ForConstructionPros.com

Better, stronger, faster ... these words aren’t referring to Steve Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man. In fact, they’re referring to today’s backhoe-loaders, machines which are evolving to be just that — better, stronger, faster and more.

“Backhoes are getting easier to operate and becoming more productive, both for newer, less proficient operators and for the more experienced, who still benefit from new technologies that get the job done faster, with less effort and often more fuel efficiency,” says Bob Tyler, product marketing manager, backhoes, John Deere Construction & Forestry Division.

Efficiency is the name of the game, according to Jim Blower, mid-range product manager at JCB Inc. “With the energy conservation trend, we’re all trying to make things smaller but yet get the same production,” he says. “It’s all about how much dirt the machine will move per gallon of fuel.”

With this in mind, fuel consumption in and of itself is less of a concern than the productivity gained as a result of the fuel consumed. “More and more people are looking at fuel consumption,” he says, “But it’s important to look at how much fuel a machine burns per tons of dirt moved, not simply how much fuel it burns in a day. You want to look at how efficient the machine is, not just how productive.”

Edgar Chavez, director of marketing at New Holland & Kobelco Construction, agrees, adding, “The backhoe is not a continuous-cycle machine, so it’s not important how fast you can dig a trench, it’s how much material can be moved for the amount of fuel burned.”