So you’ve got some digging to do. The question: backhoe or excavator? If you’ve got a backhoe attachment for your skid steer, you’ve already got a head start. The decision comes down to whether it makes sense to buy a giant dedicated machine or if you can bolt on your backhoe and get the job done quickly and for cheap.
Below is a quick comparison for folks who use their skid steers on job sites, farms, and property projects.
Backhoe vs Excavator: The Quick Rundown
Excavators are built for one thing: big, dedicated digging jobs. They have 360° rotation, long reach, and plenty of power to rip out anything in their way. On large construction sites with heavy-duty trenching or big holes to dig all day, an excavator is the king of the job.
Backhoe attachments on a skid steer offer a totally different kind of flexibility. They’re perfect for pipe runs, drainage, landscaping, clearing roots, or even digging footings for small structures. Instead of dropping $80k+ on a dedicated machine, you’re putting serious digging power onto the machine you already own — and you can switch back to a bucket, grapple, or auger in minutes.
Where Your Backhoe Attachment Wins
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Where You Might Want an Excavator
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- Lower cost. Get the digging capacity without buying another machine.
- Versatile. Dig trenches in the morning, load debris in the afternoon.
- Easy to transport. One trailer, one machine, multiple jobs.
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- Greater reach and depth for major trenching jobs
- Fast cycle times and dedicated swing
- Built-in stability and power for big rocks or dense soils
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THE BOTTOM LINE: If you’re laying utilities on a farm, digging irrigation lines, prepping for a concrete pad, or clearing out old roots and stumps, a skid steer with a backhoe attachment is the smarter play.
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THE BOTTOM LINE: If you’re doing nothing but digging all day on a massive site, this is your answer. But for most smaller contractors and property owners? That’s overkill, not to mention expensive to transport, store, and insure.
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A Backhoe That’s Built to Be Badass
Our Prime Backhoe Attachment is no off-the-shelf, light-duty toy. It comes in 6-½’ and 8-½’ digging depths with 12”, 18”, and 24” bucket widths. Grade 50 hardened steel gussets and replaceable teeth mean it’s ready for abuse. There’s even an optional mechanical thumb for easy grabbing of debris.
These attachments are built the American way. A real manufacturer doesn’t weld a pin on and call it a day, like the flimsy imports we so often see at cheap auction prices, luring in unsuspecting folks. Prime Attachments invests in heavy-duty build quality. We also recess cylinders and fittings to protect them from job-site damage, because you shouldn’t have to baby your tools.
See the Prime Backhoe in Action
Add Even More Versatility With an Earth Auger
Digging might not be a broad-area project. What if you want to punch post holes or bore for piers without breaking out another machine? Call in an earth auger attachment.
The Prime Earth Auger is not (just) a drill. We built a 2” hex-drive, planetary-gearbox monster for commercial-grade, heavy-duty work. Bits are sold separately in diameters up to 30” so you can size it for whatever the day throws at you. Check it out:
See the Prime Earth Auger in Action
Your Skid Steer Is Already Your Most Versatile Tool
Why waste money on a single-purpose excavator when a backhoe attachment unlocks real digging power on the machine you already own?
Save on transport. Simplify your fleet. Make your workday easier.
Give our U.S.A.-made attachments a look-over and see why more contractors are going the smarter route.
