挖掘机，专业术语液压挖掘机，有正铲和反铲两种，一般通常见到是液压反铲挖掘机，适应于平常的建筑工地及工程施工，而液压正铲挖掘机则一般适应于大型矿山开挖装卸。**称“铲斗机”，俗称鸡头或反铲。因其多任务性，为建筑工程最常见的机械之一。 挖掘机机身下盘为履带车轮，上盘为动力机身，前装固定桁架，架上设备铲臂，可以俯仰，铲臂前端为铲斗，作业时，将铲斗贴向地层，以铲臂施力向前铲挖，土方即进入斗内，机身旋转，使铲斗就弃土位置，将铲斗底盖开启，土方即自行卸落，完成一次铲行为。 铲斗作业早期为钢索驶动，机体行走为柴油引擎。挖掘机适于平地山坡土壤、软岩及爆松后之岩石等挖方。

A backhoe loader, also called a loader backhoe, digger in layman's terms, or colloquially shortened to backhoe within the industry, is a heavy equipment vehicle that consists of a tractor like unit fitted with a shovel/bucket on the front and a small backhoe on the back. Due to its (relatively) small size and versatility, backhoe loaders are very common in urban engineering and small construction projects (such as building a small house, fixing urban roads, etc.) as well as developing countries. This type of machine is similar to and derived from what is now known as a TLB (Tractor-Loader-Backhoe), which is to say, an agricultural tractor fitted with a front loader and rear backhoe attachment.