ForConstructionPros.com

Although backhoe-loaders in the 14-ft. dig depth and above size class have long been regarded as essential tools on commercial construction sites, their smaller counterparts (12-ft. dig depth and below) have generally been perceived as too lightweight for such use. Yet, this mind set is starting to change.

"Years back, there were a few... tractor-loader-backhoes (TLBs), especially in the compact class, that were almost considered 'toys'," says Doug Dahlgren, product manager, Allmand Bros. "They were better than a shovel, but frankly not a lot.

"What's happened over the last few years is that they've really become... a serious piece of construction equipment," he states. "We raised the level of performance on the machines to make them more appropriate for a contractor."

Consequently, even the smallest of compact models (10-ft. dig depth or less) are finding use in a much wider range of applications.

"Years ago, the machines were used in more 'surgical' type applications. They were used for very small projects for opening up a hole, very light digging operations, very light backfill operations," says Bud Martin, sales manager, Terramite. "Now that they have become more powerful - with better breakout on both the front and the back end, better lift capacity, better carrying capacity - there's really nothing out there that I see these machines are excluded from. They are able to do just about any operation that a full-size backhoe will do."