were ent|re|y met by |mports |n lnd|a.

However th|s trend was put to an end by

Bharat EarthMovers Ltd. (BEML) |n1964
w|th the beg|nn|ng o domest|c produc-
t|on o earthmov|ng equ|pment |n lnd|a.
ln pr|vate sector, the H|ndustan Motors
Earthmov|ng Equ|pment D|v|s|on was
estab||shed |n 1969 at Th|ruva||ur near
Chenna|. Th|s actory was |ater taken
over by Caterp|||ar |n 2001 or the|r lnd|an
operat|ons. A new product|on ac|||ty |n
the same reg|on |naugurated |n Apr||,
2012 |s now used by CAT or Backhoe
|oader product|on.
JCB |aunched the |rst backhoe
|oader |n lnd|a |n 1981 through |ts then
|o|nt venture w|th Escorts but was taken
over by JC Bamord Excavators Ltd.
(K) |n 2003 and |s nowca||ed JCB lnd|a
Ltd. w|th |ts strongho|d |ocated at
Ba||abhgarh, Haryana. S|m||ar|y, CASE
lnd|a operates a product|on ac|||ty |n
P|thampur, Madhya Pradesh wh|ch was
started |n 1989 when CASE had a tech-
no|og|ca| |o|nt venture w|th L&T. lt made
comp|ete acqu|s|t|on o the ownersh|po
the |o|nt venture |ast year.
S|m||ar|y, Terex Corporat|on started
manuactur|ng backhoe |oaders |n 2004
at Greater No|da. Thus, ow|ng to the rap-
|d|y deve|op|ng |nrastructure o the
nat|on, most o the g|oba| p|oneers o
equ|pment techno|ogy are today pres-
ent |n lnd|a as |o|nt venture compan|es,
or have set up the|r own manuactur|ng
ac|||t|es/ market|ng |rms. Three ma|or
-u3|NO !| ||\|!3
0^C-| |^|
|Nu3!\ |N |N|^
172 The Masterbu||der - November 2012 www.masterbu||der.co.|n
hat do you say - when you
pass a construct|on s|te and
Wthe k|ds want to know| that b|g
br|ght ye||owbeast w|th a trunk and a ta||
|s Scoop rom Bob the bu||der? Most o
us have an answer or that |n terms o
how we recogn|ze |t, be |t a d|gger,
|oader or some other persona| argot. l
you knowthat we are d|scuss|ng a back-
hoe |oader here, you undoubted|y
be|ong to our |ndustry!
Exploring the Roots: Brief history of
'Diggers' inndia
There was a t|me when the domest|c
requ|rements o construct|on equ|pment
Cmo|lomyo o, Ooyo|
Equipment Focus
recent entrants |n the market are M&M,
Escorts and Ley|and Deere (Ashok
Ley|and and John Deere). Other manu-
acturers o backhoe |oaders |n lnd|a
|nc|ude Case Ho||and, Te|con, Bu|| lnd|a,
and L|ugong.
Enduring Demand: Still the Messiah of
theEquipment industry
Th|s part|cu|ar mach|ne has been the
superstar o construct|on equ|pment
|ndustry t|me and aga|n desp|te repeated
attempts by other |arge and sma|| robots
to orce ret|rement upon |t! lts sa|es have
been r|s|ng cons|stent|y |n the past ew
years thanks to the construct|on boom |n
the country.
Pro|ect|on o the lnd|an economy to
grow at more than 7% dur|ng the 12th
p|an per|od and 1$ tr||||on amb|t|ous
|nvestment p|ans o the government,
seem to make the lnd|an CE market |n
genera| and backhoe |oaders market |n
part|cu|ar, |ucrat|ve. lnd|a |s the |argest
Backhoe Market |n the wor|d and Back-
hoe |oaders contr|bute approx|mate|y
50% o the tota| EM sector here. W|th
record sa|es exceed|ng 33,000 un|ts |n
2011, product|on orecast or 2013 |s
p|aced around 43000 un|ts w|th an
astound|ng CAGP o 40%. The market |s
thus w|tness|ng entry o new p|ayers
whereas the ex|st|ng manuacturers are
ramp|ng upthe|r product|oncapac|t|es.
Ever thought what makes the back-
hoe |oader so popu|ar? versat|||ty! ln an
era when equ|pment manuacturers are
des|gn|ng mach|nes to do as many |obs
as poss|b|e or try|ng to o||owthe Sw|ss-
army-kn|e approach, the des|gn o the
backhoe-|oader has |ong stood as a
mode|. The mach|ne |s at once a ded|-
cated trench|ng un|t, as we|| as a ront-
end-|oad|ng too|.
lts true, o course, that a comparab|y
s|zed hydrau||c excavator may out-
trench a backhoe and that a whee|
|oader may out-|oad |t, but no other
mach|ne comb|nes these two bas|c
earthmov|ng unct|ons as e|c|ent|y as a
backhoe-|oader, wh||e oer|ng exce||ent
maneuverab|||ty and ease o transport.
And, everyth|ng cons|dered, the back-
hoe-|oader |s a|so one o the most
aordab|e earthmovers around. The
ex|st|ng and new entrants |n backhoe
|oaders manuactur|ng |n lnd|a are thus
reth|nk|ng product oer|ng strateg|es to
su|t the emerg|ng demand order.
A|so, the government |s now p|ck|ng
up aga|n on award|ng new |nra pro|ects
and c|ear|ng the stuck up processes |n
order to put proposed green |e|d power
pro|ects on ast track, and to meet the
emerg|ng urban and rura| |nra demands
rom remote areas, t|er-l and t|er-ll c|t|es,
wh|ch w||| assure manuacturers that the
demand or the versat||e equ|pment w|||
rema|nqu|te |rm and w|de.
Technological Developments
The construct|on equ|pment sector
|n lnd|a has evo|ved over the years and |s
at present |n an |ntermed|ate stage o
deve|opment. The |ndustry |s try|ng to
br|ng |n |nternat|ona| |eve|s o techno|-
ogy as demand and the sca|e o opera-
t|on|ncreases.
The users are nownot |ook|ng at on|y
the |n|t|a| cost o the equ|pment, but
ocus|ng on tota| cost|ng, or cost per ton
o usage. Demand |n va|ue |s a natura|
phenomenon |n any matur|ng market,
wh|ch needs to be addressed by manu-
acturers through the|r products - backed
by necessary |mprovements |n produc-
t|on||ne, a||ow|ng boths|des to reap, hon-
est bene|ts onthe|r |nvestment.
One o the ma|or actors that add to
the versat|||ty o a backhoe |oader |s the
deve|opment |n number o app||cat|ons
|t can work |n w|th the he|p o attach-
ments. Buckets at both the |oader end
and backhoe end can be rep|aced w|th a
host o attachments ||ke pa||et orks,
rock breaker, ||b crane, sweeper co||ec-
tor, auger, s|x-|n-one c|am shove|
bucket, r|pper tooth, |aw bucket, d|tch
c|ean|ng bucket, taper d|tch|ng bucket,
bucket mounted ork ||t etc. Hence, a
construct|on and earthmov|ng mach|ne
can be used |n severa| other app||ca-
t|ons ||ke so||d waste management and
mater|a| hand||ng.
However, the percentage o sa|es
budgeted or P&D |s meager - rang|ng
rom 0.5 to 3% o sa|es. A|though many
o the manuacturers have estab||shed
u||-|edged P&D un|ts to update the|r
products/techno|og|es, the |ndustry |n
lnd|a does not |nvest adequate|y |n P&D
act|v|t|es compared to wor|d |eaders ||ke
173 www.masterbu||der.co.|n The Masterbu||der - November 2012
vo|vo or Komatsu, as the ex|st|ng market
cannot absorb the deve|opment costs.
However, we may see more P&D work
by wor|d ma|ors |n lnd|a, tak|ng advan-
tage o |owP&Dmanpower costs.
ABright Future
Construct|on |n lnd|a |s ast approa-
ch|ng |nternat|ona| standards. The pro-
||e o lnd|an demand |s character|zed by
cost consc|ousness more than va|ue
consc|ousness. Contractors want soph|s-
t|cated equ|pments at lnd|an pr|ces and
they want to use them rough|y (|n-act
abuse them). A|so, there |s h|gher aware-
ness about the ut|||ty o th|s mach|ne |n
rura| markets and more armers-cum-
entrepreneurs are start|ng to ownthem.
Backhoe |oaders w||| rema|n the
most popu|ar type o equ|pment so|d |n
the country or some t|me to come,
though a|ready a change |n the structure
o demand can be seen. lts sa|es have
been grow|ng rap|d|y s|nce 1998 (except
or a d|p dur|ng 2008-2009). Wh||e |t w|||
cont|nue to rema|n the most popu|ar
equ|pment type amongst p|ant h|rers
and sma|| contractors on account o |ts
versat|||ty and mob|||ty, |t |s expected to
be |ncreas|ng|y rep|aced by more e|-
c|ent and product|ve - spec|a||zed con-
struct|on mach|nes, such as craw|er
excavators and whee|ed |oaders, part|c-
u|ar|y on |arge |nrastructure pro|ects.
Thereore, the uture growth rate o the
backhoe |oader |ndustry may dec||ne,
then aga|n, |t may we|| see |ncreas|ng
app||cat|ons |n rura| areas wh|ch w||| sus-
ta|n|ts strong market presence.
Sneak Peek: Top manufacturers of
BackhoeLoaders inndia
Entry o new p|ayers |s we|| ||ke|y to
expand the market. Proper product pos|-
t|on|ng w||| he|p the new entrants create
a stand |n th|s h|gh|y compet|t|ve |ndus-
try. However, v|ewed rom the |ong-term
prospect|ve, ex|st|ng brands w|th w|de
market base w||| cont|nue to connect the|r
names w|th product support, an |n|t|at|ve
wh|ch they w||| now be mak|ng stronger
thanbeore or h|gher brand reca||.
Shown be|ow are some o the most
popu|ar mode|s o th|s versat||e mach|ne
(w|th spec||cat|ons) - manuacturedby pro-
m|nent market p|ayers |nthe country.
Equipment Focus
Case Ho||and Equ|pment Pvt. Ltd
Caterp|||ar lnd|a
Product: 424B Backhoe Loader
Engine: Power - Net 67 hp, Eng|ne Mode| KOEL /4P - 1040 T
Turbo Charged, Eng|ne D|sp|acement 244.09 |n3
Hydraulic System: The Cat 424B |s |tted w|th un|que
techno|ogy, var|ab|e D|sp|acement P|ston Pump, wh|ch
|s an e|c|ent system and has |onger ||e.
Operator Station: Spac|ous and comortab|e
operator stat|on.
Power Train: More re||ab|e
and durab|e power tra|n.
Backhoe: E|c|ent
backhoe perormance.
Serviceability:
Ease o ma|ntenance and serv|ce.
Work Tools: Cat Work Too|s or backhoe
|oaders extend the versat|||ty o the mach|ne. Bu||t or
perormance and durab|||ty, these too|s de||ver h|gh
product|v|ty, |ong serv|ce and exce||ent va|ue.
Electrical System: More re||ab|e e|ectr|ca| system.
Product: Case-HoIIand 770 Loader Backhoe
Engine: Power 76 hp eng|ne
Hydraulic System: Low operat|ng cost and |ow
hour|y d|ese| consumpt|on
Backhoe Bucket: 0.243 cu.m
Loader Bucket: 1.00 cu.m
Equipment weight: 7.1 T
Four-whee| dr|ve (4x4 tract|on)
Pock-breaker
L|t|ng arrangement
Extend|ng type d|pper
Bbottom dump bucket
Pr|pper tooth
B|ack ||| b|ade
Heavy duty tyres-14 x 25 -2.0 PP Dozer b|ade
L|me stone scrape
174 The Masterbu||der - 2012 November www.masterbu||der.co.|n
Equipment Focus
Escorts lnd|a
Product: Backhoe Loader Digmax
Engine: 76 HP
Dig Depth: 4.8 m Loader
Dump Height: 3.00m
Loader Bucket: 1.2 Cu.m
Backhoe Bucket: 0.26
Options: 4x4 opt|on ava||ab|e,
Choice of Bucket: 6 |n 1 Trench|ng
o buckets o 0.12 Cu to 0.18 Cu.m
Rock Breaker Circuit:
P|pper tooth, 90 HP
eng|ne
176 The Masterbu||der - 2012 November www.masterbu||der.co.|n
JCB
Product: 3DX
Engine: 92 hp, Turbo Charged, water coo|ed
JCB eng|ne ecoMAX or better perormance |n
hot and dusty work|ng cond|t|ons.
Four Wheel Transmissions: The JCB
synchroshutt|e transm|ss|on |s des|gned
to prov|de h|gh tract|on orces and
|ong ||e or cont|nuous |oad|ng dut|es.
Excellent Loader Performance:
versat||e 6-|n-l ront shove| w|th h|gh
breakout orces g|ve extraord|nary
|oader product|v|ty. Exce||ent
v|s|b|||ty, |mproved ront reach,
|ower turn|ng rad|us and h|gh tract|ve
and breakout orces g|ve best-|n-c|ass |oader
perormance.
mproved Excavator Performance: lncreased
d|ese| tank capac|ty, protect|on on excavator
end hoses and |mproved excavator va|ve b|ock
eatures ensure even better excavat|on econom|cs.
Quick nter-site: Movement H|gh road speed o
36kph enab|es qu|ck |nter-s|te movement.
P 69 Electrics: For |ncreased re||ab|||ty.
Best-in-class Cabin: Spac|ous cab|n w|th ergonom|c operator
env|ronment, w|th |nstrument conso|e on the operators s|de
resu|ts |n |ong hours o at|gue ree operat|on.
Unmatched Style: Powder coated, curved exter|ors |n b|ack and
ye||ow co|or scheme g|ve the mach|ne a very smart |ook.
Equipment Focus
177 www.masterbu||der.co.|n The Masterbu||der - November 2012
Mah|ndra
Construct|on
Equ|pment
Engine: Compact 3.3 ||ter DlTEC Eng|ne
Power: 83 HP
Highly Fuel Efficient:
Turbo Charger and lntercoo|er
USA Tier Emission Norms
Two Years Unlimited Hours Warranty
Extensive Service Network
Product: Earthmaster Backhoe Loader
Ley|and Deere
Product: 435 Backhoe Loader
Over a|| |ength 5867 mm Dump he|ght 2735 mm Max d|g depth 4569 mm
We|ght: 7697 Kg Generous|y-spaced cab|n H-Ser|es p|atorm
Power sh|t transm|ss|on H|gher breakout orces Greater d|g depths
lnnovat|ve customer care package Strong and rugged
Serv|ce capac|ty Contro||ed Speed Transm|ss|on
Hydrau||c O|| 37.9 Lt Eng|ne O|| 8.5 Lt
Pear Ax|e O|| 18 Lt Transm|ss|on O|| 18 Lt
Eng|ne coo|ant 20.2 Lt D|ese| 151 Lt
Hydrau||cs
Pump |ow 106 |pm
System re||e pressure 250 bar.
Equipment Focus
Product: Tata 315-E
Engine: Tata 497 TC lC Horsepower: 76 Ps _ 2200 PPM
Max. Travel Speed: 36 KMPH (F), 13 KMPH (P)
Operating Weight: 7350 kgs
Bucket capacity: Backhoe 0.25 M3
Loader: 1.0 M3
Type: Turbo Charged, lntercoo|ed 4 Cy||nder
D|ese| Eng|ne
Te|con
Product: Tata 315 - V
Engine: TATA 497 TC lC Horsepower: 86 PS _ 2200 rpm
Max. Travel Speed: 36 kmph (F), 21 kmph (P)
Operating Weight: 7500 Kgs
Con|gurat|on Backhoe Loader
Bucket Capac|ty 0.30 cum - 1.00 cum
Ava||ab|e Attachments
Pock Breaker Heavy-duty Bucket
Bottom Dump (6 |n 1) Loader Bucket
S|ng|e Po|nt P|pper
v-shape Trench|ng Bucket
Square Ho|e Cutt|ng Bucket
Genera| Purpose Bucket
D|tch C|ean|ng Bucket
Fork L|t Attachment
Crane Attachment
178 The Masterbu||der - 2012 November www.masterbu||der.co.|n
Equipment Focus
Product: BL61 PIus
Engine: vo|vo D5D
Net Power: 68 kW (91 hp)
Max power SAE J1995 gross: 70 kW (94 hp)
Max torque SAE J1995 gross: 400 Nm
Maximum Speed: 36,7 km/h
Bucket Breakout Force: 47,9 kN
Lifting Capacity: 2922 kg
SAE Digging Depth: 4258 - 5321 mm
Bucket Digging Force: 52,8 kN
Operating Weight: 8168 kg
Product: BL 70
Engine: vo|vo D5D
Max Power: SAE J1995
Gross*: 94 hp (70 kW)
Net Power*, hp (KW):
90 hp (68 kW)
Max Torque SAE J1995 Gross**:
273 |b-t (370 Nm)
Maximum Speed: 21.2 mph (34 km/h)
Bucket Breakout Force (LDR): 12,445 |b (55.4 kN)
Lifting Capacity (LDR): 6,953 |b (3,154 kg)
SAE Digging Depth***: 149 - 183 (4,496 - 5,562 mm)
Bucket Digging Force: 13,296 |b (59.1 kN)
Operating Weight (Min-Max): 17,248 |b - 21,727 |b (7,824 kg - 9,810 kg)
vo|vo
180 The Masterbu||der - 2012 November www.masterbu||der.co.|n
Equipment Focus