How to Draw Backhoes in 11 Steps

The backhoe is a versatile machine -- it can dig and scoop with its buckets on the front and back. The large bucket on this construction vehicle is attached to the end of an arm. Some say the arm looks like a giant human arm.

In this section, we'll show you how to draw the above backhoe. You can draw this construction vehicle freehand while looking at your computer monitor or print out this page to get a closer look at each step.

Follow the red lines in each illustration to learn exactly what to draw in that step. The lines drawn in previous steps are shown in gray. Here, we'll show you an illustration of each step and then give you a description of how to draw it.

Head over to the next page for the first step.

Contents

Draw the Wheels
Add the Treads to the Tires
Draw the Body
Draw the Cab
Draw the Light and Exhaust Pipe
Add Detail to the Cab
Draw the Boom
Draw the Seat and Steering Wheel
Add the Scoop
Draw the Hydraulics
Add the Final Touches

1. Draw the Wheels

Begin by drawing the wheels, which are made up of many circles.

On the next page we'll draw the treads.

2. Add the Treads to the Tires

To add tread to the tires, draw a starburst shape around each of the outside circles. This is fun to do!

On the next step we'll draw the body.

3. Draw the Body

Draw the shape that makes up the body of the backhoe. Draw two rectangles inside the front of this shape. Be sure to round the one corner as shown.

Up next, we'll draw the cab.

4. Draw the Cab

Draw the cab; notice how the top is narrower than the bottom. Draw the windows in the cab. Draw the roof. On the side, draw a boomerang shape from the back wheel to past the front wheel.

Next, we'll draw the safety light and exhaust pipe.

5. Draw the Light and Exhaust Pipe

Draw the safety light on the cab roof, and draw the back of the headlight at the front of the hood. On the hood, draw the muffler, which is a rectangle with a pipe running through it.

For the front bucket, draw a half-circle, adding a point that juts out at the bottom. Outline the bucket to add depth. At the rear, draw a small bump behind the tire.

We'll add some detail to our backhoe on the next page.

6. Add Detail to the Cab

Draw all the details on the far side of the backhoe that are visible from this side, including the other headlight, the windows on the other side of the cab, and the edge of the front tire on the far side.

Up next, we'll draw the boom.

7. Draw the Boom

Draw the arm for the backhoe scoop. It is made up of two curved rectangular shapes with rounded ends. Outline each rectangle for depth.

Draw the rounded triangular shape near the top of the lower arm.

Next, we'll draw the seat and steering wheel.

8. Draw the Seat and Steering Wheel

Draw the steering wheel and driver's seat inside the cab. Add detail lines for depth.

We'll add the scoop on the next page.

9. Add the Scoop

Draw the backhoe scoop. Look at the example to see how it attaches to the boom.

We'll draw the hydraulics on the next page.

10. Draw the Hydraulics

Add circles for the pivot points that move the arms up and down. Outline the circles where indicated to add depth. To finish your backhoe, draw two hydraulic cylinders.

On the next page, we'll finish our drawing.

11. Add the Final Touches

Use a felt-tip pen to trace over the lines you want to keep, and erase the extra pencil lines.

Drawing the backhoe was great fun, huh? Even more fun is drawing every kid's favorite construction vehicle -- the popular dump truck. Continue to the next page to learn how to draw dump trucks.