Angled floating blade helps excavator backfill trench in one pass

When digging straight-line trenches an excavator is fast and efficient until it comes time to backfill. The optional angled dozer blade on the Kubota KX161-3, however, lets you backfill the trench in one straight run rather than repeatedly pushing, reversing and pushing again as you must with a fixed-angle blade. After backfilling the trench, the blade’s floating function lets you smooth over the top of the trench to finish the job. A single lever controls both functions. The 47-horsepower KX161-3 digs 12 feet 6 inches deep and weighs about 12,000 pounds.