It looks like an oversized backhoe loader, but Huddig calls its 1370 a “multifunctional excavator loader” that can be equipped with a wide range of attachments and configured for construction, utility, or railroad applications.
Perhaps the most unusual attachment is a boom lift capable of lifting two people to almost 70 feet.
That’s right; dig, load, and lift in one machine.
The 1370 also has an articulation joint in front of the cab for maneuverability in tight spaces and can be fitted with quad tracks.
Huddig, founded in 1959, once built backhoes for Volvo Construction Equipment when it offered them in North America. “We’ve been around longer than people think,” quipped Chad Shaw, Huddig’s Midwest sales manager.
Multiple versions
The construction version of the 157-horsepower 1370, which Huddig dubs “City,” features an excavator boom reach over 23 feet (including tiltrotator and excavator bucket), and a load height of 14 feet 4 inches. Dig depth is 14 feet 9 inches. The loader has 8 feet 9 inches of reach and can lift to 11 feet 6 inches when equipped with a grading bucket.
How to safely operate attachments
For utility work, the “Cable” version adds a boom lift on the side of the unit. The Lift 2000 or Lift 2200 accommodates two workers (and can be added to any version). Working heights are 65 feet 11 inches and 67 feet 3 inches, respectively, and both models can lift 440 pounds at any height.
And you can guess what the “Rail” version adds to the wheels.
All three versions feature load-sensing hydraulics. Huddig also offers what it calls a FlexLever. It’s a proprietary hardware and software solution that combines with a third double-acting hydraulic outlet to allow an operator to use three hydraulic functions simultaneously.
It also lets the operator customize the functions of the joystick buttons.
Hybrid and remote control
For the eco-conscious customer or those working where are there are environmental restrictions, there is a hybrid version of the machine, the 1370T. It runs for two hours solely on electric power or via a supplemental Cummins 6.7L diesel engine. The diesel can also recharge the unit in 40 minutes.
There’s no doubt the company will be working on longer battery life and energy storage.
You can see an earlier version of the machine in action (with an operator) in the promotional video below. The 1370 and 1370T have much more robust specs than their predecessors.
The remote-control option sees a transmitter in the form of a handset with carrier strap and a receiver mounted in the cab. A charger and two batteries for the line-of-sight system are included. All machines come prepared for remote control with cabling for easy installation later.
Interesting timing
Huddig was founded by a Swedish contractor, John Sonerud, whose idea was to modify agricultural tractors with excavator booms. Interestingly, the company’s 1959 founding was not long after (then J.I.) Case and Joseph Cyril Bamford (JCB) came up with loader backhoes in the U.S. and U.K.
The company is actively marketing to North America, Shaw says, recently showing a Cable version at the American Public Works Association show in Chicago; they will also be at Conexpo in Las Vegas in March 2026.
Its U.S. headquarters is in Naperville, Illinois. Huddig has dealers in Lincoln, Nebraska and Galesburg, Illinois.
About the Author
Frank Raczon
Raczon’s writing career spans nearly 25 years, including magazine publishing and public relations work with some of the industry’s major equipment manufacturers. He has won numerous awards in his career, including nods from the Construction Writers Association, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and BtoB magazine. He is responsible for the magazine's Buying Files.