Backhoe loaders are an essential piece of kit on almost any jobsite. New machines from topflight manufacturers means that customers can have their pick of productivity, ease of operations and value.
A classic piece of kit, backhoe loaders are the fourth most common piece of equipment globally in terms of sales. With their ability to quickly move around a job-site, or between sites, and their utility on paved surfaces compared with a tracked machine, new machines also offer customers more efficiency and improved controls.
The backhoe launch calendar has been busy the past 12 months, with a series of new machines from top manufacturers, as well as new market entrants in the GCC.
JCB launched a trio of new machines, the 3CX, 3CX Plus and the 3CX Pro. While ostensibly three variants, Julian Carder – General Manager – Backhoe Loaders & Site Dumpers at JCB sees each machine as occupying its own niche.
The Plus model is geared for higher productivity, with a turbo launch diesel engine, resulting in greater pushing power when loading or better on-road performance.
The machine also has more features, whether as options or standard, such as 6-in-1 shovels or extending dippers.
At the top of the range is the Pro model. It features the same engine as the Plus but comes with seat-mounted servo controls. Air conditioning standard on the pro model, while it is optional on the plus model.
Carder, a former backhoe loader operator himself, says that a trend they’ve seen in recent years is more demand for machines that are easy to use, to reduce operator fatigue.
“I grew up using mechanical levers, but once you try the seat mounted controls it’s so easy to use, so natural, and your posture changes, you can sit back and relax in the seat.
“You’ve got fantastic visibility out the rear window, and it’s lovely and smooth. It’s a game changer,” he says. It also makes it easier for operators to transition between excavators and backhoes, he notes.
In his role as a backhoe specialist, he’s visited countless markets around the world, and says that markets in the GCC stand out for the high numbers of hours the machines clock in each year, meaning that they must be highly durable and able to withstand the conditions.
“These machines are designed for those climates, and have to be tested, designed to work in those extreme, harsh conditions, and also they work in very, very high hours per year.”
But ease of operating also makes a big difference when operators are spending so many hours in the cab, so they aren’t worn out at the end of their shift.
Carder says that with JCB having sold more backhoes globally than any other OEM, that means there is a massive depth of customer experience they can draw on to inform the process of developing a new machine.
“These machines all have great ground clearances, great departure angles, strong breakout forces, excellent structural integrity and overall efficiency – that’s the DNA of how we design the JCB backhoe loaders.”
They’ve also managed to improve efficiency by 24%. One key aspect of this is by introducing variable flow piston pumps as standard on all machines, which brings a big boost to efficiency. Designing the machines and carefully ensuring all the components work together in harmony is another aspect of this.
Looking to productivity, Carder says they look to advanced markets such as Scandinavia to understand the future direction of utilisation, which helps inform the feature set they offer on the machines in the Middle East.
But smart use of attachments can also prove decisive in how efficiently the machine is used, or its versatility on a jobsite.
For example, backhoes are well suited for work with hammers. The way that the machine sits, with all the weight on the front of the machine, helps the breaker punch into the ground, which means excellent performance, says Carder.
In markets in Africa there is also a lot of demand for auger attachments, in particular for drilling water bores.
While the machine is most commonly used with the general shovel, utilising a 6-in-1 shovel makes it highly flexible to do different work. “For example, if you’re site stripping and levelling stone out, the ability to open the shovel and to grade, to push and to grab material makes it much more flexible and enhances the performance and productivity,” says Carder.
A backhoe loader with a 6-in-1 shovel can outperform an excavator carrying out the same activity, such as levelling and grading stone over 50m2, in part because the backhoe is quicker to move around the side.
Another brand with a recent launch under its belt is Bobcat, which launched its new B730M, a value model that sits alongside the more premium B730R. The target segment is fleet contractors and rental use, meaning that the B730M features a simple but very reliable design and construction, says John Chattaway, Senior Product Manager Loaders at Bobcat.
Ease of use and familiarity for operators is a highlight, with options to choose the backhoe control type to match the competition. The use of well-known components makes maintenance and service simple and low cost, says Chattaway.
Overall, the performance of the 92 hp machine is class leading, he says. “Customers’ response to the machine has already confirmed we have met their needs.”
The B730M was designed first and foremost to meet the requirements of Middle East operations, meaning that the cooling package components are selected to perform in the highest temperatures and humidities usually encountered across the region.
“Bobcat’s renowned reliability is based on rigorous performance testing of the finished cooling package,” says Chattaway.
Another feature set that was optimised for the ME region is the AC system, he notes. “Testing [ensures the machine] provides the right level of cab temperature and adjustable cooling for the different areas of the cab depending on the machine’s use for loading or excavating operation,” he says.
Looking at uptime, focus areas for Bobcat have been comfort and ease of operation for all day use along with a large fuel tank and efficient engine to enable a full day of hard operation, says Chattaway.
“Uptime of the machine is ensured by a simple design and reliable well known components. We have also simplified the daily maintenance points to help the operators keep the machine in good order with easy greasing and fluid check points.”
Looking to utilisation, Chattaway notes that the BHL is very much set as a must-have machine for Middle East construction sites, where its relative price point and excellent versatility around the job site are still the main requirement.
“There is a very large pool of experienced operators who know how to get the best from these machines. The use of combination buckets, pallet forks and hydraulic breakers is mainly driven by country by country trends and the needs of each construction site,” he says.
Bobcat’s larger B780 will continue to be an important part of the range, says Chattaway.
It’s focused on a smaller customer segment where higher levels of off-road performance are required. “We see this model fitting perfectly for this need and will not require major changes in the coming years.”
Mamoun Mutair, Building Construction Product Manager at Mohamed Abdulrahman Al-Bahar, says that they’re seeing increasing demand year after year, due to the volume of projects and different types of applications supported by the versatility of the machines and worktools.
Al-Bahar, the exclusive Cat® Dealer in UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain offers a range of models starting from 426, 428, 434 and 444 covering standard and equal size tyres.
They can be equipped with mechanical, powershift or automatic transmission as three options, with standard control or Pilot control as optional.
“Cat Backhoe Loaders provide superior digging, trenching, back-filling and material handling capability and can be used for many applications,” says Mutair. “Cat backhoes deliver the power and precise handling you need when operating in areas where using larger equipment is not practical.”
Attachments provide the potential for operators to increase the versatility of their machines or use them more efficiently for particular applications. Cat has introduced the compactor plate (the CVP28), a new cold planer (the PC35), and durable hammers (the B6 & B8).
“We have seen these worktools in particular make a big difference at job sites when used by our customers,” he says.
The Cat 426F2 backhoe was purpose-built for the Middle Eastern and African markets, designed for operator comfort and to help boost productivity and safety. Key features include a variable displacement piston, a differential lock as standard, as well as an excavator-style boom for greater productivity. It also has an exceptional hoe bucket rotation of 205 degrees. A hinged cooling pack means lower operating costs.
Al Bahar also offers complete training programs for operators in order to get the right performance from a machine, including free operator training at the job-site, concludes Mutair.