When Yanmar marketing manager Bill Gearhart offered to bring a new CBL40 backhoe loader to our offices for a demonstration, we immediately called local landscaper Cole Deason, owner of Cut-N-Edge Unlimited in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and asked him if he’d like to put the machine through its paces for us. Cole was glad to help us evaluate this backhoe, which appeared on the North American market early last year.
Power to spare
“We’ve designed this machine with a integral, one-piece frame to ensure strength and durability when digging and loading with either end of the machine,” Gearhart explains. “We’ve added a powerful, 37-horsepower, three-cylinder, turbocharged Yanmar diesel engine. That engine power is enhanced by a closed-loop, load-sensing, two-speed hydro-mechanical powertrain. We use a mechanical gearbox with conventional front and rear drive shafts. You can disconnect the front drive axle from in the cab if higher travel speeds are required.”
The CBL40 also benefits from two, variable-displacement, axial-piston hydraulic pumps. “All backhoe and loader functions draw hydraulic oil from a separate oil reservoir than the drive system,” Gearhart explains. “This ensures smooth and precise control movements at constant speeds, whether another machine function is engaged or not.”
On the front end, the CBL40 comes with a standard, 70-inch wide general purpose bucket, parallel lift geometry and automatic self-leveling. An integrated quick coupler is standard. Auxiliary hydraulic lines are optional – but installation is quick and easy thanks to pre-mounted auxiliary valve sections.
Overall, Deason was impressed by the CBL40 as he worked on a tree-installation job. “It’s a powerful machine, yet small enough you can transport it with a light-duty pickup truck,” he notes. “You don’t have to have a CDL, which is nice these days.”
