Ruston Bucyrus’s Short Lived UK Backhoe Loader Foray #FlashbackFriday

In the early 1970’s American manufacturer Bucyrus-Erie acquired the Hy-Dynamic company of Lake Bluff in Illinois who had been building backhoes since 1959.

The machine which ignited their interest was the 190-4 Dynahoe which had been originally designed by Frank G. Hough. The machine was a heavy-duty version of a backhoe loader like those being built by the likes of JCB and JI. CASE and the company were keen to get into the sector.

The machine was a big beast but gained some popularity in the States, where at the time big was always regarded as beautiful, but sales were never going to break any records.

Bucyrus-Erie set their sights on the UK market, where backhoe loader sales were really taking off, however, this was never going to be easy with the well-established British brands already having dominance with their smaller and more practical machines.

Some American built machines were displayed at major UK trade shows by the British division Ruston-Bucyrus and on the strength of those shows and subsequent on-site demonstrations, several of those machines were sold in the UK between 1972 and 1974. From 1974 the parent company decided that RB should build 190-4 Dynahoe’s for the UK market in Lincoln.

The 4x4 machine was marketed as the “Go Anywhere Do Anything” R-B Dynahoe 190-4 and was identical to the American version, but with the roaring Detroit Diesel engine being replaced by a 108hp Ford 2715E powerpack.

A total of 31 machines were built in the Lincoln factory with some notable sales including at least one unit going to one of my old employers Wimpey Construction, which was proudly displayed at the Public Works Construction and Municipal Services Exhibition in Olympia in 1974, a show that I recall my late father attending, both mother and I were hearing about it for weeks afterwards! 

Sales however, were not considered to be enough to warrant continuing with production, and as such sales were discontinued in 1979 with the last machine actually rolling off the production line in 1981.

There are not many videos of decent quality featuring these machines, but I came across this example of a 190-4 that was up for sale some 3 years ago.

Some images and information respectfully sourced from the excellent book by Peter Robinson entitled Lincoln’s Excavators The Ruston-Bucyrus Years 1970-1985.