“Open-center circuits give the operator a feel for a backhoe,” notes Blower. “If you dig a trench with an open-center machine and you encounter an obstacle, and you want to power through ...

Backhoe-loader stabilizers serve two purposes. “You want stability over the side and you also want to stop the machine from sliding around when you are digging a trench,” says Blower.

They range in size from mini-excavators, such as Kubota’s 10.3-hp K008-5 excavator that can carve a 1'-wide trench ... A backhoe’s ability to move dirt with its bucket and dig holes or ...