60-mph backhoe

Marcia Doyle Headshot

“You drive like an old lady.” Admittedly not the what you want to hear when you’re behind the wheel, but in I quickly forgave my trainer’s comment. Only going 35 mph, I clearly was not even testing the capabilities of the JCB military-spec HMEE backhoe. The HMEE,  now being delivered in Iraq and Afganistan, is designed to be convoy-ready, clipping along at 60 mph — amounting to warp speed in a backhoe, which typically maxes out at around 26 mph. For more on what JCB calls a “backhoe on steroids,” click here.