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
DIGGERS BIG AND SMALL Diggers come in all shapes and sizes Some need to be tall and strong to lift massive loads while others need to be small and nimble for carrying small loads around tight corners and narrow passages Some move on wheels while others use caterpillar tracks to move themselves around No matter the job there's a digger out there made for it REDGEI Not all diggers are used on land Sometimes waterways get blocked by too much sand and dirt building up If the waterway gets too shallow boats and ships may not be able to pass through it That's where the dredger comes in handy A dredger right digs up mud from the bottom of the sea or a river and puts it on a boat to be hauled away This prevents the waterway from getting blocked II AM O FOUNDATION PILES A foundation is the base of a building When a tall building is built it needs a deep foundation so it won't sink into the ground The taller the building the stronger its foundation needs to be to support all the weight Special drill rigs fitted with huge drill bits above left dig holes into the ground in which the foundation piles or supports are placed to make a big strong
O SKID STEER This small building machine right is called a skid steer It is very useful in small spaces because it can move things without needing much room at all to turn around It changes direction by speeding up the wheels on one side faster than those on the other side spinning the machine around JCB TL Colin RCEO O MINI EXCAVATOR A mini excavator above right is used to dig where space is tight With its small arm and bucket it can dig very narrow trenches The body of the excavator above the tracks can rotate in a full circle Its small size and light weight make it easy to transport and perfect for jobs in small
