The Vanishing Act of Compact Backhoe Loaders: Where Did They Go and What’s Left?
Compact backhoe loaders — those units below 14 ft of maximum digging depth — used to be quite popular. Ten years ago, Kubota offered 20 models alone. Twenty years ago, the market supported brands like Terramite and Allmand Bros, but today the compact or sub-compact backhoe loader sector has all but disappeared. In our search, we had a lot of brands pass on participating in this article, but what we did find is significant. There are still a few interesting compact backhoe loaders on the market. They don’t look like your dad’s classic subcompact, but they are cool machines definitely worth your attention.
JCB 1CXT: The Most Versatile Loader Ever?
Is the JCB 1CXT a compact track loader with a backhoe or a backhoe loader with a track undercarriage? It’s both and because of its design, the 1CXT offers advantages no other machine can match. Like a compact track loader, the 1CXT has excellent maneuverability, low ground pressure, minimal ground disturbance, excellent stability and high flotation on soft underfoot surfaces. The universal quick-hitch and 26.4 gpm flow let you run a wide range of skid steer attachments. The parallel-lift arms maximize material retention with a bucket and facilitate loading and unloading with forks. The 1CXT has high tractive effort and manages slopes up to 31 degrees. The trade-off with tracks is a top speed of 4.7 mph, well below that of wheeled backhoe loaders, but for many customers that’s a worthwhile exchange for the other performance features the 1CXT offers.
The backhoe can be configured with a standard or extendable dipper. Performance numbers for the two are maximum dig depths of 8 ft, 4 in. and 10 ft, 1 in., maximum load-over heights of 7 ft, 9 in. and 8 ft, 9 in. and maximum reach at ground level of 11 ft, 1 in. and 12 ft, 10 in. Like all backhoe loaders, the 1CXT has a swiveling seat and dual operator stations. Either the classic backhoe or the compact excavator control pattern is available when the seat is swiveled to the rear or at 45 degrees for truck loading, and the pattern can be switched on the fly. A single side door provides easy cab entry and exit. Standard side-shift enhances versatility and makes it easier to dig next to walls and other obstructions. Operating weights are 9,396 and 9,572 lbs with the standard and extendable dipper, respectively.
Spec Your Ideal JCB 1CXT Backhoe Loader
The 1CXT can be configured to meet customers’ needs. The most popular configuration includes a long list of cool-sounding features: enclosed cab with HVAC and cloth suspension seat; 12.8-in.-wide general-purpose tracks; extendable dipper; bi-directional excavator pipework; skid steer quick-hitch; and a 71-in. GP loader bucket with toeplate and loader float.
“For customers needing more performance than the 1CXT offers but for whom a fully-featured, full-sized backhoe doesn’t make sense, JCB offers the 3CX Compact model,” says James Gill, product manager for backhoe loaders, JCB.
Go a Little Bigger with the JCB 3XC Backhoe Loader
3CX features include switchable two-wheel and four-wheel steering, a skid steer quick-hitch and SAE/ISO-switchable control patterns. The 3CX’s operating weight is 13,514 lbs, and it has a max travel speed of 24.9 mph. The most popular configuration of the 3CX Compact includes: a three-speed hydrostatic transmission; cab with HVAC and cloth suspension seat; 78-in. GP loader bucket; 18-in. excavator bucket with teeth; 14-ft extendable dipper providing 25 ft, 9 in. of reach at ground level; the JCB Smoothride System (SRS); return-to-dig; multimode four-wheel steering; and permanent four-wheel drive.
Kubota Emphasizes the “Tractor” in Its TLBs
Kubota offers three backhoe models, the M62, L47 and B26. The latter two meet our qualifications for compact models of having no more than 14 ft of maximum dig depth with 10-ft, 10-in. and 8-ft, 3-in. maximum dig depths, respectively. The M62 falls just outside that range with 14 ft, 2 in. of max dig depth. The industry standard acronym for backhoe loaders is BHL, but Kubota uses TLB, for “tractor loader backhoe,” and that reveals their emphasis on the “tractor” component of their backhoes. Rather than rely on hydraulics at the rear of the tractor as is typical of the category, Kubota uses a power take-off (PTO) and three-point Category 1 linkage for operating attachments and tools such as brush cutters, box blades and bale spears. A rear PTO with three-point hitch is standard on agriculture tractors, and Kubota has chosen to carry this design to their TLB line.
“It is this design that makes our TLBs unique in the market,” says Tyler Weyenberg, product manager, utility tractors and TLBs, Kubota. “It also adds the versatility of easily converting the TLB to an ag tractor, making these machines well suited to needs of agriculture, construction and municipality customers.”
Two points must be noted. First, a backhoe with stabilizers can be added to most ag tractors, but the TLB models from Kubota are designed as backhoes with frame elements and other features that ensure the tractor can handle the stresses of backhoe use. This also includes a swivel seat whereas add-on backhoe attachments commonly have a fixed seat so that the complete unit has two fixed seats, rather than one that swivels. The swivel seat makes it much easier to move from one operator station to the other.
Be Mindful of the “More” (and the “Less”)
For customers accustomed to other compact equipment, backhoes — even compact backhoes — require some new thinking, mostly because of the “more” factor. The typical backhoe costs more than most compact machines. It also weighs more, a consideration that extends to trailer, tow vehicle and possibly CDL requirements. Regular size backhoes need more room to maneuver than compact machines with counter-rotating steering (here again JCB’s 1CXT is an exception). It also offers more capacity on both the loader and backhoe but may have less hydraulic flow and pressure.
Engineered as a Dedicated Backhoe Tractor
Kubota knows that most customers will not remove the backhoe from their TLB and replace it with other attachments so the TLBs are optimized for use with the front loader and rear backhoe. Specs for the B26, L47 and M62 are 24.3, 47.1 and 63 gross hp; 19.5, 33 and 46 PTO hp; and 11.1, 25 and 30.9 gpm of auxiliary hydraulic flow. All three have four-wheel drive. All three have hydrostatic transmissions, a three-range HST on the B26 and six-range HSTs on the larger two models. The electronic HST in the L47 and M62 provide advanced features such as electronic cruise control, auto throttle advance, HST response control and stall guard. These two models also have backhoe crawling mode, allowing the operator to reposition the machine using forward or reverse movement while trenching without turning around to the front operator station. That’s very cool.
New Holland Construction’s B75D Is an Easy Upgrade
New Holland Construction’s B75D doesn’t fit our sub-14-ft max dig depth category with its dig depth of 14 ft, 6 in., which goes to 18 ft, 4 in. with the extendahoe option. It’s included partly because it falls just a bit outside, but mostly because it represents an excellent opportunity for customers to step up into a bigger backhoe.
“We call the B75D our value backhoe model,” says Doran Herritt, product manager, New Holland Construction. “With it we offer a way for customers to have the benefits of a loader backhoe at a lower initial investment.”
Customers can spec the B75D to get the features they want without paying for features they don’t need. The B75D is available with mechanical or pilot controls, two- or four-wheel drive, enclosed cab or open ROPS workstation. There are options for the front and back of the machine, including one- and two-way hydraulic circuits. Aftermarket couplers for the backhoe and a skid steer plate for the loader arms are available options. Numbers at the pump are 32.5 gpm and 3,000 psi, which are adequate for a wide range of attachments. Popular tools include four-in-one buckets, forks, grapples, brooms and augers.
Find out more about some of the largest skid steers on the market.
New Holland B75D Backhoe Drive Options
Drive options are a powershuttle four-speed manual transmission with electrohydraulic forward and reverse shuttle or the fully automatic PowerShift transmission. The loader joystick with the PowerShift transmission includes a de-clutch button to divert full power to hydraulics as required. New Holland suggests the powershuttle for applications emphasizing the backhoe, and the PowerShift for those making greater use of the loader. Either is a good choice for customers expecting balanced use of the loader and backhoe functions. With a history in agriculture going back to 1895, parent company New Holland has extensive experience with tractors and a backhoe kit can be added to many of the company’s tractor models. Just remember…
“There are operational and performance advantages to purchasing a machine designed as a loader backhoe,” says Herritt, “and the B75D allows customers to do that effectively and economically.”
Richard Ries is a freelance writer for Compact Equipment.
Backhoe Loader Benefits Over Other Compact Equipment
Compact backhoe loaders have distinct advantages over other compact equipment. They can trench, load with bucket or forks, backfill, run an assortment of attachments and their higher travel speeds make them roadable (JCB’s 1CXT being the exception). With stabilizers deployed and the bucket on the ground for added support, backhoes are more stable than smaller machines, especially on slopes. Compact backhoes can be more versatile than other compact machines, allowing customers to do more with one machine.
