Backhoe

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A large backhoe on an excavator

A skid loader with its bucket replaced by backhoe attachment

A backhoe, also called a rear actor, back actor or JCB, is a piece of excavating equipment consisting of a digging bucket on the end of an articulated arm (also called a stick or dipper). Modern backhoes are powered by hydraulics. They are typically mounted on the back of a tractor or front loader. Similar attachments for skid loaders are still called backhoes even though they are mounted on the front. This is because the name refers to the action of the shovel, not its location on the vehicle; a backhoe digs by drawing earth backwards, rather than lifting it with a forward motion like a bulldozer.

A backhoe attached to a swiveling cab on top of tracks is called an excavator.

The British company JCB developed the early backhoes. Their first tractor equipped with both a backhoe and a front mounted loading bucket was completed in 1953 and set the standard pattern for future designs. Because of the long-time predominance of this marque in the United Kingdom and Ireland, it has become a genericized trademark there, and all backhoe-equipped diggers are commonly called JCBs, while the term "backhoe" is almost unknown to the general public. The founder of the JCB company holds the honour of being the only non-American in the US construction industry's Hall of Fame.