TABLE OF CONTENTS BACKHOE LOADER 4 O DIGGERS BIG AND SMALL 6 O EXCAVATOR 8 KNOCKING THINGS DOWN 10 LIFTING THINGS INTO THE AIR 12 O EARLY MACHINES 14 O SCRAPER 16 O BUILDING A ROAD 18 Here is a bar O ROAD PAVER 20 O MINE MACHINES 22 O MINING SHOVEL 24 O BUILDING A TUNNEL 26 TUNNEL BORING MACHINES 28 GLOSSARY 30 INDEX 32
BACKHOE LOADER This unusual looking machine is possibly the most useful digger on any construction site the backhoe loader It has tools fitted to its front and back On the front is a huge Scoop or bucket that can be used to scoop up dirt rocks or other rubble On the back is a movable arm called a backhoe This can be used to dig trenches or pull down buildings The backhoe loader can also be fitted with different tools such as a pneumatic drill see page 18 and a mechanical claw in order to do other jobs that are needed around the work site Front bucket The front of the bucket is hinged so the rubble can be easily dropped into a waiting truck The bucket on this backhoe loader can lift nearly 3 tons 2 7 metric tons of rock That's about as much as three orca whales I Cab The cab is fitted with large glass screens to give the driver a good view of the backhoe's arm Stabilizers These special arms reach out to take the weight off the back wheels and provide a steady platform when the backhoe is being used D Chunky tires The backhoe loader has large chunky tires so it can drive over rough
Backhoe At full stretch the backhoe can reach out or down as far as the height of three adults ying head to toe It is moved by controls at the back of the driver s cab Engine power The engine provides all the power to drive the backhoe loader including raising the front bucket with a load of rubble and moving the backhoe to dig O HUMBLE BEGINNINGS The first backhoe was created by attaching two buckets to the front and back of a farming tractor The body shape of this backhoe below shows just how similar a backhoe loader looks to a tractor
