If you are looking for a versatile machine for your construction or agricultural needs on site, the backhoe loader provides you with the perfect piece of machinery. They are designed to be as flexible for your needs on site as possible, with front end buckets, a range of rear bucket sizes and a combination of a tractor, excavator, and a telehandler. The best plant hire services provide you with the latest models of equipment, ensuring that you have the best available equipment and machinery to meet high standards of safety and production throughout multiple tasks on site.

What makes up the backhoe loader?

There are four main components to a backhoe loader: the body, the loader, the backhoe, and the stabiliser legs. All of these components work well together to ensure that the machine is one of the most versatile and efficient around. 

This shows the range of capabilities and the great levels of flexibility that a backhoe loader provides any site and project. The back is used to dig dirt, whilst the other end moves it around site or utilises different types of attachments to perform other tasks. This is why you see a backhoe loader on most construction sites.

The flexibility comes into play with the number of hydraulic attachments that are available, which moves it away from just digging and moving different materials around, instead you can add:

• Hammers
• Buckets with thumbs
• Couplers
• Rippers
• Compactors
• Augers
• Brooms and sweepers

As we have said, there are a range of hydraulic power attachments that can be fitted to a backhoe that opens up its potential. This moves it beyond the ‘normal’ lifting and digging capabilities. The most common backhoe attachments are breakers and hammers, that are used to break up concrete, asphalt, rocky soils, and other materials in the preparation phase of a project.

How to operate a backhoe loader safely

There are a few simple steps that you should follow to operate a backhoe loader in a safe manner. This includes:

• Wearing a seatbelt at all times during operation
• Always have the stabilisers down during operation
• Never exceeding the maximum operating weight
• Travel with loads low and close to the ground
• Always check blind spots before moving
• Always be mindful of overall visibility when moving loads
• Stay within safe driving speeds on site

Of course, your plant hire specialist will provide you with training and operational manuals to ensure that you are fully aware of how to operate the backhoe loader safely and meet high standards of efficiency.

A backhoe loader could be the perfect, flexible plant hire you are looking for to make a big difference on your next site project. Designed to offer flexibility for a range of tasks, such as digging, grading, or forklifting, it is the perfect combination of various pieces of plant hire kit. Backhoe loader hire is a little bit like adding a Swiss army knife to your choice of equipment and machinery on site, making it one of the most useful things you can have around to help with myriad tasks. This could be invaluable if you are on a tight schedule and/or budget and need to work with something that fits a variety of task applications.