backhoe

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Last updated

June 18, 2026

Quick Summary

A backhoe is an excavating machine that features a bucket attached to a rigid bar. This bar is hinged to a boom, and the bucket is drawn toward the machine during operation. The term "backhoe" was first used in 1928.1

A backhoe attachment can be used on a power shovel. In this configuration, it is used for digging below the working level and pulls the load toward the shovel's deck, unlike a dipper shovel which digs away from itself. Modern backhoes can be hydraulically powered and mounted on various shovel carriers or tractor rears.2

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mining
Dragline or backhoe
In certain cases placer material is most economically excavated with a shore-mounted dragline or backhoe and a floating (barge-mounted) concentrating plant. (The digging equipment may also be mounted on a separate barge or on the same barge as the plant.) Material is dug from…
Read More
In certain cases placer material is most economically excavated with a shore-mounted dragline or backhoe and a floating (barge-mounted) concentrating plant. (The digging equipment may also be mounted on a separate barge or on the same barge as the plant.) Material is dug from…
Read More