab that allows the operator to control the loader and backhoe functions. Usually, the backhoe doesn't rotate, which can limit its range of motion.
Backhoes have a wheeled design that facilitates fast and easy transportation from one side of the job site to the other. This makes backhoes a common piece of equipment found in urban settings.
Excavators are primarily used for digging and heavy lifting. They have extended depth and reach, which makes them an excellent choice for larger, heavier tasks that might not be possible for a backhoe.
Range of Motion
Excavators can rotate their entire machine's chassis and arm, making a complete circle. Backhoes are usually capable of pivoting about 200 degrees at maximum. While this may not sound like much difference, the experience from an operator's point of view can be dramatic. As you're trying to choose which type of equipment is best for your purposes, think through each step of the project to help you decide.
Still Can't Decide? Let Us Help!
It's common in construction equipment rental for construction workers to show up with questions. They may ask, should we rent a backhoe vs an excavator? Or is an excavator the right piece of equipment for us? The professionals at Bracing Systems can help. This is one of the benefits of renting vs buying construction equipment. When you rent construction equipment from the experts, you can get expert advice on your equipment rental.
This is why many people turn to Bracing Systems for help with their construction and landscaping projects. We rent equipment and sell materials to construction professionals throughout the Chicago area. For help on your construction projects in Chicagoland and the surrounding area, get started with Bracing Systems. Contact Bracing Systems to learn more about our construction rental, or stop by our Hanover Park location to see our material selection.
We understand your challenge: To get all your equipment and supplies reliably and on time, while maintaining good profit margins.
