Loader bucketUsed for loading, leveling and grading. It is lowered to the ground to steady the machine while the backhoe digs.
Loader armAlso called the lift arm. One on each side; they pivot on the loader frame beside the hood.
Lift cylinderOne on each side, between the loader frame and the arm. They raise and lower the loader arms and bucket.
Tractor and stabilizers 8
StabilizerOne on each side. Lowered, they lift and steady the machine while the backhoe digs. Also called an outrigger.
Cab (ROPS)A heavy steel frame protecting the operator if the machine rolls over. Called a rollover protective structure (ROPS).
Engine hoodThe engine sits at the front, under the hood. A farm tractor is the same.
Front wheelsThe front wheels do the steering; the steering linkage turns both together.
Rear wheelsThe final drives turn the large rear wheels.
Operator's seatIt swivels: forward for driving and loading, backward for working the backhoe.
Stabilizer padThe foot the stabilizer stands on. It should be on firm ground before digging starts.
Stabilizer cylinderOne for each stabilizer, from the rear frame down to the leg.
Backhoe end 9
BoomJoined to the swing frame at one end. The dipperstick is joined at the other.
DipperstickThe main digging arm, hinged to the end of the boom. Also called the dipper or stick.
Backhoe bucketA backhoe digs by drawing earth backwards, toward the machine. It does not scoop it forward.
Swing frameThe boom is pinned to it. It turns on the back of the tractor frame so the arm can swing to the side to dump. Also called the kingpost or swing post.
Boom cylinderIt raises and lowers the boom. It runs from the swing frame to the boom.
Dipper cylinderIt swings the dipperstick in and out. It runs from the boom to the top of the dipperstick. Also called the crowd cylinder.
Bucket cylinderIt tilts the bucket. Extending it curls the bucket in toward the dipperstick.
Bucket linkThe bucket hangs on two pins. One goes through the end of the dipperstick and one through the bucket link.
Bucket teethThey break into hard ground. They can be replaced when they wear.
How this list was compiled: Part names checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only when two sources use it. (1) Wikipedia, Backhoe and Backhoe loader, text only (loader bucket, backhoe, boom, dipper or dipper-stick, bucket and teeth, king-post, swing frame, outriggers or stabilizers, swivelling seat). (2) US Army technical manual TM 5-2420-222-10, Operator's Manual, Tractor, Wheeled, Loader Backhoe (1985, a US government work), full text at https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41152638_0087 (ROPS, operator's seat that swivels, loader bucket, loader lift arms, loader boom cylinders, stabilizers and stabilizer hydraulic cylinders, backhoe swing frame, swing cylinders, boom, boom cylinder, dipperstick, crowd cylinder, bucket cylinder, teeth, hood, front and rear wheels). (3) A tractor backhoe operator's manual, full text at https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7316937 (boom, dipper and dipperstick, swing frame, boom cylinder, dipper cylinder, bucket cylinder, swing cylinder, stabilizers, stabilizer cylinders, stabilizer pads, bucket link, bucket teeth). (4) A second maker's backhoe operator's manual, full text at https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-6023469 (boom, dipper, swing post, boom cylinder, dipper cylinder, bucket cylinder, bucket link, stabilizer, stabilizer cylinder, stabilizer pad, bucket teeth). (5) A backhoe loader operation and maintenance manual, excerpt at https://archive.org/details/cat-caterpillar-430-d-backhoe-loader-operation-and-maintenance-manual (loader lift arm, lift cylinder, loader bucket, swing frame, stabilizer, hood, ROPS), and a compact backhoe loader brochure at https://archive.org/details/jcb-midi-cx-compact-backhoe-loader-2009 (loader arms, loader lift cylinders, boom and dipper, ROPS/FOPS cab). Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry, a composite of no one maker or model. Licence: own work
How it works
A backhoe loader is a tractor with a loader on the front and a backhoe, the digging arm, on the back. These are the parts of a backhoe loader from the side, with the backhoe end drawn larger below.
Read the full guide
Two drawings
Row 1 is the whole machine, loader to the left. Numbers 1 to 6 are the big parts; 7 to 12 are the loader and the tractor. Row 2 is the backhoe end enlarged, with the rear wheel as a dashed outline, for the smaller parts: the swing frame, the cylinders, the bucket link and teeth, and the stabilizer's cylinder and pad.
Three cylinders work the arm
The boom cylinder (14) raises and lowers the boom. The dipper cylinder (15) swings the dipperstick in and out. The bucket cylinder (16) curls the bucket through the bucket link (17).
Boom, dipperstick, bucket: the names run outward from the tractor.
The seat swivels: it faces forward to drive and load, and backward to dig.
Questions and answers
What are the main parts of a backhoe?
A backhoe loader has a loader at the front (bucket, arms and lift cylinders), a tractor in the middle, and the backhoe at the back: swing frame, boom, dipperstick and bucket, with a stabilizer on each side.
What is the arm of a backhoe called?
The arm has two sections. The boom is the section nearest the tractor. The dipperstick, also called the dipper or stick, hangs from the end of the boom and carries the bucket.
What do the stabilizers on a backhoe do?
Digging on tires makes the machine rock, and the swinging arm could tip it. So the stabilizers are lowered at the back, one on each side, and the loader bucket is lowered at the front, before the backhoe digs.
What is the difference between a backhoe and an excavator?
Backhoe names the way the bucket digs: it draws earth back toward the machine. A backhoe loader carries that arm on the back of a tractor with a loader on the front. An excavator is a digging arm on its own chassis, usually on tracks.